Mandated Monitoring of Greenhouse Gases to Begin January 1st
Shannon Crawford, Manager of Legislative and Regulatory Programs

Beginning January 1, 2010, facilities covered by EPA’s Mandatory Greenhouse Gas Reporting Rule are required to begin monitoring their emissions. In their ruling, signed in late September, EPA finalized reporting requirements for 31 different sectors, including both landfills and waste-to-energy plants. EPA was directed to develop the mandatory reporting rule, by Congress, as part of a 2008 Appropriations Bill. EPA plans on using the information they receive to better understand the sources of emissions and to develop future policies to reduce greenhouse gases. They have estimated that their ruling will cover 85% of all emissions in the US. SWANA commented on this ruling during the spring comment period and has consulted with EPA throughout the process in order to be able to provide better information to our members. If covered facilities would like to petition for a judicial review they have until December 29, 2009 to file.

Both landfills and waste-to-energy facilities will be required to report their direct GHG emissions if above 25,000 tons of CO2e annually. These facilities are mandated to report all six of the greenhouse gas emissions listed in the rule. Importantly, municipalities and waste management companies will not be required to report indirect emissions resulting from electricity use or direct fleet generated emissions. However, because the rule focuses only on reporting emissions, they will not be able to lower their emission number by accounting for offsets or carbon sequestration.

EPA is currently developing an electronic reporting to system to help ease the burden on regulators as well as reporters. It will be web-based and designed to guide reporters through data entry and submission. This system will include built-in calculations and completeness checks and will allow self-verification with EPA verification of reporting.

One of SWANA’s primary concerns with the proposal was the early start date to begin reporting and the lack of lead time to prepare for GHG emissions data collection. In our comments we requested a one year grace period similar to what was done in California when the Air Resource Board implemented reporting of GHGs. Instead of a one-year grace period, EPA offered a transition period during the first quarter of 2010. During this period, reporters may use “best available monitoring methods” to estimate their GHG emissions. This could include using emissions estimates in the rule itself or information obtained from current monitoring methods or calculations. If facilities would like to extend their use of best available data, they must request an extension by January 28, 2010. No extensions will be granted past December 31, 2010.

Failure to comply with this rulemaking could result in enforcement action under the Clean Air Act. These penalties are severe ranging up to $37,500 per day per violation. Potential violations include:

• Failure to report GHGs
• Failure to collect data needed to calculate GHGs
• Failure to monitor continuously as required by the ruling
• Falsification of reports

EPA has indicated they intend to evaluate each violation individually. The final rule allows them the flexibility to exhaust less punitive actions before taking a more severe step. This, they believe, is consistent with other programs under the Clean Air Act.

Another concern SWANA raised regarding the proposed rule was the lack of a mechanism to exit the program should emissions fall below the reporting threshold. This is especially important in the landfill industry where emissions for closed sites dissipate over time. To address this issue EPA added a provision for facilities to cease reporting if they meet one of the following criteria:

• Five consecutive years below 25,000 tons of CO2e
• Three consecutive years below 15,000 tons of CO2e
• If GHG-emitting processes or operations shut down

The first emissions report is due March 31, 2011and will cover 2010 emissions.

Landfills and waste-to-energy plants are both specifically addressed in the ruling.

Waste-to-Energy Operations

WTE operations are covered under the provisions in Subpart C- Stationary Fuel Combustion Sources and essentially all facilities in the country will be reporting. Subpart C breaks its reporting provisions into four tiers each with different monitoring methods and requirements. WTE facilities will be reporting under either the Tier 2 method or Tier 4 depending on the size of the facility. EPA has designated the threshold for WTE plants to be 250 tons per day. If a unit processes less than 250 tpd they use the Tier 2 monitoring method, if they process over 250 tpd they must use the Tier 4 protocols, which require part 75 continuous emissions monitors (CEMS). In our comments, SWANA had requested that all WTE facilities be allowed to use the Tier 2 method, but this comment was not incorporated in the final rule.

