PWIA has joined with representatives of state government, local government and waste haulers to support laws that help improve the safe transport of waste and compliance with environmental regulations. We believe that even one unsafe truck is one too many.
In fact, communities that switch to single-stream recycling experience an almost instant 45% increase in the amount of recyclable materials collected.
This method has been proven to increase the amount that people recycle and provides the freedom of putting unbundled, unseparated recyclable materials into one container. The single-stream process (also called “co-mingled”) is a system in which all recyclable materials are placed in one bin and sorted at a recycling center. That effort represents significant benefits to the environment: More than 9.2 million tons of carbon dioxide removed from the air - that’s equivalent to saving the amount of electricity produced in 1.56 million American homes or taking 2 million vehicles off the road for one year. In 2018, Pennsylvania citizens and industries recycled over 5.54 million tons of materials. In rural areas, more than 870 “drop-off” recycling programs extend recycling to a large number of communities. The vast majority have convenient access to recycling through curbside pickup programs. DEP projects that roughly 94% of PA’s 13.1 million population have some level of access to recycling. Not All Municipalities In the State Recycle There are no hazardous waste landfill facilities in Pennsylvania. Hazardous waste recovered in Pennsylvania must be transported out of state for proper disposal. It must go to specially permitted hazardous waste transfer, storage and disposal facilities. This material does not go to municipal waste landfills. Hazardous waste includes manufacturing wastewater, solvents, acid, furnace dust and other materials of similar nature. Pennsylvania generated 256,845 tons of hazardous waste in 2019 and most was from large-scale industrial and manufacturing processes, according to the 2019 EPA Biennial Report. Hazardous Waste Does Not Go to Municipal Solid Waste Landfills Landfills use rigorous quality-control and quality-assurance procedures and are thoroughly monitored and routinely inspected to ensure each facility complies with the strictest state and industry standards protective of the public health, safety and environment. Today’s disposal facilities use the most advanced technology available, are designed with redundant safety systems to ensure environmental protection, and are operated in a manner that minimizes litter, noise and odors.
Pennsylvania’s regulations for the location and design of landfills are some of the strictest in the nation. Watch the video: What Is A Landfill? Typical Lined Sanitary Landfill Design In fact, today’s landfill design meets, and often exceeds, federal and state requirements, helping ensure that groundwater is protected for future generations. A multilayered liner system at the base of the landfill and a protective cap that covers the landfill upon completion serves to keep solid waste from the surrounding environment. Today’s landfills utilize a wealth of experience and advanced environmental technology in design, development and operations. Modern landfills have nothing in common with the dumps of bygone days where people just threw their trash into open holes or down the side of a hill. A much smaller percentage is processed in waste-to-energy facilities. The majority of municipal solid waste is managed in highly engineered, regulated and inspected landfills.
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