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A cAtegory of criteriA to consider when building A trAnsfer
station are impacts that the facility will have on the surrounding community.
These criteria are typically less technical in nature and incorporate local, social
and cultural factors. Examples of these criteria include:
• Environmental Justice considerations (e.g., clustering, cumulative impacts)
• Impact on air quality
• Impact on the local infrastructure
• Adjacent land uses, including other environmental stressors that might
already exist
• Proximity to schools, churches, recreation sites and residences
• Prevailing winds
• Number of residences impacted• Presence of natural buffers
• Impacts on existing businesses
• Expansion capability
• Buffer zones and screening measures
• Trafc compatibility
• Impact on historic or cultural features
• Impact on neighborhood character
To maintain objectivity in the facility siting process, the community-specic
criteria should be prioritized before potential sites are known. After potential
sites are identied, the committee will apply these criteria to evaluate each
potential site’s suitability as a waste transfer station. These issues also factor
into permitting decisions concerning private facilities and should not be
ignored by the permitting agency or transfer station developer.
Applying the Committee’s CriteriaAfter all categories of siting criteria are agreed upon, it is time for the
committee to apply the criteria and narrow down all possible sites. Keep in
mind, however, that despite the best efforts, every site has some shortcomings
RTL | Recycling | Transer Stations | Landflls
Transfer Stations
Developing Community-Specifc Criteria
RTL | Recycling | Transer Stations | Landflls
90 WasteAdvantage Magazine November 2011
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RTL | Recycling | Transer Stations | Landflls
that will need to be addressed. First, the exclusionary criteria can be plotted on
maps, which helps the committee visualize where the facility cannot be sited due
to local, state and federal regulations. Once unsuitable areas are eliminated, the
committee’s technical criteria and community-specic criteria are applied to allremaining options. Information for each potential site should be developed so
that the committee can rank the sites. Based on the committee’s ranking, the top
two to four sites should undergo more rigorous analysis to determine technical
feasibility and compliance with the environmental and community objectives.
Host Community AgreementsSiting any type of solid waste management facility has often been met with
strong community opposition. Whether the facility is publicly or privately owned,
many residents may not be condent that the siting, permitting and oversight
process will be sufciently rigorous to address their concerns and protect them from
future impacts. When this type of opposition arises, it is often advantageous for
the developer to enter into a separate agreement with the surrounding community,
laying out all issues of concern and the developer’s action plan in response. These
“host community agreements” are most frequently used when private companies are
developing a facility, but public agencies might also nd them useful in satisfying
community concerns. These agreements typically specify design requirements,
operating restrictions, oversight provisions and other services and benets that the
immediate community will receive. Provisions might include the following:
• Limitations on waste generation sources
• Roadside cleanup of litter on access routes
• Restrictions on facility operating hours
• Restrictions on vehicle trafc routes
• Financial support for regulatory agencies to assist with facility oversight
• Independent third-party inspection of facilities, or the use of video monitoring• Assistance with recycling and waste diversion objectives
• A fee paid to the local government for every ton of waste received at the facility
• Guaranteed preference to the community’s residents for employment
• Funding for road or utility improvements
• Provisions for an environmental education center
• Financial support for other community-based activities
• Etc.
These agreements can also require that community representatives have
access to the facility during operating hours to monitor performance. Safety
concerns must be addressed if this provision is included. Community
representatives usually welcome an ongoing communication process between
facility operators and an established citizen’s committee to encourage proactive
response to evolving issues. The provisions or amenities in a host community
agreement generally are in addition to what state and local standards or
regulations require, and thus should not be thought of as substitutes for
adequate facility design and operation. The same is true for state, tribal or local
government compliance enforcement. The government agency responsible for
transfer station compliance should also make a commitment to the community
concerning its role in actively and effectively enforcing all requirements. |WA
—www.epa.gov.
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©2011 Waste Advantage Magazine, All Rights Reserved. Reprinted from Waste Advantage Magazine. Contents cannot be reprinted without permission from the publisher.