Cape Fear River Watch Position Paper on

Solid Waste Management for New Hanover County

Cape Fear River Watch (CFRW) supports the environmentally safe and efficient handling of solid waste in New Hanover County (NHC) to maximize recycling and re-use of materials and minimize the need to landfill and incinerate. We of course realize that the large amount of waste generated by the county requires the operation of a “state of the art landfill”, which NHC currently has, and an upgraded incinerator that will meet and hopefully exceed EPA guidelines for emissions and fly ash. Achieving the lowest possible emission rates is critical for the health of our county and is very important with the current issues of air quality and possible non-attainment designation.

CFRW has offered its opinions on the management of solid waste in the county with specific recommendations to the original SWAB committee and to the NHC Commissioners during the RFP process in 2009. We have continued to follow the progress of the solid waste debate with the awarding and now the termination of the contract with R3 Environmental. We are disappointed, but not surprised, that large volume recycling could not be implemented. However, we do feel recycling should be a major component of the solid waste strategy and we encourage you to consider the recommendations that we submitted previously and that are again presented below.

CFRW believes that the County should leave the important job of managing our solid waste in the hands of the county employees currently managing our waste stream or award the contract to a company that will put forth an aggressive set of goals to reduce our solid waste through the implementation of a county-wide recycling program. We should focus on the reduction of county demands for additional landfill space and waste incineration but without “just transporting” our waste problem to another site or another county. In order to accomplish these goals, NHC and/or the contractor should develop and implement county-wide recycling of both household and construction and demolition materials. These materials should be viewed as resources and not waste. Our goal should be a more sustainable solid waste management plan that is both economically and environmentally attractive to businesses, tourism, and to our residents. It should be one that minimizes harm to our natural areas and reduces the use of natural resources.

In short, a comprehensive strategy must be developed that meets current demands while setting the stage for an even more environmentally friendly solid waste plan that has an ultimate goal of zero waste. We list several of our recommendations below that should be considered in this comprehensive plan.

Recommendation Summary:

  • Implementation of a comprehensive county-wide recycling program and the aggressive promotion of that program to the residents of the county in order to reduce the demands to landfill and incinerate and to promote an environmentally sustainable form of solid waste management
  • Efficiently utilize and manage our remaining landfill space to extend its life
  • Upgrade the WASTEC facility to operate at peak efficiency and maximize the reduction of emissions
  • Construct a state of the art Construction and Demolition handling and recycling facility
  • Develop an educational program that will involve and inform the residents of the county on the benefits and importance of recycling and management of our solid waste

County-Wide Curbside Recycling

The inclusion of a mandatory curbside recycling program for all residential and commercial customers in the unincorporated areas of New Hanover County is a critical factor that would reduce the amount of solid waste going into the landfill or incinerator, as well as to increase the responsible re-use of natural resources. The existing drop-off sites in the county are inadequate for the county and do not promote active recycling. To address this problem, CFRW encourages the County to explore partnering with the City of Wilmington’s successful curbside recycling program. If immediate county-wide recycling cannot be implemented (economic concerns), then a phased approach should be initiated with high density areas given priority. Drop-off sites will be maintained to insure that all residents have the opportunity and are encouraged to recycle until county-wide curbside recycling is available.

CFRW proposes that a single-stream recycling or a materials recycling facility be developed in the future plan. The facility should be a regional collection point and a model for recycling that could serve the local and regional needs. Single stream recycling means that recyclable items do not need to be separated prior to collection, saving transport and handling costs and making it easier for people to recycle. Such a facility will generate additional, much needed jobs within the County. And with new state rules restricting the disposal of certain materials (plastic, etc.), recycling is not only a potential revenue source but a state mandate as of October 1, 2009. Furthermore, trash haulers should be required to pick up hazardous materials from residences such as auto wet cell batteries, electronics, and paint from residential customers several times annually and provide a drop-off location for disposal throughout the year. This specialty recycling is very important, particularly with the large increase in E-Waste. A long-term strategy to develop business partnerships and profit opportunities in recycling should be pursued.

