McKean County apparently finally has a Municipal Waste
Management Plan.
The county planning office was informed Nov. 14, five years and
one month after revision of the previous plan began, that the state
Department of Environmental Protection had accepted the latest
version.
Final compilation and approval of the plan was delayed by
uncertainty about the fate of the county landfill, and by
squabbling over where haulers should be allowed to take trash.
One of the key elements of the MWP, required under Act 101 of
1988, is that the county show that it has guaranteed landfills to
receive its trash for the next 10 years.
While the previous plan called for all trash from the county to
go to the county landfill at Hutchins, the new plan approves not
only the Hutchins facility, now owned by Rustick, LLC, but two
others in Pennsylvania and three in New York.
Haulers could also use other sites if the sites are certified
and approved.
Another key element of the plan is to encourage recycling,
something Rustick has said it is anxious to do.
Among the recommendations in the plan are that “… the county
encourage recycling whenever it is economically feasible … ” and
that the county “… will consider opportunities to recycle
additional materials as economically viable opportunities become
available.”
Materials for which further recycling is suggested include
construction and demolition waste and yard waste.
The plan also says the county will encourage businesses and
institutions to reassess their efforts and expand their recycling
programs.
Also to be considered is a Hazardous Household Waste collection
system and an educational program to inform households about home
medical waste.
A provision that could have a major effect is that the county
should recommend to municipalities that they establish mandatory
refuse collection programs.
Chairman of Commissioners John Egbert has suggested that whether
a municipality gets any or all of the money promised it by the
Solid Waste Authority could be tied to mandatory curbside
pickup.
It is also recommended that the county address illegal dumping
and work with local law enforcement to enforce rules against
illegal dumping.
Although county commissioners recently ordered the Solid Waste
Authority to dissolve, the plan names the SWA as the entity
responsible for implementing the plan.
Commissioners and the SWA two weeks ago called a 30-day truce in
their legal battle, saying that they would attempt an amicable
settlement without formal court actions, apparently no serious
negotiations have yet been held.
