Section 12-8-27.2. Financial responsibility

   (a) No solid waste handling facility shall be operated or maintained by any person unless adequate financial responsibility has been demonstrated to the director to ensure the satisfactory maintenance, closure, and postclosure care of such facility or to carry out any corrective action which may be required as a condition of a permit. The available financial responsibility mechanisms shall be expansive with adequate variety and flexibility to allow the owner or operator to meet its financial obligations. The owner or operator shall be allowed to use combined financial responsibility mechanisms for a single facility and shall be allowed to use combined financial responsibility mechanisms for multiple facilities, utilizing actuarially sound risk-spreading techniques. The director shall require the demonstration of financial responsibility prior to issuing a permit for any solid waste handling facility.

(b) The provisions of this Code section shall not apply to any county, municipality, authority, or special district empowered to engage in solid waste management activities which operates or maintains a solid waste handling facility unless and until such times as federal regulations require counties, municipalities, or special districts to demonstrate financial responsibility for such facilities.

Code 1981, § 12-8-27.2, enacted by Ga. L. 1990, p. 412, § 1.