18 AAC 60.205. Solid waste management planning

(a) AS 46.03.100 (e) requires an applicant for a solid waste permit to demonstrate that the applicant has reasonably considered all solid waste management options and that the permit would be consistent with the waste management hierarchy established in AS 46.06.021 . The information submitted under (c) of this section must be accurate and complete. Selection of the solid waste management system is left to the applicant. The purpose of this section is to ensure that the applicant is proposing a waste management system consistent with the hierarchy of waste source reduction, recycling, treatment, and disposal wherever economically feasible. If the solid waste management plan includes a proposal for a new landfill, the solid waste management plan must be submitted to and approved by the department before a landfill permit application will be considered complete under 18 AAC 60.210.

(b) An applicant is exempt from the requirements of this section if the facility to be permitted

(1) is privately owned and operated without financial assistance from a local, state, or federal government agency; and

(2) was not built using a government grant or other nonreimbursable form of governmental financial assistance.

(c) Except as provided in (d) of this section, an applicant must submit all of the following information to make the demonstration required in (a) of this section:

(1) an estimate of the quantity and source of each type of waste to be managed;

(2) a general description of the waste collection, treatment, and disposal methods to be used and the end points of the various waste stream components;

(3) if the system includes a landfill,

(A) a calculation of the space available for disposal; and

(B) the estimated total life cycle costs for a proposed new landfill or the estimated remaining life cycle costs for an existing landfill;

(4) the expected useful life of the components of the solid waste management system, including the proposed closure date of any landfill included in the system; and

(5) the lowest available cost estimate to transport the waste to another facility, including a general cost breakdown for each feasible waste transport alternative.

(d) If the owner or operator of a landfill has previously prepared a comprehensive solid waste management plan addressing the topics in (c) of this section, the department will review the existing plan. Revisions to the structure of the plan are not required.

(e) Except for a Class III MSWLF or a facility exempted by (b) of this section, all applicants shall estimate the economic feasibility of waste source reduction, recycling, and treatment of the main components of the waste stream that would otherwise be landfilled. The economic feasibility study must take into account the cost of disposal that would be avoided by diverting the waste from the landfill.

(f) Within 30 days after receiving the information required by (c) and (e) of this section, the department will review it to determine whether it satisfies the requirements of this section and AS 46.03.100 (e). The department will find the information satisfactory if the

(1) information submitted under (c)(3)(B), (5), and (e) of this section is reasonably accurate compared to the best related information available and considering the waste types and volumes; and

(2) wastes are being reduced, reused, recycled, or treated as feasible and in a manner consistent with AS 46.06.021 .

(g) If the department determines that additional information is needed before making the findings required by (f) of this section, it will serve notice on the applicant in accordance with 18 AAC 15.040.

(h) For purposes of (f)(1) of this section, the "best related information available" includes

(1) other solid waste permit applications for similar facilities in comparable conditions;

(2) recent engineering studies that provide estimates of facility costs; and

(3) professional knowledge and published materials.

History: Eff. 1/28/96, Register 137; am 10/29/98, Register 148; am 9/7/2002, Register 163

Authority: AS 44.46.020

Editor's note: The department strongly recommends that applicants employ a public education program or an employee education program to help affected persons understand the most cost-effective way to use a solid waste management system. The public education plan should be part of the planning process and should clearly explain how the system can most efficiently minimize pollution and nuisance factors such as fires, odors, and animal attraction. The department has information to help permit applicants prepare solid waste plans, including reports that estimate costs of waste management alternatives at more than 50 Alaskan cities and villages. A person considering a landfill project should contact the nearest department office for help in planning a cost-effective, environmentally sound solid waste management system.

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