Ohio Considers Changes to C&D Laws

The Ohio Senate has approved its version of a bill that redefines what constitutes construction and demolition debris and changes landfill fees, according to a report in the Advertiser-Tribune (Tiffin, Ohio).

In a 27-1 vote on Dec. 1, the state Senate voted in favor of Substitute House Bill 432, which would charge landfills that accept C&D material 30 cents per cubic yard instead of the annual $3,000 license fee if approved, according to the Advertiser-Tribune.

The paper reports that the bill also adds “particles and dust created during demolition activities” to the official definition of C&D debris.

The original House bill was approved in May and added to the definition materials created during demolition “and through transport.” The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency has pushed to exclude that phrase from the final version of the bill, according to the paper.

Linda Oros, spokeswoman for the Ohio EPA, tells the Advertiser-Tribune that the agency has had trouble inspecting the material at landfills throughout the state. “We are not able to identify (material) at the time it is pulverized. We need to know if something hazardous is in the mix,” she says.

Ohio law excludes solid and hazardous waste from the definition of construction and demolition debris.

The bill has been sent back to the state House of Representatives. The House must approve the Senate’s version of the bill before it’s sent to Ohio Gov. Bob Taft.