But, until then, the states are on their own. With the passage of a Yard Waste Disposal Ban, Pennsylvania can take a meaningful step toward curbing waste imports and extending landfill capacity. The more disposal bans the Pennsylvania legislature passes, the less attractive Pennsylvania will be as a depository for waste imports. The proposed federal legislation of the last several years will not protect states from waste imports, because it gives local communities the ability to sign contracts with waste companies, effectively over-riding any state action to curb imports. Using both EPA and DEP figures, a Yard Waste Disposal Ban in 1997 could have prevented the disposal of between 1,200,000 to 800,000 tons of yard waste in Pennsylvania landfills.
Many programs are already in place to collect and compost yard waste.
Act 101 requires more than 400 communities to collect yard waste for composting. More than 80 municipal leaf composting facilities are in operation in Pennsylvania. DEP officials have claimed that PA already has a Yard Waste Disposal Ban in place, but we do not.