Beyond Waste Plan Roles for Local Government Partners

Washington State Department of Ecology

BEYOND WASTE HOME

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Roles for Local Government Partners

Local governments have requested more explanation of their role in reaching the Beyond Waste vision. The success of the Beyond Waste Plan depends heavily on local government engagement and action. Their role is large and vital.

Locals have asked specifically what a “Beyond Waste” project is and how these projects differ from others intended to reduce waste, increase recycling, or address other solid and hazardous waste concerns. Overall, projects that help to reduce waste and toxics are moving us in the Beyond Waste direction. Beyond Waste projects include MRW, organics, and green building, but there are other areas in the beyond waste plan to focus on as well. Projects will look different by jurisdiction. Some jurisdictions can lead and innovate; others deal with more basic challenges. Wherever local governments are on this continuum, they have many opportunities to help move Washington Beyond Waste.

Some overarching themes and approaches apply to many of the Beyond Waste Initiatives. These are essential actions for locals to consider:

Include Beyond Waste Initiatives, goals, recommendations, and milestones in your local comprehensive solid waste or hazardous waste plan. When updating local solid or hazardous waste management plans, include language from the Beyond Waste Plan that are consistent with local goals.
Support resource recovery and recycling infrastructure development. To increase resource recovery, we need processing facilities.
Focus programs on preventing wastes in the first place. This is the key tenet of the Beyond Waste Plan. It is not enough to manage wastes; we must also create less waste.
Encourage product stewardship and extended producer responsibility programs. Much of our waste comes from products. When producers take responsibility for their products they can assist with end-of-life management and the creation of less wasteful and less toxic products.
Collect, analyze and share data. Describe current trends accurately and work collaboratively to develop a better picture of our progress. Data collected consistently across jurisdictions and the state is the most useful.
Share your stories. Stories on the Solid Waste Information Clearinghouse and in the Closed Loop Scoop serve as models. They inspire other communities and help others avoid program pitfalls.

Here are recommendation-specific ideas for local governments to help implement Beyond Waste. Stars (*) indicate key roles for local governments. Success in these areas depends upon your participation! For specific program and project ideas, see the Solid Waste and Hazardous Waste Planning guidelines.

NOTE: Some milestones and recommendations are abbreviated to save space.

Click on the area of local role you are interested in below or continue to scroll to review them all:

Industries
Moderate Risk Waste
Organics
Green Building
Measuring Progress
Hazardous Waste Issues
Solid Waste Issues

Industries Recommendations and Local Role

IND 1: Modify the P2 Planning program to dovetail with the Beyond Waste vision. Role for Locals: Provide P2 assistance to CESQGs, with focus on reducing and eliminating toxics and wastes.

IND 2: Expand information on Ecology’s Web site. Role for Locals: Promote web information to hazardous waste generators, linking to Ecology’s website when applicable.

*IND 3: Put in place several Beyond Waste incentives. Role for Locals: Use incentives, such as “Envirostars,” to encourage waste reduction at businesses.

IND 4: Encourage new businesses to adopt sustainability practices. Role for Locals: Encourage sustainable business practices in outreach efforts.

*IND 5: Encourage waste handlers… to become materials brokers. Role for Locals: Promote by-product synergy efforts to your local businesses.

IND 6: Support EPA’s “Beyond Waste-type” efforts. Role for Locals: When commenting on EPA documents or regulations or using EPA grant monies, encourage EPA to support Beyond Waste.

IND 7: Promote sustainability in product development. Role for Locals: Encourage local businesses to produce more sustainable products.

IND 8: Eliminate or minimize groups of the most toxic chemicals, as part of Ecology’s Reducing Toxic Threats work. (Same as MRW 1.) Role for Locals: As products of focus are identified, provide education and technical assistance on using safer alternatives and take-back programs.

IND 9: Use the sector approach as the framework to help implement the agency’s initiatives. Role for Locals: Provide business technical assistance to selected sectors.

IND 10: Support the creation of green jobs and a green economy while emphasizing ways to reduce the use of toxic chemicals and generation of wastes. Role for Locals: Work in cooperation with economic development agencies or efforts.

IND 11: Help minimize the release of toxics into stormwater. Role for Locals: Address non-point pollution sources through business technical assistance efforts.

IND 12: Implement the Toxic Reduction Advisory Committee (TRAC) recommendations. Role for Locals: Focus toxic reduction efforts on the “worst of the worst” chemicals, such as mercury.

