I recently read an article in Waste 360 about the imminent closure of the Long Island landfill, which will force 13 communities to make monumental waste management decisions, very quickly. The surrounding region will need to find a new home for its 1.8 Million tons per year of municipal solid waste (MSW). Even if that […]
I recently read an article in Waste 360 about the imminent closure of the Long Island landfill, which will force 13 communities to make monumental waste management decisions, very quickly. The surrounding region will need to find a new home for its 1.8 Million tons per year of municipal solid waste (MSW). Even if that waste is continued to be burned in waste-to-energy facilities, the question will still loom; “where will the 350,000 tons of ash be buried?”
There are few pivot points in the solid waste journey of any community as significant as the closure of a local landfill. Why? Because burying trash in your own backyard (figuratively, of course) is cheap. The more miles you put on trash, the more times it’s handled, and the more environmental mitigation measures are employed, the more expensive it becomes. In fact, comparing communities right in Washington we can see the difference. The City of Richland, which operates its own landfill, has a tipping fee of $51.10/ton for City residents, while Seattle, which long ago filled its landfills, must ship its waste hundreds of miles away and thus charges $165/ton for disposal.
So burying trash locally is the logical decision, right? Not necessarily. Many small communities don’t have the means to design and construct a landfill with modern environmental controls, and utilizing landfills without such controls often results in groundwater contamination and other negative environmental outcomes.
So, what is the smart decision? Well, it’s important to take a step back and realize that not all trash is trash. In fact, most municipal solid waste streams contain large percentages of valuable resources for future use including paper, plastic metal and glass. Additionally, Washington State’s waste characterization suggests the approximately 1/3 of the state’s MSW is organic material.
I’ve heard many small communities complain that investing in composting and recycling programs is too expensive. However, if it allows that community to extend the life of their local landfill and reduce the price shock when they transition to a transfer station / long-haul model, it can pay huge dividends in the long term.
For communities that are already at the pivot point of a looming landfill closure, the time is now. If your disposal cost per ton is about to triple (or more), investing in ways to minimize tons-to-landfill is crucial.
The Resource Synergy team is already helping communities across the NW navigate this journey. We’d love to work with your community as well. Check out our Strategic Solid Waste Management [EM1] solutions page to learn more.