The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation on Tuesday announced the beginning of the process that will lead to development of the 2015-2025 Statewide Comprehensive Integrated Solid Waste Management Plan.
The integrated solid waste management plan to be developed during this process will outline how Tennessee will reduce, manage and dispose of its solid waste in the future. The planning process will include three rounds of public participation opportunities in locations across the state in addition to a Web-based public input session. Written input and comments will also be accepted.
Once developed, the plan will serve as a roadmap for the state’s activities to reduce and manage solid waste. The plan will consider current solid waste and recycling capacity in Tennessee and project future infrastructure needs to meet reduction, recycling, and disposal goals.
“The statewide plan should set the vision for what we as a state need to do in the area of waste reduction and management and then establish a program framework to get us there and provide a guide for local governments,” said Shari Meghreblian, Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation Deputy commissioner for the Bureau of Environment.
“An effective integrated solid waste management plan considers how to prevent, recycle and manage solid waste in ways that most effectively protect human health and the environment and contribute to economic development,” said Bob Martineau, TDEC commissioner. “We expect the final plan to establish achievable goals that will guide the department’s efforts in this area through 2025.”
TDEC is committed to involving the public in every step of the process, which will begin with a series of four special focus meetings to be held in various regions of the stateMarch 17-20. Input from these first sessions will help shape the scope of the plan going forward. There will also be an opportunity for the public to voice any concerns and to ask questions as we begin this process.
“In these initial meetings, we’ll be providing information about the purpose and potential components of an integrated solid waste management plan and inviting the general public – from environmental stakeholders to county solid waste directors to industry representatives – to participate in the process,” said Pat Flood, director for the Division of Solid Waste.
The special focus meetings will be followed by a series of public input sessions to be held in April or May, including one Web-based meeting to encourage participation from across the state, and a series of public hearings later in the year to obtain public comment on a proposed plan.
Stakeholders interested in the process are invited to keep up to date on public input opportunities and materials on TDEC’s website at http://www.tn.gov/environment/solid-waste/plan-2025.shtml.
The schedule for the first round of special focus meetings includes:
Time and Date
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Location
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Monday, March 17
5 p.m. CST
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Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library
Meeting Room A
3030 Poplar Ave
Memphis TN 38111
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Tuesday, March 18
12:30 p.m. CST
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Nashville Room
William R. Snodgrass Tennessee Tower, 3rd floor
312 Rosa L. Parks Ave. N.
Nashville, TN 37243
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Thursday, March 20
10:30 a.m. EST
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Knoxville Environmental Field Office
3711 Middlebrook Pike
Knoxville, TN 37921
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Thursday, March 20
5:30 p.m. EST
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Chattanooga Environmental Field Office
Chattanooga State Office Building
Downstairs Auditorium
540 McCallie Avenue
Chattanooga, TN 37402
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To encourage statewide participation, the meeting at 12:30 pm CST on Tuesday, March 18, may be joined via video conference from the TDEC Environmental Field Office locations in Columbia, Cookeville, Jackson, Johnson City, Knoxville or Memphis.
Questions or comments about the process for developing the 2015-2025 Statewide Comprehensive Integrated Solid Waste Management Plan may be submitted to TDEC’s Division of Solid Waste at solid.waste@tn.gov.