| When it comes to municipal waste combustor (MWC) ash residue,
states such as Pennsylvania and Massachusetts are being creative yet environmentally
conservative with ash beneficial use and disposal options. In these states, the
environmental protection agencies have issued permits for beneficial use of MWC ash
residue. Massachusetts has limited beneficial ash use to within the boundaries of lined
landfills, while Pennsylvania has been more permissive. Generally, the trend is toward
allowing the beneficial use of ash in landfill closure projects.
According to the Beneficial Use
Order, the "American Ash Recycling Corp. (AAR)
reports that there will be no adverse effect on the public or environment from the
beneficial use of treated ash aggregate when used according to certain conditions".
This spring the AAR is scheduled to open a new ash processing facility, located at a
quarry in York County, Pennsylvania, where ash residue from the York County Solid Waste
& Refuse Authority's Resource Recovery Facility will be treated and processed. Also in
Pennsylvania, the Chester County Solid Waste Authority is working with PADEP on a plan to
use the MWC ash processed by Rolite for the horizontal gas venting layer, the drain age
layer, and as structural fill for the county's landfill closure. Malcolm Pirnie is the
engineering consultant. PADEP and the Chester County Solid Waste Authority are sharing the
costs of evaluating ash use for the landfill closure. Although sufficient amounts of treated ash may not be available for the entire 25 acre landfill closure, the use of treated ash will provide a significant cost savings to the Massachusetts community. Savings will be realized from avoiding costs in three areas: landfilling ash at approximately $100/ton, the use of valuable landfill air space to dispose of ash, and the use and purchase of fine grained soil and sand. For example, the landfill gas venting layer, ranging from nine to 12 inches in thickness, will require more than 1,000 tons per acre of granular material. Instead of purchasing sand at $4 to $6 per ton (delivered to the site), the project will use treated ash residue, contingent upon final approval by the Massachusetts DEP. TCLP testing has characterized ash from the Baltimore City, Montgomery County and Harford County MWCs as non hazardous waste. The Authority has been actively researching beneficial re use of ash and sponsored a seminar last fall with representatives from several East Coast states. Last year the three MWCs in our region landfilled a total of 356,811 tons of ash (BRESCO — 181,854 tons, Harford 57,543 tons and Montgomery 117,414 tons). While the Baltimore City and Harford County landfills currently use MWC ash as daily cover, other opportunities may exist for Maryland to become proactive in closing this portion of the loop on solid waste disposal.
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 JoAnn
Strack has joined the Authority staff as a Project Analyst and will work on the
Authority's many project management activities. Before joining the Authority, JoAnn worked
as an environmental specialist with the Maryland Department of the Environment's Scrap
Tire Program. Prior to moving to Maryland, she was a project manager with the South
Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control's Solid Waste Enforcement Section.
JoAnn attended the University of South Carolina where she received a Master of Public
Health in Community Education. As part of her course work, she interned with Baltimore
County's Recycling Division and assisted in the development of a backyard composting
demonstration site at Cromwell Valley Park. She is licensed as a Registered Environmental
Sanitarian with the State of Maryland. During free time, she especially enjoys good
movies, running, dining out and backpacking.
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The concept of "building green" is an environmental issue that continues to garner attention both nationally and locally among architects, contractors and solid waste professionals among others. On March 13, the Maryland Recyclers Coalition in conjunction with the National Recycling Coalition and the US EPA sponsored a workshop that ad dressed local trends in building green concepts. Building green is a philosophy that promotes the use of recycled and other environmentally preferable products in the design and construction of cost effective, sustainable buildings that fit within the local community. Although the concept of building green has been around for some time, current challenges lie in attempts to define its meaning in a way that building green strategies can be broadly implemented by those who aspire to build in consideration of resource usage and impacts to the environment. Difficulties in this endeavor were highlighted during the workshop. Defining the concept of building green is difficult because it encompasses many facets in both residential and commercial construction that extend beyond energy efficiency and water and resource conservation. Peter Yost with the National Association of Home Builders (NHAB) Research Center emphasized that building green should also consider such issues as low impact site development, availability of mass transportation, street width and even street curbing in its definition. He also emphasized that the best programs of the future will be those in which builders and government entities work together in defining what constitutes building green in order to facilitate it conceptually in the community. Deconstruction, related to building green although at the opposite end, was also discussed. Deconstruction refers to the process of disassembling buildings to maximize the salvage of building materials. Some of the problems associated with deconstruction include longer time frames for completion (deconstruction can require 2 to 10 times longer to complete in comparison to demolition) and finding markets for the salvageable materials. A deconstruction project has been completed in Riverdale, Maryland and there are several other projects in progress throughout Washington, D.C. As is commonly advocated in these types of initiatives, the presenters emphasized that building green education must begin with the industry and general public. Mark Bundy of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources feels that there is much potential for incorporating building green concepts into Governor Glendening's Smart Growth initiatives here in Maryland. While the concept of building green will require more re search and national networking, the conference provided a valuable forum for the discussion and promotion of important facets of its conceptual development. For more information regarding the deconstruction project in Riverdale, Maryland, contact the NAHB Research Center at (800) 898-2842.