All facilities must report their annual mass emissions of CO2, nitrous oxide and methane. Tier 2 facilities must calculate their emissions based on the total mass of steam generated by MSW, the ratio of the boiler’s maximum rated heat input to its design rated steam ouput capacity (mmBtu/lb steam) and an emission factor. Tier 4 facilities must measure their emissions using continuous emissions monitoring. This would require stack gas volumetric flow rate and CO2 concentration instruments installed on each unit. Tier 4 facilities only need to continuously monitor their CO2 emissions; they may use emissions factors for the other GHGs. Smaller facilities that already have CEMS installed would most likely have to use this information for their reporting, even if they are below the 250 tpd threshold.

Biogenic emissions of CO2 must also be reported, but they are not included in the 25,000 tons threshold. The biogenic emissions would be determined by doing quarterly sampling which is sent to a lab for radiocarbon testing using method ASTM D6866.

Tier 4 facilities that do not have CEMS installed may use Tier 2 reporting requirements during 2010, but beginning on January 1, 2011, they must have CEMS installed.

Landfills

Subpart HH specifies the reporting requirements for MSW landfills, which would include the emissions from the landfill itself, LFG collection systems and LFG destruction devices. Not included in this provision are hazardous waste landfills, C&D landfills and industrial landfills. MSW Landfills that generate more than 25,000 tons of CO2e of methane would be required to report their GHG emissions, regardless of whether or not the methane is destroyed. This is a very low threshold for landfills and according to estimates could include landfills with as little as 350,000 metric tons of waste in place or landfill gas recovery of about 900 metric tons per year of methane. To help landfills determine if they will need to report EPA has developed an online applicability tool.

Landfills without gas collection systems must model their generation rate and subtract the default soil oxidation rate of 10% to must calculate their total emissions. Landfills that control their methane emissions must calculate their methane emissions in two ways and report both results. The first method is to subtract the amount of methane recovered from the modeled generation rate (with adjustments for soil oxidation and the destruction efficiency of the control device); the second method is to apply a gas collection efficiency to the measured amount of CH4 recovered to calculate CH4 generation, then subtracting the measured amount of CH4 recovered (with adjustments for soil oxidation using the default value and destruction efficiency of the destruction device) using the equations provided.

In order to complete these calculations landfills must monitor the following either continuously or weekly:
• Amount of waste coming in
• Concentration of methane in collected LFG using a gas composition monitor
• LFG flow rate with gas flow meter (for landfills with collection systems)

The rule specifies six different methods for monitoring methane concentration: five using gas chromatography and one using total organic carbon. EPA has also confirmed that landfills may use portable methane composition analyzers such as Landtec GEM and Envision as well as gas composition meters using nondispersive infrared technology (NDIR). The rule specifies eight different methods for determining gas flow rate. EPA has indicated that in addition to these methods landfills may use thermal mass flow meters to calculate this figure. Talks with EPA clarifying acceptable techniques for monitoring methane concentrations and measuring flow rates, are likely to continue.

Landfills that currently continuously monitor flow rate, CH4 concentration, temperature, pressure and moisture content using a meter specifically for CH4 must use this system for emissions reporting. Landfill gas to energy projects would also report their emissions of CO2, methane and nitrous oxide using stationary combustion source provisions if the landfill is subject to Subpart HH.

Please contact me directly with any questions.

Shannon Crawford
Manager of Legislative and Regulatory Programs
240-494-2241 - direct

SWANA Works to Advance Recycling

John H. Skinner, Ph.D., SWANA Executive Director and CEO

On November 15th, millions of Americans celebrated the 14th anniversary of America Recycles Day and pledged to increase their recycling habits at home and work and to buy products made with recycled materials. Looking back over the past few decades, recycling progress has been significant, with the national recycling rate increasing from less than 10% in the 1980s to over 33% today. During that period, tens of thousands of community recycling programs were established across the country. However, even with this progress, this is a time of uncertainty for the recycling movement in North America. The precipitous decline in recycled commodity prices that started a year ago has adversely affected the economics of many local recycling programs. While prices are improving, communities continue to find it difficult to expand their recycling efforts during this period of economic downturn and significant cuts in municipal budgets.

