The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink AboutRECYCLING COLLECTION CENTER PUD - PRELIMINARY AND FINAL - 26-87 - - SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION• CITY OF FORT COLLINS ONE-YEAR PILOT CURBSIDE RECYCLING PLAN PURPOSE: To initiate a one-year pilot recycling project which will cover various aspects and techniques of recycling so as to gain the greatest amount of information in order to evaluate future courses of action and options for city-wide recycling. The program is scheduled to begin June 1, 1987. The pilot program will cover: • a limited area of curbside collection (less than 20%) of city single family domes of paper, aluminum cans, glass, cardboard and used motor oil. • newspaper collection of at least four multi -.family complexes • newspaper collection of at least four elementary schools • extraction of cardboard at the Larimer County landfill • limited city government recycling of paper, cardboard and cans at nine locations BACKGROUND: The City of Fort Collins, Department of Natural Resources is contemplating a city-wide recycling program, the main purpose of which is to increase recycling in the city. On a national scale, recycling is significant because of the energy and natural resource savings. The program will benefit the city because it will make recycling more convenient and therefore increase participation. The recyclables targeted for collection are aluminum cans, newspaper, cardboard, glass and used motor oil.. Benefits of a city-wide recycling program cannot just be measured by direct cost benefits. Saving landfill space, garbage and litter reduction, and contracts creating jobs for local people will be direct benefits to the community. Indirect, but significant on a national scale, are energy and natural resource savings. Generally .landfills are both expensive and difficult to locate due to land use approval. Many Colorado communities are faced with landfill closures and finding additional landfill space. The Larimer County Landfill has an estimated 11 years of capacity left. Although there is no immediate crisis, material that has value is not garbage and has no place in a landfill. The amount of energy and landfill space saved depends on the amount of material collected in the program. One of the more important conservation benefits of recycling is the saving of natural resources by not consuming new raw materials. Trees, metals, oil, water, open space, and wildlife habitats, lost to resource extraction and manufacturing, of new products, are saved by recycling. Colorado residents enjoy many natural resources. For example, every ton of newspaper recycled saves 17.39 trees. Recycling will save these resources for present and future enjoyment and use. State-wide benefits include the example we would set for other communities who, like Tort Coll. -Ins, do not manage their own landfills) nor do they do their own trash 1-inul.i.ng;. The current r.F,cycl.ing activity in Fort Collins is slightly below the state average, as doLermined by studies and surveys. The comparison, taken from "City of Fort Collins RECYCLING SOLID WASTES ISSUES REPORT", March 1985, is shown below: Aluminum Newspaper Glass PERCENT RECYCLED_ State - Fort Collins 76% 74% 25% 23% 17% 5% The opportunity .for recycling in our city is great with estimates of the following for city-wide recycling: RECYCLABLES AVAT.LABLE ITEM PERCENT !- - TONS/YEAR Aluminum 16% 96 Newspaper 47% 3084 Glass 55% 2952 A few changes have been made to the original curbside recycling program submitted to the State for Exxon grant funding, and approved by City Council.. These changes are minor but will significantly improve the quality and capture the greatest amount of information and knowledge possible. As an element of the curbside recycling program, the City is planning a cardboard recycling facility at the Larimer County landfill. The operation will consist of a cardboard bailer, placed on a concrete pad, and three employees using a truck for isolating cardboard at the landfill face, hauling the recycled cardboard back to the bailer, and running the bailer. The recycled cardboard is expected to bring a price of roughly $30.00 a ton, with an estimated recovery of. 125 to 200 tons per month. A conservative estimate of the income from this operation is $3,700 per month. In addition, recovery of cardboard over the projected eleven year -Life of the landfill could extend landfill life by one to two years, or 9 18%. The profits from the cardboard recovery operation can he used to help fund the pilot curbside recycling program. The estimates of "current recycling" and "recyclables available" are based on studies and surveys from Larimer County, Denver County, Boulder County, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and surveys of recycling firms collecting from Fort Collins. Refer to issues report for more detailed information on survey data. -2- PROJI?CC WORK PLAN Area to he Covered The project work plan is for the curbside collection program. 19% of units (D.U.) or approx. 6,264 will recyclables to be collected are: glass, and used motor oil.. Tort_ Collins Population Square Miles Population Density (persons/sq mile) Total number of housing units implementation of a pilot one-year Tort Collins' single family dwelling be invited to participate. Targeted aluminum cans, newspaper, cardboard, 85,600 (1986 est) 34.915 2,452 32,265 (1985 LWCOG DAZ) By reducing the original concept of collecting in one -quarter of the city to 19%, funding, will be available to test alternative collection options. We will be working with Poudre R-1 Schools to have a few elementary schools participate in the educational benefits of recycling newspaper. A few apartment complexes will participate in the newspaper "drop-off" system. Working with the Planning Department an area of broad socio-economic strata was defined using the "Larimer--Weld Council of Governments DAZ Population Estimates April. 1, 1985" report. The houndar..ies will generally he: West - College Avenue East - Union Pacific Railroad Tracks (east of Iaemay) North - Mulherry Avenue South - Horsetooth Road The total number of dwelling units within these boundaries is 9,718 D.U. Of these 6,264 households are single family dwelling units. The majority of these single family homes will be provided containers to participate in the program. The City"s Information Communication Systems Department will assist us with obtaining mailing labels. Volunteers will be recruited to label and mail brochures to all occupants in the recycling area. Arrangements have been made with Larimer County to allow the extraction and marketing of cardboard. -3- �• ,,, , E Chtlrrx' -175 Total single family & multi —family dwellin its in cicy = 32,265 �y 141 + tYnrok +Jwsv �lv w1 1 1 3'7 �, � 19 % o[ t o t a l s f:' & rn f l) . U. i n c i t y = -lain AVUnIIo p w� Accual single family D.U.'s in highli.s j-1t i1 YA Y.11'L.ts YlY 1:1l� 44i9L1i4'aL•i ��.s {J C ��•'� sections 6,2611 • ? 102v \ .• ... , i1 • :'::.it:• � 'i'tt:t �_ ' ' Y[tG IkY. 1lJWCytYN S•vuu.� �Y uciL ycA,o.,. I'� 1 C h w ^ Y l U •' .. \ 72 1 ( 7>. l (39 119 s m+�►r� �:Ylc�t��a•111�(,�ur:.uu.:.u.aw¢.u��yi,,:c+,: tsit,• _ •1 � 1 PRevised recycling area — 19%(7210 _0 Original recycling . . { i +trnw�i +r•''•�� L area — 25% •1 I• 1 ""' 8 0 i UU • i�yy�iy �y L La`lYiti hll( i '17' (1 i:•k •Y \ ,• a a i u�W low oat x� 2 p 13 ( �f) E ( ) o 5) o Plo 13� "13 a 6G1gO111 190 d IY.I'GSkWYlil4(W4Gi.'YiAY.f�--...:. .