Solid Waste Planning

Executive Summary

The following is an update to the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Solid Waste Management Plan. It includes a description of existing and projected population, facilities, and a plan for management of the solid waste generated by the population and industrial and commercial activities of the Thomas Jefferson Planning District. The plan details proposed systems for recycling, reuse, collection, disposal and treatment of a large variety of wastes, and establishes general goals and policies.

The planning group met regularly over the course of a year to write this plan both to satisfy the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality requirements, and to serve as a basis for strategic planning for solid waste in the longer term.

The group recommends the following basic strategies:

• Regional approach: Regional efforts will yield better results than localized solutions, especially with high costs and capital needs for operations. Joint contracting, collection, disposal and recycling operations can provide budget and resource savings, and allow the region to join markets at a competitive level with larger cities.
• Increased recovery: Recovery of a larger percent of valuable material, such as recyclables and organic matter, lead to a better balance sheet and longer disposal facility lifetimes. This includes more curbside and drop off collection and education.
• Reduce total waste: Source reduction, reuse and recycling decrease the need for disposal, which is generally not considered a desirable option. In order to limit the negative impact our communities have on others, the total volume of waste disposed of must be kept to a minimum.
• Material Recovery Facility (MRF): Establishment of a MRF to separate recyclables and other valuable material from commingled collection would increase recovery rates.

Some elements of the plan will require additional study.

The 2004 Update to the TJPDC Solid Waste Management plan has been amended according to request by DEQ, and resubmitted on Feb 15 for final review and approval. As part of the response, our regional recycling rate has been calculated as 25.3%, exceeding the 25% state mandate.

Regional solid waste planning has a long history at the TJPDC, which led planning efforts in 1983, 1989 and 1991. The region covered in each of those plans matched the area of the planning district. The 1991 Solid Waste Management Plan is the most recent regional plan and was developed by a committee consisting of representatives from each locality and the University of Virginia. The plan fulfilled state requirements and provided a guide for development of a regional system to meet target goals of waste reduction and environmental compliance. That plan may be viewed at the right of this page.

TJPDC also assisted the Rivanna Solid Waste Authority in 1996 by staffing the Citizen's Solid Waste Task Force. That group was tasked with examining the status of the Ivy Landfill, investigating alternatives to disposal, and proposing the best disposal solution or combination of solutions to benefit the community. The task force was unable to reach full consensus on all items but did agree on a number of topics and was responsible for gathering some helpful background information, including a waste sort at the Ivy Landfill. That plan, from the Solid Waste Task Force, may be viewed at the right of this page.