Solid Waste Management Plans For the NERC States

© Northeast Recycling Council, Inc.
February 2006

GLOSSARY OF ALL ABBREVIATIONS CAN BE FOUND AT END OF DOCUMENT

1. Web Links

Table 1. Links to State Solid Waste Management Plans & Agency Contacts

^Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island are currently revising their Solid Waste Management Plans (January 2006). Once revised, this site will be updated to include the relevant information.

2. Waste Hierarchy

Table 2: Waste Hierarchy Comparison^

^Only those states that include a waste hierarchy in their Solid Waste Management Plan are included in this table.

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3. Goals

Table 3: Comparison of Goals & Objectives^

^Only states with current Solid Waste Management Plans are included in this table.

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Summary of Goals and Objectives

Maine
For Maine to reach its waste reduction and recycling goals, a variety of approaches and management techniques have been developed.

Waste Reduction

1. Goal: Reducing Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) generation by 5% based on 2003 generation levels.
   1. Recommendations:
      1. Establish an official state waste reduction goal (completed in 2003).
      2. Expand current information and education efforts that promote waste reduction activities at local, regional and State levels.
      3. Continue pollution prevention assistance programs administered through DEP.

 

Recycling

1. Goal: Recycle 50% of the MSW stream.
   1. Priority Areas:
      1. Municipal recycling programs should receive continued attention and technical assistance from the state in order to improve the quantity and quality of materials collected.
         1. Strategy: Serve as a clearinghouse on recycling markets; in conjunction with other state agencies, identify potential markets and assist in their development where appropriate.
      2. Composting must manage a greater portion of the organics stream at the household, municipal and commercial level.
         1. Strategy: Work with municipalities to manage leaf and yard waste as a separate waste stream by developing projects which promote back yard and municipal composting programs.
      3. Construction and demolition debris: cost-effective management alternatives to landfilling should be explored and fostered.
         1. Strategy: Encourage municipalities to 1) properly sort and store wood waste and 2) have it processed for energy producing facilities which operate with air emission controls.

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New Hampshire
In carrying out its objectives, DES adheres to the following principles:

1. The responsibility for solid waste management is shared between state government, local government, and industry.
2. Manufacturers must subscribe to product stewardship and take responsibility for their role in source reduction, altering the manufacturing process to avoid using toxic materials to produce a product, and minimizing the volume of packaging.
3. Whenever possible, solid waste should be reused, recycled, or composted rather than disposed of by incineration or landfilling.
4. The public and private sectors should have access to solid waste management options at a competitive cost.
5. Planning for the future of solid waste management is critical to our ability to meet our needs.
6. Education, compliance assistance, and enforcement actions are necessary to promote compliance.
7. Proper closure and post-closure care of solid waste landfills are critical to protection of the State's waters.

Below are the goals of the NH Solid Waste Plan, followed by "Sub-goals." In the Solid Waste Plan, each of the Sub-goals is followed by "Objectives" that include tasks to complete with dates.

1. Reduce the volume of the solid waste stream
   1. Work with the commercial and residential sector to increase reuse of products and by-products.
   2. Increase source reduction at the manufacturing level.
2. Reduce the toxicity of the solid waste stream
   1. Reduce waste toxicity in products and packaging through pollution prevention concepts.
   2. Minimize the release of hazardous materials into the solid waste stream.
3. Maximize diversion of residential and commercial/industrial solid wastes.
   1. Develop and promote markets for recyclable commodities.
   2. Assist municipalities and businesses in diverting more recyclables and compostables from the waste stream.
4. Assure disposal capacity for New Hampshire.
   1. Obtain more thorough data regarding solid waste generation, diversion activities and disposal and assist in assuring solid waste disposal capacity at a reasonable cost to NH municipalities and businesses.
5. Assure that solid waste management activities are conducted in a manner protective of human health and the environment.
   1. Minimize the release of contaminants to the environment and risk to public health and safety from the improper management of solid waste through education, outreach, well-reasoned regulations and compliance assurance activities.

