vvEPA Complex Recycling
Issues
Strategies for Record-Setting
Waste Reduction in Multi-
Family Dwellings
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Solid Waste and
Emergency Response
(5306W)
EPA-530-F-99-022
October 1999
www.epa.gov/osw
Waste
Reduction
The Waste Reduction Record-Setters Project fosters the
development of exceptional waste reduction programs by
documenting successful ones. These programs can be used as models for
others implementing their own programs to reduce waste. This fact sheet packet is oriented
toward recycling coordinators, building managers and owners, and highlights record-
setting multi-family dwelling (MFD) waste reduction programs.
Why are special multi-family dwelling (MFD) waste
reduction programs necessary?
The U.S. has nearly 97.7 million occupied residential units, 15.9 million of which are
located in buildings or complexes with five or more units.1 Residents in these
households are often left out of community curbside recycling programs because (1)
programs where each household places materials at the curb for collection are not
suited to many MFDs, and (2) commercial waste haulers, not local government, typically
provide waste management services to MFDs. Yet, residents in MFDs often want the
opportunity to participate in waste reduction programs and desire the convenience of
curbside collection.
What is a MFD waste reduction program?
here is no single model for a MFD waste reduction program because of variation in
building size, layout, resident characteristics, and trash disposal systems. Some
programs collect both yard debris and other recyclables. Others collect only recyclables.
Some require residents to deliver materials to a central location. Others provide
collection from doorways or at curbs. In general, successful programs provide residents
with the convenience of curbside collection while fitting into existing waste
management systems.
Benefits of MFD waste reduction programs
Decrease waste disposal costs for building owners and households;
Bring buildings into compliance with applicable MFD recycling
laws/regulations;
Help achieve local and state recycling goals;
Make recycling accessible to more of the community.
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Implementing a record-setting MFD waste reduction program
Numerous strategies, policies, and
procedures contribute to the success
of the record-setting MFD waste
reduction programs profiled in this fact
sheet. These include:
Enacted state and local
laws or requirements
State and local laws have encouraged
communities to institute waste reduction
programs among MFDs served by
municipal trash programs and encourage
buildings and complexes served by
private companies to develop their own
waste reduction programs.
California's law requiring all cities to divert
50% of their solid waste by the year 2000
spurred San Jose to start its Recycle Plus
Program in 1993. Under this program, the
city offered recycling services to residents
of MFDs for the first time.
Leisure World, in Laguna Hills, California,
instituted its waste reduction program the
year after the state passed its law.
The Syracuse Housing Authority instituted
recycling in apartment buildings under its
jurisdiction in response to state and local
regulations.
Encourage resident
participation
Just a few people who do not recycle
correctly, contaminating recycling bins
with the wrong items or throwing away
recyclables, can greatly influence others.
This is especially true in buildings with
common recycling areas. Contaminated
recycling bins, may send the message that
the program is not serious.
The profiled record-setters have used
fines, education, lease requirements, and
incentives to encourage individual
tenants to reduce waste.
If the management at Blossom Hills Estates
in San Jose, California, finds a lot of
recyclables in trash from a particular
household and the household does not
begin to comply with the recycling
program, the complex can fine the residents
$30.
Syracuse Housing Authority (SHA) uses
both fines and one-on-one education to
encourage residents to reduce waste. For
the first improper recycling offense, SHA
fines residents $5. SHA often dismisses
appealed fines, but uses the opportunity to
explain the importance of recycling and
how to do it correctly.
Saint Paul and Seattle both recommend
that building managers require residents to
recycle in all leases. San Jose Green Team
What qualifies as a record-setting MFD program?
This fact sheet packet profiles three types of MFD recycling programs; (1) community-wide
programs, (2) single-building or -complex programs, and (3) a university residence hall program.
Waste reduction levels vary within each profile type.
Of the nine profiled programs, the four community record-setters report waste reduction levels
from 22% to 25%. A selected representative building participating in the Syracuse Public Housing
MFD recycling program reached a diversion level of 20%. A recent U.S. EPA-funded study of
municipal MFD recycling programs completed by the U.S. Conference of Mayors reported the
average program diverted 15% of residents'waste from disposal through recycling.2 Only 11 of
the 40 communities studied achieved recycling rates of over 20%.3
Individual buildings and complexes have been able to achieve higher waste reduction levels than
entire communities. The three building and complex programs profiled here are recovering
between 50% and 65% of their waste, impressive recovery rates in any setting.
The one profiled university program, the University of Michigan, is achieving a 30% waste
reduction level. This program is one of the oldest university residence hall recycling programs and
may have the highest dormitory waste reduction level.
staff provide building managers with model
lease agreements incorporating recycling
requirements.
The University of Michigan sponsors
competitions among residence halls to
reward conservation efforts, including
waste reduction.
Seek management
participation
Waste reduction programs need
management commitment to succeed.
Communities with record-setting MFD
waste reduction programs use both
incentives to encourage participation and
disincentives to discourage non-
compliance with program requirements.
Both Seattle and San Jose charge volume-
based fees for trash collection and provide
recycling services at no additional charge.
MFDs with successful waste reduction
programs can save money on trash
disposal.
East Orange's local recycling ordinance
allows the city to fine apartment
management and/or discontinue both trash
and recycling services for failure to comply
with the city's requirements. Discontinuing
service would force management to pay a
private hauler for a service they have
already paid for through city property taxes.
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Implementing a record-setting MFD waste reduction program
Make programs
convenient
Building layout and resident
demographics may help determine
program design. However, recycling
coordinators stress convenience as an
underlying theme for collection
methods.
The Commodore Club in Key Biscayne,
Florida, uses a chute for trash and
recyclables. Computer controls ensure
source-separated materials drop into
the proper receptacle. This system
allows residents to deliver both trash
and recyclables to the same place and
eliminates the need for a recycling area
on each floor of the building.
Saint Paul uses the same set-out system,
list of acceptable items, and instructions
for preparation of materials throughout
the city. This makes education easier,
and it means that a resident who moves
does not have to relearn recycling
requirements.
Syracuse Housing Authority has
brought the convenience of curbside
service to some of its public housing
residents. Where space allows, residents
receive door-to-door pick-up of both
trash and recyclables. In some high-
rises, residents receive door-to-door
pick-up of recyclables, but must bring
trash to a chute, which empties into a
basement compactor.
When buildingsjoin the East Orange
MFD waste reduction program, a city
inspector evaluates the building and
helps management tailor the program
to the individual building layout and
trash collection system.
Educate
Compost
Education is an important tool to
encourage proper program
participation in any waste reduction
program. Because apartments have a
higher turnover than single-family
homes, education efforts must be
continual, and more intensive than
with single-family homes. Record-
setting MFD waste reduction
education programs use a variety of
media vehicles to spread messages,
repeat messages frequently, often use
pictures or multiple languages in their
outreach efforts, and spread the
message within buildings through
meetings and volunteers.
The University of Michigan spreads
waste reduction messages through
signs in recycling areas, a newsletter, its
Web page, displays on campus, and at
student meetings. These educational
efforts are on-going throughout the
academic year.
Managers at Blossom Hill Estates send
informational mailings about waste
reduction programs to every household
three times a year and provide residents
one-on-one training on an ongoing
basis.
Saint Paul's educational materials
provide basic, clear guidelines and are
available in many languages (including
English, Spanish, Russian, Cambodian,
Hmong, Chinese, Vietnamese, and
Somali).
Seattle uses MFD resident volunteers to
spread recycling messages in their
buildings through the city's"Friend of
Recycling"program. Program
volunteers attend a city training session,
then serve as recycling advocates in
their buildings.
Many MFDs have little landscaping but
those with lawns, trees, and shrubs
find composting can help them
achieve high waste reduction levels
and often saves money.
Leisure World is a sprawling residential
community where landscaping crews
collect yard debris for composting. In
fiscal year 1996, the complex diverted
30% of its waste through composting,
avoided more than $130,000 in disposal
fees for the diverted material, and cut
landscaping costs by using finished
compost and mulch on-site.
San Jose provides yard trimmings
collection services to all of the city's
household, including MFDs. Yard
trimmings account for 66% of material
diverted from the multi-family waste
stream.
Provide feedback
Providing feedback to residents helps
them understand that their efforts do
indeed make a difference.
Communicating successes and failures
to building management in a timely
manner can alert them to potential
difficulties and help them solve
problems before low participation or
contamination jeopardize program
viability.
In Saint Paul, providing feedback is easy.
