Solid waste study recommended

The status of the state’s recycling and solid waste management would be the subject of a new study under a bill heard by the Natural Resources Committee Feb. 11.

LB1101, introduced by Omaha Sen. Heath Mello, would authorize the state Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to conduct a study examining the status of solid waste management programs operated by the department.

Mello said Nebraskans currently pay $34 million in landfill fees each year to dispose of materials that could be recycled.

“It’s been almost 25 years since the Solid Waste Management Act was passed,” he said. “This is an ideal opportunity for the state, under a new administration, to take a hard look at the state’s existing recycling and waste management statutes.”

The DEQ would study the efficacy of current litter, waste reduction and recycling programs and conduct a needs assessment with regard to recycling and composting programs in the state. Potential funding sources, including public-private partnerships, also would be included in the study.

Carrie Hakenkamp, executive director of WasteCap Nebraska, testified in support of the bill. She said only Omaha and Lincoln have updated their solid waste management plans since the initial passage of the Solid Waste Management Act.

“[The act] is outdated and focuses solely on integrated solid waste management rather than resource conservation,” she said. “Nebraskans generate 7 pounds of solid waste per person per day. The national average is 4 pounds. We need to be looking at why that is.”

LB1101 also would authorize the DEQ to create an advisory committee comprising no more than nine people. The committee would provide a report of its findings to the Legislature by Dec. 15, 2017.

No one testified in opposition to the bill and the committee took no immediate action on it.