10 Stories from Around the Waste Industry for Feb. 14

Feds launch criminal probe of NC agency after coal ash spill “The U.S. Justice Department has opened a criminal investigation into the state environmental agency tasked with regulating Duke Energy after a coal ash spill left the Dan River so polluted that people were advised to avoid contact with the water. The probe, environmentalists say, might also open a window into the relationship that state regulators have with the country’s largest electricity provider, a company that also was a 28-year employer of Gov. Pat McCrory.” (NewsObserver.com)

Tomblin Huffman Push Fracking Waste Landfill Bill “In the wake of the Freedom Industries spill of 10,000 gallons of toxic chemicals into the Elk River and the Patriot Coal spill of 100,000 gallons of coal slurry into Fields Creek, West Virginia Governor Earl Ray Tomblin and his Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Randy Huffman, are actively pushing legislation that would allow fracking companies to dump their radioactive drilling wastes into solid waste landfills around the state.” (MorganCountyUSA.org)

Environmental groups ask Nixon to stop Franklin County coal ash landfill “Environmental groups are calling on Gov. Jay Nixon to halt construction of any new coal ash dumps until groundwater testing is done near current landfill sites. St. Louis-based Ameren has proposed a new coal ash landfill in Franklin County, near its Labadie power plant, but local and state environmental groups oppose the effort, citing potential health risks. To address those fears, Ameren released a report on Feb. 3 claiming that there was no danger to drinking water near the current or proposed coal ash storage sites.” (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)

More Canadian trash dumped in Michigan landfills; see who else sends trash here “While Michiganders disposed of less garbage at in-state landfills last fiscal year, total waste increased as Canada dumped more trash in Michigan. Michigan landfills accepted 44.9 million cubic yards of waste in the fiscal year ending September 2013. That's up about 1.4 percent from the previous year, according to a report released Thursday by the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality.” (MLive.com)

Kent County recycling center sees record amount of waste; county to hire additional technician “Kent County officials have approved the hiring of an additional recycling center employee to keep up with demand after the facility raked in a record amount of waste. Kent County residents are recycling more than ever. In 2013, the county's single-stream facility accepted more than 30,500 tons of waste, or more than 61 million pounds. About 28,351 tons of recyclables were processed and about 88 percent of that was sold to vendors to bring in more than $2.5 million in revenue.” (MLive.com)

Landfill Bans Not the Solution Says Stadler “Stadler Engineering has said that recommendations for banning certain materials from landfill isn’t a practical solution. Responding to the 2020C Sweating Our Assets report led by Conservative MP Laura Sandys, Stadler Engineering UK sales manager Trevor Smart said other options should be considered. He said: “The idea of banning landfill is an attractive one and one which has been implemented overseas. “However, in countries such as Germany where the ban exists and they compost and recycle as much as possible, what to do with the organic waste recovered after recycling still remains an issue.” (REBNews.com)

Recycling regime lets some small businesses off the hook “The operators of a controversial new provincial recycling system have introduced more changes to reduce the cost and paperwork for certain small businesses. Six months ago, small business owners were fuming over onerous reporting requirements, vague timelines and unknown costs. The new system, run by an industry-led non-profit agency called Multi Material BC (MMBC), is meant to shift cost and responsibility for recycling to the businesses that produce packaging, but critics from the small business community complained that the system seemed to have been designed only with large companies, like grocery store chains, in mind.” (Coast Reporter)

New paint recycling plan lacks gloss for Kane officials “A new plan to improve the recycling of paint products in Illinois has the potential to be a Picasso of waste reduction, according to some Kane County officials. But when county board member Phil Lewis looks at the plan, all he sees is Dogs Playing Poker. Kane County staff members wanted the county board’s Energy and Environmental Committee Thursday to support a bill in Springfield that would create a program of paint recycling similar to the new plan for electronics recycling. Instead of local residents or local governments paying to recycle hazardous oil-based paints when they bring in old and half-used cans, a fee would be added to every paint purchase. That fee would be collected by the state and fund a “paint stewardship program.” The goal of the program is to save money by minimizing local government involvement in the disposal of unwanted or unused paint products.” (Daily Herald)

Recycling and litter programs awarded more than $2 million “Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality Acting Director Pat Rice has announced the awarding of $2,006,707 in 51 grants for litter cleanup, recycling, and public education programs and activities. Funds for the Litter Reduction and Recycling Grant Program are generated from a fee charged to certain manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers of products that commonly contribute to litter.” (StarHerald.com)

Commission merges landfill, recycling and environmental enforcement into one department “The Calhoun County Commission on Thursday consolidated three departments into a new environmental division, a move officials say will increase efficiency. Environmental enforcement, recycling and the county landfill will now all fall under the umbrella of the environmental division, which will be overseen by David Pirritano. The commission appointed Pirritano, formerly the county’s environmental enforcement officer, to the newly created environmental programs manager position on a one-year contract.” (The Anniston Star)