10 Things You Need to Know for the Waste & Recycling Industry Today (September 15, 2014)

Can These Tech Companies Solve the World’s Garbage Problem? “Since 2003 Newton, Mass.–based BigBelly Solar has created solar-powered bins that act as on-site trash compactors. The compacting process instantly increases the capacity of trash cans and minimizes the overflow. That decreases the number of garbage pickups needed. After Philadelphia adopted the smart trash compactor, pickups per bin in the city decreased from three times per day to less than three times per week. That saved the city nearly $900,000 in just one year, reports Time.” (TakePart.com)

CNG truck growth rate slows “Natural gas powered trucks continue to grow in unit sales and production, though at a rate proportional to the outsized growth of the overall heavy truck market. This inline growth falls below earlier expectations of a more rapid adoption. Nevertheless, sales for 2014 are now expected to total 11,000 units, up 27% from 2013, according to a study compiled by ACT Research, Columbus, Indiana.” (Trailer Body Builders)

Boston pilots plan to recycle food waste “Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh announced the city is piloting new approaches to a community compost program in Boston. This fall, the city will be collecting residential food waste at two communal residential food waste collection containers dubbed, ‘Project Oscar’ and three farmers market.” (West Roxbury Wicked Local)

EPA agrees to play active role in Harrelson Landfill order “The Environmental Protection Agency has agreed to help facilitate the effective closure of a private landfill that has long been a source of complaints by Shreveport residents concerned about the smoke and fumes spewed by the underground fires that have burned at the site for years.” (KTBS.com)

Businesses find cash in composting organic trash “It may not be high-profit, but it's ‘extremely viable,’ she said of her early reading on the prospects for forging a business out of offering restaurants and grocery stores special pickup of organic waste that otherwise would be headed for the landfill. Launched earlier this year, her company, Compost Crusader LLC, has lined up seven customers so far without doing much in the way of marketing. The early clients were enough to generate nearly 25,000 pounds of waste in August that Tashjian trucked to a Racine County composting operation.” (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

Santa Clara County opens hazardous-waste drop-off site “Santa Clara County's newest facility to collect household hazardous waste opened this weekend to a steady stream of motorists dropping off toxic, corrosive, flammable and otherwise dangerous products -- while taking a load off their environmental consciences. About 500 county residents drove through fast-moving lines as workers at the state-of-the-art San Jose Environmental Innovation Center, at 1608 Las Plumas Ave. near King Road in northeast San Jose, efficiently unloaded boxes, bags and cans.” (San Jose Mercury News)

Green River seeking $3.5M from state to close landfill, build trash transfer station “Green River city officials say they're waiting to see if they get $3.5 million from the state to help close a landfill and build a trash transfer station. City Finance Director Jeff Nieters says Green River has set aside $1.5 million of its own money for the project.” (The Associated Press)

NY approves financing for landfill, sewer upgrades “The state Environmental Facilities Corporation has approved financing for a Franklin County landfill expansion and sewer upgrades for the Essex County village of Port Henry along Lake Champlain. The Environmental Facilities Corporation provides low-cost loans to help local governments afford major improvements to wastewater and drinking water infrastructure.” (The Associated Press)

Tulsa trash board chairman defends sending green-waste to burn plant, but city councilor disagrees “City Council’s chairwoman was at odds Thursday with a trash-board plan to burn green waste and abandon plans to compost the curbside refuse. Paul White, chairman of the Tulsa Authority for Recovery of Energy, said the plan to take green waste to the city’s waste-to-energy burn plant is as environmentally sound as taking it to the city’s green-waste facility that has basic composting capabilities — all while being cheaper.” (Tulsa World)

City receives recycling bins for use in public spaces “The city received 50 recycling bins to be placed on Public Square, Kirby and Coal Street parks, and the River Commons, as part of a national program made possible by Keep America Beautiful and The Coca-Cola Foundation. The program is in its ninth year and provides approximately 4,500 recycling bins to colleges and universities, nonprofits and local governments, with more than 65 percent of the total designed specifically for permanent, ongoing use in heavily-trafficked public spaces and events. The new 60-gallon bins will allow the city to increase recycling in public spaces and will complement the residential recycling program in the city.” (TimesLeader.com)