By Susan Jarvis
March 19, 2001

Solid Waste Directors and Environmental Commissioners from cities across the country and a large delegation of Mayors from Puerto Rico traveled to Washington D.C. March 5-7 to attend the annual meeting of the Municipal Waste Management Association, an affiliate of The US Conference of Mayors. Dedicated to and driven by the issues and interests of solid waste and environmental managers, the MWMA focuses on legislative and regulatory issues and provides a forum to share best practices and promote operational efficiencies, innovations and cutting edge technology.

This year's program drew heavily on resources in the nations capitol; representatives from Congress, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and industry groups provided attendees with their first look at environmental priorities for the new Administration and Congress. Highlights included Senator Jon Corzine (NJ) and Representative Sam Farr (CA), master of ceremonies for the Recycling At Work Awards. Acting Assistant Administrator of the EPA Office of Solid Waste and Environmental Response, Mike Shapiro, discussed Brownfields legislation and Lori Schmidt, Attorney and Senior Advisor for EPA, briefed attendees on the recent Supreme Court Ruling on the Clean Air Act.

Local investment in waste to energy, recycling and landfill methane capturing programs have not only increased recycling rates and created new energy sources, these efforts have greatly reduced the amount of greenhouse gases emitted over the past 25 years, concluded Maria Zannes, President of the Integrated Waste Services Association, Washington D.C.. Attendees were presented further evidence that local recycling and improved emission control programs have reduced green house gas emissions, despite quantities of municipal solid waste doubling. Ms. Zannes has worked with Susan Thornloe, a senior researcher at USEPA's Office of Research and Development, Research Triangle, North Carolina, to develop a computer tool designed to help decision-makers analyze various solid waste technologies and systems. The tool can be used on a site-specific basis to calculate green house gas emissions and evaluate costs and identify new opportunities. Ms. Zannes concluded if technology from the 1970's were still in use, green house gas emissions would be four times larger than they are at present.

Dwain Winters, Director of USEPA's Dioxin Policy Project provided a detailed analysis of the amount of dioxin in the environment along with a listing of contributing sources. Dioxin has been ruled as a known carcinogen by EPA. Important trends include a significant decline in dioxin levels in sediment, since its' peak in the early 1970's. This decline is also supported by emissions inventory data, which suggests an 80% decline in dioxin levels between 1987 and 1995. Although Waste-to-Energy facilities were at one time large contributors of dioxin, that is no longer the case. The Clean Air Act required new technologies to be placed on facilities that greatly reduced the dioxins emitted.

Mr. Winters concluded uncontrolled combustion, such as backyard barrel-burning, household as well as forest fires, are likely to be the largest un-addressed contemporary dioxin sources. Mr. Winters is responsible for implementing EPA's dioxin policy which may affect many new policies and regulations that EPA considers.

The Urban Summit provides a "no holds barred" forum for best practices and innovative solutions to the challenges and opportunities faced by public sector environmental professionals. Participants contributed to a thought provoking discussion on the recruitment and retention of quality employees and maximizing job effectiveness, flow control and volume and innovative approaches to franchising.

We encourage you or your Environmental Commissioner, solid waste professional, and/or Public Works Director to mark his/her calendar and attend the next MWMA meeting, The Environmental and Solid Waste Management Summit, November 7-11, 2001, in Austin Texas. This is a unique forum for city environmental professionals to meet with their peers to share Best Practices and stay on top of the latest trends, technologies, and regulations impacting their decision making. For meeting reservations contact Amy Allaband (202) 861-6749. For more information on any topic covered during the meeting, log on to usmayors.org/mwma for information, presentations and articles.