HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOUNCIL - AGENDA ITEM - 08/08/2006 - UPDATE ON THE STRATEGIC PLANNING PROCESS FOR SOLID DATE: August 8, 2006 WORK SESSION ITEM
STAFF: Susie Gordon FORT COLLINS CITY COUNCIL
SUBJECT FOR DISCUSSION
Update on the Strategic Planning Process for Solid Waste Reduction.
GENERAL DIRECTION SOUGHT AND SPECIFIC QUESTIONS TO BE ANSWERED
At the March 28th work session, Council requested more information about several ideas from a
strategic planning process for solid waste for further review. The new measures are presented here.
Does Council wish to initiate action on any of the following three new measures:
1. curbside yardwaste recycling
2. an electronics recycling program
3. an increased education "push" about waste reduction
In particular:
• For yardwaste recycling,
y y g, shall the City amend the trash hauler licensing
ordinance to require the hauler to provide yardwaste collection as a new
service to customers?
• For electronics recycling, shall the City amend the trash hauler licensing
ordinance to prohibit trash haulers from accepting computers and televisions
in the waste stream?
BACKGROUND
During the past year, new measures for solid waste recycling were studied that could help meet the
City's goal to divert half of the community's waste by 2010. The City's ability to surpass its current
level of25%waste diversion was modeled for a variety of possible new programs. Information from
the strategic planning process was presented to the City Council in March and staff was asked to
provide greater detail about how programs would be developed to address yard waste and electronic
waste.
Descriptions of Three New Measures
1. Leverage community support with a one-year education campaign to increase awareness
about local recycling and waste reduction opportunities, such as pay-as-you-throw(PAYT)
trash rates and new recycling opportunities.
August 8, 2006 page 2
2. Provide customers, upon request to their trash haulers, with optional curbside yard waste
collection services (for a fee) on a weekly basis during the six-month growing season.
3. Develop a program to keep electronics, which contain hazardous materials, out of landfills
by providing education and resources for how to recycle, and by prohibiting or restricting
collection of computers and televisions as residential waste by licensed trash haulers.
Budget Considerations
A "push" to increase awareness about recycling could include new outreach projects (such as
household-direct flyers, film productions for TV broadcast,and a community-wide waste reduction
contest),that will cost$30,000 or more to implement. Because the Natural Resources Department's
budget for education and outreach was scaled back in 2006 and maybe further limited in 2007,staff
has held off on outlining a more detailed proposal to carry out a new campaign. If funding for the
project is identified in the process of setting the City's 2007 budget, staff will develop a complete
campaign proposal appropriate to the allocation.
ATTACHMENTS
1. Implementation Plan for Curbside Yardwaste Recycling
2. Implementation Plan for Electronics Recycling Program
August 8, 2006 Council Study Session ATTACHMENT l
Implementation Plan for Curbside Yardwaste Recycling
Curbside Yardwaste Recycling
An Element of a Strategic Plan for 50% Solid Waste Diversion
Introduction
This implementation plan outlines a program that allows residents to subscribe to
curbside yardwaste recycling, a service that would enable Fort Collins to divert a
significant amount of organic material from landfill disposal.
Trash haulers would be required to offer weekly yardwaste service for a fee during the
six-month growing season and take the collected material to a composting facility. The
program would become an element of the City's pay-as-you-throw trash (PAYT) system,
whereby customers could voluntarily subscribe for yardwaste service and haulers would
charge rates commensurate with the costs of trash collection.
Purpose
Fort Collins' adopted goal is to divert 50% of the community's waste from landfill
disposal. Yardwaste, which makes up 15% of the waste stream, is an important material
to target. The purpose of a curbside yardwaste recycling program is to make it so
convenient that residential customers will voluntarily subscribe to the service as an
alternative to having yardwaste collected in the trash.
The program would ultimately divert an estimated 7,500 new tons each year from the
community waste stream, about 2% of the total volume of waste. While this amount
would only incrementally move Fort Collins closer to its goal of 50% diversion, a
curbside yardwaste program will help increase the publics' overall consciousness and
participation in waste reduction and recycling. It will also help strengthen the local
infrastructure for composting biomass, which in turn increases opportunities for diverting
more material such as food waste from restaurants and groceries.
Who will be Affected
A requirement to offer yardwaste collection would apply to residential trash customers,
not commercial accounts. Within Fort Collins city limits, an estimated 30,000 single-
family households would be eligible for the new trash service option of curbside
yardwaste recycling from their private subscription haulers.