The city requires haulers to report
monthly pick-up information for each
account served. The Saint Paul
Neighborhood Energy Consortium
distributes posters that building
managers can use to graph these data
and display recycling achievements.
East Orange MFD recycling collection
staff note decreases in amounts of
materials recovered and increases in
contamination at buildings on an
ongoing basis. When collection staff
report problems, city management work
with building staff to rectify the
problem.
Bins for recyclables at a
MFD complex in Saint
Paul, Minnesota
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Model Programs Some Numbers and Descriptions
Record-Setting
Program
Blossom Hill
Estates, San Jose,
California
Commodore Club
Condominiums,
Key Biscayne,
Florida
East Orange, New
Jersey
# Households
736
% Waste Stream
Recovered
65% in one
complex
50% in second
complex
187
59%
6,236
22%
Materials Recovered
ONP; OCC; OMG; mixed paper; glass
container; cansjuice and milk cartons;
plastic bags, bottles, and jugs;
polystyrene packaging; scrap metals;
empty aerosol cans; textiles; yard
trimmings
ONP; aluminum; steel cans; glass food
and beverage containers; #1,2, & 3
plastics
ONP, OMG, phone books, cans; #1 & #2
plastics, glass containers
Collection Strategy
sets of three 96-gallon recycling bins
(one for each: newspaper, mixed
paper, and other recyclables)
chute in laundry room on each floor
empties into containers in basement.
Computer delivers container for
newspaper, cans, glass, or plastics
under chute as needed.
sets of two 90-gallon carts (paper
products in one; containers in the
other), approximately one set per 30
households
Leisure World,
Laguna Hills,
California
Saint Paul,
Minnesota
12,736
27,114
50% ONP, OMG, aluminum, glass food and
beverage containers, white goods, scrap
metal, laser cartridges,yard trimmings
23% ONP, OMG, OCC, phone books, mail,
paperboard, glass
various methods for different building
types: curbside collection; common
collection containers; centralized
drop-off site
clusters of six 90-gallon wheeled carts;
at least one cluster for every 100
households
San Jose,
California
80,440
Seattle,
Washington
54,900
25% ONP; OCC; OMG; mixed paper; glass
container; cansjuice and milk cartons;
plastic bags, bottles, and jugs;
polystyrene packaging; scrap metals;
empty aerosol cans; textiles; yard
trimmings
23% ONP, OMG, mixed paper, glass
containers, cans. Two out of four
contracted collection companies also
collect #1 and #2 plastic bottles
one set of three 96-gallon recycling
bins (one for each: newspaper, mixed
paper, and other recyclables) for every
25 households
each contractor has a slightly different
system but buildingsjoining now
require residents to sort materials into
four streams. Containers used
included dumpsters and toters.
Syracuse Housing
Authority,
Syracuse, New
York
University of
Michigan,Ann
Arbor, Michigan
2,600 Not available for
all buildings:
20% forToomey
Abbott Tower
(293
households)
5,000
30%
ONP, OMG, OCC, mixed paper, glass and
metal food and beverage containers,
aluminum foil and pans, aerosol cans,
milk andjuice cartons
ONP, OCC, OMG, mixed paper, glass, #1 &
#2 plastics, aluminum, aerosol cans,
juice and milk cartons, ceramics, scrap
metal
buildings have different methods:
door to door pick-up; common
collection rooms on each floor of
building
common collection rooms on each
floor of residence halls. Students
separate OCC, mixed paper, mixed
other recyclables
ONP = newspaper OCC = corrugated cardboard OMG = magazines and catalogs
Note: Comparisons of program data should be undertaken with care. It is not valid to compare different types of programs with each other.
For example, community-wide recycling rates are not comparable with rates in single-building programs. Furthermore, cost data presented in
the profiles are not meant to be comparable among programs. Data are presented in order to compare costs of waste management elements
in each individual program.
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Creating and maintaining a record-setting MFD recycling program
Some questions and answers
Q
Can recycling help decrease my
costs?
A By disposing fewer tons, disposal
charges can decrease. Building
owners and managers often can save
money by reducing trash pick-up
frequency and/or dumpster size. In
addition, higher recovery rates lead to
lower per ton costs for recycling. A
recent study reported that as
community-wide MFD diversion levels
increased, per ton collection costs for
recyclables decreased."
A
QWill I have huge start-up
costs?
Not necessarily. Start-up costs
can vary considerably and need
not be large. Some community MFD
programs provide collection
containers and bins and/or provide
educational tools and assistance.
Some private haulers also provide or
rent collection containers. In contrast,
installing a new chute system or other
system with high equipment costs will
be more expensive in the short run
and may have a longer pay-back
period. In all cases though, the higher
your diversion, the shorter your pay-
back period will be.
QWejust completed a big
educational program. When do I
need to do another one?
A Start tomorrow. Because of high
resident turnover in MFDs and
difficulty identifying individuals that are
not participating, education efforts
must be continual and more intensive
than with single-family homes. New
tenants will need concentrated
educational efforts to help them up the
learning curve. In-person contact is
best. Some coordinators spend time
with residents going through their trash
and going over what is and is not
recyclable.
Q
A
Which MFD waste reduction
system works best?
There is no one system that works
in every building or community.
Building layout and area fire and health
codes and zoning regulations may
dictate program design. Special
considerations may also need to be
made for typical residents. For example,
programs designed for senior citizen
housing should take into account that
residents often have limited strength
and mobility. Finally, the program may
need some adjusting to get itjust right.
You may find that you need more
collection containers than originally
planned, or that your signs are a bit
confusing. Listening, evaluating, and
adjusting will help you create a high
diversion, cost-saving program.
Q
A
Why is designing a convenient
program so important?
Residents and staff may not want
to participate if they perceive the
program requires more time or effort
than just throwing materials away.
Placing recycling containers close to
trash containers and allowing residents
to commingle recyclables can enhance
convenience.
Q
A
Our residents want to recycle but
the maintenance staff are
opposed. How can we sell the
program to them?
Involve the staff in program
planning. If you already have a
program, ask the staff how they would
improve it. Collection staff may have
insight into how to solve problems,
increase participation, and make the
program more efficient. Asking for and
using staff advice can create program
buy-in, potentially save money, and help
you reach higher waste diversion levels.
Q
A
My community offers waste
reduction programs for MFDs,
but many buildings and complexes
do not participate. How can we get
everyone on board?
All of the profiled community
record-setters mandate waste
reduction in MFDs or provide financial
incentives for successful waste
reduction. Mandates can include state
or local community requirements that
MFDs offer waste reduction
opportunities to residents;
requirements that private waste haulers
provide waste reduction services to
their customers; or requirements that all
residents, including those in MFDs,
participate. Financial incentives for
building management and owners can
include charging for trash based on
weight or volume and providing waste
reduction services at a lower rate or no
extra charge or charging more for trash
services at buildings and complexes
that do not participate in waste
reduction programs.
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Tips from record-setters
Involve residents in program planning
and implementation.
Provide waste reduction education
and information to new residents when
they first move into units.
Educate people on what needs to be
done and why. Recycling will help the
environment in many ways.5
Provide clear, simple explanatory
materials.
Use multiple means of getting the
message out including tenant
meetings, newsletters, lease clauses,
posters celebrating achievements, and
direct mailings.
Help people learn. Work with people.
Explain in person how and what to
recycle.
Re-educate whenever programs
change. For example, hand out flyers
whenever new materials are added.
Use in-building volunteers to
communicate with other residents about
program difficulties and successes.
Make participation simple and
convenient.
Reach residents by placing
information where the residents are, such
as on or near recycling containers.
Encourage or reward resident
participation.
Require that residents recycle
through their lease agreements.
Ensure management support and
long-term commitment.
Pay attention to the needs of your
collection staff; they are an important
Notes
1 U.S. Census Bureau, 1995 American
Housing Survey. Available at
-------
&EPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Solid Waste and
Emergency Response
(5306W)
EPA-530-F-99-022a
October 1999
www.epa.gov/osw
Blossom Hill Estates
San Jose, California
50% and 65% Waste Reduction Rate
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-------
trash from a particular household, they
send that resident and the landlord a
letter. The letter contains notice of a
$30 fine for not recycling as well as an
explanation that if a resident can
recycle properly for 90 days, the
resident does not have to pay the fine.
Residents reached a 50% diversion rate
within 90 days of program
implementation.
Outreach Activities
At both complexes, building
managers spend time with residents
going through residents'trash,
explaining what is recyclable, how to
prepare it, and where to put it. In
addition, building management staff
send informational mailings to every
household and the landlord three times
per year.
