July August Chamber Magazine FINAL

Our Environment
#GreenBiz2016
Talkin’ Trash
FREDERICKSBURG REGIONAL CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
2016Green Business
CHALLENGE
By Julie Williams-Daves, Environmental Manager & Community
Outreach Coordinator, Rappahannock Regional Solid Waste
Management Board, Stafford County
I love trash! No, this article was not written
by “Oscar the Grouch.” Actually, solid waste management
is an important part of our daily lives, which most people
don’t think about. At the Stafford Regional Landfill, we are
concerned with the large amount of trash being thrown away;
the amount of recycling in our community; and protecting the
environment while handling the garbage safely.
The Rappahannock Regional Solid Waste Management
Board (R-Board) operates the Regional Landfill on Eskimo
Hill Road in Stafford, the Belman Road Recycling Center in
Fredericksburg, and several drop-off recycling centers around
the County and City. The customers are citizens and trash
hauling companies and we strive to handle waste in the
most environmentally sound manner possible.
There is a cost to dumping trash. The R-Board, who
are members of the City Council and City Manager, Board
of Supervisors, and the County Administrator, manages it
without tax dollars. Our operations budget is separate from
the general funds of both Stafford County and the City of
Fredericksburg. Revenue comes from user fees for residents
and commercial disposal fees. The resale of recyclables and
landfill gas makes up the rest.
The R-Board owns nearly 800 acres in Stafford County,
which is not primarily for burying trash. There are several
acres of closed landfill space, an active area, and future plans
expected to provide garbage disposal for the next 50 years.
We are governed by a number of local, state and federal
permits.
However, landfilling trash is not all we do!
• The Regional Landfill has achieved an E3 certification
in the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality’s
Virginia Environmental Excellence Program, a voluntary
program promoting environmental management
systems and pollution prevention above and beyond the
minimum compliance requirements.
• The R-Board partnered with Ameresco, Inc. in 2008
to capture landfill gas and put it to the beneficial use
of generating electricity. With two methane-burning
engines, just over 2MW of electricity is continuously fed
into the grid, equating what approximately 1,300 homes
use in one year.
• The R-Board offers a robust recycling program from
single-stream, to scrap metal and tires, to batteries and
fluorescent bulbs, and more. The R-Board consistently
achieves one of the highest recycling rates in the state
and boasts a 58.4% recycling rate for 2015. The R-Board
depends on individuals and businesses to help us achieve
this rate. You all are doing a fantastic job!
• Rappa-Grow is the compost made at the landfill from
biosolids and shredded yard waste. It is a Class A compost
product and is for sale to individuals. In addition to recycling
organic materials onsite, we partner with the Virginia
Cooperative Extension to teach backyard composting at our
award winning Backyard Composting 101 classes.
• R-Board staff serves on community committees dedicated
to conservation and sustainability efforts, provides
curriculum supplements to primary and secondary
schools in our jurisdiction, and offers tours of our
facilities and other hands-on activities in our efforts
to engage and educate everyone about solid waste
management.
Do you want to learn more about why certain items are
accepted for recycling and others are not? Make sure your
business’s recycling efforts are being included in our recycling
rate. Would you like a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at
where your trash goes? Schedule a landfill tour today!
Call 540-658-4579 or visit www.r-board.org for more
information.
The new Cell F-2 which opened
in January, is nearly ten acres
where trash is currently placed.
JULY/AUGUST 2016 Fredericksburg Regional Business 23