The聽passionate opposition聽to a proposed landfill expansion in Scott County reminds us that reducing solid waste is key to protecting Kentucky land from being converted to landfill. But lawmakers are doing just the opposite. The House has approved a bill that would repeal Louisville Metro鈥檚 ban on disposing of yard waste in plastic bags, a rule aimed at reducing landfill waste by making compost of lawn clippings and other plant material. Bits of plastic bag contaminate compost.
In order to kill this common-sense rule,聽House Bill 246聽abolishes Louisville Metro鈥檚 waste management district, its board and all its rules and regulations. This heavy-handed intrusion into local government is sponsored by four Republicans and one Democrat from Louisville and cleared the House 66-29 on Feb. 22.
This session has generated several other attempts by state lawmakers from Louisville to impose on their hometown changes that they could not win locally 鈥� from obstructing school desegregation, with a bill that could also interfere in Lexington鈥檚 school redistricting decisions, to controlling the balance of power in the metro government, an assault Mayor Greg Fischer has dubbed 鈥渨ar on Louisville.鈥�
The waste from Kentucky鈥檚 largest city goes to a 782-acre facility owned by Waste Management on Louisville鈥檚 Outer Loop. The landfill has a projected life of 48 more years. That may sound like a long time, but it鈥檚 a good bet that as soon as that landfill is full, Louisville鈥檚 garbage will be headed somewhere in rural Kentucky or rural Indiana. So, extending its capacity by reducing the waste stream is in everyone鈥檚 best interest.
Fischer鈥檚 administration is smart to have set ambitious goals for waste reduction and recycling. Instead of undermining those goals, the legislature should be finding ways to help more Kentucky communities reduce solid waste and save Kentucky land. Just ask the folks in Scott County.
To read the full story, visit .