A big shout out to the President of the SWANA Region 6 Chapter, J. Morgan, for a week of informative sessions, valuable networking, and fun social activities at the SWANA Region 6 conference. Dancing and singing with DJ Pudding was a highlight, along with the river tour and Shoeless Joe Jackson search with Mr. Greene. Lucas Nachman and I presented on the topic of Climate Action Plans and what businesses and municipalities can expect.
With so much public attention on climate change, we presented five case studies to illustrate common measures and strategies currently in city, state, and municipal Climate Action Plans, including:
I was also lucky enough to moderate a panel on net zero waste by the city of Nashville. The speakers were very informative. Some of the findings showing the hurdles in the environmental arena are surprising. Three other SCS presenters, David Greene, David Walker, and Michael Stonecipher, spoke on the topics of RNG Permitting, Tier 2 Sampling, and RMC capabilities. For us, we were excited to share our expertise and knowledge that solve customer challenges.
While climate seems to be a growing concern for everyone, the waste industry is on the front lines of the environment and under tremendous regulation and public scrutiny. As an essential service, we’re always concerned about the cost of operations – since it passes to citizens. In my opinion, the waste industry is rightly focused on 1) budgets, 2) increasingly, more restrictive regulations regarding leachate, PFAS, etc. 3) manpower with experience, and 4) complaints such as odor and traffic. But, to be sustainable, we address the social and economic impacts into our technical solutions.
There are exciting new technologies, master planning-climate action plans, and economic support options available. While the challenges never stop, they spur us on to ever better solutions.
About the Author: Mr. Doug Latulippe is responsible for developing and supporting SCS’s nationwide energy management and renewable energy practice. This includes work related to SCS’s air quality, greenhouse gas (GHG), and sustainability initiatives for public and private commercial businesses, industrial facility owners, real estate clients, utilities, and renewable energy project developers. Prior to joining SCS, Doug managed energy portfolios including capital and operating budget development, power generation, demand-side project and program development, bill management and reporting, and utility incentive program management. He also performed energy audits and GHG reporting for Fortune 500 companies. As part of his power generation experience, he patented a solid-fuel gasification system designed for environmental mitigation and pollution control. Doug was also recognized by the EPA for his extensive work with the ENERGY STAR program. Reach Doug Latulippe at or via LinkedIn.
Landfill efficiency: every landfill owner or operator knows that landfills are distinctly unique. Consequently, landfill gas collection and control systems (GCCS) and leachate management systems with highly engineered components are configured precisely to tailor to each landfill’s needs. North American landfills have always tried to be good neighbors, but now are making greater strides toward reducing emissions and protecting groundwater with master planning and technology. These plans keep the effectiveness of these systems running as efficiently as possible and help prevent expensive and extensive repairs.
Today’s blog takes us out in the field examining how to plan for these flexible high-dollar infrastructure systems. These plans are taking landfill operations into the future and are adaptable to changing regulations around emissions and the evolving waste streams that affect gas production.
We’ll also provide resources to similar articles about leachate systems, remote monitoring systems, drones, and carbon sequestration that are helping to keep your carbon footprint even lower and support landfill efficiency.
In the April issue of WasteAdvantage Magazine, Professional Engineers Vidhya Viswanathan and Maura Dougherty discuss how operators with 5-year and master plans in place get a payoff with a system that serves them well and costs less. They can prepare early for capturing their gas, use the plan to install gas collection infrastructure on a timely basis, and help guide them through post-closure among the daily benefits. Read Master Plan to Lower Your Landfill GCCS Infrastructure Investments here.
Planning/Managing Leachate/PFAS
Remote Monitoring and Control and Drones