Thank you, Senator Casey! The Trash Act kick-starts rethinking the way we legislate trash in Pennsylvania and across the U.S. We hope this Act will provide an impetus for change in Pennsylvania's waste regulations, providing for stronger, forward-thinking waste reduction and recycling measures that other states will want to emulate or will have to emulate if they want to dump their trash here.

Excerpts:
State governments would gain new powers to restrict incoming garbage from outside their borders and charge a premium for accepting out-of-state trash under legislation U.S. Sen. Bob Casey is proposing.

The Pennsylvania Democrat planned to introduce today the TRASH Act — an acronym for Trash Reduction and Sensible Handling — that would allow states to require incoming waste meet their standards for disposal and charge “community benefit fees.”

“I don’t believe Northeast Pennsylvania should be a dumping ground for the rest of the country.” Mr. Casey said. “I just think that’s asking too much of our people. They’ve already paid, I believe, a disproportionate price.”

Michele Dempsey, a leader in the Friends of Lackawanna group opposed to Keystone’s expansion, hoped the senator’s proposal would kick-start changes in laws in Pennsylvania and across the country.

“Higher standards in Pennsylvania for waste handling and higher fees would serve to slow down the influx of trash we accept from out of state, for whom we have become a less expensive, more convenient garbage can,” she said.

http://thetimes-tribune.com/…/sen-casey-proposes-new-inters…