Title 68, Health, Safety and Environmental Protection

This part shall be known and may be cited as the “Tire Environmental Act”.

(1) As used in this part, unless the context otherwise requires:(1) “Fee” means the tire environmental fee created by this part;(2) “Fund” means the tire environmental fund created by this part;(3) “Motor vehicle” means any vehicle that is self-propelled and designed to be used o…

(a) There is imposed on each purchase of a new motor vehicle to be titled and registered in this state a tire environmental fee as follows:(1) Five dollars ($5.00) for a motor vehicle with four (4) or fewer wheels;(2) Ten dollars ($10.00) for a motor vehicle with more than four (…

(a) There is created a special account in the state treasury to be known as the tire environmental fund. (b) Moneys shall be deposited in the fund as provided in § 68-211-303(c). (c) Moneys in the fund shall be used exclusively by the department of environment and conservation in…

(a) The department of environment and conservation shall administer a tire environmental program with moneys available from the fund as appropriated by the general assembly. (b) The program expenditures may include:(1) Grants to develop and implement programs to provide direct in…

(a) For the purposes of this part, unless the context otherwise requires:(1) “Gasification” means a process through which recoverable feedstocks are heated and converted into a fuel-gas mixture in an oxygen-deficient atmosphere and the mixture is converted into valuable raw, inte…

(a) The following facilities are not solid waste processing facilities or incinerators:(1) Gasification facilities; and(2) Pyrolysis facilities. (1) Gasification facilities; and (2) Pyrolysis facilities. (b) The following materials are not solid waste:(1) Post-use polymers; and(2…

(1) As used in this part, unless the context otherwise requires:(1) “Construction” means the erection, building, acquisition, alteration, reconstruction, improvement, or extension of energy recovery and/or energy recovery facilities, the engineering, architectural designs, plans,…

A municipality has the power to construct, purchase, improve, operate and maintain within its corporate limits, or within the limits of the county wherein it is located, an energy recovery facility or facilities and/or resource recovery facility or facilities for the production o…

The municipality, for the production of any energy, shall charge the usual rates for such heating or cooling and may combine it with any other energy source produced. The municipality shall also have the right to enter into any agreements necessary for the sale of recyclable mate…

All action required or authorized to be taken under this part by the governing body of any municipal corporation or county may be by resolution, which resolution may be adopted at the meeting of the governing body at which such resolution is introduced, and shall take effect imme…

This part shall be in addition and supplemental to any other law providing for energy recovery facilities and/or resource recovery facilities and shall not be deemed to amend or repeal any other law.

This part shall be known and may be cited as the “Tennessee Solid Waste Planning and Recovery Act.”

(a) The general assembly finds that the public health, safety and welfare require comprehensive planning for the disposal of solid waste on a local, regional and state level. The general assembly further finds that whenever economically and technically feasible, solid waste shoul…

(a) The commissioner of environment and conservation shall establish a comprehensive solid waste management plan for the state. The state plan shall have as its priority the reduction of the volume of wastes going to incinerators or landfills by means of local and regional recycl…

(a) The state plan shall establish goals for reduction of solid wastes which are disposed of by landfilling. (b) In order to attain such goals, each plan shall:(1) Identify needed facilities, services and programs (both for-profit and not-for-profit) for solid waste management an…

The commissioner, in consultation with the department of education and other state departments and agencies, shall develop guidelines for source separation and collection of recyclable materials and for waste reduction in all state departments and in primary and secondary schools…

(a) The department of general services shall, to the fullest extent possible when contracting for paper or paper products, purchase or approve for purchase only such paper or paper products that are manufactured or produced from recycled paper as specified in subsection (b). (b) …

The department of transportation shall seek alternative ways to use certain recyclable materials that are currently part of the solid waste stream and that contribute to problems of declining space in solid waste landfills.

(a) It is illegal for any incinerator or landfill in the state of Tennessee to accept automobile batteries for incineration or disposal. (b) (1) When a retailer sells lead-acid batteries, the retailer shall accept used lead-acid batteries as trade-in batteries.(2) For the purpose…

(a) No construction shall be initiated for any new landfill for solid waste disposal or for solid waste processing until the plans for such new landfill have been submitted to and approved by:(1) The county legislative body in which the proposed landfill is located, if such new c…

For purposes of this part, “landfill or landfilling” means any land used for disposal of solid waste by filling and covering.

