Solid waste disposal costs continue to rise. Siting and permitting new landfills is becoming more difficult. Design and operating standards are becoming more complex. Most important, public resistance, the "NIMBY" (Not in My Backyard) syndrome, continues to block the ability of communities and industries to build new solid waste treatment and disposal sites. When finalized, the RCRA Subtitle D regulations concerning disposal of municipal and industrial non-hazardous wastes will result in national standards for the siting, design, operation, closure, and post-closure of new landfills. Initially, the Subtitle D regulations will pertain only to municipal landfills. Nonetheless, Subtitle D will impact industry, both through increased users fees, and in individual states applying Subtitle D regulations to industrial and municipal landfills.
As waste disposal costs rise, more and more industries and municipalities are seeking means of reducing solid wastes. Waste minimization is a new buzz-word among solid waste managers. Methods for lowering the volume of wastes sent to landfills include recycling, finding constructive uses for wastes, modifying manufacturing processes to reduce wastes at the source, and incorporating alternative disposal technologies, such as composting and incineration. Often, successful waste minimization programs include more than one of these methods.
The panelists in this session will discuss:
*Mill-wide solid waste minimization,
*Alternative disposal technologies,
*Results of the NCASI solid waste survey, and
*Federal perspectives on waste minimization.
Session panelists will make brief presentations. The panel members are:
*Alan Reimer, Alliance Technologies,
*Alan Whitford, Longview Fibre,
*Bill Eberhardt, Procter and Gamble,
*Jim Grippe, International Paper,
*Dirk Krouskop, Mead Paper, and
*Reid Miener, NCASI.
Solid Waste Minimization Panel Discussion, 1990 Environmental Conference Proceedings