W EEKLY EDITION JUNE 12, 2019
What a Waste!
By Karleen Kos, PSAI Executive Director
This story also appeared in the June 2019 issue of PRO Magazine …Continued From Page 2
This reality has opened the door for private wastewater treatment solutions. Local governments short on tax
revenue have begun outsourcing facilities and operations to meet public demand. In some instances, private
companies are buying up existing POTWs wh en governments decide to privatize. They then turn the aging
assets into efficient wastewater operations. How this transformation happens can mean that customers like
portable sanitation companies are no longer welcome. In other cases, businesses ranging f rom
manufacturing plants to waste haulers are building their own on - site systems — either because their go - to
treatment plant has hung out the "not welcome" sign or to avoid having to deal with POTWs altogether. In
still other instances, smaller cities are working with private companies to build new systems, sometimes
wholly owned by the private company and sometimes in public - private partnership.
Whatever is going on in your area, the situation has probably been a long time in the making. Improvement,
wh atever that looks like, will also take a long time. Then there's the "be careful what you pray for" aspect. I
recently took a call from a portable sanitation operator whose disposal rates were being quadrupled to cover
costs for a new treatment plant in he r area. With "solutions" like these, how bad must the problem actually
be?
The PSAI is seeking information about the realities of disposal for our industry. The results of the survey will
be shared with those who take it — whether they are a PSAI Member o r not — and will help the Association
set policy goals for the next several years.
Please take the time to fill out the survey at psai.org by July 31, 2019.
Fixing what is broken with our waste treatment system will take a generation, and the PSAI inte nds to be a
voice at the table. Make sure your voice is heard. - KK
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