GBB highlights unique island communities expertise and understanding at WASTECON
Gershman, Brickner & Bratton, Inc. (GBB) has developed a unique expertise and understanding of the recycling and solid waste management challenges of island communities over the past two years with important assignments in Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, County of Maui, HI, and the Cayman Islands.
As part of the technical session entitled “Solid Waste Management: An Island Perspective,” which was held at WASTECON in late September in Long Beach, CA, GBB Vice President Chace Anderson and GBB President Harvey Gershman made presentations respectively highlighting the Guam Receivership and County of Maui projects.
Guam Solid Waste Receivership - A Curious Story
The Territory Government of Guam has had a dump out of compliance with the U.S. Clean Water Act for the past 22 years. In 2004, the Government of Guam and the United States Environmental Protection Agency signed a Consent Decree whereby the Government of Guam agreed to open a Sanitary Landfill, properly close the existing dump, and implement a household hazardous waste program. Over the next four years, the Government of Guam missed most of its deadlines as set in that Consent Decree. Chief Justice Tydingco-Gatewood of the U.S. Federal Court placed the Government of Guam’s solid waste operations under a Receivership on March 17, 2008. After interviewing several firms, the Court appointed GBB to act as the Receiver.
The WASTECON presentation made by Chace Anderson (available at www.gbbinc.com/speaker/WasteCon09-Anderson-Guam.pdf) provided information on the state of the Solid Waste Management Department when the Receiver took over, how the Guam solid waste system has been turned around, and how the Receiver is paving the way for compliance with the 2004 Consent Decree. Looking forward, Guam residents can expect a new state-of-the-art landfill, closure of the existing Ordot Dump, expanded recycling, and modern solid waste collection services.
County of Maui Integrated Solid Waste Management Plan
By 2000, the State of Hawaii had hoped to be at 50 percent recycling rate but instead had a recycling ethic that had, as yet, not been rooted into the community. User fees were rare, and the inherent costs of operating a recycling business on an island were high. As a consequence, local recycling markets were underdeveloped. In 2008, as required by the State of Hawaii, the County of Maui developed an Integrated Solid Waste Management Plan (ISWMP) with the assistance of the GBB Project Team.
The WASTECON presentation (available at www.gbbinc.com/speaker/WasteCon09-Gershman-Maui.pdf) made by Harvey Gershman provided a review of the plan recommendations and process, starting with why a new Plan was developed, to an overview of then-current solid waste practices, to a detailed review of recommendations, including a comparison with the current system; economic assumptions; incremental costs; implementation schedule; and benefits of recommended actions. Insight on the following public information process and approval from the State of Hawaii Department of Health was also provided.
GBB is an international solid waste management consulting firm founded in 1980 that works on solid waste collection, processing, recycling and disposal issues and assists in planning, procuring, and implementing sound, cost-effective facilities and services at the local, state, and national levels for both the public and private sectors. For more information on the firm and its products and services, visit www.gbbinc.com or call 1-800-573-5801.
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