Explanation
In 1988, Ohio faced a combination of solid waste management problems including declining landfill capacity, ever increasing generation of waste to be disposed, environmental problems at many existing solid waste disposal facilities, and an influx of out-of-state waste. Citizen, government, and private sector concern over these pressing problems forged a legislative coalition to create a comprehensive solid waste management program for Ohio. The resulting legislation that came out of these efforts was House Bill (HB) 592.
HB 592 was designed to develop an organized and planned approach to solid waste management in Ohio and to avoid a solid waste crisis created by a shortage of landfill capacity within the state. As a result of HB 592, Ohio has been divided into 52 single and multi-county solid waste districts. Each district is charged with developing and maintaining a written plan for solid waste management within the district and to achieve State waste reduction and management goals. Each district is required to update its solid waste management plan every five years.
The established district for Columbus is the Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio (SWACO). The last district solid waste management plan was approved by the State in 2000. The plan includes the programs that SWACO proposes to address to achieve solid waste reduction in our district. It follows the guidelines laid out by the State of Ohio, which include a residential recycling rate of twenty five percent (25%), and an industrial sector landfill diversion rate of at least fifty percent (50%).
The planning process for the latest plan update was launched in May, 2003. A working committee consisting of neighborhood residents, business representatives, and local civic leaders met during the subsequent months to discuss issues, formulate goals, and develop a series of recommendations. The outcomes of the committee meetings (goals and recommendations) were compiled by SWAC...
Click here for full text