Rules vary by state, type of facility

Any landfill operating in Ohio is required to obtain a new license every year.
Even as requirements for landfills differ from state to state, there are even more differences among landfill types in Ohio.
Municipal solid waste landfills accept what is traditionally thought of as garbage -- paper, food items, clothing and more are deemed solid waste in Ohio, according to the state Environmental Protection Agency. Construction debris and demolition landfills are allowed to accept only materials from demolished structures, such as roofing shingles, wooden beams and concrete slabs. A third type is geared toward companies, such as steel mills, that have their own landfills to dispose of waste products like fly ash.
In each case, however, there are guidelines in place to get permission to open and to continue operation of any type of landfill, said Andrew Booker, an OEPA supervisor.
Any company interested in opening a landfill in the state must apply for either a permit or a license, Booker said, depending on what type of landfill is proposed.
Municipal solid waste landfills must receive a permit to operate from the OEPA, or one of its agents, such as a local health department. Based on inspections and performance each year, those landfills must receive a new license annually, Booker said.
"C & amp;DD landfills are a little different," he said. "They are simply licensed for operation every year."
Under Ohio law, provided a company completes a proper application, a C & amp;DD landfill license must be approved. To keep the license, however, it must follow all state guidelines and submit to inspections.
Local health departments are required to inspect landfills at least once every three months, but local inspectors said the actual visits are usually at least once a month.
"Any time there is a complaint, we need to go and investigate," said Bob Pinti of the Warren Health Department.
Citations
If a citation is issued, the operating company must correct the violation and could face fines, Pinti said.
James Dobson, of the Girard Health Department, said in cases of C & amp;DD landfills, such as LAS Recycling Inc. in Girard, citations can be issued for anything from failing to follow criteria established by the OEPA or having items considered solid waste mixed in with construction debris.
Some landfills also operate as a transfer station for solid waste, meaning they cannot accept it, but it can be brought to the facility, sorted and then taken to a municipal solid waste landfill.
There are no municipal solid waste landfills in Trumbull or Columbiana counties; Mahoning County has three -- Alliance, Lowellville and New Springfield, according to OEPA records.
Pinti said transfer stations, such as Warren Recycling Inc. in Warren Township, are usually in central locations and allow companies to keep expenses down by paying drivers to take loads to transfer stations instead of a solid waste landfill.
Solid waste landfills collect garbage from local sources as opposed to out-of-state ones, he said.
C & amp;DD landfills will often accept loads from other states -- such as Pennsylvania, New York or New Jersey -- because of differences in waste regulations. In Pennsylvania, for example, there is no differentiation between solid waste and construction debris, Dobson said. Since fees to drop loads of solid waste often run more than fees to take construction debris to other states, many companies will separate the debris and take it elsewhere, like Ohio.
Although legislators have tried to keep companies from bringing debris from East Coast states into Ohio, the practice is protected under interstate commerce regulation.
slshaulis@vindy.com