Environmentalists welcome new rules for construction landfills

Ohio reins in specialty dumps
New rules increase ground-water monitoring, runoff tests, ban pulverized waste at construction, demolition landfills
By Bob Downing
Akron Beacon-Journal

AKRON - A smouldering underground fire. Liquid waste dumped in a stream. A sickening rotten-egg odor.

Problems like these have plagued Ohio's construction and demolition landfills.

Now, new rules are about to go into effect that would tighten the state's control over these specialty dumps that take in such debris as concrete, bricks, lumber, plaster board, stone, glass, roofing materials, wiring, plumbing fixtures and insulation. ... Read more.

Landfill gave Pike trustees gifts

BY Robert Wang
The Canton Repository

CANTON - Pike Township Trustee Lee Strad testified Friday that he and other trustees accepted gifts from the owner of the Countywide Recycling & Disposal Facility — free tickets to a Cleveland Indians game, free meals and a free golf outing near Medina.

But Strad said later that the gifts — along with the fact that his daughter worked for Countywide and that she rented a home from Countywide’s owner — played no role in his signing of a settlement in 2004 that allowed Countywide to significantly expand. He said that he did nothing wrong because the “customary” gifts were worth less than $75. ... Read more.