Costs/Benefits
Start-up costs were minimal.
Operating costs, including mailings
to every resident three times per year,
are also low. The city provides recycling
collection containers, and does not
charge extra for recycling services. The
trash fees MFDs pay cover recycling
services. Trash fees have been fairly
consistent from 1993 to 1997. During
the first year of program
implementation at Blossom Hill Estates
II, building management spent $2,000
on stamps sending letters to all
residents.
Total disposal and composting
costs at Blossom Hill Estates II were
$77,500 per year before the recycling
program; total trash and waste
reduction costs dropped by 41% to only
$45,300 in 1997. Disposal costs at
Blossom Hill Estates I were $67,000 per
year before the recycling program; trash
and diversion cost $40,000 in 1997,
representing a 40% reduction in costs.
In total, Blossom Hill Estates avoids
almost $60,000 per year on disposal
costs and diverts more than 50% of its
waste at a cost of less than $14,000.
Of the money that Blossom Hill
Estates pays for landscape services,
approximately $1,100 per month is for
composting services.
Tips for Replication
Show owners that they can realize
big savings through recycling.
Educate people on what needs to
be done and why. Explain that nobody
is making more land for landfills.
Recycling will help the environment.
Help people learn. Show them
how to prepare recyclables. Work with
people.
Contact:
Bill Holman
Jane Holman
Building Managers
Blossom Hill Estates 2
5533 Snell Avenue
Suite 203
San Jose, CA 95123
(408)281-3771
Program Summary
Blossom Hill Estates II
1993
4 units per building, 86
buildings in complex
344
Before
Blossom Hill Estates I
1997
4 units per building, 98
buildings in complex
392
Before
Start Date
Type of Multi-Family Buildings
Households Served
Total Waste Generated (Tons)
Disposed
Diverted*
Total Diverted (%)
Recycled*
Composted*
Average Generation
(lbs./HH/day)
Disposed
Diverted
Fees per Year
Disposal
Diversion
Net Costs per HH per Year
Disposal services per HH
Diversion services per HH
Savings per HH
HH = household
Note: Numbers may not add to total due to rounding.
*ILSR estimated tons recycled and composted. Recycled tonnage was set equal to the reduction in trash disposal at
Blossom Hill Estates during the period studied. HSR converted volume of yard trimmings to weight using the
following conversions: 1 cubic yard brush = 300 Ibs.; 1 cubic yard of grass clippings = 702 Ibs.
ecycling
595
520
75
13%
0%
13%
9.5
8.3
1.2
$77,472
$64,272
$13,200
$225
$187
$38
1997
595
208
387
65%
52%
13%
9.5
3.3
6.2
$45,336
$32,136
$13,200
$138
$93
$45
$87
Recycling
624
624
0
0%
0%
0%
8.7
8.7
0.0
$67,200
$67,200
$0
$171
$171
$0
1997
624
312
312
50%
50%
0%
8.7
4.4
4.4
$40,133
$39,504
$629
$102
$101
$2
$69
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-------
&EPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Solid Waste and
Emergency Response
(5306W)
EPA-530-F-99-022b
October 1999
www.epa.gov/osw
Commodore Club
Key Biscayne, Florida
59% Waste Reduction Rate
Residents of the 187-household Commodore Club Condominiums
in Key Biscayne, Florida, an island suburb of Miami, have been
recycling since 1992. Using a modified trash chute system, which
accommodates trash and separated recyclables, residents recycle approximately 59%
of their solid waste. This saves the condominium approximately $1,500 per year in disposal costs
and an estimated $3,000 per year in indirect costs, such as pest control.
Program Description
Residents of Key Biscayne Commodore
Club condominiums in Key Biscayne,
Florida (population 8,854,1990
^ census), have been recycling using a
modified trash chute system since
1992. Residents separate newspaper,
aluminum cans, glass food and
beverage containers, and #1, #2, and
#3 plastics for recycling. Each
material goes down the chute into its
own receptacle.
The system, designed by Hi-Rise
Recycling Systems, Inc., works as
follows: a computer panel with buttons
for trash, newspaper, glass, plastics, and
cans is located next to the door of a
chute in the laundry room on each floor.
Bins corresponding to each type of
material sit on a rotating platform under
the chute opening in the basement.
When a resident wants to throw away
trash, she pushes the trash button on
the panel. This causes the platform in
the basement to rotate the trash
container directly under the opening.
When the container is in place, a light
appears on the computer panel, the
chute door unlocks, the resident
opens the door and throws away
her trash. Next, she may push the
button for newspaper recycling. The platform
in the basement rotates so that the newspaper
container is under the chute opening, and the
system is ready for her recyclable newspaper.
The platform contains two containers for trash
and four for recyclables.
Waste Management of Dade County picks
up trash every Monday through Saturday, and
recyclables once a week. The company picks
up trash more frequently than recyclables to
avoid odor and vector problems. There is very
little contamination of recyclables. Although
Waste Management can charge the building for
contaminated loads, Commodore Club
Condominiums has never been charged. The
building manager, in charge of running the
recycling program, believes that the fast, easy
collection system encourages high
participation rates and high-quality separation
of recyclables.
Building staff service the basement
trash/recycling room twice a day to switch bins
if necessary and ensure the system is running
properly. They pressure clean the bins monthly.
Materials Collected
Newspaper
Aluminum
Steel cans
Glass food and beverage containers
Plastics #1,2, & 3
This profile is part of the fact sheet Complex Recycling Issues: Strategies for Record-Setting Waste Reduction in Multi-
Family Dwellings (EPA-530-F-99-022).
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Outreach Activities
Many residents were involved in
choosing this recycling system and
became interested in participating.
Once they chose the system, a
representative from Hi-Rise Recycling
conducted a workshop at the complex,
explaining how the system worked,
what the county accepted for recycling,
how materials should be separated, the
plastics coding system, and what
residents needed to do to ensure a
successful program.
During the program's first three
months, the Hi-Rise representative
visited Commodore Club at least every-
other day to check the containers in the
basement and talk to residents as
needed. She put a new reinforcement
poster in each chute room every two
weeks. After three months, she sent
every resident a letter congratulating
them on their recycling efforts.
On an ongoing basis, Hi-Rise
supplies literature, which building staff
leave in common areas, including
instructions for how to recycle at the
chutes.
Costs/Benefits
In 1991, before implementing the
recycling system, Commodore Club
paid an estimated $2,130 per month in
trash hauling charges. The
condominiums also paid approximately
$7,300 in labor costs per year relating to
trash collection and removal. Hauling
and labor costs before the recycling
program were approximately $32,900
per year.
In 1998, Commodore Club paid
$714 per month for the Hi-Rise system.
This included installation and
maintenance. This is a lease-to-own rate
and, in 1999, Commodore Club will have
paid for the system. Although
Commodore Club will continue to pay a
monthly maintenance fee, this will be
much lower than its current monthly
rental charge, and savings over previous
trash costs will increase. In addition to
the monthly fees, Commodore Club pays
$1,750 in hauling charges per month,
based on a per container pick-up charge
for both trash and recyclables.
Commodore Club also pays
approximately $1,800 per year in labor
costs relating to trash and recycling
services. Because building services staff
used to pick up trash on each floor,
concentrating all trash and recyclables in
one place has greatly reduced labor time
for pick-up and maintenance. In total, for
trash and recyclables service,
Commodore Club pays approximately
$31,400 per year.
Since implementing its recycling
program, Commodore Club has saved
approximately $1,600 per year in trash
costs in addition to an estimated $3,000
per year in indirect costs such as reduced
cleaning and pest control in the trash
rooms on each floor.
Tips for Replication
Make recycling easy. In order to
reach high recovery rates, recycling has
to be easy for residents.
Simplify separation and recovery
procedures.
Ensure management support.
Management support makes a huge
difference in program success.
Contacts:
Joe Bier
General Manager
Key Biscayne Commodore Club 1
177 Ocean Lane Drive
Key Biscayne, FL 33149
(305)361-1656
Amy Creekmur
Hi-Rise Recycling, Inc.
16255N.W.54Ave.
