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Liquid Waste Initiative: Tackling Community
Problems with Teamwork
SBLGA's network of field staff and Working with stakeholders, the group
headquarters personnel work together developed a plan to (1) generate addi-
as a team to tackle common problems tional capacity for treating this
facing communities and small waste in as many areas as pos-
businesses throughout ( sible to reduce the amount of
Texas. In FY 2001, the illegal dumping, and (2) edu-
big issue was waste is cate generators, transporters,
from grease traps. processors, and dis-
For instance, every posal facilities on
community with a res-$. how to reduce the
taurant may face a grease amount of
disposal problem. Few com- waste gener-
munities, however, have adequate ated, as well as
resources for dealing with it. comply with waste man-
A town with 1,500 food service agement rules. Long-term
facilities - each with a typical / goals are to use innova-
grease trap holding 1,000 gal- tive technology to treat
lons - generates 6 million - and reuse the waste, and
gallons of this waste to identify new markets
per year, assuming the normal pump- for beneficial use of grease wastes.
out at 90-day intervals. Too often, To date, the workgroup has:
sewers blocked with grease overflow developed and conducted semi-
into area waterways or residences, or nars on liquid waste management;
run-off from illegal dumps pollutes developed plans for plain-
lakes and streams. language documents on the
In response to an obvious need for waste registration process, grease
help with grease trap waste, SBLGA trap waste kitchen practices, and
initiated and led a Liquid Waste selecting a transporter and dis-
Workgroup of TNRCC representatives. posal facility;
Permitting: It's Your Right
To Be Involved
Want to stay informed about what's happening in your community?
With one simple request, you can be placed on a mailing list to get public
notices about pending TNRCC air, water, and waste permits.
Your name can be added to a mailing list for a specific applicant and
permit number, for a specific county or counties, or for both. Just send a
note, along with you name and mailing address, specifying the list to
which you'd like to be added.
Mail your request to: Office of the Chief Clerk/MC 105
TN RCC
P.O. Box 13087
Austin, TX 78711-3087
For questions about permitting issues, please call the TNRCC's Office
of Public Assistance at 1-800-687-4040.
compiled model city ordinances
on grease trap waste that local
authorities can use to develop
their own rules; and
posted information on liquid
waste transporters, processes,
and disposers on the agency Web
site (go to www.tnrcc.state.tx.us,
choose "Search," type in "liquid
waste processing," and then
select "Municipal Solid Waste
Liquid Waste Processing").
Most importantly, the work group
has researched opportunities to ap-
ply innovative technologies and
management practices to the issue.
Some options involve additional
composting facilities and incentives
for locating facilities that process
grease trap waste at landfills. The
group is also researching a test site
for beneficial land application of
grease trap waste.
In addition, the group is providing
support to the El Paso area for the
first-ever grease processing facility,
which will serve the six counties in
the TNRCC's Region 6 office and ad-
jacent counties in New Mexico.
SBGLA Outreach Continued
and ozone at community events
and to businesses and local gov-
ernments, and helped hundreds
of small businesses and local
governments develop ways of
alerting the public about air qual-
ity issues.
In FY 2001, SBLGA also wrapped
up a campaign to help metal finishers
in Texas comply with air, water, and
waste regulations prior to planned in-
spections. Six compliance alert post-
cards were mailed to 2,400 metal fin-
ishers over a period of several
months to inform them of relevant
environmental rules. Of 250 inspec-
tions, only six metal finishers were
found out of compliance.
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