I am circulating this in the hopes you will all be better informed and able to refute the landfill methane arguments.
West Virginia has a "ban" on yard waste in landfills, but it is so littered with exemptions, extensions, and loopholes that there is no practical limit. Nevertheless, efforts by some garbage haulers to repeal similar bans are making their way around the various states. Haulers argue that the yard waste could turn the landfill into an energy source via methane. The attached EPA letter debunks that myth.
As you may recall, the Club adopted policy changes last year to oppose landfill methane due to the high potential for methane leakage to the atmosphere. Landfills managed for methane production are kept in a wet anaerobic state to maximize methane production, rather than capped and sealed as a "dry cell". Thus, managing landfills for methane production actually can increase the atmospheric emissions of methane.
P.S. This letter suggests that 60-90 % of methane is captured from landfills, but the data from the Club policy statement suggests that as much as 80 % of the methane escapes into the atmosphere. Who is correct?
>>> Mark Woodall
markwoodall@windstream.net> 3/4/2010 8:54 AM >>Fredsters:
As some of you probably know, the greedy scum garbage companies are working
hard around the country to repeal the 23 state bans on putting yard
trimmings in lined landfills. Yard trimmings in Georgia amount to some 1.5
million tons a year which is close to 25% of the waste stream by weight and
40% by volume.
Repeal is being pushing by the garbage giants in Georgia, Florida, North
Carolina, Michigan, and Iowa that I am aware of.
In 2006, the garbage thugs said we needed repeal due to high gas prices.
They have a new lie now: repeal is good for the environment as the waste
added will make methane gas for green energy. As one of the industries
getting the energy said, that's the stupidest thing we ever heard.
Region 4 of the EPA has written a letter to refute the green scam of the
repeal. Please find the letter attached. I also have a similar letter from
Region 5 in Chicago. The new Sierra Club policy concerning landfill gas to
energy may be helpful as well. Somone in Michigan wrote an article on the
numbers of more waste and how little methane is produced years later. I can
forward to anyone interested in that.
In Georgia, we call HB 1059, the repeal bill, the more landfills and out of
state waste for Georgia bill. More effective may be the job killer label
as1059 will wipe out all the small business guys doing the grinding,
composting, mulching, etc.
Thanks,
Mark Woodall
markwoodall@windstream.net
Sent: Tuesday, March 02, 2010 3:27 PM
To: undisclosed-recipients
Subject: USEPA Region 4 letter to GAEPD on supporting yardwaste bans
Dear State Colleagues --
Attached is a letter that Alan Farmer, USEPA Region 4 RCRA Director,
signed out last week in support of a request from Allen Barnes, GAEPD
Director -- the letter provides an overview of EPA's policy as it
relates to recycling over disposal for energy recovery and the Region's
support for continuation of state yard waste bans.
As this was sent out yesterday knowing is quickly making its way through
the various networks and advocacy groups in the region, I wanted to make
sure you had it in case the issue or questions arise that require your
attention. I know this is also an issue in the Florida legislative
session this year so I suspect there are interested parties that will
likely contact FDEP for a similar response.
It is a positive step overall -- is similar in many ways to an earlier
letter from USEPA Region 5 (Chicago) to the State of Michigan. Please
call me if you have any questions.
Jay
(See attached file: Ga Yardwaste Ban support Ltr -- farmer.PDF)
Jay V. Bassett
Chief, Materials Management
USEPA Region 4
404.562.8559 (w)
404.754.8906 (m)
bassett.jay@epa.gov
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