Officials implementing Vermont’s universal recycling law say they’ve seen a 5 percent decrease in trash statewide. Act 148 has banned recyclable materials from landfills for over a year now, and the state is now implementing the next phase of requirements in the law, dealing with yard and leaf debris.
Josh Kelly, the materials management chief for the Department of Environmental Conservation, says the 5 percent decrease is “a significant drop,” and a sign that the law is making a difference.
“Typically that type of the fall in trash is something we’ve often seen associated with the 2008 recession, for example,” Kelly says. “So to have that happen at a time when we’re not in recession is really remarkable, showing that people are recycling … and that the law is working.鈥�
In the first three months, the Northeast Kingdom had a 25 percent jump in recycling tonnage. That鈥檚 significant because that region hadn鈥檛 had much by way of recycling services or participation in the past. Now there鈥檚 a ban on disposal of leaf and yard debris along with clean wood, such as limbs, logs and clean dimensional lumber. Transfer stations and haulers must now offer leaf and yard collection,聽one of the new requirements that聽kicked in on July 1.
鈥淔or the most part,聽Vermonters are already managing their leaves in a way. They make a leaf pile in the fall. The kids jump in it and then they rake it off into the woods. Not many people are bagging these leaves up and paying money to throw them out. It’s not it’s not something we’ve found as a high percentage,鈥� Kelly said. 鈥淪till, there is some leaf in yard trimmings in there, but it’s not a significant portion, and many states have banned this material really just to send a message that this stuff doesn’t belong in the landfill.鈥�
Leaf and yard debris take up space and has more beneficial uses. Kelly says there are composters in Chittenden and Bennington County that will take leaves and add them to their compost mix. The new law heads next towards composting and separating food waste in 2020. Starting next summer, though, transfer stations and haulers that take trash will be required to provide collection services for food scraps.
鈥淲e really want to make sure that people have the options and available services before the ban goes into effect on food waste. 鈥極ptions鈥� is a key word there. There are many people in Vermont who want to use their food scraps for their own home compost for their own garden, and that’s terrific,鈥� Kelly said. 鈥淥thers want to have nothing to do with that, and that’s OK. You can bring it to a drop-off and we’re looking to see that our transfer stations have these drop off options come July 1, 2017.鈥�
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