Las Vegas Regulations Pinch C&D Recyclers

C&D recyclers in the Las Vegas area are now under strict rules that severely limit the types of materials they can process. The limits may be stringent enough that some recyclers may be forced out of business unless they severely revise their operating methods.

Under recycling center regulations recently put in place by the Clark County (Nev.) Board of Health, recycling centers are only allowed to accept source-separated materials with an “insubstantial amount” of non-recyclables in the load. Commingled C&D waste had long been allowed into C&D recycling centers, but no longer is under the new rules. Reportedly, facilities that have continued to take in mixed C&D after the regulations were implemented have faced an administrative hearing, with one recycler whose case came up penalized with a fine.

Certain facilities that qualify under separate MRF regulations are apparently exempt from the new regulations. According to one Las Vegas recycler, “The way those regs are written, only the city, county and Republic Industries and its agents qualify [for the exemption].”

Some Nevada recyclers believe the regulations and the carefully tailored exemptions are no accident, according to William Turley, executive director of the Construction Materials Recycling Association (CMRA), Lisle, Ill.

According to Turley, fewer than two years ago Republic Industries bought Silver State Disposal, operators of a sizable landfill in Las Vegas. Many competing recyclers believe the company worked with Clark County officials and politicians to fashion the MRF and Recycling Center regulations in their favor.

Recycling advocates say the Republic/Silver State operation concentrates far more on landfilling as opposed to recycling. If it becomes the only entity allowed to recycle C&D materials, that could dry up C&D recycling efforts in the region, says Turley.

According to Turley, Republic/Silver State is guarding its new status carefully, and acted as a third party to report violations of the new regulations committed by competing companies.

Recyclers expect the enforcement to continue. One recycler who puts roll-off containers at construction sites told Turley, “Republic will be following our trucks to make sure we bring the mixed material to them.”