Miami, FL 33014
(305) 624-9222 fax (305) 625-4666
Program Summary, 1998
Start Date
Type of Multi-Family Building
Households Served
Total Waste Generated (Tons)
Disposed
Diverted
Total Diverted (%)
Materials Recovered (Tons)
Newspaper
Mixed glass
Aluminum cans
Plastics
Average Generation (Ibs./HH/day)
Disposed
Diverted
Cost per year*
Before recycling program
With recycling program
Cost per HH per year
Before recycling program
With recycling program
1992
12-story building, built circa 1972
187; 139 2-bedroom units, 24 3-bedroom
units, 24 1-bedroom units
89
37
52
59%
52
42
4
1
6
2.6
1.1
1.5
$33,000 (estimated)
$31,400 (estimated)
$176 per HH per year (estimated)
$168 per HH per year (estimated)
HH = household
Numbers may not add to total due to rounding.
* Costs represent labor costs for Commodore Club employees who spend time handling trash and recycling,
hauling contractor costs, and Hi-Rise system rental fees (with recycling program).
-------
&EPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Solid Waste and
Emergency Response
(5306W)
EPA-530-F-99-022C
October 1999
www.epa.gov/osw
East Orange,
New Jersey
22% Waste Reduction Rate in Multi-family Dwellings
East Orange, New Jersey, offers recycling services to all its residents. The
city-run program serving residents of multi-family households in
complexes with 50 or more units began in 1992. Residents receive
weekly collection of newspaper, magazines, phone books, aluminum
and ferrous cans, #1 and #2 plastics, and clear, green, and brown glass bottles and
jars. In 1996, residents served by this recycling program diverted 22% of their waste from
disposal.
Program Description
E
ast Orange, New Jersey (population 73,000),
is located about 15 miles west of New York
City, and is a highly urban community.
Well over 50% of households in East
Orange reside in multi-family
buildings. All multi-family
households receive curbside
recycling service, with a combined
single-family/small multi-family
service provided under contract, and
a separate recycling collection to
complexes with 50 or more units
provided by municipal employees. A
private firm, under city contract, collects
trash for the entire city.
East Orange instituted single-family
recycling in 1989, and followed with a
MFD recycling program three years later.
Recycling is mandated by state law which
requires communities to offer recycling
services and residents to separate
recyclables from trash. East Orange's
local recycling ordinance allows the city
to fine apartment management for
failure to comply with the city's
recycling requirements and allows the
city to discontinue both trash and
recycling services for non-
compliance. The city has fined some
complexes but has never
discontinued service to a building.
The single-family program and
each recycle the same materials, in a two
separation set-out. The city provides its multi-
family customers with sets of 90-gallon carts,
with each set of two carts serving about 30
households. Paper products go in one cart and
commingled containers in the second. These
carts are typically placed near trash receptacles
in complexes with common trash areas. In
buildings with trash chutes, city staff usually
place small recycling containers on each floor
and building maintenance staff are responsible
for emptying these containers into the central
containers for collection by city crews.
City crews use six-cubic-yard rear-loading
packer trucks to provide weekly collection
service to East Orange's MFDs. They collect
paper on one pass and commingled containers
on a separate pass. City crews deliver collected
recyclables to a materials recovery facility
(MRF), which a private firm operates. The city
pays no tip fee at the facility and receives 10%
of revenues from the sale of its paper.
Materials Collected
Newspaper
Magazines
Phone books
Aluminum and ferrous cans
#1 and #2 plastics
Glass bottles and jars
This profile is part of the fact sheet Complex Recycling Issues: Strategies for Record-Setting Waste Reduction in Multi-
Family Dwellings (EPA-530-F-99-022).
the multi-family recycling programs
-------
Outreach Activities
East Orange staff closely monitor each
building's participation in the
recycling program so educational
resources can be targetted where they
are most needed. When buildingsjoin
the program, a city inspector evaluates
the building and helps management
tailor the new program to the individual
building layout and trash system. City
staff also distribute a brochure on the
city's MFD recycling program to each
household when a new buildingjoins
the program.
Collection staff note decreases in
amounts of materials recovered and
increases in contamination at buildings
on an ongoing basis. When collection
staff report problems, city management
either issue a clear, courteous letter,
with a name and phone number to
contact to rectify the situation or
personally visit the building. As a result
of this close monitoring of recycling set-
out quality and quantity, East Orange
has few problems with contamination
of recyclables and maintains its high
waste reduction level among its MFDs.
Costs/Benefits
Recycling from large multi-family
complexes in East Orange cost the
city $13 per household in 1996. This cost
includes the costs of collection (on a full-
cost accounting basis, including
depreciation of capital equipment such
as vehicles and carts), costs of processing
(to the city), less revenues remitted to
the city by the processor. Per household
costs for trash management were $92.
Trash costs reflect payments to the city's
trash contractor and trash tip fees. The
overall cost of trash disposal and
recycling collection in East Orange's
multi-family program averaged $106 per
household in 1996. If the city did not
recycle and disposed of all waste
generated in MFDs, conservative
estimates indicate that total costs per
multi-family household would be $111.
On a per ton basis, trash cost $154
per ton in 1996 compared to only $81
per ton for recycling services. Recycling
is cheaper on a per ton basis because
the city pays no tip fee for recyclables
delivered to the MRF while trash disposal
tip fees were nearly $75 per ton.
East Orange finances all trash and
recycling services from regular property
tax assessments.
Tips for Replication
Mandate recycling program
availability and participation.
Provide education and outreach
materials to all residents on a regular
basis.
Create a mechanism for
encouraging owners or managers of
buildings to comply with recycling
requirements.
Be flexible in program design. Fit
the recycling system to each building.
Consider using municipal
employees to implement the program
because of the opportunity for
increased oversight.
Contacts:
Dominick D'Altilio
Municipal Recycling
Coordinator
Department of Public Works
Solid Waste and Recycling Division
44 City Hall Plaza
East Orange, New Jersey 07019
(973) 266-5337 fax (973) 266-5367
dom_daltilio@email.com
Ecodata, Inc.
97 N. Campo Road
Westport, CT 06880
(203) 454-1700 fax (203) 227-5289
Program Summary, 1996
Start Date
Type of Multi-Family Buildings
Households Served
Average Persons per HH Served
Total Waste Generated (Tons)
Disposed
Diverted
Total Diverted (%)
Average Generation (Ibs./HH/day)
Disposal
Diversion
Average per ton SWM costs
Trash collection and disposal
Recycling
Cost per HH per year
Trash collection and disposal*
Recycling
Estimated Costs per HH per Year
without Waste Reduction**
1992
All buildings and complexes in East Orange
with 50 or more units are eligible to
participate. In 1996, approximately 75
buildings and complexes were enrolled in the
program.
6,236
1.58
4,772
3,729
1,043
21.9%
4.2
3.3
0.9
$137.94
$153.99
$80.60
$105.56
$92.08
$13.48
$111.21
SWM = solid waste management HH = household
Note: Numbers may not add to total due to rounding. Data represent buildings in the city MFD trash and
recycling program.
* The city paid a trash tip fee of $74.72 per ton for disposal in 1996.
* * In order to estimate what per household costs might have been if East Orange had no recycling program,
Ecodata assumed that all waste generated would be handled as trash and the marginal collection cost per ton of
material that was recycled would be equal to 50% of the per ton trash collection cost in the present system.
-------
&EPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Solid Waste and
Emergency Response
(5306W)
EPA-530-F-99-022d
October 1999
www.epa.gov/osw
Leisure World
Laguna Hills, California
,\H//y
Vt*tŁl
-------
alongside trash containers. Private
contractors collect this material.
Other materials collected for
recycling including white goods, scrap
metal (such as old hot water heaters,
sinks, and other fixtures generated by
the maintenance department), and laser
cartridges. Management also plans to
implement a cardboard collection
program using one four-cubic-yard
container on the premises.
Staffing needs for the recycling
program are met with existing staff.
Because outside contractors handle the
collection of recyclables (except yard
trimmings), only a small amount of staff
time is devoted to cleaning the
centralized collection location. The
composting program has two
dedicated staff: one for materials
collection, the other for tub grinder
operation.
Outreach Activities
$109,000 for newspaper alone. Savings
are passed on to residents through
lowered operating costs. As of 1996,
nine years after implementing the
recycling program, Leisure World realized
$80,445 savings in operating expenses.
All program costs include equipment
(tub grinder and tractor to turn
windrows), start-up costs (grading of
compost site), and labor (two staff for
composting program).
The yard trimmings collection
program results in lower hauling and
tipping fees, reduced need for soil
amendment purchases, and reduced
water needs. Careful records of the flow
of materials and costs allow staff to
understand the true cost savings of
recycling. The program coordinator
tracks tonnage by requiring waste slips
from the contractor who has a scale on
its truck. The in-house composting staff
also weigh yard trimmings with an on-
board scale.
