A new solid waste plan for Hamilton County is headed to local governments for ratification, without a proposed increase to the fee for out-of-district solid waste.
Hamilton County R3source is funded through a tiered disposal fee:
- $1 per ton of in-district waste
- $2 per ton of out-of-district waste
- $1 per ton of out-of-state waste
State law allows out-of-district waste fees to go up to $4 per ton. Colerain Township Trustee Matt Wahlert proposed increasing the fee to $2.75 and using the additional revenue (about $900,000 a year) for municipalities to start or expand recycling programs. He says some smaller communities can't participate in the existing recycling incentive program.
"It becomes kind of a self fulfilling prophecy that those communities aren't going to get any kind of financial remuneration because they don't recycle, because they can't afford to start it," he said.
Some committee members pushed back, saying the the fee increase is likely needed down the road for other expenses — like the possible organics processing facility.
The new Solid Waste Plan does include spending $150,000 to study the possibility of a public-private partnership to build an organics processing facility. It could include food, yard trimmings, and commercial organics.
"We've only got $2 left in that fee," said Commissioner Denise Driehaus, also chair of the Policy Committee. "And if we carve out 75 cents of that $2, we have really diminished our ability to fully fund something, perhaps that's related to organics."
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Wahlert's proposal was ultimately voted down. A similar proposal to increase Tier 2 fees gradually, reaching $4/ton by 2028, was voted down in January.
The fee structure is not limited to the next Solid Waste Plan; Wahlert says he hopes to continue this conversation.
Once the feasibility study for an organics processing facility is complete, Hamilton County R3source will study the fee structure and make a recommendation about whether to increase fees or not.
2023 Solid Waste Plan
Hamilton County's 15-year Solid Waste Plan is updated every five years.
The 2023 Solid Waste Plan sets a goal to divert 27% of residential waste and 50% of commercial waste away from the landfill by 2038.
"What we're all trying to get to is less trash in the landfill. How do we get there?" Driehaus said. "Some of it is organics, some of it is recycling, so there are a lot of different strategies. And I think this plan identifies those and says, 'Let's push forward on that in a fairly aggressive way.' "
Solid Waste Manager Michelle Balz says food waste has the greatest potential for diversion from the landfill. The strategy includes:
- Educating consumers through the "Wasted Food Stops with Us" and other awareness campaigns
- Strengthening food rescue infrastructure
- Encouraging composting whatever waste is left
The plan also increases financial support for businesses from $145,000 to $220,000, about 50% more.
The Residential Recycling Incentive is maintained at $800,000, but with plans to expand the scope. This pot of funding is distributed to communities in Hamilton County for residential recycling infrastructure; the amount for each community is based on its recycling rate, meaning communities are paid more if they increase recycling.
New in this plan is allowing communities to count business and commercial recycling instead of just residential.
One part of the draft plan is entirely new: Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
"We are the first solid waste district in Ohio to incorporate something like this into our Solid Waste Plan," Balz told WVXU earlier this year. "But it's really important to us that we make sure that our programs are inclusive, and that we are offering accessible programming to residents."
The plan has to get approval from the Hamilton County Board of Commissioners, and from communities representing 60% of the county population; Cincinnati has to be one of those communities, even if the 60% threshold is reached without it. Those rules are part of state law.
Now that the policy committee has approved the plan, communities have 90 days to ratify the plan (or not).
See the full plan online at the Hamilton County R3source website, and see a summary report below:
