Introduction
Numerous opportunities exist for pollution prevention in solid waste management operations. As the lead municipal department with responsibility of "putting waste in its place," solid waste operations have a responsibility to demonstrate their commitment to waste reduction by insuring that their operations prevent pollution and are in compliance with existing environmental regulations. With a diverse range of activities, solid waste managers provide a range of services with polluting possibilities. These can generally be categorized into the following categories:
Source Reduction
Collection & Storage
Processing -- recycling and composting
Disposal
Household Hazardous Waste (HHW)
With the exception of source reduction, each of these categories generates wastes as described below:
Typical Wastes Generated
Curbside collection is provided for solid waste and recyclables, with drop off facilities for other materials and special wastes. Key wastes generated by collection operations include used motor oil and filters, antifreeze, parts washer solvent, used hydraulic oil, tires, used vehicles and vehicle parts, and air emissions.
The processing of recyclables at material recovery facilities, solid waste at transfer stations, and yard waste at compost sites often generates waste. Key wastes include dust from compost sites, hydraulic oil, site runoff, recycling residues, electrical transformers, and spilled fuels.
Waste disposal includes landfill and waste-to-energy facility operations. Key landfill wastes include leachate and air emissions. Key waste-to-energy facility wastes include bottom ash, fly ash, bulky materials, air pollution control residues, air emissions, and wastewater.
Household hazardous waste collection programs are frequently operated by local government as a service to the citizens, where local government typically assumes generator status for household materials upon acceptance at the collection point. Problematic wastes generated internally by solid waste management operations include PCB's (polychlorinated biphenyl) and mercury from fluorescent ballasts, paints, and CRT's (cathode ray tubes) from computer monitors.
Top Pollution Prevention Opportunities
Overall:
Perform a waste audit - understand your waste stream in order to identify high priority items for source reduction and reuse (e.g., textiles, yard waste, construction and demolition material).
Collection:
Establish "take back" program with motor oil suppliers to provide re-refined oil.
Use in-line oil filters to reduce frequency of oil filter disposal.
Capture and recycle on site spent antifreeze.
Convert parts washer to aqueous-based systems.
Convert fleet to natural gas as feasible.
Maximize collection efficiency (minimize trips) by using route management software and multi-purpose vehicles.
Recycle tires and utilize retread tires where appropriate.
Specify tires for maximum durability.
Processing:
Establish a preventative maintenance program for all major pieces of equipment to minimize potential fluid discharges.
Capture and recycle spilled hydraulic oil using oil absorbent material.
Minimize recycling residues through on-going education of customers, limits on compaction equipment, and employee training.
Maximize acceptability of compost products by minimizing heavy metal content of source materials, including pretreatment requirements for industrial contributors and increased frequency of street sweepings.
Disposal:
Minimize landfill site runoff by capturing and recirculating leachate and development of effective storm water management plans.
Capture and reuse methane gas generated at landfill sites.
Minimize hazardous nature of incinerator ash by implementing battery recycling and household hazardous waste collection programs.
Household Hazardous Waste:
Educate HHW participants to "use it up," provide a waste exchange for unopened materials, and bulk containerize latex paint for reuse or resale.
Other:
Establish preventative maintenance program for electrical equipment and require equipment vendors to take back all devices with mercury switches or PCB transformers.
Replace underground storage tanks with above ground tanks with proper containment systems.
Minimize pesticide usage through litter prevention and site management programs.
Success Story
The City of Milwaukee Department of Public Works provides solid waste and recycling collection and processing services for over 600,000 people. Beginning in 1990, the department began a review of its operations to determine what types of pollution prevention efforts could be implemented.
As a result of waste audits of a number of facilities, the city has implemented the following:
Encouraged residents to leave grass clippings on their lawns by launching the "Just Say Mow" campaign;
Designed, tested, and added 45 split body packers for multi-purpose collection;
Developed and implemented a GIS-based routing program to minimize trip times;
Replaced fuel stations with state-of-the art fueling facilities, including pump emission controls and containment;
Implemented storm water management plans for each of its facilities;
Improved fleet maintenance by use of re-refined motor oil and paint booth improvements; and
Discouraged drop off of latex paints and educated public to reduce and reuse materials.
Additional Resources:
EPA Office of Solid Waste Management - www.epa.gov/osw.
Azimi and Saphire, Rethinking Resources: New Ideas for Community Waste Reduction -
http://www.informinc.org/xsum_rethink.php.
Comprehensive Municipal Pollution Prevention Project: Inventory Phase, Regional Municipality
of Hamilton-Wentworth, April, 1995.
For more information, contact:
Steve Brachman, Waste Reduction and Management Specialist, UW-Extension, Phone: (414) 227-3165, Fax: (414) 227-3165, E-mail: brachman@uwm.edu.
