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GBB Waste Outlook

Gershman, Brickner & Bratton, Inc. - Solid Waste Management Consultants

GBB Continues to Expand
Timothy D. Giardina
Vice President

Tim GiardinaMr. Giardina, who joined GBB as Principal Associate in December 2009, has been promoted to Vice President. In his new, expanded role, he will increase his contribution on GBB Project Teams, helping clients with his hands-on experience with running waste collection and service companies, and contribute to the firm's expansion with additional business development responsibilities focused on collection-related consulting services.

>> Press Release

Elizabeth A. Rice
Consultant I

Elizabeth RiceA 2011 graduate of Columbia University with a B.S. in Environmental Engineering, Ms. Rice joins GBB as a full-time Consultant I. She first joined GBB as a 2010 summer intern/research assistant, during which she gained experience in researching recycling and collection programs and Waste-to-Energy (WTE) technologies.

>> Press Release

Michael A. Czuprenski, P.E. Principal Associate
Michael CzuprenskiBased in the Detroit metro area, Mr. Czuprenski joins the firm as a Principal Associate and adds to GBB's growing Midwest presence. He brings to the table his extensive public-sector, hands-on and strategic solid waste management expertise after 21 years as Operations Director at the Southeastern Oakland County Resource Recovery Authority, a 12-community solid waste consortium in Michigan serving approximately 100,000 households.

>> Press Release

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Conferences

GBB will be present at the following industry events. We look forward to seeing you there!

Waste-to-Energy Exchange
Organized by the Institute for Sustainability / American Institute of Chemical Engineers

New York, NY
November 9, 2011

Bob Brickner, Speaker
Track: "Emerging Technologies and Horizon Issues"

Waste Conversion Congress - West Coast
San Jose, CA
December 6-7, 2011

Harvey Gershman, Speaker
Panel Session: "Different Technologies under the Commercial Microscope"

Municipal Solid Waste to Biofuels Summit
Chicago, IL
February 7-8, 2012

Harvey Gershman, Speaker & Moderator
"Educating Municipalities on the value of incorporating waste to fuels into a renewable energy strategy"

National Demolition Association Conference
San Antonio, TX
GBB, Exhibitor
March 10-13, 2012

North American Waste-to-Energy Conference
Portland, ME
GBB, Exhibitor
April 23-25, 2012

WasteExpo
Las Vegas, NV
April 30 - May 3, 2012

Harvey Gershman, Moderator
Conversion Technologies session

WASTECON
Washington, DC
August 14-17, 2012
GBB, Exhibitor

Visit the conference / tradeshow section of our Website for a continuously updated list of events!

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Speaker's Corner

"Metro Nashville: Total Solid Waste Management Planning and Implementation"

By Harvey Gershman and David Manning

Gershman - Manning

In August 2011, Harvey Gershman, GBB President, and David Manning, former Metro Nashville Director of Finance, gave a presentation entitled "Metro Nashville: Total Solid Waste Management Planning and Implementation" at WASTECON in Nashville, TN. The panel discussion highlighted a major success story that GBB shares with Music City where Metro Nashville achieved significant cost savings and efficiencies through strategic planning, procurement, GIS path routing and a new, award-winning district energy system.

>> PDF of presentation

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Contact

Gershman, Brickner & Bratton, Inc.

Gershman, Brickner & Bratton, Inc.
8550 Arlington Boulevard, Suite 304
Fairfax, VA  22031

Phone: 703.573.5800
Fax: 703.698.1306
Email: gbb@gbbinc.com
 

For more info about GBB:
www.gbbinc.com

 

 

GBB Helps Island Community Achieve Turnaround of Solid Waste Management Infrastructure
Guam Getting Cleaner and Greener as Key Milestones are Achieved

GuamGBB has developed, in addition to its broad array of solid waste management consulting experience, skills and technical resources, a unique expertise and understanding of the recycling and solid waste management challenges of island communities. Over the past five years, GBB has had important assignments in the U.S. Virgin Islands, County of Maui, HI, and the Cayman Islands.

Guam
(click on picture to enlarge)
Frances M. Tydingco-Gatewood, Chief Judge, District Court of Guam, delivers remarks during ceremonies commemorating the permanent closing of the Ordot Dump.
Guam
(click on picture to enlarge)
Ceremonial locking of the gate
to the Ordot Dump.

In 2008, the U.S. 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 United States Environmental Protection Agency, 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.

Two key milestones took place this past summer in Guam as the 70-year old Ordot Dump was permanently closed to waste deliveries on August 31, 2011, when the U.S. District Court of Guam officially locked the gate at the Dump and, in a Court hearing, celebrated this milestone of bringing the Guam Solid Waste Management Division into compliance with the Consent Decree.

Guam
(click on picture for video coverage of Ordot Dump closing - 2:40m)

Guam
(click on picture to enlarge)
Layon Landfill ribbon cutting ceremony.
Guam
(click on picture to enlarge)
Layon Landfill entrance.