Landfill Management

NHC has one of the best designed and operated landfills in North Carolina. The landfill exceeds North Carolina and Federal standards for containing solid waste, and the leachate created is treated through constructed wetlands and/or with a water treatment facility that provide for the proper management of this potentially harmful material. However, the real issue is space. Currently the capacity of the northern site is about 9 million cubic yards, of which 6 million cubic yards have already been used. Reducing the introduction of recyclable materials (household and Construction and Demolition) and other waste (Waste Incineration – see below) into the landfill will help but until we can approach a zero-waste program we will still need some additional landfill space. Well planned and designed use of the current cell areas and limited expansion south of the current area can provide needed storage and extend the life of our landfill. It is critical that any expansion does no harm to the surrounding areas and that leachate be handled as it is now to prevent any contamination of the groundwater and/or the adjacent NE Cape Fear River.

One other consideration for the landfill involves the possible installation of landfill gas collection facilities, assuming adequate gas is now being generated. Capture and use of the landfill gas (CH4, CO2, and minor other gases) provides important energy and environmental benefits. Landfill gas may provide an energy source that directly reduces atmospheric pollution while qualifying for renewable energy production incentives.

WASTEC Management

The WASTEC incinerator functions to ultimately reduce the volume of material entering the County’s landfill. WASTEC currently handles approximately 46% or 140,000 tons of the solid waste generated in NHC on an annual basis (SWAB study). In this regard, it is a critical component in the management of NHC’s current solid waste. However, according to SWAB, upgrades are needed to bring it up to a peak operating efficiency of +90%.

Utilizing already installed technologies and upgrading WASTEC with the best available technologies to insure strict compliance to state and federal standards are critical facets of an interim strategy to handle NHC solid waste. Along with these upgrades, continuous monitoring of emissions is essential. With these improvements Cape Fear River Watch supports the use of the incinerator as a component of the overall solution. The upgrade would allow the incinerator to operate at peak efficiency, handle more wastes, and with improved materials handling and decreased by-products, the energy generated may qualify for Renewable Energy tax incentives. A peak operating WASTEC could produce up to 30,000 Mwh of electricity annually (enough to power 3,500 homes – SWAB study).

Incineration, like landfilling, is not a preferred method for waste handling but we recognize its need to handle a portion of our waste. We believe that upgrades would allow the incinerator to minimize emissions while handling even more trash. As EPA considers and will soon implement new limits on GHG and other emissions, perhaps including particulates, it is critical that upgrades will insure that the incinerator meet and hopefully exceed the new standards. This would illustrate to NHC and the State that our county is committed to an environmentally friendly place to live, work, and visit.

This is a critical topic with possible Non-Attainment in the county and we should insure that the incinerator operates as cleanly as possible to reduce emissions to levels well below guidelines and that it won’t negatively impact air quality.

Construction & Demolition Debris Recycling

CFRW supports the building of a state of the art C& D recycling facility that insures that the maximum amount of C&D materials are recycled.

Educational Campaign

It is critical that the residents of NHC be educated about the issues of solid waste handling and management. Citizens have a major role to play by not only reducing the amount of solid waste but also in insuring that more hazardous waste is kept out of residential bins. These types of waste create additional problems for both the landfill and the incinerator as leachate and emissions, respectively. As mentioned above, additional hazardous waste collection days and a drop off location would help this issue.

CFRW believes that investments in county-wide recycling, state of the art recycling facilities, improved C&D facilities, upgrades and maintenance of WASTEC, and expansion of the landfill are essential. These steps will provide NHC with the opportunity to handle all of its solid waste and the potential to become a recognized leader in solid waste management in the region and in NC as we transition from waste handling to waste reduction with the goal of reducing the needs for landfill space and incineration.