Solid Waste and Emergency Response Discussion Forum

In order to enhance the dialogue between EPA and the public, this online forum provides an opportunity for private citizens, environmental groups, businesses, community groups, and local and tribal governments to discuss topics relating to EPA’s Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response. OSWER will post a new discussion topic monthly.

Each question below leads to a conversation on that topic. Click on a link to read or participate in a conversation. We encourage you to comment; knowing your thoughts and ideas helps us shape better environmental policy.

April 22, 2013 – Do you know of any local stories of teams or their facilities making an impact this Earth Day?

February 21, 2013 – Are there solar on landfill projects installed or underway in your area? What additional ways can the EPA support communities interested in installing solar at MSW landfills?

December 19, 2012 – How has your community prepared for natural disaster debris?

December 19, 2012 – Can you share any tips you use at home or at work to reduce the amount of food going to waste? What other ways will you incorporate Reduce, Reuse, Recycle into your daily routines?

July 26, 2012 – Many communities have been hit hard by auto sector and other manufacturing industry closures and bankruptcies. EPA, the Department of Labor (DOL) and other organizations are working to assist these communities with their revitalization efforts. With this in mind, what are the critical first steps needed to promote revitalization, as you see them, and how can EPA help mobilize its federal, state, and local partners to help you begin to take them?

April 11, 2012 – April 22 is Earth Day. What are you and your neighbors doing to make your community greener, healthier and more involved in activities to promote protecting the environment all year long? How could EPA best convey information to communities to advance local recycling efforts?

March 13, 2012 – More than 97% of our food waste ends up in landfills and incinerators each year. Much of this is wholesome, uneaten food that could have been donated to those in need. How can EPA help you and your community reduce food waste?

January 30, 2012 – How can EPA help consumers increase their donations of used electronics to 3rd-party-certified electronics recyclers? How can EPA leverage its partnerships with manufacturers and recyclers to encourage the use of certified recyclers that use the best Environmental Sound Management (ESM) practices and create domestic jobs?

December 19, 2011 – How can EPA better leverage the Partnership for Sustainable Communities with HUD, DOT, EDA and other federal agencies to bring implementation resources to projects?

December 6, 2011 – How can EPA’s brownfield resources be better aligned with private resources to enable a successful brownfield project?

November 3, 2011 – What specific activities are your local schools, businesses, and communities participating in that most successfully support sustainable food management practices (such as reducing the amount of food produced, donating excess food to food banks, composting, etc.)? How can EPA contribute?

September 20, 2011 – What activities and approaches should EPA use to help your community fully and meaningfully participate in environmental decision-making? What are the most important factors that EPA should consider when working with your community?

July 29, 2011 – What opportunities exist for EPA to collaborate with other federal agencies to support communities?

June 30, 2011 – How can EPA best reach out to communities interested in proposed financial responsibility requirements for hardrock mining?

May 31, 2011 – What could EPA do to expand and improve our job training programs, such as the Superfund Job Training Initiative and the Environmental Workforce Development and Job Training Program?

April 29, 2011 – What are some successful ways EPA and other organizations have delivered information about environmental contamination and cleanups to communities, especially to those facing barriers such as remote location, language, and other difficult issues? What are some effective ways of tailoring information to a community to meet their specific needs?

March 31, 2011 – What simplifications could be made to the grant application process for grants issued through the Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response?

February 28, 2011 – What are your thoughts on EPA’s plan to review our existing regulations?

January 31, 2011 – On what topics should EPA’s Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response expand our dialogue?

December 30, 2010 – Do you know how to clean up a broken compact flourescent lamp (CFL)?

November 29, 2010 – What groups – community, business, government, non-government, or any other type – should be involved when multiple brownfields are being redeveloped in a single community?

October 8, 2010 – ¿Qué pasos la EPA puede tomar para asegurar que la asistencia técnica llegue a la comunidad entera y no sólo a grupos pequeños?

October 8, 2010 – What steps can EPA take to ensure that technical assistance to communities serves the needs of the whole community and not just a small group?

September 22, 2010 – Is your college or university part of the Game Day Challenge?

August 31, 2010 – What methods that EPA is using to provide information to the public on the BP spill are the most effective? Which of these methods could be adapted to other EPA programs?

July 29, 2010 – Should Congress reinstate the “Superfund taxes”?

June 25, 2010 – What green remediation practices have you seen put to good use? What practices do you think should be used more often?

May 14, 2010 – What are the barriers to eliminating the use of toxic materials wherever possible and by recycling and reusing waste that can’t be eliminated?

April 1, 2010 – How can EPA improve and expand on land revitalization efforts?

March 1, 2010 – How would you grade EPA’s role in addressing environmental justice issues in disadvantaged communities?

February 1, 2010 – What can EPA do to help communities understand the environmental conditions at former auto sector sites? And what can EPA do to help communities revitalize those sites?

January 1, 2010 – What additional information would help you gauge how much progress has been made at a Superfund site?

December 1, 2009 – How can EPA better engage and prepare local communities, especially economically disadvantaged communities, to meaningfully participate in government decisions on land cleanup, emergency response, and the management of hazardous materials and waste?

December 1, 2009 – ¿Cómo puede EPA comunicarse y preparar mejor a las comunidades locales, especialmente aquellas comunidades indigentes, para participar significativamente en el proceso de toma de decisiones gubernamentales en casos de limpieza de terrenos, respuesta a emergencias y el manejo de materiales peligrosos y desechos?