PCD Credit 8: Good Neighbor Practices (1-2 points)
Reciprocal
Intent:
To minimize impacts on community quality of life from waste disposal facility operations.
Local Government and Industry Requirements:
The waste disposal facility[1] owned, operated, or controlled by the Local Government or Company has a policy and specified practices to address all aspects of operations that might result in a reduction in the quality of life for the surrounding residents and/or businesses, including:
● Litter control and mitigation measures are implemented onsite.
● Litter is inspected and recovered:
o Urban: within 100 yards of the facility’s boundary and at least ¼ mile along primary access routes.
o Sub-urban: within 100 yards of the facility’s boundary and at least 1 mile along primary access routes.
o Rural: within 100 yards of the facility boundary and at least 2 miles along primary access routes.
● Dust control and mitigation measures are implemented onsite.
● Dust control and mitigation measures are implemented:
o Urban: Within 100 yards of the facility’s boundary and at least ¼ mile along primary access routes.
o Sub-urban: Within 100 yards of the facility’s boundary; and at least 1 mile along primary access routes.
o Rural: Within 100 yards of the facility’s boundary; and at least 2 miles along primary access routes.
● New Facilities are not built within the designated Buffer Zone of residences, schools, parks, prisons, playgrounds, nursing homes, day care centers, or other places people live or congregate. The Buffer Zone requirement does not apply to Existing Facilities. [2]
Population Density | Buffer Zone |
Rural: <100 people/mi2 | 900 Feet |
Suburban: 101 – 1,000 people/mi2 | 500 Feet |
Urban: >1,000 people/mi2 | 250 Feet |
● Has a system in place to receive and address comments from the community.
And
Tier 1: (1 point)
Demonstrate that the facility has no unresolved or unaddressed complaints regarding the operational elements listed above that are pending before any governing agency or body.
● No unaddressed complaints or violations within the last three years:
○ Noise
○ Traffic
○ Pest/Vermin
○ Odor
● Limit emissions from mobile equipment and other operations according to PCD Credit 3.
● Implement the stormwater management requirements from PCD Credit 2.
Tier Two: (1 Point)
Fulfill requirements in Tier One. Then complete the following:
● Fund a study to understand the negative effects of waste management operations on individual communities within 5 miles of your solid waste facility
● Implement the requirements of PCD Credit 1 to reduce the amount of diesel fueled vehicles within your fleet that haul waste to and from incinerators, transfer stations, and recycling facilities
● Invest in alternative forms of transportation to and from solid waste facilities
Potential Strategies:
● Conduct regular ‘listening sessions’ with the local community regarding issues that impact the quality of life
● Work with education institutions, activist groups, and/or the Center for Disease Control and Prevention to assess health impacts on surrounding communities
● Invest in barges and rail as a means for transport rather than diesel trucks
[1] “Waste disposal facility” includes transfer stations, landfills and thermal conversion facilities.
[2] Existing Facilities are defined as projects that are operational prior to the Local Government or Company applying for SWEEP Certification.
Accessible training that workers understand (conducted in their primary language) is basic requirement- not a “Tier 2″/above and beyond requirement. OSHA has already spelled out an employer’s obligation to provide training in a method and language that workers understand. SWEEP is meant to be a leadership standard, and this misses the mark.