&EPA United States Environmental Protection Agency Off ice of Sol id Waste Washington, D.C. 20460 January 1989 EPA&30-SW-89-OU Recycling Works! State and Local Solutions to Solid Waste Management Problems This booklet is printed on recycled paper. ------- ------- Contents PAGE Recycling Works: An Overview 3 Alabama Statewide used oil recycling program .. 7 Austin, Texas Voluntary curbside recycling program 11 Hamburg, New York Mandatory curbside recycling program 15 Mecklenburg County, North Carolina Three-phased recycling program 17 New Jersey Statewide mandatory recycling program 20 Oregon Statewide voluntary recycling program 23 Queens Village (Phila.), Pennsylvania Voluntary urban "block corner" recycling program 26 PAGE San Jose, California Comprehensive waste reduction program 29 Santa Monica, California Multi-faceted program, including apartment house recycling zones 32 Sauk County, Wisconsin Rural area, nonprofit, privately-run recycling program 35 Seattle, Washington Voluntary private sector recycling experiment 37 University City, Missouri Leaf composting program 41 Wellesley, Massachusetts Drop-off recycling center 44 Wilton, New Hampshire Mandatory material separation at drop- off center 47 Information List of state recycling offices 50 ------- ------- Recycling Works: An Overview The average American pro- duces more than 1,000 pounds of trash a year! As this prolifer- ation of waste continues, places to dispose of it are dwindling. To avoid a crisis, everyone needs to accept re- sponsibility for reducing the amount of garbage they throw away. However, it is often the job of state and local govern- ments to deal with their citi- zens' trash. Every state has at least one au- thority, agency, commission, or department responsible for managing the disposal of re- fuse generated by its citizens. Usually, local authorities han- dle collection and disposal, but private companies are also fre- quently utilized to manage trash. In some jurisdictions, trash ap- pears to be a minor problem and is easily buried in a land- fill. But for others, trash dis- posal has become a critical problem. Landfills are rapidly filling and closing. Incinerators are not able to safely handle enough of the trash that is pro- duced. To cut down on the amount of trash needing dis- posal, many communities are turning to recycling and dis- covering that it works! This booklet provides informa- tion about successful recycling programs initiated by state and local agencies. It also de- scribes private recycling ef- forts and joint recycling ven- tures of government and businesses. Each success story is designed to provide basic in- formation to help you as you consider various recycling op- tions in your community. A NATIONAL PROBLEM As a nation, we are producing an ever-increasing amount of municipal trash. Referred to as the throwaway society, we produce almost twice as much solid waste as other developed countries. Our current rate of 160 million tons per year could fill a convoy of 10-ton trash trucks 145,000 miles long— enough to circle the equator nearly six times! To make mat- ters worse, the amount of re- fuse generated in the United States is projected to increase about 20 percent by the year 2000. Total United States Waste Disposal, in Millions of Tons 192.7 157.7 1960 1986 2000 (projected) Currently, the most common form of waste management is disposal in landfills. We landfill 80 percent of our municipal waste. We incinerate 10 per- cent and recycle only another 10 percent. Yet landfills can no longer be relied upon as our main waste management alter- native. Landfills do not last forever. Many landfills are nearing or have already reached capacity; others are closing or have closed because they cannot op- erate within new safety standards. Furthermore, new landfill locations are very diffi- cult to find. The lack of landfill space and the growing volume of waste have created a waste manage- ment nightmare for some com- munities. Increased tipping fees and the need to transport waste to another county, an- other municipality, or even an- other state have caused costs to soar. Wast.e collection, transportation, and disposal costs have risen to over $100 a ton in some communities. Morris County, New Jersey, for instance, pays over $116 a ton to get its waste to a Penn- sylvania site. But does it make sense to land- fill or burn all of our trash? A sizeable portion of what we throw away contains valuable resources—metals, gjass, pa- per, wood, and plastic—that can be reprocessed and used again. The garbage barge, Mobro, illus- trated just how hard it can be to dis- pose of garbage. The Mobro traveled on a six-month odyssey of over 6,000 miles, including six states and three other countries, before it found a home—in New York, where it came from! ------- INTEGRATED WASTE MANAGEMENT Many states and local govern- ments are moving to prevent