10 Things You Need to Know for the Waste & Recycling Industry Today (September 9, 2014)

Recycling Facilty Faces Penalty After Worker Death “Federal regulators have fined Behr Iron and Metal nearly half a million dollars after a worker's death earlier this year at a South Beloit recycling facility.  According to a news release from the U.S. Department of Labor, OSHA officials cited the company for one serious and seven willful violations. The victim was a 37-year old immigrant. The worker suffered multiple injuries after his arm was caught in a conveyor belt on March 10.” (NorthernPublicRadio.org)

Clifton-based recycler abruptly closes its doors, lays off 100 workers “A prominent Clifton-based recycling company abruptly closed its doors on Friday, informing more than 100 employees that they had worked their final day while dozens of North Jersey towns scrambled to forge temporary arrangements with other collectors. Green Sky Industries, which promoted itself as the state’s largest private recycler with 75 municipal contracts, many in Bergen and Passaic counties, announced in a letter to towns on Thursday that it was shutting both of its plants, in Clifton and Carteret in Middlesex County. The company’s Clifton employees on Friday were given their final paychecks and a note on a quarter sheet of paper that explained the closure as a result of ‘declining business conditions.’” (NorthJersey.com)

Shreveport Mayor calling on EPA to help close Harrelson landfill “Shreveport Mayor Cedric Glover calls on the federal government to take over the closure of the Harrelson landfill. ‘I'd like to have the federal government come in and recognize that this is an issue of environmental injustice and actually take over the closure and the fire mitigation efforts of this situation,’ says Glover. Louisiana DEQ ordered the owner, Michale Harrelson, to start the fire mitigation plan by February 2015. Glover says that's too long of a time frame.” (ArkLaTexhomepage.com)

Single-stream recycling begins for several Burlington County towns “Convenient single-stream recycling will begin today for residents of Bordentown City, Bordentown Township, Chesterfield, Fieldsboro, Florence and Mansfield as the program expands in Burlington County. All recyclable materials — paper, cardboard, magazines, glass and aluminum — can now be mixed together and put out for pickup. With the new system, residents’ existing paper recycling containers can be used for commingled recyclables.” (NJ.com)

40 Million Tons Of Toxic Coal Waste Sit Next To Prison With ‘Alarming Rates Of Illness’ “Soon after Marcus Santos became a prisoner at the Pennsylvania State Correctional Institution (SCI) in Fayette, he says he began feeling sick. He developed a rash on his left side with large welts. He became dizzy, nauseous, and experienced shortness of breath. His face and throat would swell, making it difficult to breathe. At night, the symptoms were the worst. ‘I suffered almost everyday of the 15 months I was at that prison,’ he said. ‘It became clear to me that I [was] being left for dead.’” (ThinkProgress.org)

Complaint Filed With EPA Over Hog Waste Disposal “Several environmental groups have filed a federal complaint against the state over hog waste. In a filing with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the organizations say North Carolina has failed to enforce rules regulating disposal of hog waste. Environmental advocates say waste from hog farms are posing a health danger to several eastern NC communities, They;re asking the U,S. EPA to help. Larry Baldwin is with the Waterkeeper Alliance.  He says the state Department of Environment and Natural Resources has not lived up to a deal struck in 2000 that allowed the agency to require Smithfield Foods and other pork producers to develop better waste management technology.” (WUNC.org)

Excel Recycling pays DEP fine for Charlton facility” Excel Recycling LLC of South Dartmouth has been penalized $15,100 by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection to resolve the company's failure to notify MassDEP and conduct timely cleanup actions for a waste oil spill at its Charlton facility. On March 6, 2013, during an unrelated inspection, the Charlton Fire Department observed heavy black oil spreading across the company's yard and traced it to several scrap underground storage tanks. The tanks had been brought to the facility to be recycled and should have been empty; however, two of them contained an estimated 150 gallons of waste oil.” (TelegramTowns)

Winnetka debuts recycling program near Starbucks “Pedestrians passing by the new containers outside the Starbucks on the corner of Chestnut and Spruce streets in Winnetka this month will get a chance to become early participants in the launch of the village's Commercial District Recycling and Trash Receptacle Pilot Program.” (Chicago Tribune)

Changes in recycling; no plastic bags allowed “The Township of Parsippany-Troy Hills  is making changes regarding recycling of plastic bags. Due to stricter regulations at recycling markets, the Township is no longer able to take plastic bags (grocery bags, clear bags, etc.) with recycling.  This means you cannot place your recyclable items in plastic bags for curbside pickup of both the plastic bag and recyclables or put plastic bags in the same container with recyclables.” (Parsippany Focus)

Brick Council to Vote On Revised Landfill Solar Project Agreement “The Brick Township council is set this week to vote on a revision to the redevelopment agreement which will govern the relationship between the township and Brick Standard, LLC, the new name of the owner of the solar array at the former French’s Landfill site. The redeveloper’s agreement has been revised before as the deal with the developer, formerly known as Standard Alternative, evolved from primarily a land lease agreement to a partnership. The details of the revised deal, which appears on an agenda for the Sept. 9 council meeting, are not disclosed in agenda documents, but it is expected they will be announced at the meeting itself.” (Brick Shorebeat)