Dive Brief:

• Waste Away Systems has announced completion of a new $1.4 million transfer station in Heath, OH, as reported by Newark Advocate.
• The facility will allow residents to bring in non-hazardous solid waste, construction debris, appliances, furniture and bedding for a fee. Tires, flammables and hazardous, infectious, liquid or radioactive waste will not be accepted.
• The company aims to divert about 25% of this material to secondary recycling facilities and landfill the remaining 75%. The facility opens on Nov. 21.

Dive Insight:

Waste Away was originally founded in 1976, though Waste Management purchased its assets in the late 1980s. The founder's grandson, Seth Ellington, brought the company name back in 2012. This new project will also include offices to run Waste Away's hauling business and facilities for a portable toilet owned by Ellington.

Ohio's Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said this new facility will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions from waste, which is important due to the high volume of waste currently imported and processed at landfills in the state. According to the EPA's most recent data, more than half of the state's 38 eligible landfills currently have some form of gas-to-energy operational. Gas capture has a long history in the state, propelled by companies such as Rumpke, and presents further opportunities.

These types of facilities that accept waste from residents who may not have curbside collection, or may need to dispose of items not accepted by their local program, can help increase local diversion rates and potentially reduce illegal dumping. Similar facilities that enclose operations to reduce odors and accept a range of materials have also been announced recently in other parts of the country.