HB 592 was designed to develop an organized and planned approach to solid waste management in Ohio and to avoid a solid waste crisis created by a shortage of landfill capacity within the state. As a result of HB 592, Ohio has been divided into 52 single and multi-county Solid Waste Districts. Each district is charged with developing and maintaining a written plan for solid waste management within the district. The primary purpose of HB 592 is to reduce reliance on landfills for solid waste disposal and the Authority's solid waste plan was drafted with this goal in mind when it was adopted in 1993. The Authority's Solid Waste Plan anticipated this reduction to come from two primary sources: waste reduction and recycling activities, and through the operation of the Waste-to-Energy Facility. With the closure of the facility in 1994, the reuse, reduction and recycling programs have taken on greater importance.
It is the responsibility of the Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio to achieve state waste reduction and management goals. With the assistance of the public and private sectors, the Solid Waste Authority has made significant progress in developing a waste management system that will achieve state waste reduction goals. The Authority also conducts extensive programs to educate and motivate District residents to sort and manage their waste so that waste reduction can occur. The Authority also conducts programs to reduce littering and to prevent illegal dumping.
The Authority intends to achieve the greatest waste reduction possible in a cost-effective manner. When comparing current waste reduction efforts to state waste reduction goals, during 1998, the Authority would have needed to reduce the residential and commercial waste streams by an additional 65,186 tons to have achieved the 25% waste reduction goal. Evaluating existing and potential additional waste reduction that can be achieved during the remainder of the Plan period (1999-2009), the Authority has determined that the greatest additional reduction in the waste stream can be made in the commercial sector. Some additional reduction can be gained from the residential sector. The industrial sector is currently surpassing the state reduction goal of 50%. The Authority intends to maintain current levels of waste reduction in all sectors. In order to do so, the Authority will continue to implement current programs or strategies. Additional reduction and recycling strategies will be implemented to increase waste reduction in the commercial and residential sectors.
The 1995 State Solid Waste Management Plan requires that Solid Waste Districts/ Authorities revise solid waste management plans to reduce residential/ commercial waste by 25% and reduce industrial waste by 50% by the year 2000. Current reduction efforts in the industrial sector have achieved the 50% waste reduction goal. The Authority intends to continue implementing existing programs to maintain current industrial waste reduction levels. In order to achieve the 25% residential/commercial sector waste reduction goal, the Authority must continue the implementation of current programs and implement new strategies. Approximately 252,000 tons of waste was recycled in 1996, the Plan reference year, for a total residential/commercial waste reduction of 18.8%. To achieve the 25% state waste reduction goal, the Authority plans to facilitate the implementation of the new strategies to reduce the waste stream and achieve the state 25% waste reduction goal by the year 2001.