*IND 13: Support product stewardship legislation and EPP legislation as recommended by the Governor’s sponsored Climate Action Team. Role for Locals: Support product stewardship and EPP legislative efforts. Local government support is vital to adopting product stewardship and EPP programs.

*IND 14: Educate the public and businesses on prevention, proper use, storage, and disposal of hazardous products and wastes. Encourage safer alternatives to minimize toxic threats, especially to vulnerable populations. (Same as MRW 11) Role for Locals: Provide education and outreach to businesses and the public, including vulnerable populations. Work cooperatively with other local governments and the state to increase the impact of educational messages as media often crosses city and county boundaries.

MRW Recommendations and Local Role

MRW 1: Eliminate or minimize groups of the most toxic chemicals as part of Ecology’s Reducing Toxic Threats work. (Same as IND 8) Role for Locals: As products of focus are identified, provide education and technical assistance on using safer alternatives and take-back programs.

*MRW 2: Reduce threats from mercury. Role for Locals: Conduct mercury reduction and collection efforts. Help promote the state’s auto switch rebate program. Support product stewardship efforts. Purchase mercury-free products.

MRW 3: Reduce threats from PBTs (Persistent Bio-accumulative Toxins). Role for Locals: Support lead and other PBT collection, reduction, and product stewardship efforts. Purchase PBT-free products.

MRW 4: Develop a more comprehensive list of covered electronics through a product stewardship infrastructure. Role for Locals: Promote programs to collect and recycle electronics. Support efforts to add more items to the E-cycle Washington program.

*MRW 5: Reduce the use of pesticides, emphasize proper use, and encourage effective alternatives. Role for Locals: Promote alternatives to pesticides to the public, governments, schools, and businesses. Collect data on use, such as shelf surveys.

MRW 6: Reduce and manage all architectural paint wastes. Role for Locals: Support product stewardship efforts for paint. Find alternatives, such as paint recycling or proper disposal, to costly paint collection programs.

*MRW 7: Implement and promote Environmentally Preferable Purchasing by state and local governments and in institutional settings, with Ecology leading by example. Support the Climate Action Team proposal and other initiatives. Role for Locals: Establish EPP programs at local governments. Educate the public and businesses on EPP.

MRW 8: Ensure MRW is regulated and managed according to hazards, toxicity, and risk. Role for Locals: Help find the most efficient and appropriate management options for hazardous materials based on toxicity and risk.

*MRW 9: Support full implementation of local hazardous waste plans. Role for Locals: Keep your plan current and implement all six required elements of your hazardous waste plan. Focus on preventing, not just managing, wastes.

*MRW 10: Ensure businesses and facilities handling MRW comply with environmental laws and regulations. Encourage as much reuse and recycling of MRW as possible. Role for Locals: Operate public facilities in full compliance and provide sufficient oversight to private facilities to ensure they are doing likewise. Encourage reuse and recycling at these facilities.

*MRW 11: Educate the public and businesses on prevention, proper use, storage, and disposal of hazardous products and wastes. Encourage safer alternatives to minimize toxic threats, especially to vulnerable populations. (Same as IND 14) Role for Locals: Provide education and outreach to businesses and the public, including vulnerable populations. Work cooperatively with other local governments and the state to increase the impact of educational messages, as media often crosses city and county boundaries.

MRW 12: Develop and implement a strategy for a more regionally focused MRW program by evaluating the most significant threats and effective approaches, including safer alternatives, to reduce those risks. Role for Locals: Assess regional needs and risks for MRW management in your area, in cooperation with Ecology efforts. Collect data on MRW to help identify trends and problem waste focus areas.

Organics Recommendations and Local Role

*ORG 1: Lead by example in government. Role for Locals: Establish organic recycling and food recovery programs in local governments.

*ORG 2: Increase residential and commercial organics recovery programs. Role for Locals: Provide organics recovery programs to residents and businesses, including home composting. Develop incentives to increase organics infrastructure and program participation. Promote healthy soils and natural yard care.

*ORG 3: Improve quality of recycled organic products. Role for Locals: Make sure publicly owned facilities or private facilities processing publicly collected organics produce high quality compost products. Educate consumers about healthy soils and recycled organic products and their uses.

