Four Pressing Frontiers in Solid Waste Management: A Field Dispatch

This article was contributed by Raftelis.

Across the country, municipal solid waste authorities, public works departments, and utility directors face complex operational, financial, and regulatory challenges. Managing a modern solid waste system requires balancing public expectations with legal compliance, long-term environmental responsibilities, and financial sustainability. Addressing these responsibilities calls for strategic approaches that connect day-to-day operations with long-term policy and financial planning.

At SWANA’s upcoming RCon in St. Louis, several specialist sessions will examine such challenges from the field. This dispatch reviews four (4) core topic areas where municipal practitioners are actively testing new strategies: managing the human element in major collection changes, structuring investment trusts for landfill post-closure obligations, establishing defensible solid waste management fees, and evaluating the future of flow control ordinances.

1. The Execution Challenge In Major Service Rollouts

Operational success is as much about people as it is about the trucks on the road. When an agency implements a significant change, such as transitioning to automated collection, rebalancing routes, or shifting service days, the technical deployment is only half the equation. A critical benchmark of success is how effectively residents navigate the transition. Without a proactive communication framework, even an optimized route plan can face severe public pushback and resident confusion.

Navigating these transitions requires moving beyond basic public notices to manage the human side of service delivery. Successful programs anticipate stakeholder concerns early, developing clear, authentic messaging that builds community trust well before new carts arrive on curbs. Operational shifts also require close coordination between field crews and customer service desks to absorb call surges and address resident questions in real time.

To provide a boots-on-the-ground perspective, this session features valuable lessons for agencies planning similar transitions. Practical insights from Nashville where technology-forward collection changes demonstrated the operational hurdles that can arise in the field, as well as the specific outreach methods that facilitate a smooth rollout.

To explore this strategic framework, attend the session led by Nick Zoller, APR & Sam Villegas APR, Fellow PRSA, and Tracey Thurman (Director, Nashville Waste Services) titled "The Rollout Playbook: Proven Strategies for Major Solid Waste Service Changes" (Thursday, October 1, 2026, from 8:15 AM to 9:15 AM).

2. Beyond Reserves: Structuring Investment Trusts for Closure and Post-Closure

Long-term landfill closure and post-closure care obligations represent one of the largest environmental and financial liability facing municipal solid waste systems. Traditional approaches—pay-as-you-go funding, enterprise reserves, or informal set-asides—often fail to keep pace with inflation, regulatory changes, and market volatility.

Historically, public agencies have relied on conventional funding methods, such as setting aside cash reserves in escrow accounts following the governments general investment policy. However, traditional investment policies are typically designed to prioritize liquidity (availability of funds) and minimize risk since these funds are typically expended within a 12 month period. As a result traditional local government investment returns often struggle to keep pace with inflation or increases to closure and post-closure care costs due to regulatory changes.  In response, the Municipality of Anchorage Solid Waste Services implemented an investment trust modeled similarly to a pension fund trust to fund their long-term closure and post-closure care obligations, resulting in higher yield investments drawn down over a longer horizon. Due to the agency’s investment horizon, it enabled a significant reduction in the deposit requirements to

This case study illustrates the transition from standard Enterprise Fund reserve accounting to a legally established investment trust. By isolating dedicated funds within a formal trust structure, the municipality designed an investment strategy aligned directly with modeled expenditure schedules. This approach protects municipal funds from inflation risk, improves financial transparency, and promotes intergenerational equity by ensuring that current system users pay for the environmental liabilities associated with their waste disposal.

Establishing a post-closure trust relies on an analytical framework that integrates several technical components:

• Long-term financial forecasting and liability estimation
• Engineered closure cost projections
• Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) reporting compliance
• Rate design modeling under various annual contribution scenarios

Implementing a structured trust helps utilities reduce fiscal risk, prevent future rate shocks, and strengthen bond rating evaluations while maintaining strict regulatory compliance. The Anchorage model offers a scalable blueprint for solid waste systems seeking disciplined, investment-based funding mechanisms.