massive waste handling prob- lems. Some are just beginning to evaluate the adequacy of their current waste manage- ment programs. Others are considering or implementing an integrated solid waste man- agement approach. A number of agencies have recognized the value of including recycling as part of their solid waste management programs. In fact, about 8,000 recycling pro- grams are working to reduce the volume of waste in the United States. Recycling can play a much larger role in waste management programs. An Integrated Waste Mangement Solution As state and local governments plan for and implement inte- grated waste management, they usually consider a hierarchy of methods: reduce, recycle, incin- erate, and landfill. Reducing waste—preventing it from need- ing to be dealt with at all—is generally the most favored man- agement tool. Recycling—next in order of preference—helps to divert wastes from landfills and incinerators and provides for the reuse of resources. Inciner- ating waste is next in the hier- archy. Incineration reduces vol- ume and can recover energy, but may have some risks associ- ated with it. Landfilling, while necessary to handle some . wastes, is the least preferred waste management method. Landfills are very eostly and may involve some risks. In most communities, locating landfill and incinerator sites is a problem as well. J INCINERATE refuse, preferably th energy recovery REDUCE the amount of waste generated RECYCLE If \\ LANDFILL as much trash as U )) remaining portions possible vX^of the waste stream Why Recycle? Recycling reduces the amount of waste that needs to be bur- ied in a landfill or incinerated. This reduction in volume may result in reduced disposal costs and add to the useful life ex- pectancy of a landfill. And re- cycling puts discarded material to valuable use, cutting down on litter and conserving natural resources. In some localities, recycled materials are sold, benefiting the recycling pro- gram. A Recycling Component Adding a recycling component to an existing municipal solid waste system is a challenging process. To begin, your state or community should consider the following approaches: • Analyze the contents and source of your waste. • Learn about existing waste disposal and collection sys- tems, including their costs and capabilities. • Determine to what degree recycling is already being conducted in your state or community. • Identify public attitudes about recycling. • Study which recycling op- tions might best meet your special needs. • Explore existing markets for recovered materials and the possibility of finding new ones. RECYCLING OPTIONS THAT WORK Recycling programs come in many shapes and sizes. The type of recycling program you choose should be designed to meet your community's needs. For example, consider what kind of collection system would be the most expedient, the most convenient to citi- zens, and ultimately the most successful. And does it make sense in your community to target specific wastes—office paper, yard clippings, plastic soft drink bottles? Collecting Recyclables For citizens, the most conveni- ent kind of collection is curb- side collection. To make col- lection even handier, some communities provide house- holders with special containers for separated wastes. Some ------- neighborhood pickups are combined with regular garbage collection; others use separate collection systems. A number of communities offer incen- tives like cash or gifts to coop- erating households. While curbside collection may be costly, the success rate may make it worthwhile, especially in populous areas. In highly ur- banized areas, apartment house and office building col- lection systems can work well, too. And mandatory systems may yield more recyclable ma- terials than voluntary pro- grams. In many communities, drop-off centers work. These centers range from landfill locations, where people or machines sort recyclables, to "theme cen- ters." For example, the Fort Seminole Recycling Center in Tallahassee uses a frontier fort motif and buys back recycla- bles. Financial incentives or contributions to charity en- courage participation in other places. A number of communi- ties locate drop-off centers in convenient spots like shopping malls; some centers are even mobile. Often, centers are run by private groups or as joint private-public enterprises. Obviously, most drop-off cen- ters are cheaper to operate than curbside collection sys- tems. However, drop-off cen- ters typically yield less waste for reuse. Choosing Recyclables What is in a typical trash can in your community? If it is any- thing like the national average, you can expect the bulk to be paper and yard waste. News- papers are easily recycled. Yard clippings and leaves can be composted and used for landscaping. Businesses around the country are recy- cling computer paper and other high-grade paper, cardboard, and glass. And