SD12 - Report of the Solid Waste Commission
Executive Summary: The Solid Waste Commission was created by the 1973 General Assembly in Senate Bill No. 856 directing the Commission to advise the Governor and Legislature on all matters relating to solid wastes. As defined by the Commission, its objectives are: • To analyze the problems associated with the management of all types of solid wastes and report findings; • To develop recommendations and implement programs designed to improve waste management; and • To sponsor legislation to improve solid waste management. As specified by legislation, the Commission is composed of six State legislators, seven citizens with technical expertise, and two citizens representing environmental interests. The legislators are assigned to the Commission by the Speaker of the House or the Senate Committee on Privileges and Elections. Citizen appointments are made by the Governor for four-year terms. A Chairman is elected biannually among the members of the Commission. The current Chairman, Dr. Robert F. Testin, is one of seven citizen-technical appointees. The responsibilities of the Solid Waste Commission are met through the activities of working committees formed to address specific solid waste management issues. In addition, the member legislators form the Legislative Committee, providing valuable support to the Commission in the General Assembly. Committees and their membership are as follows: Hazardous Waste Committee: Timothy G. Hayes, Chairman Mr. R. E. Dorer Senator Joseph V. Gartlan, Jr. Mr. Michael Markels, Jr. Mr. Arthur Peregoff Delegate James W. Robinson Low-Level Radioactive Waste Committee: Delegate R. Beasley Jones, Chairman Mr. Martin R. Adams Delegate C. Richard Cranwell Mr. Timothy G. Bayes Dr. Michael Markels, Jr. Mr. John B. Robertson Resource Recovery Committee: Delegate Frank D. Hargrove Ms. P.K. Pettus Mr. Darwin E. Rogers Dr. Robert F. Testin Legislative Committee: Senator Stanley C. Walker, Chairman Delegate C. Richard Cranwell Senator Joseph V. Gartlan, Jr. Delegate Frank D. Hargrove Delegate R. Beasley Jones Delegate James W. Robinson The Commission office in the General Assembly Building houses the Commission's staff. The staff provides daily liaison with other State offices, such as the Governor's Office, the Health Department, and the Hazardous Waste Facility Siting Council, as well as the administration of the Commission's work program. In recent years, waste management has become an increasingly sensitive issue. The special properties of many solid wastes have resulted in federal and state legislation requiring management practices that minimize risks to public health and the environment. Disposal practices that once were legally acceptable have often proven inadequate and have left a legacy of expensive cleanup costs and environmental damage. One result of this is that the public often resists proposed solutions to waste management problems, fearing recurrence of earlier inappropriate disposal practices. Wastes are an unavoidable by-product of twentieth-century living. The proper handling and disposal of wastes are essential to protect ion of public health, maintenance of a clean environment, and continued economic growth, Understanding the distinctive characteristics of the different solid wastes is necessary to the comprehension of this report. The term "hazardous waste" generally refers to the solid, liquid or gaseous wastes that are either reactive, toxic, flammable or corrosive. Hazardous wastes in some form are generated by thousands of Virginia enterprises. Some hazardous wastes can be treated to reduce or eliminate their "hazardous" quality. Radioactive wastes are significantly different from hazardous wastes in form and risk, and in approaches for appropriate management. Radioactivity is energy that results from the natural stabilization or "decay" of atoms through time; as atomic nuclear particles stabilize, radioactivity decreases. Depending on the particular element, stabilization may take from a fraction of a second to billions of years. Consequently, unlike hazardous waste which may be treated to reduce its hazard, radioactive wastes cannot be neutralized to change their radioactive quality. Treatment of radioactive wastes is practiced to reduce volume and improve its physical form for safe management. Two types of radioactive wastes are discussed in the body of this report. Low-level radioactive wastes are slightly contaminated items that are largely the result of housekeeping functions for nuclear-related activities. Compared to the amount of hazardous waste generated in Virginia, the low-level radioactive waste volume is small; nuclear power plants, hospitals, medical researchers and a few industries are low-level radioactive waste generators in Virginia. States are responsible for providing access to disposal for such wastes. Low-level radioactive waste requires careful management and disposal in facilities that will ensure its long-term isolation from humans and the environment. High-level radioactive wastes are generated by nuclear power production and federal defense activities, and include spent fuel and fission products. Such wastes are characterized by high energy radiation and may be so active as to generate thermal energy. Through the Nuclear Waste Policy Act, the U.S. Department of Energy is responsible for providing disposal of high-level radioactive wastes in deep, geologic repositories. In addition to these special wastes, the Solid Waste Commission is interested in enhancing public and private management of the more conventional household, industrial and commercial refuse that comprise, by far, the majority of solid waste generated in the Commonwealth. Such wastes are typically landfilled in publicly and privately operated facilities licensed in accordance with regulations established by the State Health Department. The Commission encourages the innovations undertaken by an increasing number of Virginia localities and companies to manage wastes and to recover materials and energy from them. The body of this report summarizes the status of the Commission's major programs and concludes with a description of planned efforts for 1986. |
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