10 Things You Need to Know For the Waste & Recycling Industry Today (Feb. 21, 2014)

Universal recycling finally coming to St. Petersburg “Within the next seven months, the Sunshine City will lose its distinction as the largest Florida municipality without a universal recycling service. Under the leadership of new Mayor Rick Kriseman, City Council members on Thursday voted unanimously to move forward with a plan to create a citywide program for the city's 76,000 residential customers. "It should have been done a long time ago," said council member Wengay Newton.” (Tampa Bay Times)

Waste Management Inc Stock Downgraded “Waste Management (NYSE:WM) has been downgraded by TheStreet Ratings from buy to hold. The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its revenue growth, good cash flow from operations and increase in stock price during the past year. However, as a counter to these strengths, we also find weaknesses including deteriorating net income, generally higher debt management risk and disappointing return on equity.” (TheStreet.com)

Potential buyer gets more time to seal $1-million Richfield Landfill deal “ A new buyer has been given more time to complete a purchase of the shuttered Richfield Landfill, and a bankruptcy trustee says a sale appears to be falling into place. Sam Sweet, bankruptcy trustee for Richfield Equities and related companies that filed for bankruptcy protection in September 2012, filed a motion to extend the time to complete the $1-million landfill sale to TerRenova LLC., a Clarkston-based company. The order filed in U.S. Bankruptcy Court sets March 17 as the new date that the sale is to be completed.” (MLive.com)

Landfill proposal clears committee “A bill to funding clean up and close a troubled landfill in northern Baxter County cleared the Joint Budget Committee of the Arkansas House and Senate on Thursday. State Sen. Johnny Key, R-Mountain Home, requested the amendment to HB1040 that will enable the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality to open its Landfill Post-Closure Trust Fund to cover, in part, the cost of repair and closure of the NABORS landfill.” (BaxterBulletin.com)

Landfill budget shortfall pegged at $450,000 “The Sunshine Coast Regional District is wrestling with a landfill budget deficit for 2013 and projected shortfall this year that will total $450,000. In a Feb. 13 report to the infrastructure services committee that was updated this week for round two budget discussions, staff said anticipated cost savings from service reductions implemented last September “were not fully realized,” though expenditures were still three per cent under budget. “However, tipping fee revenues were $175,000 (10 per cent) below budgeted levels due to reduced tonnages arriving at the landfill,” the staff report said. The report pegged last year’s deficit at $135,000 and the 2014 shortfall at $315,000.” (Coast Reporter)

Landfill funds its own operations “The Brown County Landfill handles a lot of trash and money. But the second-largest budget in the county in terms of dollars is different from all the others. It gets no tax money. Instead, the Brown County Landfill funds itself through tipping fees and special assessments charged to cover the cost of hauling waste from homes, businesses and county drop sites. It is powered, financially speaking, by what’s called an enterprise fund. The expenses of other county departments are covered by general fund and special revenue dollars — mostly property taxes and various fees.” (Aberdeen News)

Cincinnati recycling firm opening local facility “ A Cincinnati recycling company is expanding into the Dayton region. Resource–One purchased a 51,000-square-foot facility in Covington, which will be its third location, and plans to hire three workers, according to Tim Echemann of Sidney-based Industrial Property Brokers, which co-brokered the deal.” (BizJournals.com)

Tuscaloosa County expanding recycling effort “Recycling drop off is now available in areas of Tuscaloosa County that previously went without. Drop-off recycling containers were delivered to the Bobby Miller Activity Center in Taylorville and the Faucett Brothers Activity Center outside of Northport last week and both have had a lot of response with people already dropping off items for recycling, Jim Patrie, Tuscaloosa County solid waste director, told the Tuscaloosa County Commission Tuesday.” (TuscaloosaNews.com)

AWARE to expand Butte recycling operations “AWARE Inc. plans to improve its recycling operations in Butte with the purchase of a multi-product baler and expansion of its plant at 640 S. Arizona St. The plant, which has been in operation since August 2004, handles about 1.5 million pounds of recyclables – paper, plastic, cardboard and aluminum — each year.” (The Montana Standard)

Potential recycling mandate for apartments “ Despite Ark Regional Services discontinuing its recycling program, Albany County residents still have recycling options. Ark announced last month it would pull the plug on its recycling program, effective May 1.” (The Laramie Boomerang)