A new year is upon all of us here at the PIWHA, and our legal council is working as hard as ever to fight the laws that threaten our businesses and our industry. Looking back on 2008, I think it is safe to say that it was a very successful and complex year for all of us at the PIWHA.
With the help of our Executive Director Gary Roberts and our legal council Mazullo & Murphy P.C., the PIWHA was able to make great strides in 2008 to advance the voice of small haulers in the state of Pennsylvania. Gary, through tireless efforts, worked directly with Ken Reisinger, the Director of Solid Waste, at the P.A. Department of Environmental Protection. With the help of Gary Roberts, Ken attended two PIWHA meetings and talked to our membership about topics such as, Landfill Bans, “The definition of Waste”, and Beneficial Waste vs. Residual Waste in the commonwealth. Not only were these meetings informative for our members, these meetings also acted as a bridge of communication with the Department of Environmental Protection. These bridges of communication allow the department to hear concerns that our associations’ haulers have been expressing to our board of directors for over the last 15 years.
In addition to these events, the Board of Directors appointed long time Philadelphia member, Richard Burns, to head up a committee that would investigate and gather information about what the association feels is the unfair ticketing in the city of Philadelphia for hour of operation, dumpster licenses and other violations that the city of Philadelphia is enacting. The board feels that with of the help of long time member Richard Burns that we should be able to make difference if we can organize the city haulers to work together towards a common goal.
I know that 2008 was a success because of the help from all our members. Strength is in numbers and we need the help of the entire association to move forward in 2009. I urge our entire membership to volunteer to help in 2009.
I wish everyone good health and prosperity in the new year, and look forward to seeing all of you at the next meeting on February 19th 2009 at 6:30 in Fort Washington PA.