Tips for Replication
Ensure a committed management
staff is on hand.
Encourage residents to make the
extra effort to recycle.
Keep careful cost and tonnage
records in order to recognize true cost
savings.
Focus on recovering materials with
high volume and high value.
Contact:
Cindy Cramer
Management Analyst
Landscape Division
Professional Community
Management, Inc.
Leisure World
P.O. Box 2220
Laguna Hills, CA 92654
(714) 597-4669 fax (714) 470-0148
The program involves community
residents through governance
committees that oversee all aspects of
operations on the premises. This direct
involvement gives residents a direct
stake in the success of the program.
Interested residents often bring
contamination issues to the attention of
the program manager.
All recycling containers are labeled
with stickers indicating which materials
to deposit. Management promotes the
program through articles in the
community newspaper and bulletins on
the community cable channel.
Program Summary, FY96
Costs/Benefits
The centralized collection program
minimizes costs. Leisure World also
receives top dollar for its newspaper as it
is clean and uncontaminated. For
instance, in 1996 management spent
$95,000 on newspaper pickup, but
received $123,000 in revenue for this
newspaper and saved $82,000 in tipping
fees, netting an overall savings of
Start Date
Type of Buildings
Households Served
Total Waste Generated (Tons)
Disposed
Diverted
Total Diverted (%)
Materials Recovered
Yard trimmings
Newspaper
Other recyclables
Average Generation (Ibs./HH/day)
Disposed
Diverted
Fees per Year
Disposal
Diversion
Net Costs per HH per Year
Disposal services
Diversion services
Net Costs per Ton
Disposal services
Diversion services
1987 (yard trimmings added 1990)
318 single-family buildings and 2,231 multi-
family buildings; multi-family buildings range
from 2 to 24 units and from 1 to 3 stories
12,736
FY86
>14,500
14,500
NA*
NA
NA
0
NA*
0
>6.24
6.24
NA*
>$815,522
$815,522
NA*
>$64.03
$64.03
NA*
>$56.24
$56.24
NA*
FY96
15,755
7,800
7,955
50%
7,955
4,711
3,043
201
6.77
3.35
3.42
$735,077
$562,077
$173,000
$57.71
$44.13
$13.58
$46.66
$72.06
$21.75
FY = fiscal year HH = household NA = Not available
Note: Numbers may not add to total due to rounding.
* Leisure World had a newspaper recycling program before 1986, but did not track tonnage or costs.
-------
&EPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Solid Waste and
Emergency Response
(5306W)
EPA-530-F-99-022e
October 1999
www.epa.gov/osw
Saint Paul, Minnesota
23% Waste Reduction Rate in Multi-family Dwellings
Saint Paul, Minnesota, began its multi-family recycling program in 1986.
Local ordinance requires that all apartment complexes offer residents
recycling services. City-sponsored multi-family recycling services are
available to buildings with twelve or more dwelling units. As one of the
oldest programs in the United States, it is also one of the most
developed. In 1997, over 27,114 units in 1,056 buildings received the
recycling service and the program collected 3,418 tons of recyclables,
representing a greater than tenfold increase from the 290 tons collected in 1988.
In 1997, Saint Paul achieved a multi-family waste diversion rate of 23%, collecting 22 pounds
of recyclables per multi-family unit per month.
Program Description
ecycling came to Saint Paul in 1986. The
rogram was established by a not-for-profit
neighborhood coalition the Saint
Paul Neighborhood Energy
Consortium (NEC). From the start of
the program, planners decided to
offer on-premises recycling to all city
residents, regardless of whether they
lived in single-family houses,
condominiums, high-rise apartments,
or even houseboats.
Originally multi-family properties
had to sign up to participate in city
recycling programs. In 1992, the
program became mandatory, in that all
complexes must offer the services.
Participation by individual residents is
voluntary.
NEC contracts with Super Cycle to
provide collection services. The firm
collects source-separated recyclables
using sets of six ninety-gallon wheeled
carts at each recycling station. One
recycling station, which receives weekly
or every other week pickup, serves up
to 100 households.
A key to the success of the
program is city-wide uniformity of
the program there is the same
set-out system, list of acceptable
items, and instructions for preparation of
materials throughout the city. This makes
education easier, and it means that a resident
who moves does not have to relearn recycling
requirements.
Saint Paul's multi-family recycling program
is truly a group effort with the city providing
the containers, NEC managing education and
the contract with the hauler, and Super Cycle
doing the collection. NEC works with the
manager of each complex to be sure the
property manager understands his or her
responsibilities (keep containers accessible,
clear away snow, provide move-in packages to
new tenants), signs a contract with the owners
of the complex, and recommends recycling be
included in all leases.
Outreach Activities
NEC actively manages the outreach for Saint
Paul's multi-family recycling programs. NEC
provides educational materials including flyers,
posters, displays and leadership for resident
Materials Collected
Newspapers
Telephone books
Mixed paper (including mail, office paper,
magazines and catalogs, and
paperboard)
Glass Containers
Cans
Corrugated cardboard
This profile is part of the fact sheet Complex Recycling Issues: Strategies for Record-Setting Waste Reduction in Multi-
Family Dwellings (EPA-530-F-99-022).
-------
mailings. Most educational materials
provide basic, clear guidelines and are
available in many languages (including
English, Spanish, Russian, Cambodian,
Hmong, Chinese, Vietnamese, and
Somali).
The program provides ongoing
feedback to residents via monthly
data on quantity of materials recycled
by complex (the hauler is required to
provide NEC with monthly pickup
information for each account served).
These data can be graphed on a poster
provided by NEC, and displayed for
residents to see. NEC staff also attend
tenant meetings to speak about the
MFD program upon request.
NEC also encourages residents of
MFDs to reuse household items. It has
helped complexes set up exchange
tables where residents leave items for
free retrieval by other residents. NEC
also publishes lists of drop-off locations
where residents can donate used
clothes, furniture, and other reusable
items.
Costs/Benefits
Recycling in multi-family dwellings in
Saint Paul is financed by a city tax of
$13 per dwelling unit per year, billed to
MFD property owners on their property
tax bills. In 1996, Saint Paul paid the NEC
$12.17 per household served, NEC in
turn paid Super Cycle $9.81 per
household for recycling collection and
marketing and used the remaining
monies to fund its outreach and
educational programs.
The per ton cost of MFD recycling is
approximately $94 in Saint Paul,
compared to $119 per ton for trash
(collection averaged $70 per ton and
disposal cost $49 per ton). Although the
per ton cost of the recycling program is
greater than the per ton cost of
collecting trash, total trash costs are
higher because of disposal tip fees.
Furthermore, if recycling were eliminated
and all discards were collected as trash,
conservative estimates indicate that total
costs per multi-family household would
essentially be unchanged. In 1996, the
total cost of the trash collection and
disposal and recycling programs was $64
for multi-family households; the costs for
trash collection and disposal of all waste
generated at MFDs would have been at
least $63. Saint Paul has designed a
system where recycling programs are
delivered at essentially no additional
cost to the community, and where
significant diversions prolong the life of
disposal facilities.
Tips for Replication
Accept the same materials and use
a consistent sorting system for all
program participants in your
community.
Produce educational materials
using simple graphics.
Use multiple means of getting the
message out including tenant
meetings, newsletters, lease clauses,
posters celebrating achievements, and
direct mailings.
Contact:
Rick Person
Solid Waste Manager
800 City Hall Annex
Saint Paul, MN 55102
(651) 266-6122 fax (651) 298
rick.person@stpaul.gov
AND
Pat Schoenecker
Multifamily Recycling Manager
Neighborhood Energy Consortium
623 Selby Avenue
Saint Paul, MN 55104
(651) 644-7678 fax (651) 649-3109
pats@spnec.org
AND
Ecodata, Inc.
97 N.Campo Road
Westport, CT 06880
(203) 454-1700 fax (203) 227-5289
Program Summary, 1996
Start Date
Type of Multi-Family Buildings
Households Served
Average Persons per HH Served
Total Waste Generated (Tons)
Disposed
Diverted
Total Diverted (%)
Average Generation (Ibs./HH/day)
Disposed
Diverted
Average per ton SWM costs
Trash Collection*
Trash Disposal
Diversion**
SWM Cost per HH per Year
Disposal*
Diversion**
Estimated Costs per HH per Year
without Waste Reduction***
1989, reached 100% of MFDs served in 1995
All buildings and complexes in the city with
12 or more units
27,114
1.44
15,371
11,849
3,522
22.9%
3.1
2.4
0.7
$70.50
$49.00
$93.69
$64.39
$52.22
$12.17
$63.14
HH = household SWM = solid waste management
Numbers may not add to total due to rounding.