ORG 4: Develop a strategy to increase industrial and agricultural organics recovery. Role for Locals: Help identify what industrial and agricultural organics exist in your county, and what systems exist for turning these materials into products. Work with associated agencies to encourage industrial and agricultural organics generators in your jurisdiction to recover organic wastes.

ORG 5: Propose solutions to statutory and regulatory barriers. Role for Locals: Identify regulatory barriers and propose solutions to help increase organics collection and recycling in your county.

ORG 6: Develop new products and technologies for organic residuals. Role for Locals: Assist with opportunities to develop new products, technologies and organic processing facilities. Support the use and development of bio-fuels and energy. Participate in the statewide effort to develop a beneficial use hierarchy for recycled organic materials.

Green Building Recommendations and Local Role

GB 1: Coordinate and facilitate partnerships to implement the green building action plan. Role for Locals: Collaborate with other government agencies and green building organizations in your area.

*GB 2: Lead by example in government. Role for Locals: Encourage building departments to establish policies and meet goals for green building, low impact development, and energy reduction goals for local government buildings.

*GB 3: Provide incentives that encourage green design, construction, and deconstruction and begin removing disincentives. Role for Locals: Work with building departments to establish permitting and other incentive programs for green projects. Evaluate existing policies to identify barriers to green building practices.

GB 4: Expand capacity and markets for reusing and recycling construction and demolition materials. Role for Locals: Encourage deconstruction and support building material reuse and recycling operations. Promote incentives for developers for renovation of existing buildings as opposed to demolition and new construction. Encourage contractors to integrate salvaged building materials into their projects.

GB 5: Provide and promote statewide residential and commercial green building programs. Role for Locals: Work with other government agencies and green building organizations on education and outreach programs, such as promotional materials and recognition programs.

*GB 6: Increase awareness, knowledge, and access to green building resources. Role for Locals: Provide educational and outreach programs on green building. Encourage local trade schools and colleges to offer green building education. Collaborate with green building organizations in your area to develop content.

GB 7: Encourage innovative product design. Role for Locals: Promote use and development of green building products.

Measuring Progress (Data) Recommendations and Local Role

*DATA 1: Consolidate related and useful data collection efforts; develop data tracking and evaluation system. Role for Locals: Collaborate on and share data collection efforts, including waste characterization data.

DATA 2: Update and review existing indicators on an annual basis… Role for Locals: Consider if you could collect data useful for indicators, such as pesticide shelf surveys. Provide feedback to Ecology on the indicators for the Beyond Waste Progress Report.

DATA 3: Base policy decisions on analysis of trends and projections based on Beyond Waste indicators. Role for Locals: Use local data to make your policy decisions. Include Beyond Waste indicators in local decision-making processes.

DATA 4: Continue to expand the communication strategy for the Beyond Waste Progress Report within Ecology and externally. Role for Locals: Share and use pertinent Progress Report measures within your jurisdiction. Provide feedback on usefulness of indicators and needed changes.

DATA 5: Update and enhance the Consumer Environmental Index (CEI). Role for Locals: Local data could be used to enhance the CEI. For example, if enough jurisdictions conducted pesticide shelf surveys, Ecology could expand the pesticide indicator that is based on the CEI.

Current Hazardous Waste Issues Recommendations and Local Role

HW 1: Encourage P2 planners to address hazardous substance use, including toxicity and risk, in their P2 plans… Role for Locals: Provide P2 assistance to SQGs; focus on reducing and eliminating toxics and wastes.

HW 2: Develop guidance on acceptable environmental management system (EMS) and environmental reporting systems. Role for Locals: Share successful experiences with environmental management systems.

HW 3: Improve P2 plan quality and relationships with P2 planners. Ensure P2 plans are implemented. Role for Locals: Provide P2 assistance to SQGs; focus on reducing and eliminating toxics and wastes.

HW 4: Encourage P2 planners to develop an energy management program to identify and implement conservation measures or renewable energy opportunities that lead to greenhouse gas reduction. Role for Locals: Provide P2 assistance to SQGs, with focus on reducing toxics, wastes, and energy use.

HW 5: Increase the number of local and state compliance inspectors so staffing levels are sufficient to inspect LQG’s and MQG’s every 3 years and to provide most counties with local source control inspectors. Role for Locals: If pertinent, work with Ecology-funded local source control specialists to provide outreach to hazardous waste generators in your jurisdiction.