(a) In order to inform interested persons in the area of a proposed landfill, public notice shall be circulated by the county legislative body, the municipal governing body, or both such entities within the geographical area of the proposed landfill approval by any of the followi…

(a) Within thirty (30) days after notice and an opportunity for a public hearing as provided in § 68-211-703, the county legislative body, the municipal governing body or both such entities shall approve or disapprove the proposed new construction for solid waste disposal by land…

(a) This part shall not apply to any private landfill that accepts solid waste solely generated by its owner if the waste is solely generated within the county subject to this part and if the private landfill does not accept county or municipal solid waste or ordinary household g…

(a) Sections 68-211-701 — 68-211-704 and [former] 68-211-705 [repealed] and this section shall only apply in any county or municipality in which it is approved by a two-thirds (⅔) vote of the appropriate legislative body. Sections 68-211-701 — 68-211-704 and [former] 68-211-705 […

This part shall be known and may be cited as the “Solid Waste Management Act of 1991.”

(a) As used in this part, unless the context otherwise requires:(1) “Authority” or “solid waste authority” means any public instrumentality organized pursuant to part 9 of this chapter;(2) “Board” means a board, established to manage the affairs of a municipal solid waste managem…

(a) It is declared to be the policy of this state, in furtherance of its responsibility to protect the public health, safety and well-being of its citizens and to protect and enhance the quality of its environment, to institute and maintain a comprehensive, integrated, statewide …

(1) Unless specifically otherwise provided, this part does not apply to:(1) Hazardous waste, regulated pursuant to chapter 212 of this title, except household hazardous waste;(2) Infectious waste;(3) Radioactive waste; or(4) Industrial waste, which may include office, domestic or…

This part is remedial in nature and shall be liberally construed to effect its purpose of providing for a systematic and efficient means of solid waste disposal and encouraging the best utilization and conservation of energy and natural resources.

(a) Tennessee State University and Middle Tennessee State University may research and develop methods to address how to use the materials in solid waste as raw materials to create jobs, business and compost. (b) Such research by the universities may include how to divert food was…

(a) The counties within each development district, as established pursuant to title 13, chapter 14, including all municipalities therein, shall constitute a municipal solid waste planning district. Each district shall submit a district needs assessment for all of the counties wit…

(a) (1) After consideration of the needs assessment is completed, municipal solid waste regions shall be established by resolutions of the respective county legislative bodies by December 12, 1992. A municipal solid waste region shall consist of one (1) county or two (2) or more …

(a) (1) Each region shall submit its new or revised plan to the department of environment and conservation by July 1, 2028. The plan shall be formulated in strict compliance with§ 68-211-815. After receiving a plan, the department shall notify the region within thirty (30) days w…

(a) Each plan and revised plan submitted by a municipal solid waste region pursuant to this part shall be consistent with the state solid waste plan, with this part, with all other applicable law and with any regulation promulgated by the department. (b) At a minimum, each plan a…

(a) If a municipal solid waste region fails to submit an adequate plan in a timely fashion or if the commissioner does not approve any plan submitted to it, or for any other noncompliance with a provision of this part, then the commissioner shall impose the following sanctions, a…

A publicly owned landfill or incinerator for disposal of municipal solid waste may exclude solid waste originating outside of the region if such exclusion is consistent with the region's plan submitted pursuant to § 68-211-814.

(a) There is established a general fund reserve to be allocated by the general appropriations act which shall be known as the “solid waste management fund.” Moneys from the fund may be expended to fund activities authorized by this part. Any revenues deposited in this reserve sha…

From available funds in the solid waste management fund established by § 68-211-821, the department may award annual grants to the University of Tennessee county technical assistance service, the University of Tennessee municipal technical advisory service, the development distri…

(1) From available funds in the solid waste management fund established in § 68-211-821, the department shall award:(1) Annual plan maintenance grants to development districts in order to assist such districts in revising data, maintaining district needs assessments, and assistin…

From funds available in the solid waste management fund established by § 68-211-821, the department shall offer matching grant assistance to counties for the purpose of establishing or upgrading convenience centers required by § 68-211-851. Such grant funds may be applied to expe…

(a) From funds available from the solid waste management fund established by § 68-211-821, the department shall establish a matching grant program for the purchase of equipment needed to establish or upgrade recycling at a public or not-for-profit recycling collection site. Such …

(a) From funds available from the solid waste management fund established by § 68-211-821, the department shall establish an office of cooperative marketing for recyclables. (b) The duties of the office of cooperative marketing for recyclables include:(1) Preparing and maintainin…

(a) From funds available from the solid waste management fund, the department shall award competitive grants for collection of household hazardous waste at a permanent site to municipalities with a population of one hundred thousand (100,000) or more in counties with a population…

From funds available from the solid waste management fund established by § 68-211-821, except as provided in § 68-211-828, the department shall, directly or by contract, provide for the collection of household hazardous wastes on designated days in each county. Each county, or so…