*Ecodata estimated costs based on discussions with private haulers serving the MFD sector in Saint Paul.
"Represents $12.17 per household fee paid by the city to the Saint Paul NEC.
***ln order to estimate what per household costs might have been if Saint Paul had no recycling program, Ecodata
assumed that all waste generated would be handled as trash and the marginal collection cost per ton of material
that was recycled would be equal to 50% of the per ton trash collection cost in the present system.
-------
svEPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Solid Waste and
Emergency Response
(5306W)
EPA-530-F-99-022f
October 1999
www.epa.gov/osw
San Jose, California
25% Waste Reduction Rate in Multi-family Dwellings
San Jose, California's multi-family sector recovered 25% by weight of its
solid waste in FY97. By contracting with private haulers, the city of San
Jose offers weekly collection of more than 26 recyclable materials,
including yard trimmings, to every multi-family household in the
ethnically diverse city. In order to maximize participation, San Jose
offers financial incentives to its haulers and MFD building owners for
waste reduction, and the city and its contractors conduct on-going
education programs aimed at building managers and residents.
Program Description
Driven by a California law requiring cities to
divert 50% of their waste by the year 2000,
San Jose added multi-family dwellings to its
residential recycling program. It began
yard trimmings pick-up in 1991 and pick
up of other recyclables in 1993.
Green Team, a local company,
collects trash and recyclables other
than yard trimmings from multi-
family dwellings. Green Team
provides buildings with
approximately one set of three (one
for each: newspaper, mixed paper, and
other recyclables) 96-gallon recycling
bins for every 25 households. Building
managers usually place bins near
dumpsters and in other convenient
locations.
Occasionally, when bins are
contaminated with trash or the wrong
recyclables, the collection driver leaves a
sticker on the bin explaining why
materials were not collected. The driver
also sends a non-collection letter to the
building contact, with tips on how to
correct the problem.
Yard trimmings account for 66% of
material diverted from the multi-family
b waste stream. Building maintenance
staff put yard trimmings either in the
street along the curb or in burlap
tarps. Crews from one of two
companies bring yard trimmings to two
privately owned composting sites. Trimmings
are either windrow composted or ground into
mulch. Finished compost and mulch are sold or
used as soil amendment on farms and city parks.
Outreach Activities
Outreach activities comprise two main
components: providing educational and
instructional material, and conducting on-site
visits. Outreach activities have essentially two
audiences: building managers and residents.
For managers, Green Team staff provide
building managers with tools to help them take
an active role in recycling. These include signs,
information on volume-based trash fees, model
lease agreements incorporating paragraphs
Materials Collected
Newspaper
Corrugated cardboard
Mixed paper (magazines,catalogs, paper
bags, telephone books, paperboard,
colored and white paper, envelopes,
mail, paper egg cartons)
Glass containers
Cans
Juice and milk cartons
Plastic bottles and jugs
Polystyrene packaging
Scrap metals (including aluminum foil
and pie pans, metal can lids, small
metal appliances, hubcaps, metal pots)
Textiles
Yard trimmings
This profile is part of the fact sheet Complex Recycling Issues: Strategies for Record-Setting Waste Reduction in Multi-
Family Dwellings (EPA-530-F-99-022).
-------
about recycling, and a service
agreement packet containing
brochures listing services provided and
tips for dealing with contamination.
The city produces all outreach
materials, including posters and
informational brochures, in English,
Spanish, and Vietnamese. In addition,
Green Team makes site visits and
presentations whenever requested, and
puts on recycling carnivals for children.
The Environmental Services
Department (ESD) runs a recycling
customer service line.
Costs/Benefits
The ESD's operating costs for multi-
family waste management services
include payments to Green Team for
trash and recycling services; payments to
haulers and processors for yard
trimmings collection and composting;
landfill fees for trash disposal; billing and
customer service; and overhead costs for
rent, staff salaries and benefits,
administrative support, and supplies. In
FY97, these multi-family waste
management costs totalled $11,000,000.
Of this, disposal services cost
approximately $6,300,000 and diversion
services cost approximately $4,500,000.
ESD incurred no capital costs for
the program, as contractors provide all
equipment.
One of the main goals of the San
Jose recycling program is to divert trash
from the landfill, extending its life. To
maximize diversion, ESD charges
building owners volume-based fees for
trash pick-up and nothing for
recyclables pick-up. Building owners
with high participation rates save
money by reducing their trash. One
building complex, for example, saves
over $10,000 in disposal costs per year
by recycling 62% of its solid waste.
Tips for Replication
Involve building management.
Programs improve significantly when
managers actively promote recycling.
Educate building owners. Owners
can only use services they know about.
Sell program economics to
building owners.
Keep it simple. If the program is
intuitive, higher recovery and
participation rates usually result.
Be persistent. High diversion
recycling programs at multi-family
homes require energy from recycling
coordinators and building managers.
Reach residents by placing
information where the residents are,
such as on or near recycling containers.
Contact:
Robin Moore
Associate Environmental
Specialist
City of San Jose Environmental
Services Department
777 N. First Street, Suite 450
San Jose, CA 95112
(408) 277-5533 fax (408) 277-3669
Program Summary, FY97
Start Date
Buildings in Program
Type of Multi-Family Buildings
Households Served
Households per Building
Total Waste Generated (Tons)
Disposed
Recycled
Composted
Total Diverted (%)
Recycled
Composted
Average Generation (Ibs./HH/day)
Disposed
Recycled
Composted
Net Costs per HH per Year*
Disposed
Diverted
Yard trimmings phased in Sept. 1991 to
Sept. 1992; other recyclables July 1993
3,400 buildings
All buildings with 4 households or more,
mobile homes, condominiums, and
townhouses
80,440
2,400 buildings have 4-10 households
650 buildings have 11-50 households
150 buildings have 51-100 households
200 buildings have 101 or more households
103,124
77,544
8,714
16,866
25%
8%
16%
7.0
5.3
0.6
1.1
$133.55
$77.73
$55.82
HH = household
Note: Numbers may not add to total due to rounding.
*Costs represent the ESD's payments to contractors for disposal and diversion services, landfill tip fees, billing,
customer service, overhead costs for rent, staff salaries and benefits, administrative support, and supplies.
-------
&EPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Solid Waste and
Emergency Response
(5306W)
EPA-530-F-99-022g
October 1999
www.epa.gov/osw
Seattle, Washington
23% Waste Reduction Rate in Multi-family Dwellings
Seattle, Washington, is a large urban, metropolitan center with a long
history of recycling programs. The city contracts with private firms to
provide multi-family trash and recycling services. Apartment complexes
must request recycling services, and as of 1997, complexes representing
more than half of multi-family households had done so. Residents
must deliver recyclables to centrally located areas. In 1996 residents
participating in Seattle's multi-family recycling program diverted
approximately 23% of their household waste from disposal.
/
Program Description
Seattle started its single family recycling
program in 1988, and initiated the multi-
family recycling program a year later. Recycling
in Seattle is completely voluntary each
household or multi-family complex must
request service. To encourage
recycling, Seattle offers a variable
fee trash service (with fees based on
the size of the container for trash) to
both single- and multi-family
customers, and provides recycling
service at no additional charge.
The city contracts with four private
companies to provide multi-family
recycling services; two companies
serve residences in the north of the city,
two others serve residences in the
south. Each collection company uses a
different sorting and container system
but the companies largely collect the
same materials (all of the contractors
collect newspaper, other mixed paper,
glass containers, and cans but only two of
the four companies accept #1 and #2
plastic bottles). The city is trying to
standardize the system; all buildings
joining the program now require
residents to sort materials into four
b streams: separate toters for clear,
green, and brown glass, and a
dumpster for all other materials.
Contractors provide the dumpsters
and/or 95-gallon carts used in the program.
Collection frequency also varies by
material, complex, and hauler. For example, a
hauler may collect paper from a complex every
week but only collect glass bi-weekly or even
monthly.
Haulers deliver collected recyclables to
material recovery facilities (MRFs) or directly to
market. Contractors report the tonnages
recycled each month by commodity. The
contractors are paid a fixed amount for their
collection and processing services. Seattle
assumes the risk for market variation in
commodity prices by reimbursing the
contractors if prices fall below a set level and
reducing payment by the amount prices rise
above the same level.
