Rhode Island

Consumption

In 2005, Rhode Island generated 594,919 tons of municipal and 771,709 tons of commercial solid waste. Combined, this translates to a per capita generation rate of 1.29 tons per year, lower than the national average of 1.38 tons per year. This pattern may reflect a lower-than-average consumption rate overall among Rhode Island residents, who rank 49th out of 50 states in overall energy consumption. A number of factors, including a relatively mild climate, an overall unemployment rate that has ranked above the national average for many years, shorter-than-average commute distances, and a New England tradition of frugality, contribute to the state's modest consumption by U.S. standards. Known as the “Ocean State,” much of Rhode Island's economic activity is based around its coastal resources, including tourism, outdoor recreation, and fishing as major activities. These features are reflected in details of its waste management. In 2005, the state piloted a successful program to recycle the plastic used to wrap boats in winter drydock storage. Fish and seaweed waste generated by commercial and municipal functions is a major source of organic inputs for composting operations.

Solid Waste Management Overview

Rhode Island is notable in that the state not only regulates waste management but also provides recycling and disposal services to most generators. In contrast to many other states, which leave waste management to localities, in Rhode Island, these functions are provided by Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation (RIRRC or “the corporation”), a quasi-state agency governed by a seven-member board of commissioners. The corporation owns and operates a complex of facilities to which the vast majority of Rhode Island's waste is routed via private or municipal haulers, including the Central Landfill, a materials recovery facility, a household hazardous waste drop-off station, a commercial compost site, a leachate treatment facility, and [Page 755]several landfill gas power generation plants, all located on a roughly 1,000-acre parcel of land in Johnston, in the north-central section of the state. The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, a separate agency headquartered in Providence, is responsible for all aspects of solid and hazardous waste regulation, including facility inspection and permitting through its Office of Waste Management. It is also technically responsible for enforcement of municipal and commercial recycling regulations, but in practice has lacked staff to carry out these functions for over a decade. Under a 1986 amendment to the state's Solid Waste Act, each Rhode Island municipality is responsible for collecting waste from residences of three units or fewer, as well as public institutions such as schools. As of 2010, 38 of the 39 municipalities in Rhode Island utilize the Central Landfill. One community, Tiverton, located at the tip of the easternmost peninsula in the state, utilizes its own municipal landfill solely for its residential waste generation. Commercial waste, which includes waste generated from multi-unit apartment buildings, is collected by privately contracted carters, many of whom use the Central Landfill for disposal.

...