At the same time, some of the national recycling associations are working through a period of significant change and are facing challenges of their own. The National Recycling Coalition (NRC), a leader in the recycling movement over the past 30 years is struggling to reduce its debt and reorganize its programs to avoid bankruptcy. Keep America Beautiful (KAB) has stepped forward to continue some of NRC’s prior efforts and is working to provide better recycling support to its extensive affiliate network. The newly established Recycling Organizations of North America (RONA) has shouldered the ambitious goal of attempting to link together grassroots recycling programs across the country.

SWANA has communicated its willingness and interest to continue to work cooperatively with all recycling organizations to advance recycling in North America. We believe that we are facing an unprecedented opportunity to make recycling a cornerstone of the international efforts to mitigate global warming and to reduce the dependence on non-renewable energy. In addition, we believe that recycling can be advanced by strengthening its connection to community development goals, job creation and green manufacturing efforts. Now more than ever, it is imperative for the national recycling associations to work together on some of these common challenges and opportunities.

We believe that we have some unique strengths and resources that can compliment and help the other members of the recycling community. We pledge to continue our bedrock efforts related to recycling training, education, certification, research and advocacy in order to assist our members in carrying out effective recycling programs in their communities. SWANA will continue to work to advance recycling in North America through the following programs.

Training, Education and Certification

SWANA prides itself on its cutting edge training program. We will continue to put forward new and updated courses targeted at recycling professionals.

• The Manager of Recycling Systems Training Course
  This course, updated with additional new information in May 2009, covers the planning, developing, marketing, funding, contracting and managing of recycling programs. This includes collection, processing, end-use standards, and protection of human health and the environment. This course prepares students to become a Certified Recycling Manager by taking and passing the Recycling Systems Certification exam.
• The Managing Composting Programs Certification Training Course
  This newly updated course, given for the first time in September 2009, prepares students for the SWANA/ United States Composting Council Certification Exam and covers composting lawn, wood, food and agricultural materials and the planning, design and operation of composting facilities.
• The Managing Construction & Demolition Debris Training Course
  Updated in December 2008, this course covers the basics of managing construction and demolition materials, including definition, composition, recycling, environment and human safety issues. This course prepares students for the SWANA/Construction Materials Recycling Association (CMRA) C&D Certification.

Annual Recycling Symposium and Conference
For over 10 years SWANA has put on an annual recycling and special waste symposium entitled Thinking Outside the Blue Box. This symposium encourages innovation in recycling and special waste management by going beyond typical curbside programs and focuses extensively on recycling, composting, product stewardship and special waste issues. The Winter Training Center held in conjunction with the symposium, offers a variety of SWANA recycling training courses and certification exams. This year’s symposium will be held on February 8-13, 2010 in Charlotte, NC. For more information see: http://www.thinkingoutsidethebluebox.org/.

SWANA’s Annual Conference and Equipment Exhibition, WASTECON®, will continue to include recycling education and training as a special theme along with other aspects of integrated solid waste management. This year’s WASTECON® will be held in Boston, MA on August 15-17, co-located with the APWA Annual Conference and Exhibition. For more information on WASTECON® see http://www.wastecon.org/.

The SWANA Recycling and Special Waste Technical Division
SWANA has seven Technical Divisions which provide opportunities for our members to meet, interact and share information with other professionals specializing in various aspects of solid waste management. As our second largest Technical Division with over 600 members, the Recycling and Special Waste Division actively works to advance recycling, composting and special waste practices and to reduce waste. The Division members plan and put on the annual symposium and conference programs, develop and teach the various recycling training courses, participate in regulatory and legislative advocacy efforts and engage in many networking and information sharing efforts.

