Setting the rules for our dumping grounds

Did you see the interesting report in the ABJ this weekend about who gets to dump their waste in landfills operating in the Stark-Tuscarawas-Wayne district? Evidently the folk there are getting tired of all the hassles associated with providing dumping grounds for the surrounding counties. Things like noxious smells, toxic leaching, and possible air, ground and water pollution continue to plague Countywide Landfill, for example.

So that district made up some new rules that state quite simply, they aren't going to accept waste from communities that are not recycling at the same or greater rate as Stark-Tuscarawas-Wayne. According to the article, 17 counties do not meet that criteria, including Summit. (There is a catch, however -- if a county has a greater access to recycling than Stark-Tuscarawas-Wayne, then they can still dump their trash. Two counties from the list of 17 qualify on access grounds, and that includes Summit.)

Bob Downing's story doesn't answer the big question that leaped into my mind -- why are all these counties unable to achieve higher levels of recycling? Does it cost too much? What is the long term cost of not achieving higher rates of recycling, both residential and commercial/industrial?

One final dismal thought -- if Ohio continues to lose population, we may have to open up the whole state to dumping. If you can't get people to live here, then why not turn it into one giant dumping ground?

Bonus Link: Here's a blog entry about seven quilts that were saved from a landfill. Enjoy the beauty of the saved work and wonder at the minds that thought it was okay to throw away such historic works of folk art.

Landfill gets its license despite fire and odor

From Wednesday's ABJ, this report on the status of Countywide Landfill, home to lots of Summit County's trash:

The Stark County Health Department voted today to approve a 2007 license for a Stark County landfill where an underground fire has been smoldering.

With little discussion, the board of health commissioners voted to approve the permit for the Countywide Recycling & Disposal Facility in Pike Township, following a lengthy recommendation from Health Commissioner William Franks.

"Little discussion" indeed. What is there to discuss when the bags of trash keep piling up and there's no where else to dump it? I've been following this story all along, from initial reports of evidence of intense underground heat through EPA investigations and it seemed clear to me that the license would be renewed. What wasn't clear was what steps would be taken to fix the mess and how the for-profit landfill company would prevent future fires and odors.

According to this brief report Health Commissioner Franks says "Many of Countywide's problems will be corrected under an agreement with the state." Which leaves me wondering what are the other problems and why weren't they included in the agreement. The agreement the company signed with the Ohio EPA states that it must douse the fire and get rid of the odor. Let's see how quickly they can figure out how to do those things. They have until May 25th to submit a plan. They have to check the integrity of the plastic liner that holds all that toxic waste (including the stuff that is on fire) to make sure it isn't leaking. and yes, there is a fine of a million or so bucks.

Even so, the Health Commissioner says the landfill "is not a threat to public health or the environment and the company is substantially in compliance with regulations at its five other Ohio facilities."

Great. Is someone checking out those other five facilities?

By the way, "Republic Waste Services of Ohio owns and operates the 258-acre landfill. Its parent company is Florida-based Republic Services Inc." It's a great big toxic corporate world we live in. Isn't it comforting to know that landfill fires are so common that there are web sites like this one to deal with the problems?

Club 3000 is a citizens' organization that is trying to keep tabs on Countywide and other Ohio landfills. Check out their web page for the nitty gritty. The image above is from their web site and is a view of Countrywide as seen from Bolivar, Ohio.

Keep Your Plastic Bag Out of the Landfill

News on two areas of interest in today's ABJ:

An update on the suspected underground fire at Countywide in Stark. (You can more about the the original story here.) Turns out there's a whole lot going on under the surface:

"Abnormally high temperatures, the release of hydrogen gas and carbon monoxide, and a 30-foot settlement in part of the Countywide Recycling & Disposal Facility in Pike Township indicate fire, said Todd Thalhamer. The California-based expert made recommendations released Friday by the state EPA.

According to Thalhamer's report, an underground metal fire in 2005 probably caused the surrounding garbage to smolder, and the compounds released produce the odors. Because the smoldering is at a lower temperature than a typical underground fire, it is not releasing toxic gases such as benzene because plastics aren't melting, Thalhamer wrote."

