County Commission puts solid waste management plan in place for next decade

The Etowah County Commission on June 18 approved the revised solid waste management plan that will be in effect throughout virtually all of the county during the next decade.

The plan was drawn up by TTL, an engineering design firm. The company's BreAnna Corder and Charles Oligee presented it to commissioners during a public hearing at the start of the June 18 meeting, and it was passed during the regular session.

According to the TTL presentation, solid waste management plans address how solid waste facilities and services — such as collection, composting, disposal, transportation and recycling — are managed in a governmental jurisdiction. They are required by state law and must be updated every 10 years.

They focus on the responsibilities of both citizens and government in effective solid waste management; how well local governments are assessing their long-term solid waste disposal capacities to plan for future needs; whether those governments are being properly educated about requirements for solid waste management; and whether those governments are enacting policies that satisfy regulatory requirements and efficiently use economic and land resources.

All municipalities within Etowah County, except the part that's in the Boaz City Limits, and residents in the county's jurisdiction are subject to the plan. (Boaz has adopted its own plan, which is permitted by state law.)

Using demographic data provided by the University of Alabama, TTL projected a 0.02% annual population increase for Etowah County, totaling 0.3% by 2040.

It projected that municipal solid waste collection in the county will grow from 92,146 to 92,294 tons per year over the next decade, and that construction and demolition waste will grow from 58,109 to 58,202 tons per year.

The estimated annual municipal solid waste and construction and demolition waste disposal costs in the county total $5,854,122.

TTL projected that the Noble Hill, Sand Valley and Three Corners Regional landfills have sufficient municipal solid waste capacity for the next decade, and that Gadsden's construction and demolition landfill, with a planned expansion, should also be fine during that time frame.

Individual municipalities can choose their own solid waste contractors and have control of and approval rights for expansion projects or other proposed additions or improvements at landfills within their jurisdictions.

TTL's report also noted current recycling programs in Gadsden, Rainbow City and Southside, but said those efforts are likely to remain problematic until there are “more favorable market conditions.”