There's a new effort underway in Pennsylvania to put the brakes on waste trucks that don't comply with environmental and safety laws. DEP and other state agencies have increased random spot checks of trucks carrying waste to Pennsylvania landfills. The surprise enforcement inspections are aimed at making sure that trucks carrying waste into our state, comply with our laws. Another initiative launched by DEP and the Pennsylvania Waste Industries Association is Operation Waste STAR or Safer Trucks and Roads. Under the program, truck operators use a 57-point safety checklist to inspect their vehicles at the start of each shift, correcting any problems they find.
Trucks passing the self-test get a sticker that says the vehicle is free of safety violations.
More than two-thousand trucks are already participating in the volunteer program. For more information on Operation Waste STAR, visit DEP's website or call the DEP regional office nearest you. I'm Susan Rickens. The Pennsylvania Earth Minute is available to radio stations free of charge to air as a public service announcement. It's available Monday mornings on the Governor's Radio News Service at 800 932-0380 or 0381.