The Texas state Senate passed a bill that would make unauthorized recycling centers eligible for benefits from a state superfund when the facility's owner cannot afford cleanup and closure.
The bill, authored by Sen. Robert Duncan, R-Lubbock, is now before the Texcas House of Representatives for consideration. S.B. No. 585 addresses cleanup facilities that began recycling prior to state laws that set standards for such facilities.
Duncan's bill amends a section of the state Health and Safety Code that already provided superfund relief for unregulated landfills or dumps. Funds are available when the owner has abandoned the site or when the owner is present but cannot afford to close the facility.
The TCEQ passed laws two years ago that require older recycling facilities to record how much material they receive and document how much is recycled.
If a facility fails to meet certain recycling requirements, it could lose its status as a recycling center and fall under regulations for landfills.
The components that address the cleanup of unauthorized recycling centers focuses on companies that are not financially able to pay for the cleanup themselves.
The Senate vote was unanimous, with 10 voting in favor of the bill. One state senator was absent.
John Keel, director, Legislative Budget Board, in support of the bill, stated, that it would amend provisions in the Health and Safety Code by authorizing an additional use of solid waste disposal and transportation fee revenue dedicated for use by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to support the municipal solid waste permitting and enforcement program. The bill would allow such funds to be used for the remediation, cleanup, and proper closure of unauthorized recycling sites for which a responsible party is not immediately financially able to perform the remediation, cleanup, and closure, thereby broadening the use of dedicated funds.