Glow Solid Waste

Located in the heart of Western New York, the GLOW Region Solid Waste Management Committee was formed in 1987 by the counties of Genesee, Livingston, Orleans and Wyoming through an Intermunicipal Cooperation Agreement (IMA). The purpose of this partnership was, and continues to be, to develop strategies for the management of solid waste in the region. The agreement was renewed by the counties every two years through 2003, at which time Orleans County ended its participation in the organization. Genesee, Livingston and Wyoming counties continue to participate and fund the Committee. The current agreement expires at the end of 2015. The thirteenth renewal, passed by the counties July of 2013, took effect on January 1, 2014 and runs until December 31, 2015. The fourteenth renewal is in the process of being acted on by the counties.In the wake of leaking “dumps”, increasing Federal regulations governing landfill design, and a desire to reduce dependency on land burial of waste, New York passed the Solid Waste Management Act of 1988. This act encouraged a comprehensive approach to waste management and set up a hierarchy of preferred methods. In descending order of preference they are:,Reduce the amount of waste generated,Reuse material for its original purpose or recycle material that cannot be reused,Recover energy from those materials that cannot be economically and/or technically reused or recycled in an environmentally safe manner,Landfill those materials that are left.GLOW’s Plan expired at the end of 2010. A Draft Plan Modification and Extension was submitted to the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) in February of 2011. GLOW met with DEC in May 2012 and is working on the document.GLOW completed its Local Solid Waste Management Plan (as required by the Solid Waste Management Act of 1988) in 1992. The plan outlines how solid waste will be handled in the region over a 20 year time period. State policy dictates that GLOW’s Plan be consistent with the State Solid Waste Management Plan. In order to receive financial assistance and permits from the State the Plan must be updated every other year.GLOW’s Plan makes every effort to adhere to the State hierarchy of waste management methods. GLOW has been steadfast in its efforts to develop programs that help reach the 40% waste reduction, reuse and recycling set by the State. GLOW also works with counties, municipalities, businesses, institutions, haulers and recyclers in the collection of reports that detail the type and volume of material being recovered, either through waste reduction, reuse and recycling. While every effort is made to obtain these reports, accuracy of these reports is undermined severely if these waste generators do not report. In 2014 GLOW’s waste reduction/reuse/recycling rate was 69%.GLOW’s primary source of income is through County contributions. The Intermunicipal Cooperation Agreement requires that each participating county provide funding to the organization. These contributions are based on population. From 1997 to 2011 Genesee and Livingston contributed $27,000 per year and Wyoming (and Orleans prior to 2004) contributed $18,000 per year. In 2011, using 2010 U.S. Census Data the contributions were adjusted to reflect changes in population. Contributions are now: Genesee- $25,805, Livingston-$28,088 and Wyoming-$18,107.Other sources of income include State and Federal grants. Grants from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) funded two Clean Sweep (farm pesticide) collections and a household hazardous waste collection. New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) grants have and continue to, fund numerous household hazardous waste collections (through the Household Hazardous Waste Assistance Program) and waste reduction, reuse and recycling programs, along with the Recycling Administrator position, through the Municipal Waste Reduction and Recycling (MWR&R) program. Additional funding has been received from the Genesee Valley Council on the Arts and from GLOW’s Mat-EX Partners Administration Fee.Since its inception in 1987 grants have totaled over $1,000,000. These grants have been vital to GLOW’s ability to survive and continue to offer services.

Accomplishments & Awards:In 1996 GLOW Received the Lou Scannon Award from the National Association of Municipal Coordinators for its “Recycling. Feels Great. Less Filling.” bumper sticker.In 1999 GLOW was honored by New York State when it received the Governor’s Waste Reduction and Recycling Award for Achievement of Excellence for its overall waste reduction and recycling program, and specifically Mat-Ex.In 2000 GLOW was feted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency when it received EPA’s Environmental Quality Award for its Farm Pesticide and Household Hazardous Waste Collection programs.