New rules for joint waste district would limit outside counties' trash
The Times-Reporter
BOLIVAR – The board of directors of the Stark-Tuscarawas-Wayne Joint Solid Waste Management District approved a draft set of landfill rules during Friday’s meeting in the district office.
Tuscarawas County Commissioner Kerry Metzger, one of the three committee members who wrote the rules, said it took 14 months to put them together. The rules will be included in the district solid waste plan being written by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency and would become effective in January 2008.
Stark County Commissioner Jane Vignos and Wayne County Commissioner Cheryl Noah also serve on the committee.
Metzger said the most controversial rule is the prohibiting or limiting of out-of-district waste.
“Trash would no longer be accepted from entities that don’t recycle as much trash as the district,” he said. “We will be challenged by the solid waste industry by adopting these rules.”
The National Solid Waste Management Assn. already has objected to the language – known as rule 9.04 – that says area landfills are not able to accept trash from waste districts in the state that do not recycle as much as the regional district recycles.
A letter of objection to the rule from the Summit/Akron Solid Waste Management Authority also was distributed at Friday’s meeting.
In the letter, SASWMA officials said the rule might not affect them because their current recycling rate is about double that of the district’s recycle rate. But the letter stated officials objected to the rule because it would set an unacceptable precedent for solid waste districts’ rulemaking authority for other districts in the state.
“About 70 percent of the trash coming into this district is from out-of-district, and much of it comes from Cuyahoga and Summit counties,” Metzger said.
There are three landfills in the district – American Landfill in Waynesburg, Stark County, Countywide Recycling and Disposal Facility in Pike Township, Stark County, and Kimble Landfill in Dover, Tuscarawas County.
Other counties would have to comply by recycling more commercial, residential and industrial waste than the three counties in the district or by providing recycling access to more of their residents than the three counties currently do.
The rule would not affect out-of-state waste due to a ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court stating that local governments are not permitted to regulate interstate commerce, which includes trash.
Keith Kimble of Kimble’s Landfill said the landfill has been in business for 50 years at its location on Rt. 39, just west of Dover, and has not had any complaints from its neighbors. He said the landfill doesn’t accept out-of-state waste, but must compete for business.
“Rules are generally a good move, however the rule about prohibiting or limiting waste from out of the district will impact our company,” Kimble said.View related articles:
New rules for landfills up for debate
