Agenda - 06-23-2005-6b - Laserfiche WebLink

Browse Search

conducted by the Albemarle Regional Solid Waste Authority indicates an impact of perhaps $938,000, depending on the specific service expansion taken by the authority.. "Phis bill is a creation of the private hauling industry. As best as we can determine, its unfortunate consequence, or some say its intention, will be to impede /constrain counties and cities from initiating, expanding or changing the manner in which waste or recyclables are collected. Some local government solid waste professionals believe the bill's real long -term intention is to reduce or eliminate local government collection services that presently sometimes compete with private hauling companies. While the bill's sponsor indicates the primary intent of the bill is to resolve an alleged problem/loophole related to annexation law, the original bill did not even contain the present Section 2 relating to the provision of waste collection services in annexed areas; this was only added in the second edition of the bill. Senate Bill 951 appears to have been prepared to protect private waste hauling companies from local governments performing waste collection services, whether these services can be provided more efficiently, comprehensively, or with regard to significantly higher likelihood of'meeting local waste reduction objectives. Local governments, unlike private haulers, do not typically have the option of'picking and choosing clients, avoiding those customers whose particular situation may make these services less profitable, and seek to provide services to all citizens more uniformly. For instance, private haulers do not typically provide recycling services, with the possible occasional exception of cardboard (in thriving market times) and some niche materials, unless they are contracted directly by a specific residence/business or unless the local government pays for (subsidizes) the service. Local governments, in order to insure that recyclable or waste collections are most effectively /efficiently /consistently provided, or desire that their local mandatory recycling ordinances are not ignored/circumvented, occasionally decide to expand or get into the business, Private haulers, understandably, will provide collection services only if there is a profit potential, however, local governments may choose to provide these services in down as well as up market times because of a local environmental ethic and corresponding local ordinances /policies. Local governments are also under a certain level of obligation to try to meet the State's statutory waste reduction goals of 25% and 40 %. They should be allowed to do so, based on their own local circumstances. Recycling programs are already prohibitively expensive without adding unrelated additional expenses.. Senate Bill 951 could be particularly detrimental to local recycling and waste reduction efforts.. The Division of Pollution Prevention and Environmental Assistance has recently determined that the main factor holding back the expansion of recycling businesses in North Carolina is access to supplies of'collected materials. This bill would provide a chilling impact on expansion of recycling collection programs if local governments had to first pay -off hauling companies active in their regions before modernizing or expanding local programs. Publicly funded recycling collection programs must remain flexible in order to expand recycling opportunities, increase public participation, and respond to changing recycling markets. Public recycling programs will be hard- pressed to lower program operating costs per ton and give citizens value for their taxes and fees if'significant portions of funds are diverted to private haulers for no discernable public benefit. This bill could not only result in a stifling of programs that are needed to increase the quantities of collected materials, but would inhibit local government actions that would generate these additional materials,. It is a fact that local governments utilize non - optional fees and taxes to fund waste /recyclable collection services (and numerous other types of'services). SB -951's definition of "displacement" seems to indicate that local governments should be penalized for utilizing these lawful funding sources with regard to the provision of waste services. However, the private sector haulers seem