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New York
The NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) will concentrate on the following activities and continue to support the waste reduction objectives for the 1998-2003 planning period that were developed in the 1997 - 1998 State Solid Waste Management Plan Update:

• Provide education and outreach for manufacturers to educate them on the consequences of their choices of materials, packaging and raw materials.
• Provide education and outreach to the electronics industry from both sides of the issue, for the manufacturers who produce new equipment and the scrap industry forced to deal with obsolete equipment.
• Evaluate the effects of the fast-growing noncarbonated drink and water industry to determine the best approach in dealing with the tremendous growth of containers now requiring disposal and contributing to litter.
• Evaluate and encourage new technologies that produce better packaging materials and yet are compatible with existing or future recycling technologies.
• Continue to promote waste prevention and reduction by conducting educational workshops, by developing and making available technical assistance to municipalities and businesses requesting guidance, and by providing financial assistance for municipal waste reduction projects;
• Continue efforts to promote user-based disposal (pay per bag) programs to reduce the amount of municipal waste collected for disposal; and
• Continue to expand composting and organic waste management efforts statewide by promoting development of backyard composting programs, adoption of "leave it on the lawn" programs for grass clippings and by banning disposal of yard waste in landfills and incinerators.

NYSDEC will continue to work towards reaching these recycling objectives and new objectives as well. NYSDEC proposes to:

• Continue to provide and improve public education and outreach using a multi-media approach of educational events, publications and a revised and updated computer website;
• Promote the marketing of remanufactured products, and the awareness of their availability and performance;
• Provide technical support to assist the development of sound municipal recycling programs through enhanced local solid waste management planning;
• Use local Solid Waste Management Plan compliance reports to provide assistance to localities which may include enhancements to local recycling laws or ordinances;
• Continue to support state assistance legislation to provide funding for local recycling coordinators and other local educational recycling staff;
• Coordinate and annually report on the implementation of a waste reduction program for state agencies and public authorities that involves waste prevention, reuse and recycling, and related purchasing of recycled materials;
• Continue to conduct waste prevention, reuse and recycling promotion and education initiatives (including backyard composting and buying recycled) for schools, civic groups, various other organizations and the general public;
• Continue to fund, through the CW/CA Bond Act and the EPF, recycling programs that make it possible for municipalities to purchase recycling equipment and construct recycling facilities, to expand municipal waste reduction and recycling programs and solid waste planning, and to conduct HHW collection days and construct HHW collection facilities;
• Continue participation in the New York State/America Recycles Day program to encourage recycling and to educate and promote the purchasing of recycled products;
• Promote innovative municipal and private sector waste reduction and recycling programs through the publicity of the Governor's Waste Reduction and Recycling Award;
• Update biosolids regulations that relate to the beneficial use of biosolids and will address safe parameters for the use of biosolids;
• Update the 1998 DEC publication Biosolids Management in New York State which discusses the current status of biosolids management in New York State and addresses the regulatory and compliance structure in DEC that applies to beneficial use determinations (BUDs);
• Evaluate ways to enhance the waste reduction, reuse and recycling of the construction and demolition debris waste stream;
• Enhance opportunities for beneficial uses of waste materials by providing an information base to the regulated community regarding approved beneficial uses of wastes;
• Continue to encourage the use of RD&D (Research, Design and Development) permits that could result in beneficial uses of certain types of solid waste to make a product or as an effective substitute for a commercial product;
• Continue to promote the beneficial use of dredged material by encouraging application of existing beneficial uses of dredged materials; encourage the
• Research and development of new processes for beneficial use of dredged materials; and share information with stakeholders and regulatory agencies regarding beneficial uses of dredged materials;
• Continue to work towards implementation of a comprehensive waste tire management plan and continue to encourage the beneficial use of tires in new and innovative applications;
• Support funding of waste tire stockpile abatement programs initiated as part of a comprehensive waste tire management plan;
• Continue to encourage the use of recycled materials in landfill design and construction;
• Continue to work on updating the used oil regulations in relation to both federal and state statutes and to make them more readily understandable and easier to implement by consolidating management and permitting standards and eliminating provisions which may be overly stringent;
• Continue to educate the public and the regulated community on the importance of proper used oil disposal through guidance and participation in workshops and conferences;
• Pursue more aggressive approaches for industry use of recyclable materials in manufacturing new products;
• Continue to promote increased procurement of recycled and remanufactured products by state agencies and provide technical assistance to support their waste prevention, reuse, recycling and composting efforts; and
• Pursue initiatives that can curtail the disposal of recyclable materials for which economic markets exist.

