Michael J. OConnell has been named executive director of the R.I. Resource Recovery Corporation. He was previously chief operating officer at AmeriCold Logistics for 13 years. A U.S. Navy veteran, he has a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Maryland and an MBA from the University of Connecticut.
PBN: What changes would you like to make at Resource Recovery?
OCONNELL: We need to move our municipal pricing closer to – but still below – market rates, so that there will be more economic incentive to recycle. Since there has not been an increase in municipal tipping fees for the past 11 years, the business community ends up shouldering that burden. In addition, we need to develop and implement a commercial recycling program, as currently over 98 percent of all commercial waste is landfilled.
PBN: Could the state recycle more?
OCONNELL: Recycling is stagnant here in Rhode Island as well as on the national level. … We continue to identify new items to recycle and implement new programs – most, notably ReStore, our plastic bag recycling program. This program, the first statewide program of its kind in the country, is now a national model.
PBN: What share of your resources goes to recycling versus waste management?
OCONNELL: The role of RIRRC is to facilitate and promote recycling. It is everyone’s job to recycle. In terms of waste management and disposal, that is our job for the entire state. Most of our resources, both financial and management, are expended to dispose of waste in an environmentally and economically sound manner
PBN: How do you feel about expanding the Johnston landfill or shipping garbage out of state?
OCONNELL: We need to expand the landfill, as the current permitted space will be exhausted in four to five years. It is unlikely that any other site in the state could be permitted to landfill. The consequences of sending waste outside of the state are absolutely staggering … tens of millions of dollars more per year than current costs.
PBN: Do you see opportunities in biomass power generation to turn garbage into energy?
OCONNELL: We are exploring that opportunity. We currently utilize landfill gas to generate renewable energy for Rhode Island and the Northeast. We generate enough landfill gas converted to electricity each day to service approximately 30,000 homes.
