Frederick County asked for simple solution to a complex problem!
The fact is, there are no good guys and no bad guys in the waste debate and its not going to be a simple “this or that” decision.
We have entered the 21 century, and thus we need to look at the big picture from the front end of the cycle and not the back end when stuff has to be landfilled or burned.
We don’t need a $300-$500 million dollar Band-Aid that does one thing only.
Neither incineration or recycling on its own will solve our problem. The entire Solid Waste Management Plan needs to be updated to deal with the demands of a new age for the long term.
Some Elements for a Comprehensive Solid Waste Management Plan:
- Waste Management Solutions Summit — Facilitate a Frederick County Waste Management Solution Summit of stakeholders.
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Comprehensive Waste Audit — Determine the composition and volume of the waste stream.
- Resource Recovery Business Park — A campus for private business involved in recycling, processing and related businesses.
- Material Recovery Facility (MRF) — A MRF located in Park, county owned for flow control to enhance the ability to recover and sell commodities.
- Composting Facility — A composting facility located in the Park. Kitchen organics constitute at least 30% of the current waste stream.
- Education & Outreach — A comprehensive outreach & education program including interactive website to make it easy to generate less trash and recycle more.
- Pay as You Throw System — Institute rewards (save money) for less trash and more recyclables.
- Recycling Program Redesign — Redesign the entire recycle program including drop offs and curbside service to allow cost savings and significant return on items recycled.
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