Planning and Permitting
Tetra Tech provides planning and permitting services required to implement solid waste programs and facilities that operate economically with minimal impacts.
Tetra Tech helps clients in North America, Europe, Asia, and Latin America plan and develop sustainable solid waste systems. Our international perspective into planning is backed by first-hand knowledge of solid waste technologies and solutions that have worked for urban and rural communities worldwide. We provide strategic long-range planning, regulatory and environmental compliance, environmental impact assessments, feasibility studies, alternatives analyses, community and stakeholder engagement, routine compliance reporting, regulatory agency negotiation, and transactional services.
Waste Characterization
Understanding the characteristics of a waste stream is essential in identifying the right waste management solution. Tetra Tech provides targeted waste characterization studies, such as residential food waste, regional waste disposal, institutional waste, and generator-based assessments, which address seasonal, demographic, operational, and environmental variables. We supported the City of Los Angeles’ Curb Your Food Waste LA pilot project with field inspection characterizations of waste disposal on pilot routes, development of a tablet-based data collection and analysis application, and field surveys to measure success.
We also conducted a comprehensive waste composition study (municipal waste, recycling, and organics) of four communities selected to participate in a City of Calgary food and yard waste pilot program.
- Recruiting sampling nodes and generators
- Developing statistically representative sampling methodologies
- Field sampling, cloud-based study dashboards, data sharing, and reporting
- Statistical analysis of sampling data
Strategic Planning
Tetra Tech has provided strategic solid waste management planning services for more than 70 municipal, state, federal, and tribal clients throughout the world. We help clients respond to diminishing landfill capacity and climate change goals through planning focused on waste diversion, organics management, and use of waste conversion technologies to produce renewable products.
We provided short to mid-term and long-term planning services for the Town of Barnstable, Massachusetts, to facilitate resiliency, mitigate climate change, and prepare for a zero waste future.
- System benchmarking and best practices review
- Facility feasibility and siting studies
- Integrated waste or resource management plans
- Organic waste management plans
- Zero waste roadmaps
Alternatives Analysis
Tetra Tech performs triple bottom-line analyses to evaluate the environmental, social, operational, financial, environmental, and public policy impacts of waste management alternatives on urban and rural communities.
- Regulatory, market, and stakeholder analysis
- Environmental impact assessments and statements
- Operational, contractual, legal, and regulatory impacts assessments
- Alternative technology evaluation, such as waste-to-energy, gasification, and pyrolysis
- Cost-benefit analyses of alternatives
- Public policy review and guidance
Community and Stakeholder Engagement
Engaging residents, government, business, and industry is vital in implementing any solid waste management plan. Tetra Tech uses conventional outreach tools (social media, websites, presentations, special events, workshops) and specialized education and outreach approaches to obtain consensus on high-profile solid waste planning programs and initiatives.
- Community-based social marketing
- Branding, briefing reports, and collateral material development
- Community events and workshops
- Business and legislative outreach and technical advisory committee support
Permitting and Regulatory Compliance
Tetra Tech develops permitting and regulatory compliance documents for solid waste facilities. Our staff includes former regulatory enforcement and landfill operations management personnel who provide important insight into facility and compliance from an operational and regulatory perspective.
- Regulatory and policy research and analysis
- Identification of permitting requirements and strategies for facility siting, development, and operation
- Permitting through planning and building departments and state, provincial, regional, and local regulators worldwide
- Automated tool development to track permit compliance and reporting
Connect with us. Reach out to our integrated solid waste solutions experts.