Multi-family residences, attached dwellings such as patio and condominium homes, and
businesses would not be included in the program, based on the assumption that much of
their landscape maintenance work is done by professional contractors.
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August 8, 2006 Council Study Session
Implementation Plan for Curbside Yardwaste Recycling
Costs to Businesses
The main businesses that would be affected by a new curbside recycling program are the
trash hauling companies that provide residential service(currently there are four in Fort
Collins). It is assumed that haulers would pass along the costs of providing yardwaste
services to participating customers.
Commercial composting companies would also be affected by an increase in the volumes
of material collected. New business opportunities could be anticipated to occur that
could possibly attract more composting ventures to the local market.
Many cities around the country offer curbside yardwaste recycling and a local example
already exists in Fort Collins. Gallegos Sanitation, Inc. (GSI)began offering the service
to customers in 2000 and currently, about 10-14% of the company's residential accounts
are signed up for yardwaste recycling. GSI started with select homeowner associations
and expands each year to include more customers. Originally, the program was
scheduled for collection every other week, but the company switched to weekly
collection to reduce odor problems, keep the wheeled carts cleaner, and free up storage
space for customers. GSI maintains a disposal contract to deliver the yardwaste to a local
commercial composter, Hageman's Earthcycle. The amount of material collected in
GSI's program has been as high as 215 tons per year.
Loveland's municipal trash utility has collected yardwaste from its citizens on a weekly
basis since 1993. The City of Boulder began testing a curbside yardwaste option
provided by its private-sector hauler in 2005 and because it has been so successful, will
extend the service option to all households in 2007.
Costs to Households
According to market assessments, subscribing to weekly yardwaste collection would be
calculated to cost $60 per year(not a new net cost if customers are currently placing
yardwaste in the trash, where it is being charged for it in accordance with the PAYT
system). The $60 estimate is consistent with what local market conditions reflect for
GSI's service. The company charges $9.00 or $10.00 per month to collect yardwaste,
depending on location, with a limit of 100 gallons per week, which translates to as little
as 2.25 cents per gallon. (Haulers in Fort Collins charge $13.80 - $18 per month for 95-
gallons-per-week of trash service, which translates to a minimum 3.63 cents per gallon.)
GSI suggests customers sign up if they routinely set out two or more bags of grass/lawn
debris per week during the warm weather season. As a company policy, customers are
not charged for the special yardwaste collection cart, which is designed with vents for air
circulation. Other private haulers in Fort Collins, however, might elect to charge
customers a deposit on a new cart designated for yardwaste.
Page 2 of 4
August 8, 2006 Council Study Session
Implementation Plan for Curbside Yardwaste Recycling
Citizens who currently take their organic debris to a yardwaste drop-off site may not elect
to use the option of subscribing to curbside collection. Their decision will depend on
whether they find it worth saving gas and time to avoid making the drop-off trip.
City's Role
Althoughsome
states ban organic materials from landfill disposal, Colorado does not
have any prohibitions. Currently the only Colorado law directly involved with residential
yardwaste recycling programs is a state requirement for commercial composters to have a
Certificate of Designation if they accept more than threshold amounts. The City would
not have an operational role in curbside yardwaste collection but would be involved in
regulatory oversight of compliance with an amendment to the trash ordinance.
A new amendment to City Code calling for trash haulers to provide organics collection
service to residential customers upon request would further specify that:
• haulers would be required to deliver materials to a certifiable composting
facility,
• haulers would only be required to provide collection service (weekly)
during the growing season (May—October), and
• haulers would be required to take reasonable efforts to prevent nuisances
such as odor from occurring.
In addition, the Code would be amended to require that haulers and persons arranging for
service to group accounts notify all residential customers of the availability of the
organics collection service.
Staff would track haulers' implementation programs and monitor the results. The City
would also help inform residents of the new program, and provide education about the
importance of subscribing to curbside yardwaste collection to increase landfill diversion.
Summary
Fort Collins' pay-as-you-throw program creates an incentive for residents to minimize
their trash, and being able to divert yard waste will provide a significant opportunity for
many residents to reduce their volumes and potentially save money. The community has
continuously demonstrated active support for recycling, so it can be anticipated that
residents will subscribe to curbside yardwaste recycling as they learn about the option.
