Report for fiscal year 2017

Georgia Solid Waste Trust Fund
Report for Fiscal Year 2017
Environmental Protection Divsion Georgia Department of Natural Resources
May 2018

Solid Waste Trust Fund

The Solid Waste Trust Fund was established in 1990 as part of the Georgia Comprehensive Solid Waste Management Act. In 1992, an amendment to the Act established a primary source of funding for the fund in the form of a $1.00 fee on every new tire sold in the state.
With the passage of House Bill 908 in 2014, the Georgia General Assembly extended collection of the fee through FY 2019.
Each year, the fees collected the previous year may be appropriated by the General Assembly to the Environmental Protection Division (EPD), whose director is authorized by the Act to serve as the fund's trustee.

Appropriation for FY 2017
The General Assembly appropriated $3,159,308 from the Solid Waste Trust Fund to clean up illegal scrap tire dumps, properly close abandoned landfills, fund waste reduction and recycling programs and administrative and operational costs for FY 2017.
EPD is required by the Act to produce an annual report on activities funded by the trust fund; this report fulfills that requirement.

Fees Collected on New Tires Sold and Amount Appropriated to SWTF FY 2008 to FY 2017

$12,000,000 $10,000,000
$8,000,000

Fees Collected Fees Appropriated Reserve Balance

$6,000,000

$4,000,000

$2,000,000

$2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
Fiscal Year

2 | FY 2017

Expenditures
By Authorized Use

$8,000,000

SWTF Expenditures by Authorized Use FY 2008 to FY 2017

$7,000,000

$6,000,000

$5,000,000

$4,000,000

$3,000,000

$2,000,000

$1,000,000

$0 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

Fiscal Year

Scrap Tire Management and Abatement Emergency Response and Corrective Action Abandoned Landfills

Operations and Fund Administration Waste Reduction and Litter Education Litter Enforcement

FY 2017 | 3

Tire Management

EPD has been active in the management and cleanup of tires in Georgia since 1992. In FY 2017, nearly 100,000 scrap tires were removed from illegal tire dumps or cleaned up through investigations or by local government partners. EPD uses a variety of programs and tools to help ensure scrap tires generated in Georgia are reused or recycled.

Permits & Approvals
EPD issued 391 scrap tire/ retail tire dealer generator identification numbers, 72 used tire dealer numbers, and 12 tire carrier permits in FY 2017.

PERMITS & APPROVALS

CLTIERAENUDPUSMP

INSPECTIONS

Inspections
EPD staff conducted 1,383 site visits to scrap tire generators, sorters, and processors and tire carriers in FY 2017.

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COLTLIERCETIFOENE

Tire Fee Collection
Retailers who sell new tires are responsible for collecting the $1.00 fee from consumers for each new tire sold. In FY 2017, $7.1 million was collected.

INVESTIGATIONS

Investigations
EPD staff lead investigations in response to complaints from citizens about tire dumps and other tire issues. In FY 2017, 195 investigations were conducted, leading to 23,593 tires being removed from 29 sites.

Local Government Funding
The Local Government Scrap Tire Abatement Program funds tire dump and roadside cleanups and amnesty events where residents can bring in their scrap tires for free. In FY 2017, 13,484 tires were cleaned up by five local governments that were reimbursed a total of $43,054.

Tire Dump Cleanups
The SWTF is also used to hire contractors to clean up illegal scrap tire dumps around the state. In FY 2017, 61,379 tires were removed from 21 sites by contractors at a cost of $165,905.

4 | FY 2017

Contractors hired by EPD removed more than 700 tires dumped at the site of a former grocery store in Jones County.
Athens-Clarke County was the first local government to apply for and complete an amnesty event in FY 2017. More than 3,000 tires were turned in by the public.
More than 2,000 tires were removed from this site in northwest Atlanta under a reimbursement agreement with EPD.
FY 2017 | 5

Solid Waste Reduction & Recycling

Staff members in EPD's Recovered Materials Unit respond to inquiries about waste reduction and recycling from businesses and the general public; participate in local, state and national initiatives that promote waste reduction; and manage special projects on specific waste reduction issues.
Sustainable Materials Management
In FY 2017, staff members worked with EPA Headquarters and Region 4 on a lifecycle analysis prioritization tool designed to help businesses, institutions and others more sustainably manage material and natural resource use.
In conjunction with the Solid Waste Management Program, the unit hosted a meeting on integrated solid waste management. In addition to EPD associates, participants included representatives from EPA Region 4, local governments, recycling and composting facilities, the packaging and beverage industry, non-profits, and the waste management industry.
This fiscal year also marked the start of internal discussions and research on the creation of a new solid waste and materials management plan for the state.
Composting
In FY 2017, EPD staff participated in several local initiatives focused on strengthening the infrastructure for midsize or community-scale composting operations. These included an initial stakeholder meeting, a design and working table group, and meetings of the newly-formed Atlanta Community-based Composting Council. Input EPD received from these meetings informed a rule change to

benefit this level of composters that was approved by the Board of the Department of Natural Resources in FY 2018.
Environmental Education
EPD's "Environmental Education in Georgia" program supports efforts to enhance public health and increase environmental stewardship by providing resources and direct assistance to K-12 teachers and nonformal educators.
The program's main component, the EEinGeorgia.org Web site, fills a critical need by ensuring the public has easy access to environmental education resources -- a vital part of improving environmental literacy in Georgia.
More than 480 state agencies, nonprofits, and other organizations submit resources, events, and information to this Web site, which acts as a central clearinghouse. Educators rely on the site to find environmental education lesson plans, curriculum guides, grants, awards, outreach programs, field studies, conferences, and professional learning courses.
Technical Assistance
In FY 2017, the unit responded to more than 150 requests for technical assistance, including questions about recycling various materials, grant availability, household hazardous waste, and more.
Staff members from multiple units spoke to more than 500 people from around the state about scrap tire regulations, scrap tire dumps, and the availability of funding from the Solid Waste Trust Fund for the clean up and recycling of scrap tires.

6 | FY 2017

Abandoned Landfill Care & Clean Up

The Scales Road Landfill in DeKalb County began accepting construction and demolition debris in 1990. The permitted area encompassed nearly 58 acres, of which approximately 35 acres were used for waste disposal. By the time it closed in 2004, it contained approximately 2 million tons of waste.
The landfill's owner declared bankruptcy and in 2005 notified the state of its intent to abandon the site. Because the landfill was not properly closed, environmental conditions deteriorated; erosion exposed waste and fires were reported. In 2007, the state granted a contract to properly close the now abandoned landfill.
In September 2016, the state contracted with Oasis Construction Services, Inc. to perform maintenance and environmental monitoring activities at the landfill.
In FY 2017, the state spent a total of $214,631.85 on monitoring groundwater and landfill gas at the property's boundary, improving security at the site's perimeter, removing illegally dumped waste from the site, and restoring the landfill's final cover system.

Trees growing through the final cover system at the landfill had threatened to damage the landfill cover system through root penetration.
Part of the work by contractors in FY 2017 included repairs of storm drains and placement of protective stone at outlets.

FY 2017 | 7