DHEC Board Approves New Landfill Limits
South Carolina landfills would face greater limits on the amount of waste they could accept each year if a regulatory change approved by the DHEC Board of Directors is ultimately supported by the S.C. General Assembly.
On April 28, DHEC’s Board voted unanimously to approve a new Demonstration of Need (pdf) rule that would require a landfill to get to within 20 percent of its permitted capacity before requesting an increase in size or volume.
Under the proposal, any increase granted would be tied to the projected growth of South Carolina’s waste disposal needs.
DHEC staff members proposed the new regulation. They have been evaluating the state’s municipal solid waste (MSW) disposal capacity and want to reduce it from 42 million tons per year to around 11 million tons per year.
A Senate subcommittee will review the proposed changes at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, May 6.
Meanwhile, the S.C. Senate has approved legislation that would temporarily ban the construction and expansion of large landfills in South Carolina. The two-year ban was designed to give DHEC and state lawmakers time to review and revise the state’s solid waste disposal regulations.
If the Senate and House approve DHEC’s proposed revisions, the landfill ban won’t be needed.
Here is a copy of the General Assembly’s landfill ban legislation (S. 324) and a statement and supporting documents that DHEC presented to the Senate Medical Affairs Sub-Committee at a March 17, 2009, hearing.
- Senate Bill 324: Landfill Moratorium Act
- DHEC's Statement on S. 324, the Landfill Moratorium Act (March 3, 2009)
If you are interested in this issue, you may find these DHEC fact sheets and reports useful:
- Import and Export of Solid Waste in South Carolina (pdf)
- Municipal Solid Waste Landfills (pdf)
- How Landfills Work (pdf)
- Construction and Demolition Debris (pdf)
- Regulations: How Landfills are Classified
For more information please contact the Bureau of Land & Waste Management at (803) 896-4000.