According to a survey conducted in November 2005, half of the respondents said they
would be "very likely" or"somewhat likely"to use curb-side yard waste pickup services.
The private sector has most of the infrastructure in place to collect recyclable and waste
materials from individual households, including trucks, drivers, collection routes, and
customer service and billing capacity. Haulers and recyclers will be able to recover the
costs of providing a new service option through customer fees.
Page 3 of 4
August 8, 2006 Council Study Session
Implementation Plan for Curbside Yardwaste Recycling
Waste diversion rates for many communities in Colorado hover at 8-10%because they
have not adopted policies such as PAYT trash rates. Fort Collins currently ranks among
the most successful, with a 25% diversion rate and a highly motivated citizenry. A
curbside yardwaste recycling program could be an appropriate next step for the City to
work on, and will assist the community at increasing its level of waste diversion.
Page 4 of 4
August 8, 2006 Council Study Session ATTACHMENT 2
Implementation Plan for Electronics Recycling Program
Computers & Television Recycling Program
An Element of a Strategic Plan for 50% Solid Waste Diversion
Introduction
This proposal outlines a three-part program to reduce the number of computers and
televisions in the community that are sent to landfills for disposal. While there are still
details to be worked out, the City would:
• Increase education to citizens about recycling options that help keep hazardous
elements contained in electronic waste (such as lead, mercury, cadmium) from
being buried in landfills,
• Provide references for reputable recycling companies for citizens to use, and
• Create restrictions intended to prevent computers and televisions, as well as cell
phones and personal digital assistants (PDA's) such as Palm Pilots and
Blackberries from being collected in the waste stream.
It is important to note that the City would be forging new ground if it enacted a local ban
on disposal of computers, since we have not found other examples of bans except among
municipalities that own their own landfills or operate a municipal trash utility. An
alternative(or additional) approach would be to adopt a requirement that would prohibit
trash haulers from collecting computers/TVs in the trash, as a condition of their Fort
Collins license. These options will be evaluated further as possible City Code changes
are drafted for Council review.
Purpose
Electronics are out-dated so rapidly that 50 million computers are now being discarded
each year in the U.S., creating greater risks for toxic pollution and filling up landfills. By
banning electronic waste ("e-waste"), Fort Collins will help protect the local environment
and also address the goal of diverting 50%of the community's waste from landfill
disposal.
It is already illegal for commercial generators to put computers in the trash, but no such
federal regulation exists for residents. Seven states (Minnesota, Arkansas, Rhode Island,
New Hampshire, California, Maine, and Massachusetts) have independently adopted
landfill bans that also address residential sources. Colorado prohibits cathode ray tubes
(CRT) from commercial generators from being landfilled.
In recent years, numerous recycling companies have sprung up that ship a-waste
overseas, where inappropriate techniques used to smelt out the valuable metals leave
workers, including child laborers, unprotected. The City will make a concerted effort to
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August 8, 2006 Council Study Session
Implementation Plan for Electronics Recycling Program
help the public identify which companies are applying ethical labor practices as well as
environmental stewardship, in order to help citizens make well-informed decisions about
how and where to recycle e-waste. (Fort Collins' website, which currently provides
information about computer recycling options, does attempt to avoid promoting
unscrupulous recyclers' activities.)
Around the country, many efforts have been made to hold community a-waste collection
events. Fort Collins sponsored yearly"round-ups"until 2004, when private enterprises
began to offer more computer recycling options. For instance, at the Larimer County
Recycling Center, computers are now accepted from the public, and some of the larger
computer manufacturers have created "take back" programs.
Recently, Loveland's municipal trash utility banned computers and televisions from its
residential trash system. Customers are now required to call for a separate collection
appointment, and are charged a$5 fee to recycle monitors and televisions, to which the
City adds a$5 subsidy to pay for the recycling.
In 2002, the City of Cheyenne amended its municipal code to prohibit disposal of a-waste
in the city-owned landfill. Cheyenne does not charge residents to bring computers and
televisions to a collection facility,but commercial generators pay 30 cents per pound.
Who will be Affected
A ban on disposing of electronics in the trash would apply to all households in Fort
Collins that use the services of a trash hauling company, including single-family and
multi-family residents, because they would be required to take special action to rid
themselves of computers, televisions, cell phones, and PDA's. It would not apply to
residents who self-haul their trash directly to landfills for disposal, since Fort Collins'
ordinances do not apply outside of city limits.
