Republic’s lock on recycling bolstered

By Emily Richmond (contact)

Friday, Dec. 14, 2001 | 9:38 a.m.

Clark County health officials approved new recycling regulations Thursday that will protect Republic Services' exclusive agreement with the county and, critics say, hurt the Las Vegas Valley's already flagging recycling efforts. Critics said the regulations may put small recyclers out of business and will cut the availability of recycling services.

"The loser was recycling activities in Clark County," said Rob Dorinson, president of the Nevada Resource Recovery Association and owner of Evergreen Recycling.

Susan Crowley, vice chairwoman of the Clark County Health District Board, questioned whether the new rules would improve the county's dismal recycling numbers.

"We're just reading these drafts today, and these are significant changes," Crowley said. "I'm not comfortable these regulations will help reach the 25 percent recycling goal" by 2005.

The county currently recycles about 10 percent, one of the lowest averages in the nation.

In a vote that many thought would be delayed, the health district board narrowly approved two new regulations -- the first clarifies that Republic Services is the only entity allowed to handle solid waste in the county, and the second sets new limits on how private recycling companies will be allowed to operate.

Under the new regulations, only Republic will be allowed to operate in Clark County as a materials recovery facility, where solid waste is sorted into trash and recyclable materials. Private recycling companies will only be allowed to collect materials already sorted at the source of the waste.

The Nevada Resource Recovery Association, a coalition of more than 30 private recycling companies, says the rules will nearly eliminate private recycling and asked that the board delay a decision.

But after 90 minutes of debate, the board approved the regulations by a 6-5 vote. County staff members appeared ready for a delay and needed a recess to prepare the final documents.

Clark County Commissioner Erin Kenny said the regulations are necessary to protect the public from the health hazards of unregulated mini-landfills operated by private recyclers and to ensure that waste is properly handled.

"It would be ludicrous to delay this vote by even a single day," Kenny said. "We are putting the public's health at risk if we do not follow through."

Kenny was the most vocal of the board members to oppose the delay, calling it a stall tactic by the regulation's opponents.

"We've workshopped this to death, we know the direction the board needs to go, and the public has waited long enough," Kenny said.

North Las Vegas Councilwoman Stephanie Smith agreed with Kenny, saying the regulation's opponents were trying to "delay what needs to be done."

Republic has an exclusive franchise agreement with the county. Under the agreement, all solid waste in Clark County belongs to Republic. Currently residents may choose to sort out their recyclable materials into curbside bins. Republic also sorts through the solid waste at its Apex landfill. Some private companies have been contracting recycling services to haul away mixed loads. Under the new rules, that will be outlawed.

The Nevada Resource Recovery Association said the new regulations fail to set minimum requirements for recycling and don't offer any economic incentives to participate. Customers don't get money back from curbside recycling with Republic.

Mark James, who represented Republic at the hearing, said that what the private recyclers are doing, by picking up recycling and trash, is illegal under Republic's contract.

There are "people hauling solid waste and handling it in a way that endangers the public health," he said.

The regulation's opponents did gain one concession -- the compliance period to operate as a recycling company was extended from 30 to 120 days. But that still isn't enough time for the private companies to revise how they do business, Dorinson said.