GLASS AND LIQUID LANDFILL DISPOSAL S.B. 747: COMMITTEE SUMMARY
Senate Bill 747 (as introduced 9-7-05)
Sponsor: Senator Jud Gilbert, II (Senate Bill 747)
Committee: Natural Resources and Environmental Affairs
Date Completed: 10-5-05
CONTENT
The bill would amend Part 115 (Solid Waste Management) of the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act to do the following:
-- Allow the disposal of liquid waste in landfills under certain conditions.
-- Remove a provision requiring the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to convene a task force to make recommendations regarding the disposal of green glass in landfills.
-- Retain the June 1, 2007, effective date on the prohibition against the disposal of green glass in landfills.
The bill is tie-barred to House Bills 5148 & 5149.
House Bill 5148 would amend Part 115 to provide for the permitting and operation of landfill research, development and demonstration projects (RDDPs), which would generally be subject to the same requirements as other Type II landfills. The bill would allow the addition of liquid waste or other liquids to an RDDP under certain conditions to accelerate or enhance the biostabilization of the solid waste in the RDDP.
House Bill 5149 would amend Part 115 to require that a restrictive covenant on the land constituting a sanitary landfill include a legal description of the facility boundary and a map depicting both the solid waste boundary and the facility boundary. The bill also would amend Part 117 (Septage Waste Servicers) to redefine "receiving facility", removing a requirement that such a facility be directly connected to a wastewater treatment plant.
The Senate Bill is described below.
Part 115 prohibits a person from delivering to a landfill for disposal, and prohibits an owner or operator of a landfill from permitting the disposal of, liquid waste as prohibited by the Administrative Code. The bill instead would prohibit the delivery and disposal of bulk or noncontainerized liquid waste or waste containing free liquids, unless the waste was one of the following:
-- Household waste other than septage waste.
-- Leachate or gas condensate approved for recirculation.
-- Septage waste or other liquids that would be approved for beneficial addition under Section 11511b (which House Bill 5148 would add).
Part 115 also prohibits a person from knowingly delivering to a landfill for disposal, and prohibits a landfill owner or operator from knowingly permitting the disposal of, more than a de minimus amount of open, empty, or used beverage containers. The prohibition does not apply to green glass beverage containers before June 1, 2007. ("De minimus" means incidental disposal of small amounts of these materials commingled with other waste.)
Part 115 requires the DEQ to convene a task force to make recommendations to the Legislature on the special recycling problems posed by green glass containers, and to determine whether the June 1, 2007, date for ending the exception for green glass beverage containers should be changed. The task force was required to issue its recommendations by December 31, 2004.
The bill would remove the requirement for the task force. As currently provided, the prohibition against the disposal of open, empty, or used beverage containers would not apply to green glass beverage containers before June 1, 2007.
MCL 324.11514 Legislative Analyst: Curtis Walker
FISCAL IMPACT
The bill would have no fiscal impact on State or local government.
Fiscal Analyst: Jessica Runnels
Analysis was prepared by nonpartisan Senate staff for use by the Senate in its deliberations and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent. sb747/0506