The landfill owner continues to downplay the story:

"Tim Vandersall, general manager of the landfill, has said he believe the problem is not a fire but a chemical reaction of aluminum waste and water.

Vandersall said Friday the landfill is safe and will be treated the same whether the hot spot is a fire or a chemical reaction.

``As I've said for six months, it doesn't matter what you call it,'' he said."

Remember that the landfill is not a government-run entity. It is a business and it is busily burying tons of Summit county waste every day. It's not like there is a whole lot of competition for its services. And it is not very likely that Summit county is going to convince its residents to heed the 3 Rs (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) any time soon. So when the general manager tells us everything is OK, I for one have my doubts.

The new Ohio EPA director says he will wait until reading the report before acting on Countywide's renewal license. What do you want to bet that the landfill gets renewed? They may tie some provisions on to the license, but there's no way in toxic plastic hell that they'll close the place. Where will all our trash go otherwise?

Nobody really wants to face the problems of dealing with waste from our communities, let alone thinking about the total waste from 6.7 billion people. We are happy to put our trash in bags and bins and then forget about it. Somebody else will deal with it -- and they'll do it far from our homes so we don't have to smell it or see it or risk our lives from chemical explosions and fires.

Tagged on at the end of a Betty Lin-Fisher article about phone companies, is a response to a reader question about recycling plastic bags. The reader wanted to know where she can recycle her plastic shopping bags now that Tops has left the area. Tops used to provide a recycling bin at each store for shoppers to return those madly multiplying bags.

Lin-Fisher got a more detailed response from Acme than I did. Acme will NOT recycle bags, because it is just too damn inconvenient for them. According to Jim Trout, VP of merchandising and sales:

``We think recycling is best left to the communities. A supermarket, in our opinion, is not the place to do recycling,'' Trout said. Years ago, Acme did recycle plastic bags, but bags would be returned with things still in them, which made the bins unsightly and dirty."

The good news is that some Giant Eagle stores and some Walmarts provide plastic bag recycling bins. Missing from the article is information as to which stores provide the service. If any Akron area readers spot a plastic bag recycling bin, we'd appreciate it if you share the information here.

Convenience is the big enemy here, along with the capitalist drive to open more markets. Convenience has brought about the rise of non-recyclable packaging to ship fast and convenient processed foodstuffs all over the country and the world. Business leaders talk about opening new markets without thought as to what that really means. It means more stuff with more packaging ending up in landfills.

We need a new business model based on scientific research into sustaining a safe and healthy life on this planet for all people. Anything that is made should have a plan for its entire life-cycle from manufacture to shipping to use to reuse and ending with a precise recycling plan.

Do we want to continue throwing our toxic trash into a pit and covering it up with some dirt and crossed fingers that it won't ignite or leach into the water supply?

Energy from a dump

Here's an idea for the Hardy Road landfill -- turn it into a source of gas for heating and fuel. Jackson Township is going to be home of a new facility called the Green Energy Center built on the cite of a landfill:

"E.P.A. okays Green Energy Center

The final air permit has been issued for the Green Energy Center next to SWACO's Franklin County Landfill (3857 London Groveport Rd, Jackson Township, Ohio). Construction on the facility should begin about six (6) weeks after local permitting approval.

SWACO's landfill will provide the gas needed to produce methanol and CNGat the Center. FirmGreen Fuels LLC of Newport Beach, California will operate the Green Energy Center and purchase the gas from SWACO.

The Center is expected to produce up to 20 million gallons per year of methanol, which would provide up to 100 million gallons per year of B20 biodiesel to the marketplace. Landfill gas will also be used to generate 1.6 MW from an engine and microturbines. Additionally, waste heat from the microturbines will provide space heat and hot water for the administrative office building and maintenance facilities of SWAC."

Is this form of energy source the wave of the future? Will it be restricted to already completed landfills or is it an excuse to keep on dumping? What kinds of things are in the landfill that create the methanol? More details here.