10 Things You Need to Know For the Waste & Recycling Industry Today (August 7, 2014)

Waste Management Sees Growth With EPA Coal-Ash Disposal Rule “Waste Management Inc. (WM:US), North America’s largest trash hauler, expects ‘big growth’ in sales from a pending U.S. rule that may require coal-fired power plants to dispose of ash byproduct in engineered landfills, Chief Executive Officer David Steiner said. The Environmental Protection Agency rule will probably require coal ash pits to be replaced by lined landfills, similar to the landfill requirements for solid waste implemented 30 years ago, Steiner said in an interview at Bloomberg’s Houston bureau. Ash is the byproduct of coal combustion.” (BloombergBusinessweek)

E-Waste Recycling Programs of the Federal Gov Slammed by BAN “The Basel Action Network (BAN) opposes a claim made by the federal government that the government is ‘leading by example’ in how it handles its own e-waste.  The global toxic trade watchdog organization says the government continues to allow use of the weakest available recycling standard, which lets recyclers export the hazardous e-waste to developing countries. Such exported e-waste often winds up being processed ‘in dangerous back-yard operations’ in China, West Africa, and South Asia, BAN says.” (Environmental Leader)

De Blasio family shows how to compost in video filmed at their Park Slope home “There’s one thing the de Blasio family will really miss about living in Brooklyn — the joys of composting. In a saccharine advertisement, the de Blasios invited New Yorkers into their crunchy Park Slope home Wednesday to learn how to recycle food waste. With soft, tinkling music in the background, the one-minute spot features daughter Chiara de Blasio explaining how to compost.” (NYDailyNews.com)

Waste-to-energy company suing Pinellas for $200 million “A waste company is suing Pinellas County claiming they didn’t get a fair shake during a bidding process. Pinellas uses a process called waste-to-energy to get rid of its trash. The garbage is incinerated at a plant on 118 Avenue and the energy created during that process is then sold to Duke Energy.” (SaintPetersBlog.com)

Waste Management Asking Marathoners to Give Old Shoes New Life “Waste Management has partnered with marathon organizers and the Long Beach Rescue Mission to stage a shoe collection drive on a scale never carried out before by the Texas-based recycling and disposal service. To commemorate the 30th anniversary of the marathon in Long Beach, Waste Management will be collecting shoes and donating them to the rescue mission an effort to help transform lives, while at the same time keeping usable materials out of the trash cycle.” (Long Beach Post)

Boone County Landfill Begins Shingle Recycling “The Boone County Landfill has unveiled their new program that accepts asphalt shingles for recycling.  This program, in cooperation with Metro Waste Authority in Polk County, recycles asphalt shingles into asphalt used in road paving.  Landfill Administrator Scott Smith has said the Landfill will transfer the collected shingles to a processing facility at Metro Park East Landfill near Runnells.  The processed material is then sold to an asphalt plant.” (KWBG.com)

Oregon plant that converts waste plastic to oil shuts down “A waste plastic-to-oil plant in Oregon is shutting down as the owner ‘learned what we needed to learn’ and the developer looks toward a new generation of equipment to improve operations at the same location. Agilyx Corp. created the technology that operated in Portland, but Waste Management Inc. actually owns the operation.” (Plastics News)

San Antonio firm seeks to build $5 million waste disposal site in DeWitt County “San Antonio-based Petro Waste Environmental, a company that processes non-hazardous solid oilfield waste, has filed an application with the Texas Railroad Commission to develop a $5 million landfill in one of the Eagle Ford Shale's busiest drilling areas. PWE plans to put the 200-acre facility into operation near the DeWitt County town of Nordheim in the first quarter of 2015, processing rock and soil contaminated by oil from drilling sites. The site, around 75 miles southwest of San Antonio, will employ 10 to 15 workers.” (San Antonio Business Journal)

South Harrison landfill expansion approved by N.J. DEP “he state Department of Environmental Protection has approved a plan to expand the perimeter of the Gloucester County Improvement Authority (GCIA) landfill. The modified permit means the landfill will grow from 138.5 acres to 164.2 acres dedicated to solid waste — about a 25.7-acre increase. Gloucester County spokeswoman Deb Sellitto explained that the extra 26 acres will not be needed for years to come, so construction of liners and drainage systems for that land will not begin for some time.” (NJ.com)

Judge denies request to dismiss lawsuit against landfill “A federal judge Wednesday denied a request by the Hurricane landfill that accepted 228 tons of MCHM-contaminated wastewater mixed with sawdust that a lawsuit against it be dismissed. Chief Judge Robert C. Chambers’ decision ends an ongoing argument since the Disposal Service landfill and its owner, Waste Management, filed in May a motion to dismiss the suit the city of Hurricane and Putnam County filed against them earlier that month. The trial is now set for June 2.” (WVGazette.com)