HW 6: Additional user-friendly information is available to regulated facilities on how to comply with the Dangerous Waste Regulations. Role for Locals: Promote web information to hazardous waste generators, linking to Ecology’s website when applicable.

*HW 7: Work towards safer management of small quantity generator (SGQ) wastes. Role for Locals: Provide technical assistance to SQGs to reduce and safely manage their waste streams.

*HW 8: Ecology management work with appropriate local health authorities to gain greater oversight for Treatment, Storage and Disposal Facilities (TSDs) currently permitted in part by local government. Role for Locals: Work with Ecology regulators to attain best management of TSD facilities.

HW 9: Ecology staff continues to ensure all state permitted TSD’s are operated in a safe manner. Role for Locals: Encourage the TSD(s) located in your jurisdiction to work closely with Ecology.

HW 10: Ecology continues to make progress on the goal to have environmental contamination under control at Hazardous Waste & Toxic Reduction (HWTR) permitted corrective action sites by 2020. Role for Locals: Encourage the TSD(s) located in your jurisdiction to work closely with Ecology.

HW 11: Ecology staff, through technical assistance and permitting authority, work to encourage safe hazardous waste recycling at TSD facilities. Role for Locals: Request recycling services for MRW wastes collected at local facilities. Encourage local businesses to do the same.

Current Solid Waste Issues Recommendations and Local Role

*SW 1: Encourage inclusion of Beyond Waste principles into local plans. Role for Locals: Incorporate elements of the Beyond Waste Plan, consistent with your goals, when updating local solid or hazardous waste management plans.

SW 2: Revise local planning guidelines. Role for Locals: Assist Ecology with updates to the planning guidelines as requested.

*SW 3: Expand assistance to local planning jurisdictions. Role for Locals: Work with Ecology staff to help advance Beyond Waste efforts in your locale.

*SW 4: Collaborate with local government. Role for Locals: Use grant programs to help advance Beyond Waste efforts in your jurisdiction.

SW 5: Ensure responsibilities are clear. Role for Locals: Support efforts to update solid waste regulations to facilitate the Beyond Waste Vision.

SW 6: Characterize Washington's solid waste streams. Role for Locals: Collaborate and share data collection efforts, including waste characterization data and methodologies, with Ecology and others.

*SW 7: Plan for a stronger recycling system and technical nutrient cycle, including promoting local manufacturing with recycled feedstock. Role for Locals: Implement and operate waste reduction and recycling programs at your offices as well as your jurisdictions. Provide programs and assistance for commercial customers. Promote using recycled products and feedstock. Support infrastructure, market development, and product stewardship.

SW 8: Encourage manufacturers, retailers and other businesses to reduce packaging materials and wastes. Role for Locals: Provide programs and assistance for commercial customers. Promote efforts to reduce packaging.

*SW 9: Educate the public and businesses on the benefits and practice of waste reduction and recycling. Role for Locals: Provide education and outreach to businesses and the public. Inform about the connections between waste reduction, recycling, and climate change.

*SW 10: Identify closed and abandoned landfills statewide. Role for Locals: Complete an inventory of closed and abandoned landfills in your jurisdiction. Mark locations on official records and notify property owners.

*SW 11: Evaluate and prioritize problems at closed and abandoned landfills. Role for Locals: Assess closed and abandoned landfills and prioritize based on risks.

SW 12: Develop feasible and responsible processes for addressing priority closed and abandoned landfills. Role for Locals: Explore processes for cleaning up prioritized closed and abandoned landfills.

SW 13: Identify funding to address priority closed and abandoned landfills. Role for Locals: Explore funding options for cleaning up prioritized closed and abandoned landfills.

*SW 14: Ensure that existing disposal facilities comply with requirements. Role for Locals: Operate public facilities in full compliance and provide sufficient oversight to private facilities to ensure they are doing likewise.

SW 15: Continually reduce disposal impacts on human health and the environment… Role for Locals: Make sure disposal fees cover complete costs. Strive to improve operations and closure practices over time. Consider emerging disposal impacts. Have a goal to reduce disposal of items that could create hazardous conditions.

*SW 16: Evaluate financing for the solid waste system, including moving toward Beyond Waste, in consultation with the SWAC and interested parties. Role for Locals: Research funding needs and alternative funding systems. Address complete costs and internalizing external costs. Share your experiences with Ecology and others.

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