clean wood wastes can be processed into usable lumber. Of course, met- als, such as aluminum, are val- uable commodities as well. What's Recyclable in the Waste Stream? CONSTRUCTION WASTE, TIRES PLASTICS, DRINK BOTTLES Reprocessed for Pressed Board, Roads, and Other Construction Projects Reprocessed for Auto , Fiberfill, Strapping ALUMINUM CANS YARD WASTE Reprocessed for Can Sheet & Castings Composted for Landscaping OTHER METALS Cleaned & Reprocessed as Scrap & Structural Products Refilled or Gullet for Jars, Bottles, Construction Material FURNISHINGS AND CLOTHING ANIMAL WASTE Used as Fertilizer Reused by Another Person PAPER Mixed Paper, High-Grade Paper, Newspaper. Cardboard Reprocessed as Newsprint, Paperboard, Insulation ------- Citizen Participation Encouraging participation to increase the amount of re- covered waste can be the greatest challenge to any recy- cling program. There are many ways to increase recovery and participation rates. Many com- munities have active promo- tional campaigns. Providing special containers for recycla- bles seems to help, too. Some places have chosen mandatory over voluntary programs. Oth- ers rely on voluntary efforts, but use creative approaches to boost participation. Incentives have been initiated in a number of com- munities. For instance, Rockford, Illinois, has incorporated a weekly garbage lottery award of $1,000 to any resident whose inspected trash bags are free of newspapers and aluminum cans. Camden, New Jersey, hopes that, fol- lowing the first three years of its recycling program, profits can be returned to the public in the form of improved services and new community projects. As recycling programs grow and ensure a steady volume of recovered materials, new mar- kets evolve. For example, New Jersey's new mandatory program has spurred develop- ment of new glass cullet, used paper, and aluminum plants within the state. Marketing Recovered Material Identifying and developing markets for recovered mate- rials is another major challenge for state and local recycling programs. A recycling market is any source of demand for waste materials. To find the most suitable markets, many communities develop market- ing plans. A typical plan may address the availability and lo- cations of markets and the types and grades, amounts, specifications, transportation requirements, and price-setting mechanisms for a commu- nity's recovered materials. Services, such as storage and processing, may also be fac- tors to consider. Many com- munities enter into contracts with purchasers, even though prices usually fluctuate. And some programs market coop- eratively with neighboring pro- grams to cut marketing costs. In 1987, New Jersey's Office of Recycling published a guide to marketing recyclable mate- rials. The guide is one of sev- eral available sources of useful information on marketing re- covered materials. Developing markets is a con- tinuing challenge to EPA, states, communities, indus- tries, and consumers. Demand for recyclables needs to be stimulated, marketplace gluts need to be avoided, and indus- tries, business, and household consumers need to buy prod- ucts made with recycled mate- rials. RECYCLING WORKS! All around the country—in communities such as yours— recycling is working to reduce the volume of trash in need of disposal. Recycling is one key part of your integrated waste management system that makes sense. Each community has its own unique waste problems that call for special solutions. A number of successful programs are described on the following pages to give you some ideas as you plan your community's recycling program. Some of the success stories take place statewide; most are local. Two describe efforts of villages and small towns to join together, forming regional recycling pro- grams. While some success stories highlight curbside col- lection, others address unique drop-off systems. Several in- volve some private sector sponsorship; while others are totally run by private enter- prises. A used oil program and a leaf composting project are highlighted here, too. What they all add up to is— RECYCLING WORKS! ------- Alabama Type of Program State Overview Background Used oil collection. PROJECT Alabama's borders extend from the Tennessee Valley to the Gulf of Mexico. With the exception of Birmingham and metropolitan areas around Mobile, Montgomery, and Huntsville, Alabama is pre- dominantly rural. About four million people live in Alabama. recycled oil saves energy Only about half of the nation's used oil was recovered and reused in 1977. The other half was usually discarded, often to the detriment of the environ- ment. In 1977, as part of a nationwide effort to conserve energy, Project ROSE was created. ROSE stands for Recycled Oil Saves Energy. Alabama recog- nized that its citizens could sal- vage millions of gallons of used crankcase oil a year. This oil would not be