November 2012

Recycling Rates - Reporting Prior to CY 2013, all Solid Waste Planning Units (SWPs) must report annually to DEQ their recycling program results For CY 2013 and following years only those SWPUs with populations over 100,000 must report annually After the CY 2012 reporting, SWPUs with populations up to 100,000 must report every 4 years (each report is for the previous calendar year only)

How will this affect the annual data? Reporting by Urban SWPUs and regional SWPUs have accounted for over 80% of the tons of recyclables reported in previous years. Data from only these sources (17 SWPUs) will continue to provide a measure of the overall recycling tonnage levels in Virginia. What will be lost will be a “picture” of how recycling is working in the small communities and in rural Virginia (54 SWPUs).

71 Solid Waste Planning Units – 70 met their required recycling rate for CY 2011

Virginia’s Waste Tire Management Program Established to reduce the potential for environmental harm from mismanagement of waste tires through tire generation tracking and tire pile elimination

Virginia’s Waste Tire Management Program 1989 General Assembly enacted a tire fee ($0.50) on purchase of new tires to support the development of a statewide network of collection sites, waste haulers and waste tire processors General Assembly increased tire fee ($1.00) to address need for special funding for tire pile cleanups (fee with sunset clause).

Slaughter Tire Pile, Washington County

Lee Farms, Caroline County

Keeling Tire Fire, Roanoke

Tire Pile Inventory by Year # of Tire piles Over 23 million tires – 1.7 million remaining

Bland Buchanan Dickenson Grayson Lee Russell Scott Smyth Tazewell Washington Abingdon Wise Wythe Bristol City Accomack Albemarle Alleghany Amelia Amherst Appomattox Arlington Augusta Bath Bedford Botetourt Brunswick Buckingham Campbell Caroline Carroll Charles City Charlotte Chesterfield Clarke Craig Culpeper Cumberland Dinwiddie Essex Fairfax Fauquier Floyd Fluvanna Franklin Frederick Giles Gloucester Goochland Greene Greensville Halifax Hanover Henrico Henry Highland Isle Of Wight James City King And Queen King William Lancaster Loudoun Louisa Lunenburg Madison Mathews Mecklenburg Middlesex Montgomery Nelson New Kent Northampton Northumberland Nottoway Orange Page Patrick Pittsylvania Powhatan Prince Edward Prince George Prince William Pulaski Rappahannock Richmond Roanoke Rockbridge Rockingham Shenandoah Southampton Spotsylvania Stafford Surry Sussex Warren Westmoreland York Alexandria City Charlottesville City Chesapeake City Danville City Fairfax City Hampton City Lynchburg Norfolk Richmond City Roanoke Salem City Suffolk City Virginia Beach City Department of Environmental Quality Regional Offices Tire Piles by Regions Portsmouth City Newport News City King George Fredericksburg Woodbridge Harrisonburg Lorton Springfield SWRO BRRO VRO NRO PRO TRO Office Remaining (Historical) NRO – 5 (211) VRO – 9 (910) PRO – 75 (317) BRRO – 6 (266) SWRO – 1 (114) TRO - 30 (295)

WTMP Funding Changes FY DEQ’s available new funding was reduced from $1.00 per new tire sold to $0.50 per tire. With FY 2012 and FY 2013 budgets, DEQ’s WTMP funding was reduced by $1.5 million and $2.33 million as funding was diverted for other state agency/budget needs. No new funding for WTMP after FY 2013 is expected.

WTMP EUR and Cleanup Program Changes Contracted tire pile cleanups were halted as funding was in doubt. No new such cleanups are planned. In FY 2013, End User Reimbursement rate for current flow waste tires was reduced to $15/ton (from $22.50) to extend available support funding.

Accomplishments: An estimated that 95% of the current flow tires are being collected, transported, and processed for beneficial use and recycling. The Tire Hauler registration process has reduced the number illegal dumping incidents, although it has not totally eliminated this practice. The number of tire piles, and the potential for tire fires and environmental harm, has been reduced through the program.

Questions for the Future How many SWPUs will elect to report only on the required 4-year cycle? With WTMP funding ending -  will the market for Virginia’s processed tire material remain strong as End User Reimbursements are reduced and end?  will the commitment by generators to recycle their waste tires change as collection/hauling/processing fees rise?

Questions? Steve Coe – Environmental Program Coordinator Division of Land Protection & Revitalization Virginia Department of Environmental Quality Website: deq.virginia.gov