Hearings Set On Solid Waste Plans

BENTONVILLE — Anyone interested in solid waste disposal issues or plans for recycling will have a chance to make their concerns known during a public hearing Thursday night at Centerton City Hall.

The Benton County Solid Waste District will hold a meeting of the district’s board at 5 p.m., according to Wendy Cravens, district director. The Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality will host a public meeting on the state’s 10-year Solid Waste Plan after the meeting. The district also will report on the 2013 needs assessment and plans for meeting identified needs.

The meetings are mandated by law, Cravens said.

At A Glance

The 10-Year Plan

The first statewide Solid Waste Management Plan was in 2003. Under Act 1376 of 2001, the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality is charged with developing a statewide solid waste management plan every 10 years and establishing minimum requirements for waste management plans by regional solid waste management boards.

Source: Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality

“Every 10 years ADEQ has to update the solid waste plan for the entire state,” Cravens said. “They’ve been having a series of stakeholders meetings to get input on that. The solid waste districts each did a needs assessment looking at their individual needs and goals for the next year. The draft plan is ready and they’re going around to every district to have public hearings.”

The Benton County Solid Waste District’s 2014 needs assessment includes more emphasis on recycling and reuse, Cravens said.

“We’d like to find ways to do more public education about the reuse opportunities that already exist and look at ways to encourage reuse in the community, like swap meets, to introduce people to the idea of reuse and show them the benefits,” Cravens said.

Susan Speake with ADEQ said the 10-year plan has been developed over the past few years in cooperation with representatives of business, industry, government, consulting, environmental and resource management entities.

The state has held its first two meetings on the plan in Little Rock and Magnolia. The Benton County meeting will be the third, Speake said. A meeting for residents of the Boston Mountain Solid Waste District, which includes Washington and Madison counties, is Aug. 12 at the Jones Center in Springdale.

Robyn Reed, director of the Boston Mountain Sold Waste District, said the district’s emphasis for 2014 is to do more long-range planning.

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