haphazardly dumped. Furthermore, new developments had made refin- ing, processing, and reclaiming used oil a feasible and attrac- tive idea. Annually the state generates more than 17 million gallons of used automotive oil and 7 mil- lion gallons of used industrial oil. Most of the industrial oil is routinely recovered; however, in establishing Project ROSE, recovering used automotive oil presented a great challenge: Individuals who changed their own motor oil needed to be made aware of the hazards of dumping it, and garages needed reliable collection serv- ices. Project ROSE was de- signed to collect used oil from individual, corporate, and mu- nicipal consumers, garages, and service stations for treat- ment by a used oil processor. Alabamians recycled 8.2 million gallons of used oil in 1986. ------- Program Description Project ROSE is a nonprofit conservation program initiated by Alabama's Science, Tech- nology and Energy Division, Department of Economic and Community Affairs, and spon- sored by the University of Ala- bama, The program's goal is to protect the environment and conserve a valuable resource. To accomplish its goal, Project ROSE officials assist do-it- yourself used oil changers in recycling used oil and provide collection and recycling infor- mation to used oil generators, collectors, and recyclers. To start Project ROSE, pilot projects were conducted in Tuscaloosa and Mobile. These cities were selected because of their large volumes of available used oil, the number of volun- teer collection centers, and the availability of collectors and recycling facilities. The chance of success appeared promis- ing. The development of these proj- ects required the workers to do the following: Conduct Surveys. Surveys were conducted to provide basic data from individuals about whether they would re- cycle; from service stations about amounts, storage capaci- ties, and collection services; and from waste oil handlers about volumes, incentives, fees, and processors' availabil- ity and capacity. The results of the surveys showed a shortage of collectors and collection centers. The surveys pointed the way for a local govern- ment-sponsored program in Tuscaloosa. And, since Mobile had larger volumes of used oil and a number of used oil col- lectors, sponsorship by the pri- vate sector was proposed. Identify Sponsors. City, county, civic groups, private industry, and joint sponsorship were explored as project spon- sors. In Tuscaloosa, the city sponsored the program; in Mobile, private industry spon- sored it. Select from Alternative Collec- tion Methods. Curbside collec- tion, service station collection, and consumer centers were considered. In Mobile, collec- tion centers were to supple- ment curbside collection and service station efforts. In Tus- caloosa, curbside pickup was selected. One thousand gallons of used oil a month were col- lected this way from Tusca- loosa. Publicize the Program. News- paper, radio, and television ads were used and pamphlets were distributed to promote the projects. Pamphlets were particularly useful to promote curbside pickup. Evaluate the Results. In Tusca- loosa, a gain from 1,000 to 1,200 gallons of used oil a month was documented during the oil collection drive. In addi- tion, more businesses re- quested drums for collecting used oil. Mobile's pilot project resulted in an estimated 750,000 gallons of used oil being reclaimed, an increase from 300,000 in the previous year. Expand the Program. Project ROSE expanded its collection programs for used oil to 12 ad- ditional areas. Sponsors ranged from the League of Women Voters and Alabama Conservancy to city sanitation departments and private busi- nesses. ------- What Makes Alabama's Program Unique? From two pilot used oil proj- ects, Alabama's Project ROSE has grown to national promi- nence. Currently, three types of used oil programs comprise Project ROSE: curbside col- lection, collection centers, and drum placement. The curbside collection pro- gram is primarily used and best suited for metropolitan areas in which consistent garbage col- lection is provided. Based on survey data, 70 percent of all respondents replied that they would save their used oil for recycling if it were picked up at their homes. The Cities of Bir- mingham and Tuscaloosa op- erate a curbside collection pro- gram for city residents served by curbside garbage collection. City garbage trucks, equipped with metal storage racks cost- ing $60 each, have been adapted to transport used oil deposited along the curbside. Used oil is stored during route collection and transferred to a holding tank at city facilities. A collector picks up this used oil and pays the cities at a price determined by current market value. A mass media campaign di- rected toward the cities' resi- dents was found to be essential to the implementation of a curbside collection program. The media program helps