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[greenyes] Recyclers Applaud Iowa Governor Vilsack's Veto
- Subject: [greenyes] Recyclers Applaud Iowa Governor Vilsack's Veto
- From: "Bill Sheehan" <zerowaste@no.address>
- Date: Wed, 4 Jun 2003 18:46:28 -0400
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
RECYCLERS APPLAUD IOWA GOVERNOR VILSACK
FOR SAVING STATE'S RECYCLING EFFORTS
An attempt to repeal Iowa's ban on landfilling
of yard trimmings was defeated on June 3rd when
Governor Tom Vilsack line-vetoed a provision in a bill
passed by the legislature that would have done that.
His veto message stated:
"This section would allow sanitary landfills with an
active methane collection system to accept yard waste.
This action will be a major step backwards for
integrated solid waste management creating a need for
communities to expand existing facilities or find new
property for landfills. Yard waste is best managed at
a composting facility and is one of the keys in
improving Iowa's water quality. Collecting methane
from landfills is still relatively inefficient.
As urged by numerous recycling groups who support
integrated solid waste management, pollution is best
prevented by not disposing of yard waste at a
landfill."
The Coalition to Oppose Attacks on Recycling in
America, which had led opposition to the repeal
effort, applauded Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack's wise
decision to veto legislation that would have crippled
the state's composting efforts by permitting yard
trimmings to be discarded in landfills with gas
collection systems.
Iowa is one of 22 states with such laws that
have served as one of the two major pillars of
America's success story with recycling. Close to one-
third of the municipal waste stream has been
successfully diverted from landfills, and yard waste
bans are responsible for almost half of that.
"To have lost such a vital tool for our recovery
efforts would have been tragic," said Bill Sheehan,
Co-Director of the GrassRoots Recycling Network, which
organized the coalition.
"Composting," noted US Composting Council
representative Jim McNelly, "along with recycling, is
critical to protecting the environment from the
pollution caused by landfilling."
The bill number that contained the provision
that was line-vetoed is Senate File 458 and the
section number is 133. The members of the Coalition
are the GassRoots Recycling Network, the U.S.
Composting Council, the Natural Resources Defense
Council, Friends of the Earth, the Institute for Local
Self Reliance, Eco-Cycle, Eureka Recycling, the
Ecology Center, Filtrexx International and Waukesha
Environmental Action League.
Technical discussion of the issue is posted at
www.GRRN.org/landfill/yardtrimmings/
For more information contact : Peter Anderson at
(608) 231-1100
###
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