South Carolina Considers Moratorium on New Landfills

Date: March 16, 2009

Source: News Room

Taking a page from its neighbor to the north, legislators in South Carolina are considering a moratorium on any new or expanded landfills in the state. Despite a sharp decline in the number of operating landfills in the state, there are now only 18, down from 80 before more stringent regulations took effect in the early 90's, those remaining have grown significantly in size. That happened as a consequence of growing demand for disposal and a change in regulations approved in 2000 that favored a regional approach that allowed the bigger landfills to accept far more waste. The additional capacity and relatively low tipping fees as attracted steadily more out-of-state waste which is currently over a million tons per year. Increased activity at the existing dumps is both a blessing and a curse. It brings revenues from host fees but draws ire from neighbors and environmentalists who fear that the state is quickly becoming a dumping ground for other states. Now they are taking their case to the state. While state senators consider a moratorium, the state Department of Health and Environmental Control could propose new regulations that would restrict waste acceptance.

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