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waste stream
A report this week from the N.C. Division of Waste Management notes that the state’s solid waste stream is increasing at a fast rate.
How this applies to the proposed Riegel Ridge Green Swamp landfill depends largely on which side of the issue you’re on.
On one hand, the need for landfills will increase unless the waste stream is reduced. There is no serious effort in the state currently to change this. Whiteville did away with its curbside recycling program last year.
Supporters of the Riegel Ridge landfill argue that Columbus County residents pay a high fee to haul their trash elsewhere, so why not host a regional landfill that will reduce the high expense of hauling our trash to Sampson County; plus, bring in revenue from trash that’s shipped to the Riegel Ridge landfill? The increased demand for regional landfill space would ensure that county solid waste fees will be reduced for years to come, supporters say.
Opponents could tell another side of the story. The environmental implications of a regional landfill notwithstanding, opponents can argue that the increasing need for landfill space would put more pressure on the Riegel Ridge landfill, especially from out-of-county and out-of-state garbage. As a result, the Green Swamp landfill, which is supposed to provide Columbus County’s solid waste needs for 25 years, could be reduced to 10 years’ capacity, and the county is back at square one because “our” landfill is filled mostly with other people’s garbage.
The state is now under a new landfill moratorium, largely out of fears that large waste disposal companies are taking advantage of rural counties, such as Columbus, which need the money that hosting a regional landfill brings with it.
The state is also studying its current landfill environmental safety guidelines.
We support the current moratorium on new landfills for these reasons, but judging by this week’s report from the state, something’s got to give because the state’s current landfills will be packed to capacity sooner than later.
The logical first step is for the state to find ways to reduce the waste stream, which namely means aggressive recycling.
Otherwise, landfills, and the problems they bring with them, will be needed for years to come.
Because of these problems, the state has an obligation to work on alternatives to permitting more landfills. We hope this week’s report will speed officials and legislators in that direction.