The SC Chapter is organizing a 1-day fall training/workshop in Greenville, Columbia, and Moncks Corner in November 2018. Topics include: landfill gas, leachate, Class 2 landfills, and regulatory update.

Check back the end of August for additional information and registration. 

SC SWANA YOUNG PROFESSIONALS

Hey YP's! It is important to stick together and connect with one another in the Solid Waste & Recycling world. We all have different backgrounds, but we can all bring something valuable to the table. As a YP, I value connecting with other YP's. Please feel free to email me and suggest ideas on ways we can connect, learn, and have fun! To engage & connect with everyone, I propose Paddle & Pint or Sunset on the Shoals Kayaking Tours in Columbia, SC. These tours are fun and educational. The tours are in August and September. If you would like to attend, please email the date that you are available. The quicker you respond, the quicker we can finalize plans.  For more information on the Kayaking tours, please read below. Paddle & Pint Paddle the Lower Saluda River surrounded by beautiful scenery and wildlife. Enjoy the views, have fun, and meet new friends. After an hour on the water, sample delicious craft beers selected by the Vino Garage at the River Overlook. Ages 21 and up. Dates:  Aug. 3 or Sept. 7 Time: 5:30pm - 7:30pm Fee:  $37 per person Sunset on the Shoals Enjoy an interpretive paddle tour on the Saluda River and learn about the unique history of the area followed by a wine tasting at the River Overlook.  Take home a complimentary Saluda Shoals Park wine glass to commemorate the evening. Ages 21 & up. Dates:  Aug.17 or Sept. 21 Time:  5:30-8:30 p.m. - Meet at Saluda Shoals Park Fee:  $37 per person  For more info click the link: https://www.icrc.net/parks/saluda-shoals-park/programs-and-activities/outdoor-recreation/paddle-programs Please check your schedules and respond as soon as possible! Also, please feel free to bring a friend! Looking forward to connecting with everyone. Ashley N. Jenkins Recycling Coordinator Beaufort County Public WorksSolid Waste and Recycling (843) 255-2823 (office) (843) 941-8685 (cell) ashleyj@bcgov.net www.bcgov.net/recycle

SWANA Launches Hauler Safety Toolkit 
Resources Developed to Provide Safety Messages Directly to Haulers

The Toolkit brings together valuable safety resources into a simple, shareable form that SWANA Chapters intend to use at Hauler Safety Outreach events. These one-day events are designed to get safety messaging directly into the hands of drivers when they bring material to landfills, transfer stations, waste-to-energy facilities, materials recovery facilities, and other sites. The Toolkit was developed by the SWANA Chapter Safety Ambassadors, safety leaders within each of the SWANA Chapters.

“The SWANA Hauler Safety Toolkit is a great resource to touch drivers, helpers, supervisors, and managers in the waste Industry, and sends a consistent safety message to all industry professionals,” said James Profitt, Assistant Manager of Operations at Montgomery County Solid Waste Services and SWANA’s Safety Ambassador for Ohio. “I plan to work with landfills, transfer stations, and MRFs in Ohio to provide a consistent message about safety along with some specific rules and regulations for each disposal site.”

SWANA Safety Ambassadors will take the lead in distributing the Toolkit during Hauler Safety Outreach days throughout the U.S. and Canada during the rest of 2018. In addition to providing safety resources, drivers and haulers will also be asked to take the SWANA Safety Pledge. This pledge commits them, in part, “to help everyone get home safe every single day” and to “consider worker, customer, and public safety in every decision.”

SWANA has discussed this outreach initiative with safety leaders at the largest solid waste companies in North America and has received overwhelming support for this effort.

"At Republic, we are excited to support SWANA’s efforts to reach haulers directly with safety resources," said Jim Olson, Senior Vice President, Safety at Republic Services. "It is the responsibility of everyone in this industry to make sure workers get home safely every day."

By designing the Toolkit and Outreach events aimed directly at haulers of all sizes, SWANA hopes to reduce the rate of injuries and fatalities for collection workers, who currently have the fifth highest occupational fatality rate in the United States.

The Hauler Safety Toolkit and SWANA Safety Pledge can be viewed on the Safety Matters webpage.

Thursday, June 28, 2018 | 1:45 PM ET

SPEAKERS
Susan Robinson, Director of Federal Public Affairs, Waste Management
Robert Smouse, Assistant Director – Solid Waste, City of Fort Worth, Texas

MODERATOR
David Biderman, CEO & Executive Director, SWANA

Recycling programs in the United States and Canada face unprecedented challenges. The flow of materials into China on which many programs relied has ceased or been heavily restricted. Processing costs have gone up, revenue is down, and outlets for materials have become harder to find.

