California’s Integrated Waste Management Board voted March 18 to hinder and even drive out of business many independent C&D recyclers in the state, and also made plans to limit activity at concrete/asphalt recycling yards to the effect of shutting down many of them.
The actions came at a tumultuous culmination of several years of development of new tiered regulations for mixed C&D recycling plants. Under the new regulations, recycling operations will have to get a full solid waste permit if they are receiving more than 175 tons per day of waste, and recycling at least 60 percent of it.
Most non-landfill-affiliated companies don’t have that, and receiving one in California if difficult and expensive. But C&D is part of the state’s definition of solid waste. A recycling facility now operating will have a two-year period in order to get a full solid waste permit.
At the end of those two years there also will be an opportunity to ask the IWMB for a three-year extension to get the permit. While the waste company lobbyists in attendance at the meeting assured the board that was plenty of time to complete the permit process, others who have tried for the permits, such as Zanker Road Landfill, took as long as 10 years to get the licensing.
And to illustrate what type of facility was affected, the board member representing the landfills, Steve Jones, and a lobbyist for the landfill both used C&D Recycler magazines article on Madison Materials (January/February 2003) as an example of what needs to be shut down.
Also, those now starting up mixed C&D recycling plants will have to have a permit in place to open their door.
The discussion on concrete/asphalt recycling centered limiting the intake of material into satellite yards. What is proposed is that unless there is an operating crusher in the recycling yard, a site may not accept more than 1500 tons per day of material, up to 45,000 tons in 30 days. It must turn that 45,000-ton stockpile over in 30 days. Hence, those companies that move crushers around from site to site, letting the pile build up to 100,000 tons or more over six months or so because of the economies of scale, will no longer be allowed to operate in that fashion. A company will have to have a solid waste permit to exceed those levels.