10 Things You Need to Know for the Waste & Recycling Industry Today (August 28, 2014)

Waste Management to cut jobs “Houston-based Waste Management Inc. made an internal announcement Aug. 22 that it will implement a voluntary staff reduction plan. Employees in corporate functions, both in Houston as well as other locations, may elect to take the provided severance package or wait to see if they’ll be retained or let go once the voluntary phase of the reduction has concluded.” (Houston Business Journal)

‘Urban mining’ cuts electronic waste “Harvesting precious metals from discarded electronic products is what is known as urban mining and it is becoming increasingly popular. The world produces roughly 45 million tons of e-waste each year. Harvesting it for its valuables saves energy, saves landfill space, reduces the amount of toxins released into the soil, water and air, and can be quite profitable. The U.S. alone discards $60 million worth of gold and silver each year. Worldwide, only about 10-15 percent of discarded gold is currently recovered from e-waste.” (Poughkeepsie Journal)

Granite City recycling plant has past violations “Public officials have still not released the names of two employees killed when a live mortar exploded at Totall Metal recycling in Granite City, IL Monday morning. As we wait for more answers, a relative of one of the victims told us his uncle never felt safe there. NewsChannel 5 started looking into the company and its ownership and found that OSHA cited Totall Metals for more than a dozen safety violations during the past five years, involving exposure to lead, fumes and dust.” (KSDK.com)

Class action lawsuit against West Lake Landfill dismissed by judge “A judge dismisses a class action lawsuit, filed by Bridgeton residents, against Republic Services. The federal suit claimed radiation from the West Lake Landfill had contaminated nearby homes and businesses. Subsequent testing did not show contamination levels high enough to a reach federal standards for damages.” (Fox2Now.com)

NC officials move to fine Duke over coal ash pollution “North Carolina environmental officials moved Tuesday to fine Duke Energy over pollution that has been seeping into the groundwater for years from a pair of coal ash dumps at a retired power plant outside Wilmington. The state Department of Environment and Natural Resources issued a notice of violation to Duke over the ongoing contamination at the L.V. Sutton Electric Plant in New Hanover County. The site includes a pair of unlined dumps estimated to hold 2.6 million tons of ash.” (Associated Press)

'Waste Audits' Making Businesses Better Recyclers ; City Launches Program To Further Refine Waste “Twice a month, Carl Polonchak loads a van with green bins of office paper and blue bins of magazines and other ‘shiny paper.’ Along with cardboard and other recyclable items, Polonchak drives them across town to Lancaster city's New Holland Avenue recycling center. ‘It became a very easy process,’ he said of the system of colored bins he established at the Gilbert Architects office on North Charlotte Street several years ago.” (InsuranceNewsNet.com)

Advance Disposal reopens MSW MRF in California “Advance Disposal Co. Inc., a privately owned hauler and MRF operator based in Hesperia, California, has reopened its newly upgraded MSW MRF (municipal solid waste material recovery facility). The CP Group, San Diego, redesigned the facility and supplied the equipment to the plant, which had a grand opening in late May. Advance Disposal’s facility had previously used a 21-year-old sorting system, which handled 20 tons per hour (TPH), but the new CP system allows the company to process 50 TPH. The MRF now operates one extended shift instead of two shifts because of the increased throughput, according to the CP Group.” (Recycling Today)

Charlotte cuts ties with recycling company  “The City of Charlotte is in the process of cutting ties with Inland Waste Solutions following complaints from customers. ‘You will see that once our people are doing the work people have the service they deserve and expect from Charlotte,’ said Mayor Pro Tem, Michael Barnes. Barnes, along with City Council, approved a plan Monday to terminate its contract with Inland Waste Solutions nearly a year before its expiration.” (WCNC.com)

County Moves Forward with Plans for Solid Waste Transfer Station “Household garbage from DeKalb County will be hauled to the Smith County landfill for disposal after the solid waste transfer station is up and running.The county commission Monday night voted to enter into a five year contract with the neighboring county who will dispose of DeKalb County's solid waste at the rate of $29.00 a ton.” (Hartford Business)

Propane Tank Explodes At Sacramento Recycling Facility “Evacuations were ordered for a recycling facility west of 12th and North B streets in Sacramento as a precaution, following a propane tank explosion and fire. Roberto Padilla, a spokesperson for the Sacramento Fire Department, says a truck carrying a five propane tanks overturned. One of the tanks exploded, and crews were concerned for a time that the four others could explode as well.” (CBS Sacramento)