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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOUNCIL - AGENDA ITEM - 02/22/2005 - AN UPDATE ON THE SOLID WASTE REDUCTION PROGRAM AND DATE: February 22, 2005 STUDY SESSION ITEM STAFF: Susie Gordon FORT COLLINS CITY COUNCIL SUBJECT FOR DISCUSSION An update on the Solid Waste Reduction Program and the City's progress with regard to recycling efforts (including transition to "single stream" system at curbside), and a discussion about how to meet the goal of diverting 50% of the community's waste from landfills by 2010. GENERAL DIRECTION SOUGHT AND SPECIFIC QUESTIONS TO BE ANSWERED Does Council agree with the staff recommendation to put together a five-year plan for reaching higher waste diversion levels? • initiate a comprehensive, participatory process to gather ideas • hold in-depth discussions with stakeholder groups • research innovations in other communities (is there willingness to explore all options?) • evaluate community "readiness" and public willingness to strive for waste diversion goals BACKGROUND Since the last report on solid waste reduction and recycling was presented to Council in 2002, the City's Natural Resources Department has implemented (or assisted with) a variety of projects to increase waste diversion and make recycling more convenient for residents. Much has occurred, including: • changes in the 2005 operating contract for Larimer County's recycling plant that provides more advantageous terms (the County is now paid $10,000+ per month); • addition of more types of paper in curbside (junk mail, office paper, etc.); • the public's use of the Rivendell Recycling Center has more than doubled, and continues to grow; • global, national, and local market prices for recyclables have risen due to demand from China; and • local ordinances have been reinforced and strengthened. February 22, 2005 Page 2 Progress To-Date and the Advent of Single Stream Recycling Fort Collins' City Council set a milestone for 2004 with the goal of reaching a 35% rate of diverting waste from landfills. Staff calculates that rate of waste diversion in Fort Collins now stands at 25%, according to a community-wide survey conducted in December. Conventional waste diversion rates (using methodology developed by the Environmental Protection Agency) calculate the amount of conventional recycling that occurs (paper fibers, plastics, aluminum, glass, and steel) as well as other materials such as yard waste, construction debris, and specialized industry by-products. The calculation excludes certain heavy things that are, however, being recycled such as car bodies, asphalt or cement debris. It is worth noting that the Fort Collins Streets Department now manufactures a significant amount of road-base material from asphalt and cement that was previously buried in the landfill. If that quantity were to be incorporated into Fort Collins' waste diversion, the community-wide rate would measure much higher. One exciting outcome of the survey work that was done to establish the diversion rate was the finding that many businesses in Fort Collins are making enormous progress at recycling; the top ten employers are estimated to be diverting 40-45% of their waste streams from landfill disposal. An important change is set to occur to the way recycling is done in the greater Larimer County region. Starting no later than October, the Larimer County Recycling Center will begin accepting both paper and containers (jars, bottles, and cans) in the same "stream" of materials. This system is anticipated to further improve convenience for the public and increase participation in the curbside recycling program. An estimated 3.5% increase in the overall community diversion rate is also anticipated to occur as a result of the new single stream collection. Next Steps Staff plans to bring to Council's attention that it will become increasingly challenging to continue to make progress at meeting— and surpassing— our waste diversion goal (which rises to 50% by 2M). Staff recommends that before we embark on new strategies, it would be appropriate to develop a "master plan" for the next five years. The process of developing this plan needs to be done with significant levels of public involvement and review. It will be critical for the City to understand the community's level of willingness or ability to follow any course of actions that is proposed. The community outreach and master planning process will need to use creative visioning. If Fort Collins is committed to advancing to new levels of waste diversion, there will also need to be clarity about how much change will be appropriate, how much public "buy-in" exists for new measures, and what level of political difficulty is supportable. We may want to look at ideas that are being applied in other parts of the country, such as California, where many cities have successfully bypassed the 50% diversion goal mandated by the state and are on a trajectory for achieving "darn near zero" waste levels. February 22, 2005 Page 3 For instance, some strategies that Fort Collins may wish to explore include (but are not limited to): • Apply PAYT to commercial and multi-family • Create incentives for haulers to reach recycling goals • Mandatory recycling, e.g., residential, construction sites • Require businesses to source-separate their waste • Local producer/retailer de-packaging laws • Districted trash collection • City trash utility service • Disposal bans on yard waste If Council indicates interest in seeking comprehensive public input into a solid waste "master plan," staff will conduct an outreach program over the next 6-18 months, and bring information from that process back to Council for further review.