Recycling Research
In its 9th year, SWANA’s Applied Research Foundation carries out collectively-funded and defined applied research projects that address pressing solid waste management issues. The Foundation has produced many research reports that are available to SWANA members and the general public for free or at nominal prices. Research reports in the recycling area include: Curbside Collection of Residential Food Waste, Recycling and Disposal of Discarded Consumer Electronics, Markets for Recovered C&D Materials, Separation of Food Wastes from Multi Family Buildings and Dual Collection of MSW and Yard Wastes. The Foundation’s research results have reached tens of thousands of solid waste professionals through publication in MSW Management and Resource Recycling Magazines.

Excellence Awards
SWANA’s Excellence Awards Program recognizes outstanding solid waste and recycling programs and facilities that advance environmentally and economically sound practices through effective technologies and processes in system design and operations, proactive worker and community health and safety, and successful public education and outreach. SWANA provides Gold, Silver and Bronze awards in 13 categories including composting, public education, recycling and integrated solid waste management.

Recycling Advocacy
The goal of SWANA’s advocacy program is to represent the interests of the solid waste and recycling professions by being a proactive advocate of environmentally and economically sound solid waste legislation and regulations. SWANA monitors state, provincial and federal legislative and regulatory activity to keep our members informed of issues pertinent to the municipal solid waste and recycling field and develops quarterly reports on litigation and legislation. SWANA works with outside groups, coalitions, legislators, and agencies to advance our legislative and regulatory goals. In the recycling area, SWANA has endorsed tax credits and accelerated depreciation for recycling equipment, tax free bonds for recycling facility financing, and state and federal grant funding for local recycling programs.

Get involved with SWANA and its 8,000 members and 45 Chapters in the US, Canada and the Caribbean as we work to advance recycling through a full and extensive catalog of training, education, certification, advocacy, research and recognition programs. There is no better time to join the leading association for solid waste professionals to advance both recycling and your career. Send me your ideas. What else can SWANA do to help its members advance recycling in communities throughout North America?

SWANA OFFERS FIRST SPANISH LANGUAGE TRAINING COURSE

Silver Spring, MD - SWANA has recently completed the translation of its first Spanish language training course, Waste Screening at MSW Management Facilities. The growing Spanish-speaking workforce and the requests of several Chapters of SWANA for Spanish language materials, along with the creation of the Caribbean-Puerto Rico Chapter of SWANA, prompted the Association’s decision to begin translating current training courses into Spanish.

SWANA has been in the process of updating its training courses over the past few years, and has recently began evaluating which courses would be most useful to Spanish speakers. Currently, the Association has deemed operational courses, such as Waste Screening at MSW Management Facilities, to be most important. Another operational course, Landfill Operations Basics, is expected to be completed in April 2010.

The Waste Screening at MSW Management Facilities course was updated in 2009, thanks to the services of Innovative Waste Consulting Services (IWCS), a consulting firm in Gainesville, Florida. Developed from a university research environment, IWCS has state-of-the-art expertise in areas such as landfills, waste treatment and recycling, and characterization of environmental risk from waste operations. SWANA would like to thank IWSC for a job well done, with a special thanks to Jon Powell, the primary author of the course.

The training course manual presents information and examples of methods and procedures to assist municipal solid waste facility owners and operators to achieve compliance with Federal regulations. The manual is the foundation of the training course, in partial fulfillment of the requirements of 40 CFR, Part 258. The manual and course are intended for use primarily by faclity owners/operators and their consultants and contractors to provide advice on demonstrating compliance with the 258 standards.

The Spanish translation was completed by Strictly Spanish, a consultant firm based in Milford, Ohio, but the project could not have been completed without the assistance of a dedicated team of SWANA members who committed their time, technical expertise and knowledge of the Spanish language to assist in the translation of this course. SWANA would like to extend a very special thanks to:

• Josephine Valencia, City of Durham
• Eduardo D. Choquis, Raba-Kistner Consultants, Inc
• Miguel Delgado, SCS Engineers
• Rafael Ordonez, Promotora Ambiental
• Mickey Ray, The Earth Group, Inc.
• Rafael Salazar, Keppel Seghers Inc.
• Marissa Segundo, City of Largo

The English and Spanish versions of Waste Screening at MSW Management Facilities course is available for purchase at www.SWANAstore.com as a home study course and an on-site training package. For more information about the English or Spanish versions of the course, please contact learn@swana.org or visit www.SWANA.org.

