A History of Solid Waste Management in Pa'

1
A History of Solid Waste Management in Pa.

• Carl Hursh
• Pa. Dept. of Environmental Protection
• for
• PROP Recycling 115
• May 4, 2006

2
Dateline 1700s

• Chamber pots and trash commonly emptied into
  streets pigs roam freely
• 1757 First Philadelphia street cleaning
  operation started by Ben Franklin
• 1776 Patriots recycle King Georges statue to
  mold bullets for Revolutionary War needs

3
Dateline Late-1800s

• 1880s Less than 25 percent of US citys have
  garbage collection
• 1880s Industrial Revolution creates new wastes
  coal, glass, iron and steel, paper, and petroleum
  industries flourish in Pennsylvania
• 1885 First garbage incinerator in U.S.

4
Dateline Early-1900s

• 1902 79 of US cities have garbage
• collection
• 1914 300 incinerators operating in US
• 1920s Trash used to reclaim wetlands
• 1938 First packer truck introduced
• 1940s War effort requires Americans to
  conserve and save fats, metals, paper and rubber
  for recycling

5
Dateline Late-1900s

• WW II US Army develops sanitary landfill
  disposal methods
• 1950 1960 Growth of consumerism, plastics use
  in packaging.
• 1950 1970 Open dumping common
• 1965 Federal Solid Waste Disposal
• Act is authorized

6
Dateline 1960s and 1970s

• 1968 Pa. Act 241 enacted
• Permits required of landfills
• State Health Dept. provided with enforcement
  remedies
• April 22, 1970 1st Earth Day
• 1970 Bloomsburg first in Pa. with curbside
  recycling program

7
Dateline 1960s and 1970s

• 1974 Solid Waste-Resource Recovery Development
  Act Act 198
• 1975 1,000 Pa. landfills, two incinerators
• 1978 U.S. Supreme Court rules that transport of
  garbage is protected by Interstate Commerce
  Clause

8
Dateline Early - 1980s

• CERCLA Superfund law in place
• Increase in DER Solid Waste staffing
• DER Open Dump surveys
• Act 198 Solid Waste-Resource Recovery
  Demonstration Projects expand
• 1980 Solid Waste Mgmt. Act - Act 97
• Affects waste handling, transportation, disposal
• Pa. DER provided with enforcement remedies

9
Dateline Mid-1980s

• Exxon Oil overcharge settlement provides project
  development funding for recycling and resource
  recovery
• Harrisburg Incinerator operational Phila.
  garbage warmers closed
• Press coverage of the garbage barge Mobro 4000
  world cruise leads to national resurgence in
  recycling interest

10
Dateline Mid-1980s

• 36 Waste-to-Energy incinerator projects in
  planning and development in Pa.
• 1,100 Pa. landfills declining in number
• Approx. 300 drop-off recycling sites in Pa.
• 68 Pa. curbside recycling programs (1986)
• Pa. participates in multi-state groups for
  recycling, recycling procurement, reduction of
  toxins in packaging

11
Dateline Late-1980s

• Act 101 signed by Governor Robert P. Casey on
  July 28, 1988
• County planning for MSW capacity
• 25 percent recycling goal in ten years
• Recycled product procurement by state government
  and available to others
• Waste reduction goal

12
Dateline Early-1990s

• 7 waste-to-energy incinerators in Pa.
• Act 101 grant programs in place
• Curbside residential recycling and commercial,
  institutional and municipal establishment and
  community event recycling implementation begins
• Lead-acid batteries and truckloads comprised
  primarily of Leaf waste banned from disposal
• Landfills number less than 100

13
Dateline Early-1990s

• Counties develop MSW plans and hire county
  recycling coordinators
• Act 101 mandated recycling municipalities meet
  implementation dates
• Host municipal inspectors hired, trained and form
  an association
• Household hazardous waste collection programs and
  Leaf waste composting expand

14
Dateline Late-1990s

• Act 101 25 percent recycling goal achieved based
  on 1996 county recycling reports
• Nearly 900 Pa. municipalities have curbside
  recycling programs
• PROP Recycling Professional Certification begins
• Act 101 funding approaches 300 million

15
Dateline 21st Century

• Demand for Act 101 funding exceeds supply
• DEP develops Recycling Technical Assistance
  Program
• DEP commissions studies
• MSW and recycling composition
• Recycling Market Development Center
• MRF efficiency studies
• DEP develops Act 175 Recycling Plan

16
Dateline 21st Century

• National REI study released Pa. recycling
  economic benefits exceed 23 billion/year
• Pa. Recycling Markets Center opens
• Pa. calculates environmental benefits of
  recycling
• Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful chapter formed for
  litter prevention, education
• Pa. leads nation in MSW imports

17
Dateline 21st Century

• DEP offers a guidebook and training to help
  recycling programs become more sustainable
• Computer and electronics recycling events and
  permanent collection sites flourish
• Food composting demonstration projects supported

18
Dateline 21st Century

• More than 160 Pa. manufacturers using recycled
  feedstocks
• Nearly 1,400 recycling programs, 6 WTE
  incinerators, 49 MSW landfills, 6 CD landfills,
  468 composting facilities in place
• County recycling administrative fees challenged
  and some eliminated
• Act 101 funding exceeds 500 million
• Act 140 enacted, extending Recycling Fee sunset
  date to Jan. 1, 2012
• Pa. recycles more than 4 million tons in 2005