Arkansas DEQ calls for action to prevent possible fee rise at landfills

By Paul Ploumis (ScrapMonster Author)

November 23, 2015 07:42:29 AM

The Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) has called for immediate legislative action to prevent a possible rise in landfill fees.Arkansas DEQ calls for action to prevent possible fee rise at landfills

EL DORADO (Scrap Monster): The Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) has called for immediate legislative action to prevent a possible rise in landfill fees.

According to sources, city’s post-closure fund is expected to drop to $15 million by April or May next year. This will impose a fee of $1per ton, as per the 1991 law. The law states that collection of $1 should cease once the fund reaches $25 million, but allows resuming collection as and when the fund drops back to $15 million. As a result, the current landfill fee is likely to increase from $2.50 per ton to $3.50 per ton.

The original law had allocated $1 toward the landfill post-closure fund and $1.50 toward solid-waste management and recycling. Later in 2007, the state imposed ban on electronic waste in landfills. The state had continued to collect $1 per ton landfill fees towards e-waste recycling funds, even after the post-closure fund exceeding $25 million. The fees thus collected after January 2009 had gone towards electronics-recycling grant program for districts.

The language of the 2007 bill keeps the $1 fee in place for electronics recycling, even when the post-closure fund drops back to $15 million, as is projected this spring. That would raise the landfill fee to $3.50.

Director Becky Keogh expects a change from legislature to prevent the rise from happening. A second alternative solution is to obtain legislature approval for transfer of the $9 million in reserves for the electronic-waste program directly into the post-closure fund, which would prevent it from reaching $15 million.