………….March’s number of 37 fire incidents is not only one of the highest months on record but is more than the number of fires that occurred in both March of 2016 and 2017 combined. March 2018 could merely be an anomaly. But then comes April. Aprils’s number of 36 fire incidents is not only one of the highest months on record as well but is more than the number of fires that occurred in both April of 2016 and 2017 combined.
The Scope of the Problem:
In the past 12 months, we have seen 347 unique reported waste and recycling facility fire incidents in the US & Canada. When you factor in my extremely conservative assumptions that we are under-reporting waste and recycling facility fires by about 5:1, (Source:https://www.linkedin.com/post/edit/how-many-recycling-fires-have-occurred-us-canada-within-ryan-fogelman) we are looking at a reasonable number of fire incidents in the US and Canada at 1700+.
In the same time period (May 2016-Apr 2017) we encountered 277 waste and recycling facility fire incidents in the US and Canada. Using the Environmental Research & Educations Foundations data, EREF’s Municipal Solid Waste In The US, published in 2016: In 2013 there were 3,913 recycling facilities and 81 WtE facilities. That would equate to 40% of Waste & Recycling Facilities have had a “Fire Incident” in the past 12 months, increasing from the 30% I had shared at WasteExpo in 2017. I realize this number might seem high to some, but when put in the context of Rumpke’s reporting, of 12 fires in 2017 reported in just two of their facilities, you can see the numbers start to add up quickly.
The Scope of the Problem:
In the past 12 months, we have seen 347 unique reported waste and recycling facility fire incidents in the US & Canada. When you factor in my extremely conservative assumptions that we are under-reporting waste and recycling facility fires by about 5:1, (Source:https://www.linkedin.com/post/edit/how-many-recycling-fires-have-occurred-us-canada-within-ryan-fogelman) we are looking at a reasonable number of fire incidents in the US and Canada at 1700+.
In the same time period (May 2016-Apr 2017) we encountered 277 waste and recycling facility fire incidents in the US and Canada. Using the Environmental Research & Educations Foundations data, EREF’s Municipal Solid Waste In The US, published in 2016: In 2013 there were 3,913 recycling facilities and 81 WtE facilities. That would equate to 40% of Waste & Recycling Facilities have had a “Fire Incident” in the past 12 months, increasing from the 30% I had shared at WasteExpo in 2017. I realize this number might seem high to some, but when put in the context of Rumpke’s reporting, of 12 fires in 2017 reported in just two of their facilities, you can see the numbers start to add up quickly.
The EPA maintains State Resource Locators and contact information for several topics: Air Quality – Ambient
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