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Vermont
For each of the ten Critical Issues, a Goal is established which defines how the Agency would like to progress towards addressing the Critical Issue. The Goal is followed by an Action Plan which defines the steps the Agency proposes to take to reach the identified Goal.

Critical issues include:

1. Reducing waste through waste prevention, reuse, and recycling
   1. Prevent waste from being generated.
   2. Reduce the amount of waste disposed of by each Vermonter (per capita disposal rate).
   3. Increase Vermont's overall, state-wide municipal solid waste diversion rate to 50% by the year 2005.
2. Ensuring environmentally sound waste management facilities
   1. Ensure that all solid waste facilities operate in compliance with environmental requirements and do not have an adverse impact on public health or the environment. Ensure that all closed landfills are adequately maintained and monitored. Prevent the incineration or disposal of marketable recyclables. Ensure that landfill gas is managed at operating landfills.
3. Reducing illegal disposal (including illegal dumping and burning)
4. Improving solid waste data
5. Monitoring disposal capacity
   1. Safe and affordable solid waste disposal for Vermont residents and businesses.
6. Consolidation, competition, and price of services
   1. Ensure that Vermonters have access to safe and competitively priced solid waste collection, recycling and disposal services.
7. Managing biosolids and septage
   1. By 2005, achieve a state-wide goal of managing 75% of the biosolids generated in Vermont through beneficial use. Identify and address any barriers to the safe and affordable beneficial use of biosolids.
8. Managing household hazardous waste (HHW), conditionally exempt generator (CEG) waste, landfill banned materials, and other special wastes
   1. Reduce risks to human health and the environment through the proper management of HHW, CEG waste, landfill banned materials, and special wastes. Ensure access to safe, affordable and convenient collection programs for all Vermonters. Reduce the use of toxics in order to minimize future generation of these wastes. Prioritize HHW and special waste management activities based on the relative environmental and public health risks posed by the waste, and the additional costs of managing the waste separate from municipal solid waste.
9. Managing junkyards
   1. The Agency will develop a program to improve monitoring and environmental management at junkyards.
10. Municipal and District Solid Waste Implementation Plans
    1. All solid waste districts, alliances, and municipalities revise their Solid Waste Implementation Plans to be in conformance with the Revised Vermont Solid Waste Management Plan. Approved Plans are implemented and achieve the goals set forth in the State Plan and solid waste laws.

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4. Waste Reduction and/or Recycling Topics in Management Plans

Table 4: Comparison of Topics in Management Plans

ME

NH

NY

VT

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5. Solid Waste Data, Factoids and Charts
Many Solid Waste Management Plans provide a history of the Plan and/or a history of solid waste in that state. Plans contain many facts and data tables. Below is a table that provides a glimpse of the data presented in each Plan.

Note: Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island are in the process of updating their Solid Waste Management Plans, but data in the current Solid Waste Management Plan may still prove useful.

Key: The letter symbols describe the format in which the data is presented.
The numbers in the parentheses show where to find tables and graphs in the Plan.

Table 5a: Solid Waste Data, Factoids and Charts

Click to see Table 5a

Table 5b: Recycling Tables and Charts

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6. Glossary

ANR ~ Agency of Natural Resources
App. ~ Appendix
BUDs ~ Beneficial Use Determinations
CDD ~ Construction and Demolition Debris
CEG ~ Conditionally Exempt Generator
CT ~ Connecticut
CW/CA ~ Clean Water/Clean Air
DE ~ Delaware
DEC ~ Department of Environmental Conservation
DEP ~ Department of Environmental Protection
DES ~ Department of Environmental Services
EPF ~ Environmental Protection Fund
EPP ~ Environmentally Preferable Products
HHW ~ Household Hazardous Waste
Intro ~ Introduction
MA ~ Massachusetts
ME ~ Maine
MSW ~ Municipal Solid Waste
NH ~ New Hampshire
NJ ~ New Jersey
NYS ~ New York State
PA ~ Pennsylvania
PAYT ~ Pay-As-You-Throw
RI ~ Rhode Island
RD&D ~ Research, Design and Development
RRC ~ Resource Recovery Corporation
Sec. ~ Section
SPO ~ State Planning Office
SWA ~ Solid Waste Authority
VT ~ Vermont
WTE ~ Waste to Energy