SWEEP Releases New Municipal Standard Proposal

The Solid Waste Environmental Excellence Protocol (SWEEP) Municipal Standard has just been published in draft form, Waste Dive reports.

The new standard includes six categories, and SWEEP is accepting public comments through the end of January. It follows the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) model to evaluate the environmental, economic and social aspects of providing municipal solid waste services.

According to Waste Dive, the new draft comes after more than two years of meetings and calls to hash out the finer points of how waste and recycling operations around the country can, and should, run under the most ideal conditions. Municipalities will eventually be able to apply for SWEEP certification or contract with certified service providers, the report notes.

Waste Dive has more details:

The Solid Waste Environmental Excellence Protocol (SWEEP) Municipal Standard has been published in draft form. Following the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) model, its goal is to evaluate "the environmental, economic and social aspects of providing municipal solid waste services."

The new municipal standard, as well as a forthcoming industry-specific standard, includes six categories – sustainable material management policy, waste generation and prevention, solid waste collection, post-collection recovery, post-collection disposal and innovation.

SWEEP is currently accepting comments, in accordance with American National Standards Institute procedure, through the end of January. From there, a consensus meeting will be held in Washington, D.C. on Feb. 12 and a balloting process will occur into the spring. The goal is to launch pilots with as many as 24 municipal or private entities by late 2019.

Read the full article here.