SWANA ANNOUNCES T. BOONE PICKENS AS THE 2009 WASTECON PRESIDENTIAL KEYNOTE

SILVER SPRING, Md. – The Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) is pleased to welcome T. Boone Pickens as the 2009 WASTECON Presidential Keynote speaker on Wednesday, September 23, 2009 at 10:00 a.m. at the Long Beach Convention Center. Mr. Pickens will share his vision for reducing America’s dependence on foreign oil with strategies that include renewable energy sources from solid waste. The Presidential Keynote Session will be moderated by SWANA's incoming International President John Hadfield.

"Mr. Pickens is an internationally acclaimed visionary in the quest for alternative renewable energy supplies," said John H. Skinner, Ph.D., SWANA Executive Director and CEO. "I am sure his presentation will inspire and motivate WASTECON attendees" Skinner added.

T. Boone Pickens is the architect of the Pickens Plan, a solution to America's increasing dependence on foreign oil that he believes is the greatest threat to America's national, economic and environmental security. His campaign, launched in July 2008, has developed a following of more than 1.6 million Americans who support an expanded use of domestic fuel alternatives --chiefly natural gas -- to replace foreign oil/diesel/gasoline. Pickens also has called for the increased use of clean, renewable energy -- solar and wind -- for power generation purposes, as well as an expanded use of nuclear.

The Presidential Keynote session is open to all registered WASTECON attendees.

For more information, go to www.WASTECON.org.

SWANA would like to thank Clean Energy, this year's Presidential Keynote Sponsor.

WASTECON and Your Waste Board

Check out the recent MSW Editor's Blog, where MSW Management Editor John Trotti wrote the following about WASTECON:

Those of you who have been to WASTECON know how valuable an industry resource the annual event is. More than just a trade expo and program of speakers and classes, WASTECON offers unparalleled opportunities for attendees to meet informally with peers, renew old acquaintances, and match ideas with solid waste professionals from all around the world.

WASTECON 2009 takes place September 22–24 at Long Beach, CA, and, if you are a solid waste manager, what better opportunity could you possibly find for involving your board members, many of whom came to their positions with little or no formal experience in the field? Ready or not, they’re responsible for overseeing the budget and operations of a highly complex, costly, and politically sensitive activity, so what could be more appropriate than WASTECON for allowing them to rub elbows with the most experienced group of people in the industry?

Having served several years as a member of our local transit district board—a post I took up with high regard for my qualifications, only to find I didn’t know diddly squat—I can promise you that the most valuable several days of my tenure were spent at the annual conference put on by SWANA’s counterpart in the transit industry, the American Public Transit Association (APTA). There I became acquainted with APTA members from around the nation and learned firsthand how they approached their responsibilities.

How about suggesting to your waste board that its members go to at least one WASTECON during their tenure to get an overview of the entire field? And along those lines, what could be a better place to start than Long Beach?

SWANA Supports Changes Made to the Climate Bill

The Chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee introduced a revised draft of the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 HR 2454 that included a number of changes consistent with SWANA’s recommendations in an April 28 letter.

On Friday, May 15, Chairman Waxman introduced a revised draft of HR 2454 that is much more supportive of waste-to-energy operations and recognizes their contribution to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Consistent with SWANA’s recommendations, waste-to-energy operations would no longer be regulated under the cap in this version of the bill. The May 15 draft specifically excludes operations that derive 95% or more of their energy from municipal solid waste.

The revised renewable portfolio standard in HR 2454 includes “qualified waste-to-energy” as an eligible renewable source. Energy derived from the combustion, gasification or pyrolization of municipal solid waste and construction, demolition or disaster debris would qualify as a renewable as long as it meets a number of stipulations.

The draft also includes waste-to-energy as an eligible renewable under the federal renewable purchasing program.

