Coshocton Fairfield Licking Perry Solid Waste District

The Coshocton-Fairfield-Licking-Perry Solid Waste District has begun the update of their Solid Waste Plan. The Plan is a document that is required per the ORC in a format that is required by the OEPA. The first stage of the plan update is preparation of the draft plan. Once the draft plan is submitted to the OEPA, it will be reviewed and comments will be returned to the District. Once comments are received from OEPA, a public comment period is held, along with a public hearing. The Policy Committee then makes necessary changes based on the feedback received. The plan is then adopted by the committee and it is sent the out to all Townships, Municipalities, and Boards of County Commissioners for ratification. Those communities then have 90 days to read & vote on the plan. Once ratified, the plan goes back to the OEPA for final approval.

As part of this process the Policy Committee has formed several subcommittees to address specific sections of the plan. The following subcommittees have been created: Disposal Subcommittee who will work to demonstrate sufficient capacity to handle waste disposal, for the life of the plan; Residential Recycling Subcommittee which will determine the public's access & waste minimization opportunities for different materials; Business Reduction/Recycling Subcomittee who will demonstrate the institutional, commercial & industrial sectors have access to recycling for at least 4 materials; Outreach & Marketing Subcommittee will develop strategies for providing informational & technical assistance to waste generators on reycling, reuse & compositing; Special Wastes & Optional Programs Subcomittee provides strategies for managing restricted waste (such as HHW) and evaluate financial incentives; and the Finance Subcommittee is responsible for creating a budget to fund these programs, maintaining a positive balance throughout the 15 year life of the plan.

The goal of Plastic Free July is to raise awareness about the environmental problems caused by plastic waste and to encourage more sustainable habits. Reducing plastic usage saves energy & resources and of course reduces waste.

Here is a list of ideas on reducing plastic usage. Start small and make changes over time - it doesn't need to happen tomorrow! Use reusable shopping bags when grocery shopping. Buy reusable coffee cups and water cups or bottles. Pack your lunch in reusable containers - no ziplock bags. These little things have a huge impact on plastic usage.

Use bar soap instead of liquid soap - no more plastic bottles.

Don't forget you can recycle your plastic grocery bags at Kroger!