10 Things You Need to Know For the Waste & Recycling Industry Today (August 13, 2014)

Waste Management makes last-second bid for Oakland garbage contract “Waste Management is making a long shot attempt to hold onto Oakland's $1 billion garbage contract after losing it to a local company that city officials fear might not be able to handle the job when the contract begins next year. In a letter to city officials this week, the Houston-based company dramatically lowered its proposed rates and offered to split the work with California Waste Solutions, the Oakland-based firm that the City Council awarded the full 10-year contract to last month.” (InsideBayArea.com)

All Eyes on Boston: Will the New Commercial Food Waste Ban Lead to a Boom in Waste-to-Energy? “At the start of the New Year, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick and his Administration announced final statewide commercial food waste disposal ban regulations to take effect on October 1, 2014. The ban will divert food waste to energy-generating and composting facilities and reduce the Commonwealth’s waste stream by 30 percent by 2020 and by 80 percent by 2050. Will the implementation of the ban be a model for other states? The answer may be an outstanding, yes!” (EnergyCentral.com)

California Bill Would Require Recycling Of Organic Waste “Businesses and local governments would be required to recycle their organic waste under a bill now in the state legislature. Supporters say that would reduce methane emissions, which contribute to climate change. Environmental groups say methane is a much more powerful greenhouse gas pollutant than carbon.” (CapRadio.org)

More odor lawsuits filed against Bridgeton Landfill owner “Residents near the Bridgeton Landfill filed 14 additional lawsuits Tuesday against waste disposal company Republic Services for damages they say were caused by a foul stench that started more than three years ago from an underground fire at the landfill. The lawsuits representing 34 plaintiffs were filed in St. Louis County Circuit Court. All the residents live in the Spanish Village subdivision and recently rejected a settlement offer of $26,250 per household from a class action lawsuit against Republic Services. About three-quarters of residents in Spanish Village and two other neighborhoods accepted the settlement and signed releases preventing further odor claims.” (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)

Innovative Solar Farm To Be Built On Rutland Landfill “Green Mountain Power broke ground in Rutland Tuesday on a new $10 million solar project that the utility says will not only generate clean energy, but also provide emergency back up power to parts of the city when needed. Solar arrays are sprouting up all over Rutland County and some of the larger ones have generated a fair amount of controversy and criticism. But Mayor Christopher Louras said this latest project has avoided much of that because it’s being sited on a landfill. ‘It’s taking a piece of property that could not be developed for anything else and is making productive use out of it,’ said Louras.” (Green Energy Times)

New York textile recycler adds remote container monitoring service “Dublin-based SmartBin reports that its remote container monitoring system for the waste and recycling industries has been selected by the New York-based textile collector SpinGreen. The company signed a multiyear contract with SmartBin in July, the systems provider says.” (Recycling Today)

State fines Garden Park Medical Center over hazardous waste handling “A Gulfport hospital is paying an $87,000 fine for improperly handling hazardous waste. Garden Park Medical Center agreed in May to pay the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality $87,100 for violating 21 separate rules governing the storage and disposal of hazardous waste.” (SunHerald.com)

Lexington acquiring garbage trucks and buses that run on compressed natural gas “Compressed natural gas is touted as greener and cheaper than diesel fuel, and it's coming to Lexington in new garbage trucks, buses and fueling stations. The city on Tuesday unveiled 11 garbage trucks that run on the fuel, and it has committed to replacing its entire fleet with garbage trucks that run on compressed natural gas over time.” (Kentucky.com)

Waukegan expands recycling program to include clothing, textiles “Waukegan residents will have the option of throwing old clothing and textiles — including swimsuits, tuxedos and Halloween costumes — into a recycling bin rather than the trash under an agreement reached last week between the city and the Solid Waste Agency of Lake County (SWALCO). The City Council unanimously agreed at its Aug. 4 meeting to join more than a dozen other county communities that participate in a textile-recycling program launched by SWALCO in April.” (Lake County News-Sun)

Public hearings set for solid waste and public works “Two public hearings were set during the regular meeting of the board of commissioners on August 5. The first is for the solid waste department to look at the solid waste parcel fee. Solid Waste’s Mike Hanan said that at the same time they should also look at the tipping fees. Tipping fees are the fees that the waste haulers pay to use the landfill or for the costs at the incinerator.” (Long Prairie Leader)