Businesses and other commercial generators of a-waste would not be directly affected by
a new Fort Collins program, since they are already legally required to recycle computers.
An a-waste disposal ban would impact trash hauling companies that provide residential
service in Fort Collins because they would be prohibited from picking up computers and
televisions in household trash. However, they could elect to offer a separate recycling
service to customers, although they would not be required to do so. For computer
recyclers that selectively offer curbside collection, a city ban would increase business
opportunities.
Costs to Businesses
Any curbside a-waste recycler who collects computers and televisions would be required
to keep a-waste separate from the waste stream and take it to a legitimate recycling/
disassembly facility. The recycler would be allowed to charge fees to cover their
collection and delivery costs. Although some computer components contain small
Page 2 of 4
August 8, 2006 Council Study Session
Implementation Plan for Electronics Recycling Program
amounts of valuable materials (copper, gold, and other precious metals), it generally costs
money to recycle obsolete computer equipment and televisions because they contain
toxic metals that require special handling and disposal processes to be used.
Businesses dedicated to recovery, re-use, and/or salvaging electronic scrap material
would benefit from a Fort Collins computer and television recycling ban because more
material would be available to supply their operations. New prospects for expanded
business opportunities could attract greater numbers of reputable computer recycling
enterprises to become established in Fort Collins.
Operators of local landfills would benefit from having fewer toxic metals enter their
facilities from electronic waste. Reduced risks to ground water could improve landfills'
regulatory compliance with environmental legislation.
Costs to Households
The fees charged by most recyclers today to accept computer equipment and televisions
at their facilities fall into a range of$10-15. Some components have more value than
others. For instance, some recyclers accept central processing units (CPU's) at no cost
because they may contain precious metals, but will charge$10 for computer monitors,
which are full of lead soldiering that creates hazardous conditions for recyclers.
Residents could decide whether to transport a-waste to a recycler's facilities themselves,
or to pay for a curbside collection service. Most of the trash haulers in Fort Collins
currently treat televisions and computers as "bulky items"in the trash stream, which they
will only collect by appointment for a fee that typically averages around $15. However,
it is possible that by having to collect a-waste separately and then take it to a recycling
facility, haulers could incur more costs that raise the price for curbside a-waste recycling.
City's Role
As resources allow, the City would create a marketing plan and implement a campaign
over the first two years to help people learn about the new program through a variety of
media.
The City would develop and propose to Council City Code language to limit disposal and
collection of computers and televisions, and, if those Code provisions are enacted, would
administer and oversee compliance with the Code.
Staff would identify recycling companies that handle computers in an appropriate manner
that protects both the environment and worker safety. By assuming this role, the City
will provide assistance to citizens currently unavailable from either the state or federal
government. The closest thing to a consumers' assistance or advocacy group to help
ensure computers are recycled correctly are non-profit organizations such as the Basil
Action Network (BAN).
Page 3 of 4
August 8, 1006 Council Study Session
Implementation Plan for Electronics Recycling Program
As part of the biannual report that trash haulers are required to make about their trash and
recycling volumes, data on the amount of a-waste collected would be required. The
information would be included in a yearly solid waste report that staff compiles for the
City Council to monitor the community's progress at meeting waste diversion goals.
Summary
It is important to help educate residents about the importance of keeping a-waste out of
landfills, and to help make it convenient for people to find the best way to recycle their
obsolete computers and televisions. This will only slightly move Fort Collins toward its
adopted goal of diverting 50% of the community's waste from landfills, but more
importantly, it will protect the community from risks of pollution associated with toxic
materials as local landfills age.
Page 4 of 4
August 8,2006
Potential Elements of a
Strategic Plan for 50%
Solid Waste Diversion
❑ Increased Education"Push"
❑ Curbalde Yardwaste
a Electronics Ban
�....• 11•Ivtl0.mw.0.p•rM,{
Presentation Overview
• Background information
• Project review
•2005 survey
• Benefits of recycling
• Three new program recommendations
■ Discussion
Project Review
• Fort Collins cummtly diverts 25%of its waste
from landfill disposal. In 1999,Council
adopted a goal of 50%diversion by 2010,
. Strategic planning has been underway to
determine best ways to reach this goal. During
2005-06,staff:
• Identified'gaps'in current recyding programs
• Researched and evaluated 00-50 new programs
•Mwelsd costs as a gulls W cpnperative purposes
•Conducted put4c InM erred
• Rswmmended new strategies at March 28 study
sess ni
rCs�d i
1
November 2005 Survey
• 73%of mapondents participate in curbside rocyclhg
• 98%ballave recycling I5'gooE for Fat Collins'
• 89%belleve the City should pursue additional means of
recycling and dblension
• 79%bellow 8 is feasible to divert 50%of Near fresh
>58%would be Yery likely or'sanewhat likely to use web.