To examine the analytical frameworks, governance structures, and investment policy development behind this approach, join Kelli Toth (Director, Municipality of Anchorage Solid Waste Services) and Thierry Boveri, CGFM for "Beyond Reserves: Structuring Investment Trusts for Closure and Post-Closure" (Thursday, October 1, 2026, from 8:15 AM to 9:15 AM).

3. Establishing New Solid Waste Management Fees: Compliance and Buy-In

Solid waste management authorities increasingly face the challenge of funding critical infrastructure and operations while transitioning away from General Fund subsidies. Establishing a dedicated solid waste management fee offers a sustainable financial path, but it requires careful navigation of statutory constraints, administrative hurdles, and public scrutiny.

In nearly all cases, jurisdictions must resolve complex operational and billing mechanisms. Practitioners must evaluate the trade-offs of different collection mechanisms, such as placing charges on property tax rolls versus establishing standalone utility billing systems. Each path carries distinct implications for collection rates, software integration, billing dispute workflows, and administrative overhead.

Securing stakeholder buy-in is equally vital. The session highlights strategies for engaging both residents and private waste haulers by transparently communicating the true cost of service, environmental compliance requirements, and the public health value of a dedicated solid waste fee.

To ground these principles in practical application, this session features a detailed case study on developing a new residential solid waste management fee for the U.S. Virgin Islands Waste Management Authority. The experience illustrates the rigorous methodology required to technically and legally define a user fee, establishing the defensible foundation necessary to distinguish user charges from general taxes under local statutory frameworks.

To understand this implementation roadmap and actionable best practices, attend the panel session by Eugenia Manwelyan titled "Establishing a New Solid Waste Management Fee: Best Practices for Legal Compliance, Stakeholder Support, and Implementation" (Thursday, October 1, 2026, from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM).

4. Flow Control in Flux: How Courts, Climate, and Competition Are Shaping the Future of Waste Ordinances

Flow control ordinances remain one of the most significant and contested policy tools available to local governments managing solid waste systems. When structured effectively, they protect public investment in solid waste infrastructure, stabilize system revenues, and provide the regulatory framework needed to support integrated waste management. But the legal, regulatory, and market context is shifting.

Recent court decisions have continued to define the constitutional boundaries of local flow control authority, particularly under the Commerce Clause and Dormant Commerce Clause. In some jurisdictions, those decisions have reinforced the importance of careful ordinance design, clear public ownership structures, and a well-documented public purpose. In others, they have exposed how difficult it can be to apply established precedent in changing market and governance contexts.

At the same time, state diversion, organics, processing, and recovery mandates are creating new operational pressures that can complicate traditional disposal-oriented flow control systems. As states place greater emphasis on diversion, material recovery, and specialized processing, local governments may need to revisit whether their ordinances align with evolving environmental objectives and system needs.

Growing private-market competition is also testing the economic assumptions underlying many municipal flow control ordinances. Commercial haulers and facility operators increasingly advocate for open market access and reduced local restrictions, putting pressure on longstanding designated-facility requirements.

Drawing on case law and jurisdictional examples, this session highlights communities that successfully modernized their flow control ordinances, alongside jurisdictions where legal vulnerabilities or policy misalignment produced costly outcomes. Attendees will leave with a practical lens for assessing local flow control mechanisms against current legal standards, regulatory requirements, and competitive realities.

To explore these legal, environmental, and market developments, attend the presentation by Morgan McCarthy, JD titled "Flow Control in Flux: How Courts, Climate, and Competition Are Reshaping Waste Ordinances" (Friday, October 2, 2026, from 9:30 AM to 10:00 AM).

Building an Integrated Solid Waste Strategy

Addressing the operational, financial, and legal challenges in modern solid waste management requires a coordinated approach. Service changes demand effective public communication, infrastructure investments require sustainable fee structures and long-term trust funds, and system stability depends on legally sound regulatory policies like modernized flow control.

By studying successful case studies and practical frameworks from across the industry, municipal leaders can make informed decisions that protect public health, support fiscal stability, and serve their communities effectively.

As the industry gathers at the RCon this month, these sessions offer practical roadmaps and tested frameworks from practitioners working directly on the front lines. Taking time to examine the lessons learned from recent rollouts, financial restructurings, rate studies, and legal updates will equip utility leaders to guide their organizations through the evolving solid waste environment.