Dive summary:

• Three North Carolina senators have filled a bill to loosen standards for how much a garbage truck is able to legally leak out leachate.
• The law would require all trucks to be up to “industry standards,” which allows the ability for trucks to get by with only leak resistant trucks.
• The current law requires all garbage trucks to be totally leak-proof; if moved down to only leak resistant, garbage haulers would save money, but harmful trash juice could drip out of the truck and potentially contaminate neighborhoods.

From the article:

Three state senators have filed a bill (S328) that would loosen state standards for garbage trucks. It would revise the current requirement that says the garbage-containing portion of the trucks must be leakproof. Instead, the state “may require design of these containers to be leak-resistant in accordance with industry standards.”

Ah, industry standards. Convenient. Pass a tough law that says industry must conform with whatever standards it sets for itself, instead of what independent regulators say will best protect public health and safety. ...