Although the city relies on the private
sector to deliver the recycling services, the city
staff enforce the contracts and enroll the
individual complexes in the recycling program.
City staff also collect and compile program
data.
Materials Collected
Newspaper
Mixed paper (including catalogs,
magazines, mail, paperboard, phone
books, paperback books, office paper,
and paper bags)
Glass containers
Cans
#1 and #2 plastic containers*
* Plastics collected by only two of the four haulers serving
multi-family residences.
This profile is part of the fact sheet Complex Recycling Issues: Strategies for Record-Setting Waste Reduction in Multi-
Family Dwellings (EPA-530-F-99-022).
-------
Outreach Activities
Seattle tries to use incentives rather
than enforcement to encourage
recycling. The city also maintains an on-
going education program about the
apartment recycling program. One
component of this education program
is the "Friend of Recycling" volunteer
program. Program volunteers attend a
city training session, then serve as
recycling advocates in their buildings.
Volunteers also monitor recycling
containers for contamination. Seattle
issues an annual $100 rebate on trash
bills to the management of buildings
with Friend of Recycling volunteers.
Seattle uses multiple messages to
encourage recycling. The city
encourages MFD management to get
involved in order to protect the
environment and save money. The city
also reports that building managers
have found implementing recycling
helps keep trash areas clean.
In cases of consistently
contaminated recyclables at an
apartment building, the city has
terminated recycling service as a last
resort. Service has been terminated at
between 50 and 100 buildings.
Costs/Benefits
In 1996 recycling from MFDs in Seattle
cost an average $19 per household.
During the same period, trash
management costs averaged $64 per
household. These costs include fees paid
to the contractors for collection of trash
and recyclables, estimated tip fees paid
for trash disposal, and city
administration.
If recycling were eliminated and all
discards were collected as trash, total
costs per multi-family household would
be at most 6% lower. In 1996, the total
cost of the trash collection and disposal
and recycling programs was $83 for
multi-family households; the costs for
trash collection and disposal of all waste
generated at MFDs would have been at
least $79. Seattle has designed and
implemented a system where MFD
recycling programs are delivered at little
additional cost to the community, and
where significant diversions prolong the
life of disposal facilities, support local
economic development, and slow
resource depletion.
Tips for Replication
Use in-building volunteers to
communicate with other residents
about program difficulties and
successes.
Require that residents recycle
through their lease agreements.
Provide waste reduction education
and information to residents when they
first move into units.
Produce educational materials in
multiple languages if some of the local
population does not speak English.
Have a mechanism to deny service
if complexes consistently set out
contaminated materials.
Contact:
Liz Kain
Recycling Coordinator
Seattle Public Utilities
Department
Dexter Morton Building
710 Second Avenue, 5th floor
Seattle, Washington 98104
(206) 684-4166 fax (206) 684-8529
lizkain@ci.seattle.wa.us
AND
Ecodata, Inc.
97 N. Campo Road
Westport, CT 06880
(203) 454-1700 fax (203) 227-5289
Program Summary, 1996
Start Date
Type of Multi-Family Buildings
Households Served
Average Persons per HH Served
Total Waste Generated (Tons)
Disposed*
Recycled
Total Diverted (%)
Average Generation (Ibs./HH/day)
Disposed
Diverted
SWM Costs per HH per Year"
Trash Collection
Trash Disposal
Diversion
Estimated Costs per HH per Year
without Waste Reduction*"
1989
All residences in buildings with 5 or more
units are eligible to participate but they must
sign up for service
56,025 out of 101,150 total units in the city
1.69
35,856
27,729
8,127
22.7%
3.5
2.7
0.8
$83.43
$25.75
$38.54
$19.14
$78.88
HH = household SWM = solid waste management
Notes: Data represent only those households participating in the MFD recycling program. Numbers may not add
to total due to rounding.
*Contractors collect trash from single- and multi-family customers in the same vehicles on blended routes.
Ecodata estimated trash generation for single- versus multi-family residences.
**Trash and recycling collection costs reflect fees paid to collection contractors and city administration
costs. Trash disposal costs reflect a tip fee of $78, the prevailing rate charged at private transfer stations in
the Seattle area in 1996. In 1996, the city charged a per ton tip fee of $94 at its transfer stations, therefore;
trash costs may be underestimated.
***ln order to estimate what per household costs might have been if Seattle had no recycling program, Ecodata
assumed that all waste generated would be handled as trash and the marginal collection cost per ton of material
that was recycled would be equal to 50% of the per ton trash collection cost in the present system.
-------
&EPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Solid Waste and
Emergency Response
(5306W)
EPA-530-F-99-022h
October 1999
www.epa.gov/osw
Syracuse, New York
Public Housing
20% Waste Reduction Rate at Toomey Abbott Tower
Residents in Syracuse Housing Authority's (SHA) public housing have
been recycling since 1990. Programs are designed uniquely for each
building and include door-to-door pick-up of both trash and
recyclables in some high-rise buildings. In 1997, an estimated 80-90%
of all SHA households recycled. At Toomey Abbott Tower, SHA's largest
building, residents recycled an estimated 20% of their solid waste in 1997, allowing
SHA to avoid over $6,000 in disposal charges.
Program Description
In 1990, responding to a number of local and
state regulations, the Syracuse Housing
Authority (SHA) instituted recycling in
apartment buildings under its
jurisdiction. In 1997, residents in
Toomey Abbott Tower, SHA's largest
building (308 households on 22
floors), recycled an estimated 20% of
their solid waste.
Because SHA buildings vary in
size, type, age, available space, and
resident make-up, recycling programs
are different in each building. Where
space allows, residents receive door-to-
door pick-up of both trash and
recyclables. In some high-rises,
residents receive door-to-door pick-up
of recyclables, but must bring trash to a
chute, which empties into a basement
compactor.
In 1997, Toomey Abbott Tower
residents brought trash and recyclables
to a common collection room on each
floor. In this building and similar high-
rise buildings, residents put mixed
containers in 95-gallon bins, mixed
paper in brown paper bags either next
to or in the larger container, and
flattened corrugated cardboard next
to containers. Maintenance staff
collect containers and bring them
outside for SHA's contractor to pick up. SHA
contracts with Raite Rubbish Removal, a local
company, for trash and recyclables pick-up
from all SHA buildings.
Before the program began, SHA distributed
5-gallon pails for recyclables to apartments and
14-gallon bins to town homes. These
containers, paid for by the Onondaga County
Resource Recovery Agency (OCRRA), are
labeled by unit number.
SHA buildings have little landscaping.
Grounds crews leave grass clippings on lawns;
they put the small amount of raked leaves and
the occasional downed branch into buildings'
regular trash bins.
Outreach Activities
Before program inception, SHA
representatives attended tenant meetings
where they announced and explained the
Materials Collected
#1 and #2 plastic bottles
Glass food and beverage containers
Metal food and beverage containers
Aluminum foil and pans
Aerosol cans
Newspaper
Mixed paper (office paper, greeting cards,
magazines, wrapping paper, single-ply
cardboard)
Milk and juice cartons
Corrugated cardboard
This profile is part of the fact sheet Complex Recycling Issues: Strategies for Record-Setting Waste Reduction in Multi-
Family Dwellings (EPA-530-F-99-022).
-------
forthcoming recycling program. In
many buildings, SHA began new trash
collection procedures at the same time
it began recycling. At the program
outset, SHA created outreach materials
by adapting some of the county's
literature and writing some of its own
materials. (SHA now uses Onondaga
County-produced outreach literature.)
In addition, OCRRA and SHA staff
conducted one-on-one resident
training by going door-to-door and
explaining to tenants what to recycle,
how to prepare it, and where to put it.
Implementation went very smoothly.
SHA has a Property Care Ticket
program whereby SHA staff can ticket
residents for various offenses, including
not disposing of trash or recycling
correctly. For the first improper
recycling offense, SHA fines residents
$5. In the first year of recycling, SHA
issued 224 fines. Residents can appeal
the fine. Generally, any appeal will
result in fine dismissal. SHA believes
the opportunity to explain the
importance of recycling and how to do
it correctly is of more value than
collecting the $5.
