The Solid Waste Section welcomes citizen feedback about waste
management. This semi-annual update is part of our effort to encourage this dialogue. Your comments and
suggestions are welcome. Contact us at (919) 733-0692 or visit us online at http://www.wastenotnc.org
CURRENT LEGISLATION
Below is a brief summary of state legislation that affects solid
waste. The legislation was introduced in the
current short session of the North Carolina legislature. To read
the full text, visit the North Carolina General
Assembly Web site at http://www.ncleg.net.
House Bill 1565
This proposed bill is "an act to establish a
recycling program for
certain electronic devices and to impose a tax on those devices in
order to fund the program and to provide
local governments with funds to enable them to recycle electronic
devices." If passed, the bill would impose a
flat $10 fee at the point of sale - including on-line sales - on
electronic devices that contain a cathode ray tube.
The legislation also includes a landfill ban on CRT's effective
January 1, 2006. The legislation will allow the
unit of local government that implements an electronics recycling
program as a part of its solid waste
management plan to be eligible for reimbursements, similar to the
tire or white goods programs.
House Bill 1578
Ratified on June 27, this bill removed the sunset
on the scrap tire disposal tax. All other sections of the existing scrap tire disposal act, including grant
eligibility, the disposal account and cleanup of
nuisance tires sites, remain unchanged.
SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT ANNUAL REPORTS
This year’s annual reporting process is underway. Local government
reporting forms are being delivered to
county managers and officials. By state statute, each local
government unit reports to DENR on its solid waste
programs and waste reduction activities. Completed annual report
forms are due to regional Solid Waste
Management Specialists by August 15th.
Reporting for permitted solid waste facilities is also on track.
Forms for 306
facilities have been mailed to transfer stations, municipal solid
waste, construction and demolition, household
hazardous waste, incinerator and compost facilities. The
facilities are located in North Carolina or in
surrounding states that accept North Carolina waste. The municipal
landfill reports have new questions
regarding landfill capacity. This year, they are optional; next
year, they will be required.
SECTION CHANGES
Jim Coffey has accepted the position of chief of the Solid Waste
Section after serving as its acting chief since
March 2001. An NCSU graduate, he was awarded a BS degree in
Geological Engineering in 1970. Over the
next 16 years, he held positions as a petroleum engineer and
geologist in various oil and gas businesses. In
1986, Jim began work as a permitting engineer in what is now the
Solid Waste Section. At the time, the entire
permitting staff consisted of one engineer and one hydrogeologist
and solid waste was a unit within the Solid
and Hazardous Waste Branch. Now, the solid waste section manages
solid waste regulatory activities within
the Division of Waste Management.
Jim was instrumental in developing the rules that received EPA
approval for the municipal solid waste landfill
program. He has guided the permitting program through the
implementation of more stringent design and
operational requirements for municipal solid waste landfills and
industrial landfills.
Jim believes the section faces several major challenges in the
future. Improving the design, construction and
operation of all solid waste management facilities; ensuring
adequate disposal capacity for solid waste;
increasing public involvement, confidence and acceptance of solid
waste facilities; improving the section’s
relationship with the regulated community; and providing a good
working environment to retain and attract
enough employees to replace those moving towards retirement are
his priorities. Jim looks forward to those
challenges and is confident that, with the support of a dedicated
and knowledgeable section staff, these
challenges and many more will be met.
**********
The Section welcomes Connie Wylie to the Compost and Land
Applications Branch. Connie is an Ohio
native, but has made her home in the Raleigh/Fayetteville area for
the past fifteen years. Before taking the
Soil Scientist position she worked eight years for the Land
Quality Section as an Environmental Technician in
the Fayetteville Regional Office.
GO PAPERLESS
If you don't need a printed copy and would like to be
included in an electronic mailing list for this publication e-mail
Cheryl Hannah at cheryl.hannah@ncmail.net.
For more information or technical assistance with the solid waste
regulatory program, contact us.
Phone: (919) 733-0692
Fax:
(919) 733-4810
Mail:
1646 Mail Service Center,
Raleigh, NC 27699-1646
