10 Things You Need to Know for the Waste & Recycling Industry Today (September 11, 2014)

Manatee County Commission OKs renewal of $140M in garbage collection deals “The Manatee County Commission agreed to renew $140 million in solid waste franchise agreements Tuesday with two current waste haulers rather than opening the process to bids from other firms… The retained haulers are Waste Pro of Florida Inc. and Waste Management Inc. of Florida.” (Bradenton.com)

19 Illinois communities get landfill grants “Local governments will get more than $1.5 million in grants to inspect pollution-control facilities such as landfills and to investigate complaints about illegal dumping, Illinois officials said Tuesday. The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency announced grants to 19 communities. Local officials must use the money to hire and train landfill inspectors under state requirements.” (Associated Press)

Seattle considers composting requirements and penalty fines “The Seattle city council will consider an ordinance later this month, that would make composting a requirement and institute fines for violations…. Currently, single-family homes have compost bins, and multi-dwelling units and commercial buildings are required to have compost service available. But city officials said about one-third to half of all city garbage still contains compostable items.” (KIROTV.com)

Pitkin County looks to share costs at Aspen recycling center “When Pitkin County began a contract earlier this year with Waste Management to privatize collection at the county’s three recycling centers, it cut nearly half the collection costs it previously had paid. A study conducted in July showed that 57 percent of the recycling coming into the Rio Grande Recycling Center in Aspen was a combination of residential and commercial use generated within Aspen city limits.” (The Aspen Times)

Columbiana County residents to fight proposed landfill “Residents who live in the West Point area gathered at the local Nazarene church Tuesday night to talk about a landfill proposed by the Rosebud Mining Company.  The company wants to build a landfill along state Route 45 that would receive solid municipal waste and waste from the oil and gas industry. People believe that drilling waste contains radioactive material that could eventually find its way into nearby streams like Little Beaver Creek.” (WFMJ.com)

Israel’s first bio-waste power facility to be built “Blue Sphere Corp., a Wall Street OTC market-traded US company and the Environmental Services Company will work together to establish a biogas facility to generate electricity from organic waste, primarily food leftovers. The facility will be built at the Neot Hovav Eco Industrial Park in the Negev, at an investment of NIS 100 million, and is expected to produce 5 megawatts of electricity and process more than one hundred thousand tons of organic waste per year.” (GLOBES)

Farmington nets $30K from recycling group’s dissolved assets “Selectmen voted Tuesday night to accept around $30,000 in dissolved assets from the former Sandy River Recycling Association, which disbanded earlier this year in the face of falling income, rising costs and shrinking membership. The nonprofit association brought recycling to the county 23 years ago but announced it was dissolving in January after its biggest member, Farmington, signed a contract instead with Archie’s Inc. to take over recycling at no cost to the town.” (CentralMaine.com)

PSC Metals agrees to limit what it puts in river “PSC Metals, the owner of a scrap metal yard across from downtown Nashville on the Cumberland River, has agreed to take steps to limit its stormwater discharges of metals and other substances into the water. The company said Tuesday that it had reached an ‘amicable’ settlement of a lawsuit filed by the Tennessee Environmental Council and ReDiscover East, a nonprofit group dedicated to preserving and improving East Nashville. U.S. District Judge Todd Campbell signed a consent decree between the parties earlier in the day.” (The Tennessean)

Simsbury Starts Paint Recycling Program For Residents “The board of selectmen approved a paint recycling program for residents when it met on Sept. 8. According to an announcement from the town, the program is free, open to residents with a permit to use the town's bulky waste and recycling facility and starts on Oct. 1. House paint and primers, stains, sealers, and clear coatings like shellac and varnish will be accepted but must be in their original containers and not leaking. The bulky waste and recycling facility is at 74 Wolcott Road.” (The Courant)

Lynchburg City Council appropriates money to close landfill “As part of costs involved in closing the Concord Turnpike landfill, Lynchburg City Council on Tuesday approved a $1.8 million appropriation toward the endeavor. The closure includes 26 acres of landfill cap, stormwater and sediment controls and a perimeter collection system for liquids. The Region 2000 Services Authority has operated the site since 2008 as part of a regional waste management program.” (The News & Advance)