The Hamilton County Solid Waste Policy Committee met recently to discuss final touches to the Five Year Solid Waste Plan. A proposal to increase Tier II “tipping“ fees (for Out of District waste) was defeated by a 4 to 3 vote, thus blocking greater funding for waste diversion programs in the county.
One of the many ideas for what could have been funded was to go from bi-weekly to weekly curbside recycling — a move which has proven to greatly increase recycling rates in other waste districts.
Another idea was to expand the Household Hazardous Waste program. The most progressive plan for the would-be funds was to add organics collection (table scraps & yard waste), which would mean a “third bin” at the street, beside trash and recycling containers. Currently, organics account for 27% of our landfill intake in Hamilton County.
Another defeat for those championing waste diversion was the lack of resolve to clearly state in the Five Year Plan the “aspirational goals” of: universal waste collection; universal access to recycling and universal access to organics collection. Rather, Hamilton County Environmental Services proposed vague wording in the document with regard to these important elements that would have helped move the county toward zero waste, leaving us with the stated goal of only a 1% diversion rate per year!
The Five Year Solid Waste Plan will roll out to municipalities and townships across the county for ratification later this year. In all likelihood, they won’t really notice how weak it is. They will believe they are signing off on something that will actually make an impact on the environment and preserve our landfill space beyond the projected 23 years when Rumpke’s Colerain landfill space will be used up.
