Cuyahoga County solid-waste plan update presented to Lakewood committee; committee refers ratification to full council

The Lakewood Public Works and Sustainability Committee heard a presentation Monday on the Cuyahoga County Solid Waste District's proposed 15-year Solid Waste Management Plan update and voted to refer the ratification ordinance to the full City Council.

Beth Biggins Raymer, executive director of the Cuyahoga County Solid Waste District, told the committee the district's plan is a 329-page master plan with a 15-year planning horizon that the district updates every five years. She said the plan uses 2022 as its base data year and that the district began the update process in 2023, including stakeholder meetings and a 30-day public comment period this year that yielded no written comments and a public hearing with no attendees.

The plan, Biggins Raymer said, aims to show the district has capacity to manage its waste stream, secure stable funding and meet the state-required goals for programming such as household hazardous waste, scrap tires and education. "There will be no new fee increases in this plan. Our $2 per ton generation fee will stay in place," she said. She added…