As we approach one year since China announced its first set of waste restrictions, the recycling landscape has changed dramatically. Many communities are battling high contamination rates that are limiting where materials can go and they are trying to understand what the future may hold.

This timely SWANA Webinar will explore how we got here and what might come next. Susan Robinson with Waste Management and Robert Smouse with the City of Fort Worth, Texas will join SWANA CEO & Executive Director David Biderman in an important conversation about China and the state of domestic recycling, and what SWANA is doing to help municipal officials and others respond to this growing challenge.

SWANA Members: $49
ASTSWMO Members: $49
Non-Members: $79

This update, the third in a series to agencies on the issue, provides an overview of the effect that the restrictions are having on the export of recyclables from the U.S. and Canada, including the increased movement of material to Southeast Asian countries and additional potential restrictions.

“The deepening impact of China’s waste import restrictions is being felt in a growing number of communities,” said David Biderman, SWANA’s Executive Director and CEO. “In addition to the ban on certain materials and the new stringent contamination standard, China temporarily halted pre-shipment inspections in May. Combined with new limitations by other Asian countries receiving more recyclables from the U.S., the result has been lower prices and continued uncertainty about the long-term sustainability of recycling programs. SWANA feels it is important to continue to update key stakeholders on this evolving situation.”

SWANA has taken numerous steps to respond to the disruption caused by China’s waste import restrictions. These include the establishment of a Recycling Task Force consisting of industry and municipal leaders, advocacy on Capitol Hill for recycling-related funding in the Infrastructure bill, consulting with associations and other organizations that support recycling, and developing a China Waste Import Restrictions webpage of resources.

Continue reading here

Bill 4644 was introduced to the SC Legislation on January 23, 2018 to amend the SC Solid Waste Policy and Management Act, Section 44-96-10.

On April 26, 2018, the bill was approved by the Senate and enrolled for ratification. Next step is the Governor’s signature.

March 13 is Safety Awareness Day at Transfer Stations across South Carolina.

Submit Your Information to Win!

Transfer Station Safety Day Drawing Rules

1. Must be recycling or waste hauling driver or transfer station floor staff to win.

2. Transfer Station management, and administration staff are not eligible.

3. Must submit an entry by March 16.

4. Only 1 entry per person.

Join the SC SWANA chapter in promoting safety at your facility. This flyer will be distributed to all drivers at transfer Stations in SC.

Bill 4644 was introduced to the SC Legislation on January 23, 2018 to amend the SC Solid Waste Policy and Management Act, Section 44-96-10.  Proposed changes include:

• creation of a fund to handle emergencies at solid waste facilities, 
  
• limits on facilities requiring a demonstration of need, 
  
• changes in zoning requirements, and 
  
• requirements for facilities recycling construction and demolition debris.
  

A summary of the Bill is here: Summary

The bill is posted here. 

China’s Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP) today finalized a quality standard of 0.5 percent for certain imported recyclables, failing to properly consider the negative effects on global recycling efforts.

“SWANA is disappointed the Chinese government did not modify its waste import restrictions in response to the serious concerns raised by North American, European, and Asian governmental authorities and associations,” said David Biderman, the Solid Waste Association of North America’s (SWANA) Executive Director and CEO. “We support the MEP’s efforts to improve the environment in China, but these extraordinary restrictions are already adversely impacting recycling programs throughout North America.”

SWANA continues to monitor the impacts of the restrictions, which have already been felt across North America. Biderman noted: “recyclables are going to landfills in Oregon, to waste-to-energy facilities in Massachusetts, and being stored in warehouses and parking lots in the U.S. and Canada.”

Many American and Canadian companies and local governments have made substantial changes to their operations in response to the restrictions and the sharp decrease in import licenses issued by Beijing in late 2017 and 2018. Now that the quality standard has been finalized, North American recycling operations must prepare for March 1, 2018, when the contamination standard officially takes effect.

SWANA urges state and local governments to work closely with the private sector and other stakeholders to educate consumers about the need for recyclables to be free from contamination, and encourage operational changes that result in cleaner materials.

SWANA submitted comments to the World Trade Organization in August 2017 and December 2017, asking the Chinese government to delay implementation of its waste import restrictions, seeking clarification on the standards, and offering technical assistance on waste and recycling-related matters.