This week crowds of people in the municipal recycling and solid waste industry are in Indianapolis for Wastecon, a conference produced by the Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA). 

The event also stands as an apt time to gain perspective from David Biderman, who became CEO and executive director of SWANA in May 2015.

Resource Recycling asked him about his primary focus as executive director and what Wastecon participants have to look forward to in the years ahead.

What were the biggest changes in SWANA in your first year?

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The South Carolina Solid Waste Management Act has not been revised substantially since it became effective in 1991, despite the evolution of industry standards and practices, and other factors that impact the program. The SCDHEC solid waste program has identified several areas of the Act that should be considered for update or revision.

 

The areas for review include, but are not limited to:

• discrepancies regarding landfill classes since the consolidated landfill regulation became effective;
• the speculative accumulation of solid waste, resulting in unpermitted landfills;
• the abandonment of solid waste sites;
• local zoning determinations; and
• a statutory requirement that all solid waste facilities, including facilities such as Class I landfills and transfer stations, secure demonstration-of-need determinations.

SCDHEC is initiating a short-term stakeholder group to discuss potential changes. The initial meeting was held on August 18, to introduce the initiative, and to solicit membership for a stakeholder workgroup. The workgroup will meet occasionally over a period of 30 to 60 days, to refine and finalize proposed changes.

If you are interested in learning more, please contact:

Jana M. White
Section Manager
Solid Waste Planning, Grants and Regulation Development

Division of Mining and Solid Waste Management 
S.C. Dept. of Health & Environmental Control Office: (803) 898-1346

Do you want to get connected to an outstanding resource for solid waste and recycling professionals?

Do you want to get the latest information on industry trends and participate in some of the best conference activities you will find in the industry?

Find out how to join the SWANA SC Palmetto Chapter on our Membership page.

Check out our Careers page located here.

The National Waste & Recycling Association (NWRA) and the Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) today announced two addenda to their Joint Advisory on Designing Contracts for Processing of Municipal Recyclables originally issued in April 2015.

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The SWANA SC Palmetto Chapter contributed to the One SC Flood Relief Fund to help those impacted by the historical thousand year flood that occurred on October 5, 2015.

The SC Governor Nikki Haley commended the SWANA SC Palmetto Chapter for it's contribution.

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On July 15, 2016, EPA announced final updates to its New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) to reduce emissions of methane-rich landfill gas from new, modified and reconstructed municipal solid waste (MSW) landfills. In a separate action, EPA also issued guidelines for reducing emissions from existing MSW landfills. Both actions are part of the President’s Climate Action Plan – Strategy to Reduce Methane Emissions.

More Info can be found here.

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As part of our commitment to safety, SWANA wholly supports the 2016 NWRA Safety Stand Down, an initiative of the National Waste & Recycling Association. We hope that you will pass along this information to your chapter members and post on your chapter website to help advance awareness about this important initiative.

 

This week-long training and awareness effort is focused around reducing accidents, fatalities and injuries related to truck backing incidents which represents a common challenge for the industry.

 

The Safety Stand-Down on vehicle backing runs the week of January 25 – 29, 2016. We are asking our chapters to join SWANA’s commitment, in conjunction with NWRA and other leaders within the solid waste community, toward significantly improving safety for the waste and recycling industry by taking part in this effort.

 

Participation in the stand down means that one’s organization and/or chapter has joined with waste and recycling companies across the country to commit to:

1. Conducting a risk assessment at job sites and review safety policies and procedures for backing.

2. Review company policies, procedures, consider enhancements, and then training employees on any changes.

3. Posting Stand Down materials to the company website, in employee meeting rooms and on social media sites.

4. Register to pledge to take part in the week-long Stand Down for safety. Participants receive a toolkit of resources for the Stand Down campaign upon registration.

 

Get started!

The complete Safety Stand Down Manual can be downloaded here.

Get Involved!

Click here to register for your participation in the Safety Stand Down.

 

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For your all of your industry safety needs, visit the  SWANA 'Safety Matters' Website [link: swana.org/safety]

The Safety Matters webpage is an online resource portal that will serve as a central place for SWANA members and other industry professionals to access the latest in safety news, important safety materials and upcoming safety events.

Included on the webpage is information about each of SWANA’s new safety initiatives – including the Safety Ambassador program and Slow Down to Get Around decal distribution – and direct links to outside resources, such as the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) and the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS).

Thank you,

Estela Martinez

Manager of Membership and Chapter Services Department