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Carson City
- Governor Jim Gibbons today announced his
intention to sponsor a major initiative to
completely eliminate landfills as we
presently know them. “There have been huge
leaps in recycling technology,” Governor
Gibbons said, “We can conserve natural
resources, create clean energy and create
jobs by looking at landfills not as places
where we bury our trash, but as places where
recycling and energy recovery begin.”
Governor Gibbons said that at least 75% of
the trash now sent to landfills in Nevada
can be recycled or used as a renewable
energy source using existing technology.
Similar results have been attained by the
City of San Jose, California. Governor
Gibbons recently toured a waste recycling
operation there. “Federal law does not
allow us to ban the importation of waste
from California. But state law allows me to
require enough recovery that a waste stream
becomes an asset. The availability of
economical recycled materials will encourage
manufacturers to locate in Nevada,” Gibbons
said, “Mandated waste recovery can be a
significant part of diversifying our economy
and provide much needed jobs.”
Governor Gibbons will push the waste
industry in Nevada to adopt recycling and
energy recovery technology. He has already
invited the presidents of Waste Management
(Washoe County) and Republic Services (Clark
County) to join in the effort to make Nevada
the best “Resource Recovery State” in the
country. “I expressed to them that I will
not let Nevada become the landfill of the
west. I am pleased that they understand the
need to do a better job of protecting our
environment and that they have agreed to
work with us for the benefit of Nevada.”
Governor Gibbons intends to propose
legislation directly targeting the waste
industry that will reward superior
performance in recycling and energy
recovery. Gibbons said that he will propose
various incentives and abatements to
encourage businesses to locate in Nevada and
utilize recycled materials. He will also
promote low cost financing alternatives to
help build waste recovery facilities. |
