(Video courtesy of Forrest Covington)
Unlike landfills which require large parcels of land, transfer stations can be sited on 5 acres or less which makes it possible to site them in towns, close to where the trash is produced. Ideally, transfer stations are sited in industrial areas, near interstate highways so that large hauling trucks don?t have to drive through communities.
Transfer stations, like any waste facility, should never be sited near residential communities. Since decision-makers don't always appreciate the differences between transfer stations and landfills, they try to site transfer stations in rural counties where there's more land and fewer voters. Using a distant rural site increases travel time and costs for the expensive collection trucks and undermines the benefits of the transfer station.
Sewage Sludge
Sewage sludge is the solid end product that’s produced from wastewater treatment plants. It’s also called biosolids. After waste water (the stuff that goes down the drain and toilet) is treated, effluents (liquids) are returned to the water supply and solids are sprayed on rural lands. Sewage includes hospital and industrial waste, and many fear that the waste water treatment process doesn’t eliminate harmful chemicals, heavy metals and other toxins. Regulations do not require testing for many of these elements.
In Orange County, over 3000 acres of land are sprayed with sewage sludge. About 1/3 is from OWASA, the rest comes from other counties. No one is sure what’s in it and rural residents have accounts of sudden and unusal illnesses that are coincident with sludge application.
Orange County produces 5-10 tons of sludge per day – not counting the sludge that comes from other counties.
For more about practices of applying sewage sludge to farm lands, click here for Sludge, a free fertilizer for farmers, can pose health and environmental risks (The Independent).
For a 45-minute documentary on sludge, check out Crapshoot, the gamble with our wastes.
Other Waste Streams
In addition to MSW and sludge, there are small, highly toxic waste streams that are dangerous and expensive to handle, including:
- medical waste, including syringes, needles, and other highly contaminated wastes produced in hospital and outpatient settings.
- hazardous wastes such as paint thinners, mercury-filled fluorescent lights, and other combustibles.
- coal ash produced by coal plants. After the accident at the Tennessee Valley in 2008, the EPA is planning to classify coal ash as a hazardous waste (click here for more)
These wastes require special handling to reduce risk of contamination. They may get shipped and burned in polluting incinerators, such as the one operated by Stericycle (http://www.stericycle.com/). Or they are buried in special landfills.
While the volumes are much lower than municipal solid waste, the costs to dispose of these waste streams can range from $100 to $1500 per ton (vs $35-$50 per ton for MSW).
Comprehensive Solutions Require Collaboration
Orange County will close its landfill in 2013. The county and towns have access to Durham and other waste transfer stations for next few years. In addition to MSW, UNC, UNC Hospital, UNC's Coal Plant, OWASA, and others produce waste. Neighboring Durham and Chatham counties face similar challenges as do counties all over NC.
Can these organizations work together to find a forward-looking solution that handles all the waste streams without compromising our environment or our rural communities?
Suggested Resources
Film:
- "Garbage: the Revolution Starts at Home" click here
- "The Story of Stuff" (website and video) click here
Reading:
- George, Rose: "The Big Necessity, the Unmentionable World of Human Waste" click here
- NC Waste Management Information click here
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