side yard waste pickup se lcss.even with a small fee
• ground 80%0 households belkve tMir current charges for
bean and recycling are masmabk,but wouu also be willing to
pay'a bit more W achlen,the Cdys retyping goal
Benefits of Recycling
• Economic
• E•tends Ifimpan a local lenells:pmtpmm ccets W site new
landfills
• Cmales 3 timid as many Jobs cumpamd to sending"an to be
landfilled
• Environmental Stewardship
• ConservesnoWnlresources.rawminerals,bees,andwater.
used W m•n if clime products
• Reduces energy needed to mamdacums pnccu
• Prevents pollulim such as gmenhmse gas emissions and
polentlel groundwater comsminstion from landfills
• fcgov.co"mcydinglwhy_recycle.php
Three Program Recommendations
❑ Increased Education"Push"
❑ Curbside Yardwaste
❑ Electronics Ban
2
New Program Proposal:
Provide more education
about waste reduction
Description: Create enhanced education"push"for
one year(topics could include how to lower trash
bills,new recycling options,etc.)
Waste Diversion Increase:-1%(2,172 new tons)
Increased Education
Implementation
• A campaign could include new outreach projects
such as:
• househdddirect flyers
• "Info-mercials'for TV broadcast
• acommunity-wide waste redixtion contest
• New activities will cost$30,000 or more to
implement(money that is not currently in Natural
Resources Department's budget)
• If funding for the project is identified in the City's 2007
budget,staff will develop a complete campaign proposal
New Program Proposal:
Curbside Yardwaste
Description: Create a requirement for trash
haulers to provide weekly curbside yard
waste collection as a new service
Waste Diversion Increase:7,500 tons(2%)
3
Curbside Yardwaste
Implementation
• The City could amend its ordinance to require trash haulers
to offer weekly yardwaste service upon request.
• Realdenbel customers ri lw yerdw..te"iry during the
sinmonth growing season
• Haulers 4ke cdledetl maleNltoacanposang hcillty.
• Trash haulers recover costs of providing new servos through
customer fees.
• One local hauler already offers yardwaste recycling.
• Estimated to cost$60 per year.
New Program Proposal: Prevent
electronic waste from being sent to
landfills for disposal
Description: Divert electronics,which contain
hazardous materials,from the waste stream
through restrictions and public education
Waste Diversion Increase:1,684 tons(<l%)
=a
Keep Electronics out of Waste Stream
Implementation
• The City could emend ea ordinance to prohibit bash haulers hom
ecceptlnp cutsm and teleNslons,as well as call chores and
pea ei dl gdnp lnslstanta(e.g.,Palm Pllots and Bleckbsnies)as
n
• ,Residents would be educated about disposal choices:
•Haulers could accept electronic waste curbside ittaken to a
legitlmate recKl n,facility
•'Sell-haulers'would be enwuragetl to use leasmate
racyders'servkm
• Costa ttcu�sman would not increase horn current lees(-$15 per
TV.r� 4
Ke
ep Electronics out of Waste Stream
Implementation (continued)
a In addition,the City would:
• Increase education to citizens about the
importance of keeping hazardous elements
contained in electronic waste(such as lead,
mercury,cadmium)out of landfills
• Provide references for reputable recycling
companies for citizens to use
Benefits of Adopting Three New Measures
• Appropriate"next steps"that will contribute to
greater diversion
• Help the City tackle emerging a-waste problems
• Strengthen the foundation,improve infrastructure,
for organics diversion
• Augment education and awareness,build public
participation
• leverage success of current programs(e.g.,PAYT
and data collection)
Specif c Direction Sought from Council
• Does Council wish to initiate any of the following
actions:
•allocate money for enhanced education"push"
•amend the trash hauler licensing ordinance with
a requirement to provide yardwaste collection
as a new service
• create restrictions intended to prevent
computers and televisions from being disposed
/ of in the waste stream
5