Montgomery County official outlines solid-waste plan changes, proposes small per-ton fee increase and tarping rule

John Beneer, assistant director of Montgomery County Environmental Services, told the Riverside City Council on April 21 that Montgomery County's five-year solid-waste management plan update will ask the Ohio EPA to approve a modest fee increase and new operational rules that could affect local haulers and residents.

Beneer said the plan, required every five years by the Ohio EPA under the state solid-waste statute, focuses on reducing reliance on landfills and ensuring 20 years of disposal capacity for residential, commercial and industrial generators. "I'm not gonna go through the entire 400 pages of the plan," Beneer said as he provided a highlights briefing to the council.

The nut of Beneer's presentation was threefold: an accounting correction that raised the county's combined commercial-and-residential diversion rate, a recommended per-ton fee increase to support programs, and a rule adopted in 2024 requiring incoming loads to transfer stations to be tarped.

Beneer said a closer review of reporting from local processors…