“SWANA is very pleased that the renewable energy and climate benefits of waste-to-energy are now recognized in the climate bill,” said John H. Skinner, Ph.D. SWANA Executive Director and CEO. “While there are still a number of questions and concerns that need to be resolved in the bill’s language, SWANA looks forward to working with the Congress in improving this important legislation,” Skinner added.

On Our Minds: Thoughts of John Hadfield

A recent telephone conversation has made me think about how we can deal with declining revenues and lower waste quantities while still providing the quality and array of services that our customers (i.e., the public) have come to expect, even in difficult economic conditions. Waste management systems tend to be heavily capitalized, meaning they have a lot of fixed costs that do not decline when quantities decline. Even the more traditional operating costs have a fixed or “readiness to serve” component that is incurred regardless of shifts in quantities. Most systems rely on the tipping fee in whole or in part to generate the revenue needed for the various expenses. When quantities decline, revenues decline, typically much faster than costs decline. So, what is a guy to do?

One answer might be a “Waste generator fee” in which the customers pay a fixed component of charges based on their ability to generate waste. Using different names, this approach is often called economic flow control, but in this instance, I am approaching the issue from a slightly different perspective: not for flow control but for revenue control, at least a portion of the revenue. In its simplest form, this approach would generate consistent revenue regardless of the variations in quantities that stem from uncontrollable circumstances. Rainfall affects quantities but would not affect this revenue stream; holiday seasons can affect quantities but this revenue would be consistent. Similarly, an economic downturn would be less injurious to this source of revenue.

But, you say, what about the political aspects of economic flow control? Well, as we are now hearing, if this was easy, it would already have been done and we could go home. Maybe there are components of this approach that would not work in my community; but maybe some aspects could be implemented. What if this was done for just those customers which are “captured” anyway, through contracts or because the local government provides the service? A two part fee (one part being a waste generator fee; the second part being a truly variable tipping fee) might be more palatable especially to our political leaders who are struggling to finds innovative ways to make ends meet.

Just a thought and maybe we can all weather the storm.

John Hadfield
Vice President, SWANA

What do you think? Post your thoughts and comments below.

Interested in submitting a guest editorial or becoming a SWANA blogger? Email marketing@swana.org with your opinions and thoughts or suggested articles. Become more than just a reader of I AM SWANA News; become a contributor!

Public Service: The Rent We Pay for the Air We Breathe

The following remarks were made by John Hadfield on his retirement as Executive Director of the Southeastern Public Service Authority (SPSA) after 30 years of public service.

I have been very fortunate to have been a public employee for most of my adult life. The past thirty years have been most rewarding for me and I want to thank SPSA’s past Boards of Directors for giving me the chance to serve the region as Executive Director. I most especially want to thank my mentor, friend and SPSA’s first Executive Director, Durwood Curling, whose vision, integrity and courage shaped the agency during its formative years. Without his leadership we would not be here this evening.

Early in my career at SPSA, one of our advisors who later became a friend to many of us, made an observation to me one day. It may not have been his original thought, but the sentiment has remained with me since that day long ago. He told me that “public service is the rent we pay for the air we breathe”. With due respect to the author, I would like to paraphrase that sentiment to say “public service is our obligation in repayment for the benefits of citizenship” – not nearly as well said as the original, but perhaps a clarification.

Many of you are now in or have been in public service. Clearly, that would include public employees, but it also includes those who give of themselves to run for public office, those who volunteer to work at the local food bank, with Habitat for Humanity or at the social services office. In short, public service includes a broad range of things we do for the betterment of the community and our neighbors. In contrast, and without disparaging private enterprise, public service does not create monetary profit; public service seeks no financial reward. Public service has its own very special rewards.

