Municipal Solid Waste: More Exciting Than You Think!

1. Municipal Solid Waste: More Exciting Than You Think! Caitlin ertel, ben inskeep, mickey kennedy, skylerroeshot August 2011 Iu at oxford

3. Roadmap • What is Municipal Solid Waste? • History of MSW • Why is it a Problem? • Country Application • Canada • United Kingdom • United States • Applied to Framework

4. What is Municipal Solid Waste? • MSW generally refers to all wastes generated, collected, transported, and disposed of within the jurisdiction of a municipal authority. • A. Periathamby • Recycled and Non recycled materials • Beede and Bloom

5. History of MSW • After World War II waste streams changed worldwide • Open Dumping and Incineration were widespread • Many new materials to safely dispose of • Throw Away society

6. Introduction to the Problem of MSW • Negative Externalities from Market Failure • Overconsumption & overproduction on resource depleting commodities • Environmental cost of disposal not internalized • Local Issue • Need Government to Correct for Externality

7. Chokepoints of MSW Policy Upstream Downstream

8. Country Application • Countries deal with MSW management differently • United States • Canada • United Kingdom

9. United States

10. History • Early 20th Century - nonexistent government policies until public health concern (germ theory) • Post WWII - change in waste composition and amount from mass consumerism • 1965 - first involvement of federal government • 1970s - federal legislation focused on environment • 1980s - state policy and involvement; recycling movement • 1990s to present - technology, policy refinement

11. Role of Government Federal • Goal-setting, funding, minimum requirements, information, voluntary programs State • Planning, recycling, restrictive requirements & standards, assistance to municipalities • Use of economies of scale  Local • Implementation - collection, hauling, recycling, (combustion,) disposal • Considerable flexibility so long as policies don't conflict with federal or state legal constraints

12. Policy Instruments Command and Control • Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, RCRA  • Landfill & incinerator performance/technology standards • State labeling Market-based Instruments • Pay-As-You-Throw   • Deposit-Refund (tax-subsidy) Voluntary • Goals • Partnerships

13. Constraints Legal • Dormant Commerce Clause • Supremacy Clause & Federal Legislation • 10th Amendment/States Rights Political • Powerful industry lobby / Declining environmental lobby • Tax aversion  • Recycling associated with political attitudes  • States rights

14. United Kingdom

15. History • 1875 Public Health Act • Waste requirements • 1960s+ • Environmental Protection • 1977 • EU Second Environment Action Programme • 1975 EU Framework Directive on Waste • 1994 EU Packaging Waste Directive • 1994 EU Waste Incineration Directive • 1999 EU Landfill Directive

16. Role of Government • EU Framework Directive on Waste • Article 4: Waste hierarchy • EU Packaging Waste Directive • Producers responsible for diverting waste from landfills • EU Waste Incineration Directive • Emissions control for thermal processes in EU • EU Landfill Directive • Reduce the levels of biodegradable MSW landfilled, to 35% of the 1995 levels by 2020 at the latest • National Policies • Environmental Protection Act 1990 • Aligned with EU mandates & targets • Local Implementation • At discretion of local authorities

17. The Waste Hierarchy Using less material in design and manufacture. Keeping products for longer; re use. Using less hazardous materials Checking, cleaning, repairing, refurbishing, whole items or spare parts Turning waste into a new substance or product. Includes composting if it meets quality protocols. Includes anaerobic digestion, incineration with energy recovery, gasification and pyrolysis which produce energy (fuels, heat and power) and materials from waste: some backfilling Landfill and incineration without energy

18. Policy Instruments National • Landfill escalator tax • Landfill Allowance Trading Scheme (LATS) • Enhanced Capital Allowances (ECAs) Local Authorities • Compulsory recycling • Awards for recycling

19. Frequency of Personal Recycling Behaviors

20. Constraints • Political • Emphasis on target-setting and market forces • Aversion to multi-level tax schemes • Legal • EU Directives • Local policies limited by national mandates • Single market

21. Canada “America’s Hat”

22. History • Waste historically burned in open pits or dumped • Landfills and Incinerators – little effort put into recycling • Most decisions made at municipal level • Changed in late 1980s • Mobro garbage barge • Medical waste wash-ups • Landfills crises in Toronto and Halifax • Demand for stricter waste management

23. Government Roles • Canadian government- federalist system • Certain rights granted to federal government, other granted to provincial governments • Federal • International/interprovincial movement of waste • Disposal at sea (CEPA) • Voluntary guidelines • Facilitation of information sharing and goal setting • Provincial • Given responsibility of MSW but tend to delegate operation to municipalities • Approvals, licensing, monitoring, standards • Mandating programs for municipalities • MSW boards or commissions • Municipal • Operation, collection, diversion, disposal

24. Policy Instruments Command and Control Market Based • Government provision • Curb-side pick-up • Education programs • Regulations • Landfill bans • Waste-type restrictions • Bag limits • Container size • Pick up locations • Waste packaging • Licensing, monitoring, inspection and equipment requirements for collection facilities • Take back programs • User pays • Permit systems • User-pay-permit hybrids – tag systems • Deposit refund • Advanced disposal fees • Compost bin subsidies • Cap and fee – Hybrid Voluntary

25. Constraints Legal • Weak federal government • Lower federal share of government spending Political • Lack of unity among provinces • Economies of scale But… • Nearly complete government control of sale of liquor • Taxes • Higher than US, lower than UK

26. MSW in Canada, USA, and UK

27. Explaining the Policy Differences Canada & USA United Kingdom

28. Explaining the Policy Differences • Political • Attitudes on recycling • Historical context • Lobbying • Geography & Population Density • Landfill space • Economies of scale for recycling

29. Questions?