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Solid Waste Digest: National Edition, February, 2002, Interstate Waste, Page 6. A Growing Trend in Interstate Waste Shipments The growing trend in interstate shipment of waste illustrates the changing structure of the waste disposal industry. Smaller landfills have closed or are in the process of closing and being replaced by fewer, more remote mega-landfills and an ever more intricate network of transfer stations to service them. A mega landfill, as the name implies, must draw waste from a more vast waste shed which requires waste to be transported over a greater distance. Since the laws of supply and demand do not involve political boundaries unless tariffs exist, waste follows a path of least economic resistance in search of cheap disposal regardless of state or county boundaries. Waste generation is a function of population and is more geographically related to city and its environs than to state borders. Increasing industry privatization further encourages interstate waste movement as private firms seek to internalize more of the waste collected into their own landfills. Greater adoption of rail hauling as an alternative mode will further interstate waste movement since more of the associated costs are tend to be fixed rather than variable. Once you have covered the costs of loading and unloading, the extra mile or two of distance makes lttle difference. The Largest Exporting States It is not surprising that those states with the highest concentrations of population and consequently higher land values, public resistance to new landfills, and most new home building, manufacturing, etc. are also the largest exporters. New York and New Jersey top the list as measured in millions of tons exported out of state. The closure of the Fresh Kills landfill on Staten Island has contributed to this trend. In New Jersey, the breakup of state's system of flow controls led to the exodus of great volumes of waste in search of cheaper disposal in Pennsylvania and forced the various county waste authorities to slash their prices from well over $100 per ton to roughly $55 per ton. With limited land area and proximity to neighboring states, the smaller states tend to export a higher percentage of their generated waste. When one measures exports as a percentage of waste generated, Washington DC, New Jersey and Rhode Island top the list. Delaware is the exception to this rule for two reasons: the quasi-governmental Delaware Solid Waste Authority never got too greedy with tipping fees, although higher than in surrounding areas and because the authority controls the states' few landfills and transfer stations. And, because Delaware only borders Maryland which in turn exports a great deal of its waste to neighboring Virginia. The Largest Importing States Naturally the largest importing states are directly adjacent to the largest exporting states. Pennsylvania, which neighbors both New Jersey and New York, is at the top of the list and widening its lead over the others. Virginia, although not adjacent to New York, receives waste from there, Maryland and Washington DC thus making it the second most popular interstate waste destination. After Pennsylvania and Virginia, the Midwestern states including Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin also imported more than a million tons of waste. Oregon, with its proximity to the relatively large waste exporting states of Washington and California, also accepted over one million tons of out-of-state waste last year. The Future There is little doubt that available disposal capacity will fail to keep pace with the ever growing population centers of the northeast and west coast which will drive up prices and create the economic incentive to send waste ever further in search of disposal. Ironically, if Congress or the states meddle with this process by creating barriers, the ultimate costs to society will be increased without tangible benefits. Barriers will protect local interests who will reap that advantage through higher pricing to customers and taxpayers. The winners will be those governments that can overlook rhetoric and attempt to strike a comprimise between market benefits and environmental safety and sustainability. Methodology Chartwell has regularly surveyed the waste disposal industry for over ten years gathering such data as waste types accepted volumes disposed and the prices charged, remaining capacity, ownership and other pertinent data relating to facility operation. The data gathered comes from several sources. Waste disposal and processing volume data is gathered through direct survey with facility owners and operators on an ongoing basis. Where possible, this information is corroborated with that which is provided by the various state level regulatory agencies. In some cases, these agencies track facility specific volumes as well. Otherwise, we will examine state level summary data to the extent that it is provided. Other sources such as Biocycle Magazine, which surveys the state regulatory agencies; the Congressional Research Service (CRS); Franklin & Associates, which gathers waste data under contract with the US EPA, are also consulted with the understanding that each source employs a different methodology in data gathering and statistical analysis. Figure: Annualized Municipal Solid Waste Generation, Recovery, and Net Export by State (in Thousands of Tons) Gen- Net References |
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