10 Things You Need to Know for the Waste & Recycling Industry Today (September 8, 2014)

State consultant says Bridgeton Landfill fire spreading north “The consultant hired by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources says the ‘subsurface fire’ at the Bridgeton Landfill is expanding and moving closer to the radioactive West Lake Landfill. The report runs counter to Republic Services’ recent assurances that the smoldering landfill is at “a managed state.” And it comes a day after an Army Corps of Engineers report indicated it would take at least 18 more months of testing before a barrier can be built between the landfills.” (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)

Waste Management Launches Referendum Drive to Win Back Oakland Garbage Contract “Waste Management, the corporation that currently picks up Oakland's trash, is not giving up the city's lucrative garbage contract without a fight. As we reported last month, the Oakland City Council, in a surprising move, awarded the entire $1 billion franchise to California Waste Solutions (CWS), an Oakland-based company that currently does some of the city's recycling, but has never had a residential garbage contract before. Skeptics have questioned whether CWS is prepared to do the job, given that it currently lacks a facility to sort trash. Waste Management responded with a lawsuit against the City of Oakland, alleging that CWS was not only a risky choice, but that the competitor also won the garbage bid only after the city violated multiple provisions of its request-for-proposals (RFP) process.” (East Bay Express)

The California Bag Ban and a Lesson on How Not to Legislate “In the process of making environmental policy choices, it often doesn’t take long for the discussion to veer away from the scientific and toward the emotional. Broad considerations for the planet’s future touch deep ideological nerves, so this makes sense, but it can often stifle conversations about actual science, as well as the real environmental ramifications of the policy proposal.” (InTheHopper.org)

Workers At Coal Waste Landfill Told That Coal Ash Is ‘Safe Enough To Eat,’ Lawsuit Says “Employees of an Ohio landfill used primarily for disposing of toxic coal waste byproducts like coal ash were told that the waste was ‘safe enough to eat’ and weren’t required to wear protective gear, resulting in numerous illnesses and some deaths, according to a lawsuit filed on behalf of 77 people last month. Doug Workman, a supervisor at the General James M. Gavin Residual Waste Landfill landfill in North Cheshire, Ohio, allegedly responded to worker inquiries about whether working with the coal waste was safe ‘by sticking his finger into the coal waste and then placing his fly-ash covered finger into his own mouth,’ thereby implying that ‘that coal waste was ‘safe enough to eat,’’ according to a report in the West Virginia Record.” (ThinkProgress.org)

EU Penalizes Greece for Failing Waste Management “European Court of Justice advocate general Juliane Kokott has called for the imposition of stiff fines to Greece after repeatedly failing to comply with European waste management regulations. In a recommendation made to the court this week, Kokott said that Greece should pay a fixed fine of 22 million euros and 54,450 euros for every day that it fails to shut down the remaining 60-70 illegal landfills which continue to operate in the country.” (GreekReporter.com)

Environmentalists Rally Around Lawsuit to Scrub San Jacinto Waste Pits “As Houston corporate lobbyists fight a county lawsuit seeking to penalize companies for carcinogens plaguing the San Jacinto River, environmental groups have pledged to keep hounding their headquarters with angry rhymes. In 2011, Harris County Attorney Vince Ryan sued Waste Management, International Paper, and McGinnis Industrial Maintenance Corporation for $2 billion in penalties for the cancer-causing dioxin that's leached out of the San Jacinto Waste Pits for nearly half a century. But Waste Management and International Paper say they only inherited the property after it had been polluted, so they're not liable to pay for full remediation.” (Houston Press)

Anti-landfill group seeks grand jury probe “An anti-landfill group in Riverton is still trying to summon a grand jury to investigate actions taken by the Galena City Council in connection with a landfill project that has been tabled until January. The petition, which has been sent to the Cherokee County District Court, had 365 signatures, exceeding the requirement of 225, but was denied Aug. 20 by Judge Oliver K. Lynch, according to court documents. Lynch said the petition did not have the name, address and phone number of the person filing the document. He also said the petition gave no indication that any authorized official placed the verifying signatures under oath.” (The Joplin Globe)

Westport officials secure new solid waste contract to save $1.1 million “Town officials have negotiated a new contract for the disposal of its solid waste, which will save more than $110,000 annually and $1.1 million during the 10-year-term. Westport entered into the agreement with Wheelabrator Bridgeport, L.P. on July 1 along with the communities of Bethany, Bridgeport, Easton, Fairfield, Milford, Trumbull and Woodbridge. First Selectman James Marpe thanked the city's Director of Public Works Stephen Edwards who worked alongside Fairfield and Trumbull Public Works Departments on the new approach and negotiations.” (The Hour Online)

Ontario County Landfill expansion moving along “The 43.5-acre expansion of the Ontario County Landfill is inching closer to reality, the Board of Supervisors’ Environmental Quality Committee was told Wednesday. That expansion would extend the life of the landfill from 2015 to 2028. Casella Waste Systems, operator of the 389-acre landfill in the town of Seneca, submitted a permit application to the state Department of Environmental Conservation earlier this year.” (Finger Lake Times)

Tuscaloosa set to begin recycling glass in spring 2015 after being granted $200,000 in state funds “The city of Tuscaloosa will be add glass to the list of items it recycles, thanks to a $200,000 grant from the Alabama Department of Environmental Management. City spokeswoman Deidre Stalnaker said Thursday the city's recycling services are the product of a collaboration with Tuscaloosa County, the University of Alabama and the county's Park and Recreation Service. Those bodies form the West Alabama Recycling Partnership, which lobbies for state funds from ADEM to enhance recycling services in the area.” (AL.com)