(A) The department shall establish qualifications for and encourage the development of certification programs for operators of landfills, coordinators of local recycling programs, and operators of other solid waste management facilities.

(B) The department shall work with accredited community colleges, vocational technical centers, state universities, and private institutions in developing educational materials, courses of study, and other such information to be made available for persons seeking to be certified as operators of solid waste management facilities.

(C) Two years after this article is effective, no person may perform the duties of an operator of a solid waste management facility unless he has completed an operator certification course approved by the department. An owner of a solid waste management facility may not employ any person to perform the duties of an operator unless such person has completed an approved solid waste management facility operator certification course.

(D) The department shall adopt regulations to carry out the provisions of this section. The department may establish by rule classifications for operators to cover the need for differing levels of certification required to operate various types of solid waste management facilities due to different operating requirements at such facilities.

(E) For purposes of this section, the term "operator" means any person, including the owner, who is principally engaged in, or is in charge of, the actual operation, supervision, and maintenance of a solid waste management facility and includes the person in charge of a shift or period during any part of the day.

HISTORY: 1991 Act No. 63, Section 1.