National Solid Waste Management Association (NSWMA)

The STW Solid Waste Management District is based in Canton, Ohio and headed by the three county commissioners from Stark, Tuscarawas and Wayne Counties. Three of Ohio’s largest regional landfills operated by our clients Waste Management, Republic Services and a family owned business are located in the district. These landfills accept close to 25% of Ohio’s solid waste, including nearly all waste generated in the Cleveland and Akron regions. The STW District enacted a rule in 2006 that requires all other Ohio solid waste districts to meet arbitrary recycling requirements in order to continue sending waste to these three landfills. The net effect of that rule is to block nearly all waste from Cleveland and Akron from entering the District disrupting the solid waste management system throughout most of northeast Ohio. The case has pitted several Ohio Counties against each other. We represent the national trade association of the landfill operators in challenging the rules. We have taken the case through a five day bench trial, appeals court decision and the Ohio Supreme Court recently granted our petition for review of the case. We are currently working on the briefing. The case has statewide attention of all stakeholders in solid waste management issues.