For more information, contact:
Gershman, Brickner & Bratton, Inc.
(703) 573-5800 / www.GBBinc.com
McLean, VA (April 27, 2017) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA), through its Office of Research and Development, recently released a research report providing technical assistance on solid waste management for remote, economically challenged communities in the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) and American Samoa in the US Pacific territories. While the U.S. Territory of Guam was not a focus of the study, site visits were made to obtain an overview of Guam’s solid waste management system. As part of its report, the US EPA states that: “Guam is a positive example of how a territory which once only had a large unlined landfill as the sole option for MSW disposal can design, construct, and operate a state-of-the-art MSWLF.”
“Over the years, GBB has developed a unique expertise and understanding of the recycling and solid waste management challenges faced by island communities,” said GBB Senior Vice President and Receiver Senior Project Engineer Chris Lund. “We are very proud of the 180-degree turnaround accomplished in Guam with the assistance of Guam Solid Waste Authority employees and other stakeholders.”
The “Sustainable Approaches for Materials Management in Remote, Economically Challenged Areas of the Pacific” report, dated July 2016 and released in February 2017, provides a snapshot of the current state of solid waste management in the U.S. Pacific island territories, along with guidance to remote, economically challenged areas and other locations with similar challenges. The report can be downloaded (Adobe Acrobat PDF file) at: https://cfpub.epa.gov/si/si_public_file_download.cfm?p_download_id=530387
In 2008, the Chief Judge of the United States District Court of Guam appointed GBB as Receiver to achieve the Guam Government’s compliance with the Clean Water Act as set forth in a 2004 Consent Decree. The Decree, signed between the Government of Guam and the US EPA, ordered the Government of Guam to close the Ordot Dump, cease all leachate discharges into the Lonfit River, and open a new municipal solid waste landfill facility.
To develop the turnaround plan, GBB assembled a multi-disciplinary team of solid waste, procurement, landfill engineering, financial, and communication experts who presented the Court with a roadmap for accomplishing the Consent Decree projects and reforming Guam’s solid waste management system. GBB, working with public works, financial departments, the military, private waste haulers, and other stakeholders in Guam, has closed the Ordot Dump, opened a new landfill and is on a path to comply with all the terms of the Consent Decree in the most cost-effective and expeditious manner possible. This has been accomplished under the guidance of the Court and in consultation with the US EPA and the Guam Environmental Protection Agency. Information about the receivership is available at: www.guamsolidwastereceiver.org and www.guamsolidwasteauthority.com.
About GBB
GBB is an award-winning national solid waste management consulting firm founded in 1980 that helps public and private entities do better things with waste. GBB specializes in solid waste collection, processing, recycling, resource recovery, and disposal issues and assists in planning, procuring, and implementing sound, cost-effective facilities and services. For more information on the firm and its products and services, visit www.GBBinc.com, www.linkedin.com/company/gershman-brickner-&-bratton-inc-, www.facebook.com/gbbinc, www.twitter.com/gbbinc, or call 703-573-5800.
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