SHA's one recycling coordinator
works 9-1:30 daily. She inspects
recycling containers in buildings where
trash and recyclables are picked up
door-to-door. When she finds an
apartment where residents are not
recycling correctly she speaks to the
people who live there or leaves a
Property Care "reminder ticket." The
reminder ticket tells people what
they've done wrong and how to correct
it. If residents continue to recycle
improperly after numerous reminder
tickets and verbal warnings, the
recycling coordinator will report
residents to the Housing Authority,
which will then fine residents.
Buildings have a high turnover.
New residents get some recycling
training when they move in, but may
need more. The recycling coordinator
conducts individual training when she
finds problems, and encourages people
to continue participating.
Costs/Benefits
SHA contracts directly with the hauler
for trash and recycling service. In
1990, SHA issued an invitation to haulers
to bid for a new, well-documented trash
and recycling contract. The winning bid
included a stipulation that SHA would
pay for services based partly on the
number of apartments rented each
month. This contract saved SHA
$120,000 per year over its previous trash
contract. Through most of 1997,293 of
Toomey Abbott Tower's 308 apartments
were rented.
At buildings with door-to-door pick-
up, SHA pays its contractor $0.30 per
container for recycling. For other
buildings, SHA pays from $0.7040.76 per
95-gallon container pick-up. At Toomey
Abbott Tower, SHA pays $0.76. The
recycling coordinator's salary is included
in SHA recycling costs. Although not
included in recycling fees, SHA's costs for
maintenance staff have not increased
since it began recycling.
For trash at Toomey Abbott Tower,
SHA pays the hauler a tip fee plus a $40
perdumpster pull. In summer 1998, SHA
paid an $81 per ton tip fee.
In 1997, SHA paid approximately
$26,180 for trash removal and
approximately $460 for recycling service
at Toomey Abbott Tower. Based on 293
occupied households, this translates into
approximately $187 per ton and $90 per
household for trash service. Recycling
service cost approximately $13 per ton
and $2 per household.
Tips for Replication
Involve residents in program.
Provide clear, simple explanatory
materials.
Interact with residents. Explain in
person how and what to recycle.
Hand out flyers when new
materials are added.
Provide feedback. Mail residents
letters and talk to them.
Contact:
Mark Liptak
Tenant Services
Supervisor
Syracuse Housing Agency
516BurtStreet
Syracuse, NY 13202
(315) 475-6181 fax (315) 470-4203
Program Summary, Toomey Abbott Tower, 1997
Start Date
Type of Multi-Family Buildings
Households Served
Total Waste Generated (Tons)
Disposed
Diverted
Total Diverted
Average Generation (Ibs./HH/day)
Disposed
Diverted
SHA Costs (per Ton)
Disposal
Diversion
SHA Costs (per HH per Year)
Disposal
Diversion
1990
22 story high-rise
293
175
140
35
20%
3.3
2.6
0.7
$187
$13
$91
$89
$2
HH = household SHA = Syracuse Housing Authority
Note: ILSR converted trash amounts from volume to weight using the conversion factor 2 cubic yards = 750
pounds. ILSR estimated recyclables tonnage from volume data using the conversion 1 cubic yard of recyclables-
246 pounds.
-------
&EPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Solid Waste and
Emergency Response
(5306W)
EPA-530-F-99-022I
October 1999
www.epa.gov/osw
University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, Michigan
30% Waste Reduction Rate from Residence Halls
Michigan law mandates a 30% waste reduction for "major waste
generators," including the University of Michigan. An enthusiastic
and involved student body, a program design that is flexible and
accommodates the needs of the collection staff and changes in
collected materials, and a very visible outreach program all
contribute to the success of the University of Michigan's student housing
recycling program, which diverts 30% of the residence hall waste.
Program Description
I he University of Michigan (U-M) is one of the
largest academic campuses in the country,
with over 36,000 students. Approximately
10,000 students live in dormitories.
Students bring recyclables to
trash/recycling closets on their floor.
Each closet contains a shelf for
corrugated cardboard and separate
containers for mixed paper and
mixed containers. Housing Facilities
staff collect trash and recyclables on
each floor of the 15 student residence
halls on campus.
Housing Facilities staff bring the
material from recycling closets to
containers on the loading dock. They
collect from the loading dock once a
week and bring materials to the nearby
city-owned material recovery facility
(MRF). Grounds Department staff collect
yard trimmings and bring them to the
city-owned compost facility.
On residence hall move-in days,
students discard large quantities of
cardboard boxes. U-M instituted
special collections for this cardboard,
and in 1997 students recycled 52 tons
of material during move-in days.
When students vacate their
dorms for the summer or at
graduation they often discard loft
wood, toiletries, furniture, carpets, food,
clothing, and other items that they cannot store
or transport. Thus, these items often ended up
in the trash. Now the University collects and
donates these materials to charitable
organizations, except for loft wood and carpet,
which are stored on campus grounds. Ann
Arbor residents are encouraged to take these
materials.
Other campus recycling efforts include:
collection of pallets, scrap wood, and metals; a
worm bin composting project; a food discard
composting trial; and recycling at the football
stadium. In addition, a Recycling Task Force
works with the U-M Purchasing Department to
utilize and sell more recycled-content products.
Outreach Activities
0
ne of the keys to program success is U-M's
active outreach efforts, which include:
Materials Collected
Mixed paper (including virtually all types
of paper: high grade, glossy stock,
mail)
Newspaper
Corrugated cardboard
Glass
#1 and #2 plastics
Aluminum
Juice boxes
Ceramics
Scrap metal
This profile is part of the fact sheet Complex Recycling Issues: Strategies for Record-Setting Waste Reduction in Multi-
Family Dwellings (EPA-530-F-99-022).
-------
student town meetings, training
sessions with staff, a recycling
newsletter, an email address to answer
questions (recycle.help@umich.edu), an
extensive Web page, and the
Ecolympics, a competition between
residence halls that rewards
conservation efforts. Residence hall
outreach includes displays at new
student orientations and table tents in
dining halls, presentations upon
request, and signs in residence hall
trash/recycling closets.
Turnover of the student population
is an obstacle to even higher recycling
rates. New education efforts are
needed every year.
Costs/Benefits
nen U-M's recycling program began
f in 1989, its actual total cost for
disposal from the residence halls was
$239,200 per year. The University spent
$200,000 in 1989 to modify buildings to
create recycling closets and to purchase
containers. In 1997 its total cost for
residence hall disposal and recycling was
$245,900 (including move-out day costs
of approximately $11,000 per year and
equipment pay back). Adjusting 1989
figures to 1997 dollars, the University's
total solid waste management costs for
residence halls decreased approximately
$53,800 per year. This is explained in
part by improved collection systems and
in part by avoided disposal costs
through recycling.
In spring 1998, markets for
commingled containers were poor, so
the University paid a higher tip fee at the
MRF for these materials than trash.
Tipping fees at the MRF were $2.64 per
ton for paper (newspaper, old corrugated
cardboard, mixed paper), $18.92 per ton
for commingled containers, and $17.11
per ton for trash. Although the tip fee for
containers was higher than trash, the tip
fee for mixed paper was $15 per ton less
than trash disposal. Overall, recycling
costs averaged $35 per ton while trash
costs average $48 per ton.
Tips for Replication
Pay attention to the needs of your
collection staff; they are the most
important element in a successful
recycling system. Be open to letting
workers create systems that work for
them. Listen...listen...listen!
Pay attention to the ergonomics of
handling. Do not be afraid to go into
debt to capitalize equipment that
improves efficiency and safety.
Keep good records of material flow.
Keep track of costs.
Develop good relationships with
processors of your recyclables.
Contact:
Kristin Miller
General Information
Grounds and Waste Management
University of Michigan
1110 East Huron Street
Ann Arbor, Ml 48104
(734) 763-5539 fax (734) 764-9390
Program Summary, FY97
Start Date
Buildings in Program
Type of Multi-Family Buildings
Households Served
Residents served
Total Waste Generated (Tons)
Disposed
Diverted
Total Diverted (%)
Fees per Year
Disposal
Diversion
Net Costs per HH per Year
Disposal services
Diversion services
Net Costs per Ton
Disposal services
Diversion services
FY = fiscal year HH = household
Note: Numbers may not add to total due to rounding.
*FY89 costs have been normalized to FY97 using the gross domestic product deflator.
September 1989
15
2- to 8-story residence halls
5,000
10,000
FY89* FY97
(Before program) (With program)
5,750 5,552
5,750 3,893
0 1,659
0% 30%
$299,700 $245,900
$299,700 $187,921
$0 $57,978
$60 $49
$60 $38
$0 $12
$52 $44
$52 $48
$0 $35
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