SD3 - Comprehensive Evaluation of Solid Waste Management in the Commonwealth


Executive Summary:
On November 30, 1999, the Department of Environmental Quality provided the Honorable James S. Gilmore, III, Governor of Virginia, and the General Assembly with the "interim findings" of a Comprehensive Study of Solid Waste Management in Virginia. The Interim Report and this report have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of Chapters 584, 613, and 947 of The Acts of the Assembly of 1999, which specify the following:

"The Department of Environmental Quality shall undertake a comprehensive study of solid waste management in Virginia, including an analysis of and recommendations regarding solid waste disposal practices, projections on future landfill capacity needs, mechanisms to enhance waste reduction and recycling, and needed State and federal legislation to protect human health and the environment. The Department shall report its interim findings to the Governor and the General Assembly by December 1, 1999, and shall submit its final report to the Governor and the General Assembly by July 1, 2000."

The Interim Report addressed four major issues:

1. MSW Landfill Capacity in Virginia. A determination of the available capacity of all active municipal solid waste (MSW) landfills in Virginia (Non-Subtitle D and Subtitle D) and a projection of the needed future capacity of MSW landfills based upon 1998 disposal rates.

2. An analysis of non-Subtitle D versus Subtitle D MSW Landfills in Virginia: An analysis of active Non-Subtitle D landfills and, where appropriate, a comparison with active Subtitle D landfills. An evaluation was made of the threat to human health and the environment, the average and range of costs associated with closure and corrective action, and the short term benefits of continued operation of non-Subtitle D landfills versus the long term costs and liabilities associated with closure and corrective action.

3. Waste Disposal Reduction Practices in Virginia and Other States. A review and summary of the waste disposal reduction practices in Virginia and other states, and a summary of the most widely used and apparently effective technologies and options to enhance waste reduction and recycling.

4. Alternatives To Landfills. An evaluation of alternatives to landfilling wastes and comparison of the alternatives to landfills on a cost-to-benefit or economic standpoint.

Tables summarizing the information in the Interim Report can be found in Attachment A. The Final Report augments the Interim Report by:

1. Reviewing the changes made to the Virginia Waste Management Act by the 1999 and 2000 sessions of the General Assembly and the Department's implementation of those changes.

2. Reviewing other initiatives undertaken by Department to enhance solid waste management in the Commonwealth.

3. Discussing the Department's plans for assessing and requiring the closure of Non-Subtitle D (HB 1205) landfills.

4. Evaluating additional ways that waste management in Virginia can be improved, including issues raised during the 2000 session of the General Assembly.