Some years ago, perhaps shortly after my friend had given me the sage advice on public service, one of our national leaders wrongly observed that “government is not the solution to the nation’s ills; government is the problem”. That shortsighted vision led to an era of reduced regulation, deregulation, and no regulation. Among other things, that misguided view led us to many years of shortchanged inspections and deferred maintenance on our national infrastructure that could have prevented the tragedy of the collapse of an interstate highway bridge in Minnesota last year. That “me first” view led us to ignore the incestuous practices of the banking industry and the unchecked greed that paved the way to the housing market collapse that still reverberates throughout our economy today.

Now, I am not here to tell you that government is the solution, but I will remind you that government has a role in advancing the public good. Government and public service have a quintessential duty in shaping our national life, our region’s future and the tomorrows for our children and grandchildren. I believe that there are some things we do in this country that are far too important to the nation’s fabric NOT to be undertaken as a governmental responsibility. The ultimate disposal of our solid waste is among those duties that I believe is so important that it is and must remain a governmental responsibility.

Thirty years ago, the leaders of this region looked around and saw the need for change, for a bold new approach to the way we were managing the solid waste we were creating. They could look around and see a municipal landfill that had a constant fire burning in it. They could see another that would become a superfund site; and another that had explosive gas migrating into nearby city hall buildings. Just down the street from here, a municipal incinerator was under court order to close but the city had no options available to it.

Our leaders of the time saw the problems but they also saw solutions. They knew about the political boundaries but they also knew that environmental problems knew no boundaries. By working together they envisioned a future that none of them could create on their own. They also knew that solid waste management was a core public service.

These dedicated public servants created SPSA, a bold new approach - a regional approach – to solve the crisis of the day. We can criticize them for the mistakes they made, and there were some. Hopefully we have learned from their errors. But we should never forget their vision, their leadership and commitment to make this a better place.

They also understood that the commitment of dedicated public employees brings an invaluable and unique perspective to our environmental challenges, responsiveness to our other citizens and an opportunity to help mold that vision of the future.

SPSA’s employees like other public employees across this country are not highly paid; they are not working for a year-end bonus. They have families with foibles and financial strains like so many others. Their reward is the satisfaction that comes from knowing they have accomplished great things for the common good. Their self-esteem comes not from their paychecks but from the gratitude of their peers, the simple praise of their leaders and the hugs from their families. They deserve the support of all our leaders.

I am proud to have been a part of this agency and for the opportunity to serve the region in a way that I hope will be viewed as valuable. I encourage you to continue to be involved in making where you live a better place than when you arrived. I challenge you to pay the rent on the air you breathe.

Thank you.

MSW Solutions On Our Minds: Thoughts of Sara Bixby

Did you ever have a week, where through coincidence or maybe serendipity, the same theme keeps repeating? And does the repetition make you start to wonder what it is the universe is trying to tell you and why now?

Tuesday night it was a speaker on wellness talking about the need to encourage employees to embrace healthy activities rather than trying to force them into it. Give them information, give them specific tools, make it easy to participate, he said.

Wednesday night, it was a fellow speaker at the Oklahoma SWANA conference, passionate about driver safety. Drivers have to want to be safe, he said. Rules and lectures work about as far as you can see your drivers or until they know you aren’t watching. They won’t follow the rules until each one grasps the personal ramifications for themselves and their family of not behaving in a safe manner. Make it personal, make it something they own.

Thursday afternoon sitting at the Tulsa airport, I had a chance encounter with an umpiring friend who works for a major airline in, oddly enough, quality control in the maintenance department. We talked about mentoring people to better performance. And then, on the flight between Tulsa and Denver, yet another quality assurance guy, this one a Canadian using ISO 9001 principles to help make improvements and pre-qualify contractors in the oil and gas industry. His point, and that of the retired doctor sitting next to him, was that it takes the personal commitment of every individual throughout a process – beginning to end – to avoid mistakes and create a quality outcome.

Was it just coincidence? Maybe it’s that I need to do a better job of pulling Agency employees into the process of responding to tighter budgets and changes processes? Or was it all a reminder that nothing changes for the better until people believe in and own the goal?

Please join this discussion by clicking on the comment button below or visit I AM SWANA to start your own conversations.

