The Vermont Solid Waste Act of 1987, commonly known as Act 78, mandated that a State Waste Management Plan had to be prepared based on the hierarchy of integrated waste management:
The greatest feasible reduction in the amount of waste generated;
Reuse and recycling of waste to reduce to the greatest extent feasible the volume remaining for processing and disposal;
Waste processing to reduce the volume or toxicity of the waste stream necessary for disposal;
Land disposal of the residuals.
Each municipality was required to join or participate in a regional planning commission or solid waste management district’s planning efforts. The districts had to prepare, adopt and implement a plan to manage solid waste within and among its member municipalities in accordance with the State’s waste management hierarchy. To this end, the Addison County Solid Waste Management District was formed, and the first District plan was adopted on March 19, 1992.
On November 8, 1988, the voters of 18 Addison County municipalities approved the creation of a union municipal district - the Addison County Solid Waste Management District (ACSWMD) - for the purpose of managing solid waste. With the addition of Whiting and Orwell in 1989 and Goshen in 1990, and the subsequent withdrawal of Salisbury in 1991 and Bristol in 1992, the District realized its current membership total of 19 towns.
The 19 member municipalities are:
Addison, Bridport, Cornwall, Ferrisburgh, Goshen, Lincoln, Leicester, Middlebury, Monkton, New Haven, Orwell, Panton, Ripton, Shoreham, Starksboro, Vergennes, Waltham, Weybridge, Whiting.
The District is governed by a Board of Supervisors composed of one representative from each member municipality. Board representatives are appointed by the legislative bodies of the member towns.
The Board of Supervisors has determined that the mission of the District is to:
Promote waste reduction and pollution prevention;
Maximize diversion of wastes through reuse, recycling, and composting;
Provide for the disposal of remaining wastes; and
Seek environmentally sound and cost-effective solutions in all of its programs, services, and facilities.
The District is a non-profit governmental entity. The Board of Supervisors has the ability to establish charges, including but not limited to tipping fees, for the purpose of generating revenues to pay for its operations and capital acquisitions. It may also levy assessments for each member municipality. The assessments are based upon the quantity of waste generated per municipality, if the quantity can be adequately determined. Alternatively, the assessments are levied on the basis of population within each member municipality.
Currently, the District does not assess the member municipalities for any portion of its revenue. It relies upon a combination of: (1) tipping fees collected at the Transfer Station in Middlebury; (2) a per ton District Fee on all waste generated within the District if the waste is destined for disposal; (3) donations or fees at special events sponsored by the District; (4) the sale of items such as compost bins; and (5) state and federal grants, if available.
For more information the ACSWMD has an informative web site:
http://www.addisoncountyrecycles.org/
Links to other Solid Waste topics: