WASTE MANAGEMENT
Back in the 1980s, the State of Ohio faced a number of solid waste management
problems. Landfill capacity was declining, the amount of waste to be
disposed was increasing, and there were environmental problems at a number
of existing waste disposal facilities.
In order to handle these problems, citizens, government, and private
organizations joined together to create a comprehensive solid waste management
program for Ohio. Legislation was passed and local and state planning
processes were established to ensure adequate and environmentally sound
management of the state’s waste. Efforts were made to begin reducing
and recycling solid wastes wherever possible.
Currently in Ohio, we are generating approximately 32.5 million tons
of waste. About 18 million tons of that waste is being landfilled in
the 43 Ohio municipal solid waste disposal facilities available to the
public.
About 3 million tons of waste generated out-of-state is also
being landfilled in Ohio. In 1999, ten years after our first State
Plan was implemented, we had achieved a recycling rate of 38.9% of
all waste
generated in Ohio.
Our new target, set out in the 2001 State Plan,
is to reduce or recycle 25% of waste in the residential sector and
66% of
waste in the industrial sector, for a total of 50%. As of 2002,
we had achieved a 44.6% recycling rate.
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