Sara Bixby
2009 SWANA Treasurer

MSW Solutions On Our Minds: Thoughts of Laurie Batchelder Adams

This year, SWANA is committed to getting MSW Solutions readers involved in the development of this newsletter, starting with what we hope will be a new section titled, "On Our Minds: Thoughts of SWANA Members." This month, SWANA Past-President Laurie Batchelder Adams discusses the recycling markets crisis.

Like any crisis, the recent plunge in recyclables markets forces us to ask some hard questions. The always-easier-said-than-done challenge, of course, is to ask the right questions and take the right actions; to find a way to use the crisis to improve the status quo rather than simply reacting - or worse, over-reacting.

For example, a natural tendency in times of economic stress is to narrow our focus to essential activities - and scale back on forward-looking planning activities. But does it really make sense - now of all times - to shut down the very process that visions and strategizes ways to increase efficiencies, diversify cost and revenue centers, and improve how we structure practices for managing our diversion programs? After all, planning activities rarely result in program changes tomorrow - these changes are usually months and years away. The longer we postpone these processes, the longer it will be until improvements become reality.

Speaking of practices for managing diversion programs:

• Should we count on recyclables revenues to balance our budget/maintain our cash flow? Or should we acknowledge that we’re playing a risk-based game where the “ups” are eventually followed by “downs” and maybe breaking even is the most we should hope for? The answer may depend on whether your organization has a long-term contract with fixed prices and a good performance bond to back it up.

• Should we pursue long-term market relationships or stick to a spot market approach? Are we ready to accept reasonable, competitive prices from buyers who want reliable, consistent product quality and quantity? Or is the allure of the high up-market prices we enjoyed a year ago too good to equalize in a long-term agreement?

• Will floor/ceiling prices or even quantity caps be the norm in future agreements? Should suppliers increase their ability for warehousing recyclables (and therefore the ability to speculate) in future years? If so - how much storage and what pricing are good enough to offset a downturn like this one? The editor of MSW Management magazine recently suggested that the industry consider formal sequestration (storage) of recyclables as a way to maintain supply, allowing domestic end markets to enjoy more stability and longevity. Would this work?

Please join this discussion by clicking on the comment button below. Also, consider joining SWANA’s recycled markets discussions at the Thinking Outside the Blue Box conference in Portland February 9-10. See www.thinkingoutsidethebluebox.org for more details.

Laurie Batchelder Adams
2009 SWANA Past-President


Interested in submitting an MSW Solutions guest editorial or becoming a SWANA blogger? Email marketing@swana.org with your opinions and thoughts or suggested articles. Become more than just a reader of MSW Solutions; become a contributor!

MSW Solutions On Our Minds: Thoughts of SWANA Members

As we enter the new year, SWANA is committed to getting MSW Solutions readers involved in the development of this newsletter, starting with what we hope will be a new section titled, "On Our Minds: Thoughts of SWANA Members." This month, SWANA President Carl Newby shares his thoughts about the economy and the future of solid waste management.

Today I am pondering what the impact that the drop in the recycling commodity markets will mean to me and my jurisdiction and how long it will last. I am pondering if I have a safe operation and if our training up to date. I am pondering where the price of fuel will be next year and whether I should continue to pay for biodiesel. I am wondering how waste-to-energy will fare with the new Obama administration.

What scares me is that my local government may be forced to eliminate training and memberships in professional groups in response to the current national economic crisis. The information that I use to contemplate the questions I am faced with daily as a solid waste professional comes in very large part from my SWANA training and network. I know I will have good answers for the questions facing my jurisdiction based on my experiences and what I have learned through SWANA. I know I will continue to need the knowledge base that I use daily that comes in large part from SWANA participation.

As I prepare my budget this year, I am working to keep our training and membership dollars. I know my jurisdiction must ask the question about the value of training when funds are so tight. I will answer that it is critical that we keep learning and growing. I will answer that this is an investment in having the best staff we can to handle tight times. I will answer that, to ensure the best environmental and economic solid waste management for us, we must learn from others.

Carl Newby
2009 SWANA President

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