[E]nvironmental advocates have lambasted the Legislature for deleting clean water funding mechanisms from clean water funding bill S.260. But a last-minute insertion that would seem out of character from a legislator known for expanding environmental protections has gone largely unnoticed.
On the last day of the regular legislative session, Rep. David Deen, D-Westminster, advocated for a provision at the end of the clean water bill that allows the Agency of Natural Resources secretary to suspend the ban on solid waste facilities disposing mixed paper into landfills.
Deen told fellow representatives that recycling facilities are “choking on this stuff because there’s no market.”
“We want to give the secretary of Natural Resources the ability to waive the restriction on putting waste paper into landfills,” Deen said on the floor of the House in May. “Why? China pulled the plug. They’re accepting absolutely no recycled paper.”
Deen did not return a call seeking further comment this week.
As part of a campaign against “foreign garbage,” China — previously the world’s biggest importer of recyclable trash — banned the importation of 24 kinds of solid waste at the start of this year.
Recyclables like aluminum, cardboard and plastic are less impacted by the Chinese ban because there is a larger North American market for processing of those products, said Josh Kelly, head of material management at Vermont’s Waste Management and Prevention Division.
“China’s actions relate to contamination in part — they were getting a lot of really crappy recyclables, so they took action,” he said.
The Legislature passed the Universal Recycling Law in 2012, banning the disposal of recyclables including mixed paper — newspapers, magazines, paper bags, white and colored paper and mail — into landfills.
Vermont currently has two materials recovery facilities (MRFs) in Williston and Rutland that sort most of the state’s recyclables. The Northeast Kingdom has a smaller facility that requires residents to pre-sort their recycling.
Mixed paper constitutes approximately 37 to 40 percent by weight of materials sent from MRFs to recyclable buyers, according to Kelly. He said these facilities now face “a glut in the market on mixed paper with too much supply and not enough demand.”
Jen Holliday manages product stewardship and compliance for the Chittenden Solid Waste District — one of 16 solid waste districts around the state that work to reduce waste and ensure adequate regional access to recycling, composting and trash disposal facilities.
She said that the Williston MRF, owned by the Chittenden Solid Waste District, still plans to recycle as much paper as possible, even though that currently entails paying a premium to send paper to other foreign markets like Indonesia and India. She referred to the measure enacted by the Legislature as an “emergency relief valve.”
“Things could get worse because as more of the smaller markets get saturated, we may get to a point where they’re no longer interested in purchasing our paper at all,” said Holliday.
Any repeal granted by the ANR secretary would sunset on July 1, 2019, with the hope that paper markets would stabilize or another solution would emerge, according to Holliday. Legislators will consider next session whether to lift or continue any ban.
Bruce Westcott, who heads the Central Vermont Solid Waste Management District, said his staff will continue to encourage residents to recycle paper products, so that they don’t unlearn good habits.
“The imperative to recycle their paper products doesn’t change,” said Westcott.
The Chinese ban could provide a chance for the U.S. to build a “more circular economy” based on repurposing paper products, plastics and other recyclables, he added. “All over this country, there are business opportunities.”
This legislative session brought other changes to the state’s recycling laws. S.285, signed by the governor at the end of May, rolls back the date that commercial haulers are required to collect residential food scraps from this July to 2020, aligning with the date on which food scraps will be banned from trash.
Additionally, the law requires the Universal Recycling Stakeholder Group to evaluate whether haulers should only be required to collect food scraps in densely populated areas and whether there is sufficient regional composting capacity to mandate collection throughout the state.
Westcott said he could understand central Vermont haulers’ concerns about the economics of collecting food scraps in rural areas, since this could require “additional trucks to be out on the road” when many of those residents already compost in their backyards. He said curbside compost collection should at least be available for residents who are elderly or live in urban areas and lack access to yard space or transportation.
“If you’re in a third story walk-up in Barre, there can be no more convenient alternative than to have a hauler come and pick up food scraps,” he said.