The next day, on September 1, 2011, at an on-site hearing of the District Court of Guam, the gates of the Layon Landfill were officially opened, allowing trucks bringing waste to arrive. As part of his remarks during the official opening ceremonies attended by official participants, invited special guests, the general public, and the media, GBB President Harvey Gershman said "This should be the only landfill Guam needs. This is a resource, so use it sparingly. Reduce, reuse, recycle as much as possible!"

The Layon Landfill is a high-tech, environmentally sound and highly controlled landfill for non-hazardous municipal solid waste. It was built with an engineered liner and a leachate collection and removal system that protect human health and the environment. With a capacity in excess of 15.8 million cubic yards, the Layon Landfill will service the island of Guam for more than 40 years.

Guam
(click on picture for video coverage of Layon Landfill opening - 3:43m)

The dramatic turnaround of the Guam solid waste management infrastructure, with construction costs for the new Layon Landfill and the essential supporting infrastructure, was completed with the final cost coming in approximately $37 million under budget. Significant operational savings have also been achieved in the area of equipment maintenance, residential trash collection, operation of the Ordot Dump, and convenience centers (known as transfer stations in Guam,) with expenditures for these areas reduced in excess of thirty percent (30%) while dramatically improving results for customers.

Previous milestones that helped dramatically improve the services provided to the people of Guam include implementing a successful trash collection system, rolling out a curbside recycling collection pilot project, implementing several public education programs, managing multiple important procurements, and reaching an agreement with Naval Facilities Engineering Command Marianas to begin using the Layon Landfill for disposal of non-hazardous waste from its facilities on Guam.

In the next few years, GBB's work will include: environmental investigations conducted at the Ordot Dump; overseeing the design and construction of a permanent closure cap as landfill gas and leachate management projects are put in place; managing residential collection services; renovating transfer stations; implementing a Household Hazardous Waste center; and overseeing contractor operations performance.

What They Say About GBB:

What They Say"After approximately three years and five months since its appointment, the Receiver has effectively dealt with many challenges to reach two major milestones under the Consent Decree - the closing of the Ordot Dump and the opening of the Layon Landfill. The court commends the Receiver for its efforts and the tremendous progress it has made thus far."

-- U.S. District Court
Judge Frances M. Tydingco-Gatewood
in a court order issued September 2, 2011
that included a brief background of the case.

Finally: Kudos to Receiver for Hitting Dump Deadline; Making Improvements

What They Say"The federal receiver, Gershman, Brickner & Bratton Inc., has the island's thanks for fixing and improving the government's solid waste program." [...] "In short, the receiver has transformed the way the island deals with its waste."

-- Editorial in the Pacific Daily News
August 30, 2011

>> Guam Solid Waste Receivership Information Center
>> August 31, 2011 Quarterly Report

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Curbside Value Partnership Selects GBB for Strategic Planning and Technical Assistance
Organization Aims to Grow Participation in Curbside Recycling Programs Nationwide

CVPCurbside Value Partnership (CVP) selected GBB to provide strategic operational planning guidance and serve as a technical consultant to assist in pursuing its objectives to help communities grow participation in their curbside recycling programs and help measure this growth to make better decisions. As part of this new role, GBB will perform efficiency audits on a selective basis to CVP partner communities, identifying operational and contractual efficiencies and program improvements that will help communities recycle more while spending less.

"As a consulting firm, GBB has assisted many communities throughout the nation with recycling/solid waste management strategic planning that yielded increased efficiency, reduced and stabilized costs and/or enhanced revenue, and substantially elevated waste diversion to reuse and recycling," noted Steve Thompson, CVP Executive Director. "I believe that CVP will greatly benefit from GBB's experience as we continue to partner with more communities across the U.S."

"We're excited to join CVP and to work hand-in-hand with them to create synergies and significantly move the curbside recycling needle," said Harvey Gershman, GBB President. "Increasing recycling of all curbside commodities, creating jobs, and expanding recycling infrastructure are challenging objectives. I'm confident that the combination of GBB's expertise and the commitment of CVP's leadership, partners and sponsors will prove to be a driving force toward achieving these goals."

>> Information about Curbside Value Partnership

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GBB's Comprehensive Report Provides Substantial WTE and Recycling Information
White Paper Commissioned by Solid Waste Authority of Palm Beach County, FL

This past spring, the Solid Waste Authority of Palm Beach County, FL commissioned from GBB a white paper to address issues raised by the Florida Chapter of the Sierra Club regarding the 3,000 tons-per-day waste-to-energy facility to be added to the Authority's existing integrated solid waste management infrastructure and services. GBB reviewed the documents from the Sierra Club and Institute for Local Self Reliance and assessed the accuracy of the statements and claims made about diversion rates and solid waste programs in certain U.S. counties and cities. The comprehensive 82-page report prepared by GBB, which provides substancial information on waste-to-energy and recycling was published on May 3, 2011 on the Authority's website.

>> White Paper on Authority's Website

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Turning Your Challenges
Into Success Stories!


(c) 2011 - Gershman, Brickner & Bratton, Inc.