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  A cAtegory of criteriA to consider when building A trAnsfer 

station are impacts that the facility will have on the surrounding community.

These criteria are typically less technical in nature and incorporate local, social

and cultural factors. Examples of these criteria include:

• Environmental Justice considerations (e.g., clustering, cumulative impacts)

• Impact on air quality

• Impact on the local infrastructure

• Adjacent land uses, including other environmental stressors that might

already exist

• Proximity to schools, churches, recreation sites and residences

• Prevailing winds

• Number of residences impacted• Presence of natural buffers

• Impacts on existing businesses

• Expansion capability

• Buffer zones and screening measures

• Trafc compatibility

• Impact on historic or cultural features

• Impact on neighborhood character

To maintain objectivity in the facility siting process, the community-specic

criteria should be prioritized before potential sites are known. After potential

sites are identied, the committee will apply these criteria to evaluate each

potential site’s suitability as a waste transfer station. These issues also factor

into permitting decisions concerning private facilities and should not be

ignored by the permitting agency or transfer station developer.

Applying the Committee’s CriteriaAfter all categories of siting criteria are agreed upon, it is time for the

committee to apply the criteria and narrow down all possible sites. Keep in

mind, however, that despite the best efforts, every site has some shortcomings

RTL | Recycling | Transer Stations | Landflls

Transfer Stations

Developing Community-Specifc Criteria

RTL | Recycling | Transer Stations | Landflls

90  WasteAdvantage Magazine November 2011

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that will need to be addressed. First, the exclusionary criteria can be plotted on

maps, which helps the committee visualize where the facility cannot be sited due

to local, state and federal regulations. Once unsuitable areas are eliminated, the

committee’s technical criteria and community-specic criteria are applied to allremaining options. Information for each potential site should be developed so

that the committee can rank the sites. Based on the committee’s ranking, the top

two to four sites should undergo more rigorous analysis to determine technical

feasibility and compliance with the environmental and community objectives.

Host Community AgreementsSiting any type of solid waste management facility has often been met with

strong community opposition. Whether the facility is publicly or privately owned,

many residents may not be condent that the siting, permitting and oversight

process will be sufciently rigorous to address their concerns and protect them from

future impacts. When this type of opposition arises, it is often advantageous for

the developer to enter into a separate agreement with the surrounding community,

laying out all issues of concern and the developer’s action plan in response. These

“host community agreements” are most frequently used when private companies are

developing a facility, but public agencies might also nd them useful in satisfying

community concerns. These agreements typically specify design requirements,

operating restrictions, oversight provisions and other services and benets that the

immediate community will receive. Provisions might include the following:

• Limitations on waste generation sources

• Roadside cleanup of litter on access routes

• Restrictions on facility operating hours

• Restrictions on vehicle trafc routes

• Financial support for regulatory agencies to assist with facility oversight

• Independent third-party inspection of facilities, or the use of video monitoring• Assistance with recycling and waste diversion objectives

• A fee paid to the local government for every ton of waste received at the facility

• Guaranteed preference to the community’s residents for employment

• Funding for road or utility improvements

• Provisions for an environmental education center

• Financial support for other community-based activities

• Etc.

These agreements can also require that community representatives have

access to the facility during operating hours to monitor performance. Safety

concerns must be addressed if this provision is included. Community

representatives usually welcome an ongoing communication process between

facility operators and an established citizen’s committee to encourage proactive

response to evolving issues. The provisions or amenities in a host community

agreement generally are in addition to what state and local standards or

regulations require, and thus should not be thought of as substitutes for

adequate facility design and operation. The same is true for state, tribal or local

government compliance enforcement. The government agency responsible for

transfer station compliance should also make a commitment to the community

concerning its role in actively and effectively enforcing all requirements. |WA

 —www.epa.gov.

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©2011 Waste Advantage Magazine, All Rights Reserved. Reprinted from Waste Advantage Magazine. Contents cannot be reprinted without permission from the publisher.