2005 Kansas Solid Waste Management
Hall of
Fame
Mr. Linn served the state of Kansas for 41 years and was the Chief of the Solid Waste Management Section from 1968-1991. He is currently an engineering-consultant specializing in construction management and small solid waste management projects.
Chuck supervised the first survey of solid waste management practices in Kansas in the late 1960's, wrote the first solid waste management plan and the original Kansas Solid Waste Management Act passed in 1970.
Chuck came to the Kansas Department of Health in 1968 with a strong background in construction management and soils engineering developed from 14 years experience with the Kansas Department of Transportation. These skills were requisite for land disposal of solid waste.
Some of the milestones of the Solid Waste Program under Chuck included:
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· Staffed the first Kansas Solid Waste Advisory Council, which wrote Kansas' first solid waste regulations.
- · Met with most of the original county solid waste planning committees formed in 1972 and by mid 1975, 103 of 105 counties had completed their plans.
- · Oversaw the closure of municipal dumps and introduction of county sanitary landfills in Kansas (1974-1976).
- · Was present when the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) was created in 1974.
- · Participated in the development of Kansas' first hazardous waste statutes and regulations in 1977.
- · Carried out an industrial waste survey in 1975 to locate industrial waste not suitable for disposal in sanitary landfills.
- · Amended and revised the Kansas Solid Waste Management Plan in 1981.
- · Supervised the Kansas underground storage tank program in 1987.
- · Assisted in legislature process to amend the underground storage tank act to fund the program with 1-cent gallon excise tax on motor fuel in 1988.
- · Staffed the new solid waste task force created by Secretary Grant in 1988 to explore non-regulatory methods of enhancing solid waste management in Kansas.
- · Assisted in the development of the waste tire management laws and regulations in 1990.
In 1991, Chuck left the Bureau of Waste Management for the Bureau of Environmental Remediation. Chuck retired from State service in 1995.
Chuck earned his degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Kansas and is a Licensed Professional Engineer. He and his wife Shirley live on a farm in Southeast Shawnee County, Kansas.
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Chuck Linn
Professional Engineer