Multiple states suspend landfill bans for yard waste over COVID-19 fallout
Some states are suspending their bans on landscape waste in landfills due to ongoing impacts and concerns relating to the new coronavirus pandemic. Those states include Iowa, which confirmed to Waste Dive its ban had been suspended as part of an effort to allow the workforce to prioritize keeping landfills operational.
Environmental guidance issued by Kentucky and West Virginia, and reviewed by Waste Dive, also shows those states have adjusted their yard waste guidance. Both states are allowing yard waste to be commingled with recycling for disposal.
Those decisions come as haulers and local governments have themselves suspended bulk and yard waste collection in numerous states. The rationale behind those suspensions hinges on dwindling resources and a scarcity of essential workers at a time when municipal solid waste and recycling collection is being prioritized over other programs.