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| Leachate as well as wastewater is now being accepted by the Washington County Water and Sewer Department at the Conococheaque Industrial Pretreatment Facility in Williamsport. According to Greg Larsen, marketing coordinator for the facility, the facility is designed to remove metals and treat high BOD from incoming industrial wastewater and sanitary landfill leachate. The facility, which has been in operation since late 1994, has a capacity of 125,000 GPD and is easily accessible by interstate and by rail. For more information, contact Greg Larsen at (301) 791-3083.
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| On March 5, BRESCO was recognized by the Maryland State Literacy Works Campaign for the company's support of adult literacy and learning in the South Baltimore community. BRESCO was nominated for the statewide award in the category of Local Business, Education and Community Partnerships. The award recognizes BRESCO's ongoing support of the South Baltimore Learning Center, a community based adult literacy program, and for the collaboration of public and private funds created by BRESCO's involvement with the center. BRESCO Plant Manager Steve Tomczewski accepted the award from Maryland State Superintendent of Schools Nancy Grasmick at a dinner hosted by the Literacy Works Campaign. Ms. Grasmick serves as honorary chair of the campaign committee. The committee is comprised of state education officials, business leaders, educators and adult literacy practitioners who are working to strengthen the relationship between business and industry and adult education programs.
Steve Tomczewski, Plant Manager of BRESCO has been asked to serve on the Advisory Board for the Graduate Part Time Program in the Environmental Engineering and Science Department at Johns Hopkins University, Whiting School of Engineering. As a board member, Steve will provide external reviews, advice and direction for the school's education and research programs. The appointment is for a period of three years. Congratulations, Steve!
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| In an effort to help clean the air and encourage grasscycling activities, the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) is sponsoring a "Cash for Clippers" incentive program. On designated days in April and May, MDE will offer $50 rebates on purchases of electric and rechargeable mulching mowers and $15 rebates on push mowers in exchange for each operating gasoline powered mower turned in by city and county residents. Rebates will be issued on a first come, first served basis and are limited to one rebate per household. Two events have already taken place in Anne Arundel and Baltimore Counties. The following Authority member jurisdictions will be participating in upcoming events as follows:
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| The Maryland Department of the Environment's Recycling Division has received tentative approval for a U.S. EPA grant to fund a commercial recycling project. The project is designed to divert commercially generated recyclable materials from disposal to recycling facilities. Waste streams from two of the Authority's member jurisdictions, Baltimore and Harford Counties, will be monitored. Combined, the two jurisdictions dispose of more than 860,000 tons of municipal solid waste per year. The grant will be used to contract with a recycling specialist who will split his/her work time between the two counties. After identifying the source of recyclable materials, the contractor will work with the recycling staffs of both counties. Results of the study will be tracked for the quarterly and final EPA reports. MDE and the Authority are working together on this project. The Authority will hire the project coordinator and supply office space and administrative support. MDE will work with the counties to analyze the data and write up the final report, which will be distributed to all county recycling coordinators in Maryland and members of MACREDO, the Mid Atlantic Consortium of Recycling and Economic Development Officials.
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| June 11-12, 1998: " Reaching Into the Next Decade," the 10th Annual Maryland Recycling Conference, Training and Exposition, at Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab, Laurel, Maryland. For more information, call (410) 974-4472. |
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WasteWatch 25 S. Charles Street, Suite 2105 Baltimore, MD 21201-3330 (410) 333-2730/FAX: (410) 333-2721 |
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| EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Robin D. Davidov MEMBERS George G. Balog, Chairman William T. Baker, Jr., Treasurer John M. Brusnighan J. Michael Evans Frederick J. Homan James M. Irvin Robert C. Merryman James W. Peck |
