Representatives of the region’s waste disposal authority are making the rounds at city meetings to lay the groundwork for long-term contract extensions they say will extend use of the regional landfill through the end of the century. Southeastern Public Service Authority (SPSA) is asking South Hampton Roads cities and counties to renew their trash contracts for 25 years instead of an upcoming 10-year extension.
The longer-term contracts are needed to ensure that SPSA’s third-party provider will invest $200 million in new facilities to sort recyclables from solid waste across the region, SPSA Board of Directors Chairman Tom Leahy told the Virginia Beach City Council.
The new sorting process will eventually eliminate the need for blue curbside recycling cans and for residents to sort recyclables from solid waste. “All the waste would go into a single can, collected by a single truck at the curbside,” said Leahy. “Recycling and reuse would occur after collection.”…