Ohio trash imports dropped in 2005, but expected to rise again

According to 2005 figures released this week by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, Ohio landfills imported 115,162 fewer tons of trash last year than they did in 2004. The slight drop was precipitated by the 2004 completion of a New Jersey site cleanup, eliminating a significant source of out-of-state source of waste. Nevertheless, officials interviewed in an Akron Beacon Journal report expect trash imports to grow in 2006, despite a July 2005 fee increase for imported trash.

In 2005, Ohio landfills accepted 3,024,452 tons of trash from 27 states. This accounted for nearly 14 percent of the waste that went into Ohio landfills.