Report for fiscal year 2018

Georgia Solid Waste Trust Fund
Report for Fiscal Year 2018
Environmental Protection Divsion Georgia Department of Natural Resources
December 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 2018
The General Assembly appropriated $2,790,775 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 2018.
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 2009 to FY 2018
$8,000,000

$7,000,000

$6,000,000 $5,000,000 $4,000,000

Fees Collected Fees Appropriated Reserve Balance

$3,000,000

$2,000,000

$1,000,000

$0 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
Fiscal Year

2 | FY 2018

Expenses
By Authorized Use

$6,000,000 $5,000,000

SWTF Expenses by Authorized Use FY 2009 to FY 2018

$4,000,000

$3,000,000

$2,000,000

$1,000,000

$0 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018

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 2018 | 3

Tire Management
EPD has been active in the management and cleanup of tires in Georgia since 1992. In FY 2018, 418,096 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 367 scrap tire/retail tire dealer generator identification numbers, 152 used tire dealer numbers, 19 tire carrier permits, 3 scrap tire sorter permits, and 5 scrap tire processor approvals in FY 2018.

PERMITS & APPROVALS

CLTIERAENUDPUSMP

INSPECTIONS

Inspections
EPD staff conducted 1,684 site visits to scrap tire generators, sorters, and processors and tire carriers in FY 2018.

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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 2018, $7.4 million was collected.

INVESTIGATIONS

Investigations EPD staff lead investigations in response to complaints from citizens about tire dumps and other tire issues. In FY 2018, 116 investigations were conducted, leading to 39,352 tires being removed from 50 sites.
4 | FY 2018

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 2018, 239,082 tires were cleaned up by 38 local governments that were reimbursed a total of $533,077.

Tire Dump Cleanups
The SWTF is also used to hire contractors to clean up illegal scrap tire dumps around the state. In FY 2018, 139,662 tires were removed from 42 sites by contractors at a cost of $437,056.

Contractors hired by EPD removed more than 50,000 tires from site of a former trucking company in Jenkins County.

During this scrap tire amnesty event in Houston County, residents brought in 9,017 tires to be recycled.

More than 420 tires were removed from this site in Gwinnett County by contractors hired by EPD.
FY 2018 | 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 2018, 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.
This fiscal year also saw EPD host two stakeholder meetings with representatives from recycling industries, businesses, non-profits, state agencies, local governments, and others on their priorities and suggestions for using funds from the Solid Waste Trust Fund.
Composting
In FY 2018, EPD staff participated in initiatives designed to strengthen the infrastructure for mid-size and communityscale composting operations, including working with the Atlanta Community-based Composting Council. Of particular focus in FY18 was creating best management practices to align with 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, acts as a state clearinghouse to ensuring the public has easy access to environmental education resources -- a vital part of improving environmental literacy in Georgia.
More than 600 state agencies, nonprofits, K-12 schools, and other organizations have joined the site and can submit resources, events, and other environmental-related information. Each month, a newsletter is emailed to more than 7,000 subscribers, most of whom are educators who 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 2018, the unit responded to nearly 100 requests for technical assistance, including questions about recycling various materials, grant availability, household hazardous waste, business development, and more.
Staff members from multiple units reached hundreds of people from around the state -- either in direct meetings or through tabling at conferences -- 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.

Abandoned Landfill Care & Clean Up

In FY 2017, EPD evaluated the condition of three abandoned landfills to identify activities needed to properly close the sites:
Eller Whitlock Avenue Landfill in Brunswick accepted land clearing debris and construction and demolition (C&D) materials from 1987 to 2013
Steele Brothers Landfill in Walker County accepted municipal solid waste, industrial waste, and C&D materials (including asbestos) from 1976 to 1995
Fauconniere Buckeye Cellulose Industrial Landfill in Andersonville accepted waste from the Buckeye Cellulose Pulp Mill (now International Paper Flint River Mill) from 1983 to 1988; this waste consisted primarily of boiler ash, knots, grits, and dregs from the pulping operations, and sludge
The results of the evaluation showed that the landfills required a variety of activities, including:
Delineating waste limits
Filing landfill deed notice
Installing and improving existing site access controls and erosion and sedimentation controls
Removing and disposing of surface waste not appropriate for unlined solid waste disposal facilities (e.g., creosote railroad ties, machinery)
Clearing, grubbing, and grading

Installing final cover system
Assessing and/or redeveloping environmental monitoring wells
Preparing post-closure care plan
In FY 2018, EPD contracted with KEMRON Environmental Services, Inc. to provide detailed closure and post-closure plans for each landfill that would be protective of human health and the environment. Of the three landfills, the Eller-Whitlock site was deemed the highest priority because of its close proximity to residences that may be using groundwater for domestic water supply.
The site's existing environmental monitoring networks were found to be functional, and in February 2018, EPD contracted with Advanced Environmental Management, Inc. to perform environmental sampling and laboratory analysis. Closure and post-closure plans were developed and EPD intends to award a contract to complete work at the site in spring 2019.
Plan development for the Fauconniere Buckeye site was completed in November 2018.
Due to groundwater contamination and the discovery of drums at the Steele Brothers Landfill, the site is undergoing continued assessment and plan development in conjunction with EPD's Hazardous Waste Response and Remediation Program. Plan development is expected to be completed in summer 2019.

EPD staff attended a workshop on windrow composting hosted by the Athens-Clarke County Solid Waste Department. 6 | FY 2018

At the Fauconniere Buckeye Cellulose Industrial Landfill in Andersonville, the absence of an adequate final cover system led to trees and other vegetation becoming established and the formation of deep gullies due to erosion. Poor site access controls led to open dumping.
FY 2018 | 7

At the Scales Road Landfill in DeKalb County, the absence of an adequate final cover system led to the formation of gullies along some of the roads due to erosion (left). Contractors filled in the ditches as part of maintenance work at the site (right).

The Scales Road Landfill in DeKalb County began accepting C&D materials in 1990. 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, conditions deteriorated. In 2007, the state hired a contractor to properly close the site.
In September 2016, EPD contracted with Oasis Construction Services, Inc. to bring the site back into compliance, including:
Removing and disposing of surface waste
Installing and improving existing site access controls to prevent dumping/trespassing
Restoring the landfill cap (e.g., mowing, tree removal, clearing and resetting pipe inlets, clay cap, topsoil), repairing road, cleaning sediment pond, and replacing damaged downdrain
Assessing landfill gas venting trench and developing restoration plan
Assessing and/or redeveloping environmental monitoring wells
Maintaining landfill cap, road, monitoring systems, and other infrastructure, and monitoring groundwater and landfill gas for one year
Work under this contract was completed in December 2017.

In April 2018, EPD contracted with Oasis Construction Services, Inc. to provide continued environmental monitoring and post-closure maintenance. Work completed in FY 2018 under this contract included groundwater and methane sampling and analysis, monitoring network maintenance and redevelopment, and performing final cover maintenance and site security.
Maintenance activities at Scales Road also include maintaining the integrity of the landfill cap to ensure proper vegetation is established. In the photo above, EPD staff perform an inspection of the site along with a representative from the contractor company.

8 | FY 2018