to make residents aware of the service being provided to them by each city. The campaign also explains the hazards of im- proper disposal and outlines the procedures used and type of storage container needed for participation in the program. Media promotion has been maintained to ensure success and maximize program bene- fits. The Project ROSE collection center program consists of service stations, garages, and automotive service centers which voluntarily accept do-it- yourselfers' used oil for recy- cling. These businesses rou- tinely collect used oil and prac- tice recycling to safely dispose of used oil while gaining a small profit from its sale. Once contacted by Project ROSE, most service stations and ga- rages accept used oil. The news media is informed about a service station's or garage's participation as a Project ROSE collection center. Service stations that partici- pate receive information about used oil collection and about recycling businesses operating as the Project ROSE used oil waste exchange. This informa- tion and other resources are available from Project ROSE. Future plans for Project ROSE include a statewide effort to contact all service stations, ga- rages, and automotive centers to inform them of the waste ex- change services the program provides. The third type of collection program is the drum placement program, in which 55-gallon drums are provided for do-it- yourself used oil collection. This program operates in rural areas where there are few serv- ice stations or garages. Drums are located on the premises of cooperating businesses and small government agencies. Information about collection center locations is provided to people who call Project ROSE on one of two toll-free, in-state hotlines. Community awareness and statewide recognition of Proj- ect ROSE are essential to a successful recycling program. Media—radio, television, newspapers—are used exten- sively to disseminate program information and publicize the toll-free hotline numbers avail- able for residents seeking local collection center information. Materials describing Project ROSE and detailing the envi- ronmental preservation and energy conservation benefits of recycling are provided free upon request. Project ROSE also provides informational materials to businesses, civic groups, environmental organi- zations, trade associations, and state agencies to be in- cluded with business corre- spondence. A quarterly news- letter is distributed in Alabama and nationwide to used oil in- dustry members, state recy- cling agencies, and other per- sons and organizations which support the program. In addition, an audiovisual presentation is available for statewide distribution. De- signed for civic groups, envi- ronmental organizations, trade and business associations, schools, conferences, and workshops, this program pro- vides essential program infor- mation and encourages do-it- yourself recycling. The presen- tation also assists communities in organizing collection pro- grams where none currently exist. ------- 10 Obstacles Overcome Program Contact The chief obstacle overcome by Alabama's Project ROSE was getting do-it-yourself oil changers to recycle. The pro- gram provides information to dp-it-your-selfers regarding en- vironmentally safe used oil dis- posal and recycling methods. Moreover, the program makes sure there is an available oil collection system for Alabami- ans' used oil. While it is not possible to de- termine the amount of used crankcase oil collected from do-it-yourselfers, Alabamians recycled 8.2 million gallons of used oil in 1986. Project ROSE operates with city curbside collection and 300 collection centers. And it covers 53 of Alabama's 67 counties. This used oil recycling network works! For further information about Alabama's program, contact Janet Graham at (205) 348-4878 or write to Janet H. Graham, Coordinator Project ROSE University of Alabama Box 870203 Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0203 Janet Graham suggests: "Project ROSE has shown that one person can make a difference in saving energy and protecting the environment" ------- 11 Austin, Texas Type of Program Community Overview Background Voluntary curbside recycling program. The weekly tonnage of recyclables picked up by city crews increased by 14.5 percent, from 110 to 126 tons per week. Austin, the capital of Texas, has an area of over 160 square miles. It is populated by almost one-half a million people, who dispose of almost 300,000 tons of waste each year. The city provides garbage collection to more than 113,000 single-fam- ily dwellings, while private haulers collect from 65,000 households in multi-family units and businesses. Two pri- vate landfills and a municipal landfill accept refuse. The mu- nicipal landfill charge is only $10 per ton. In addition, there are two county-operated trans- fer stations. In February 1977, the Austin Tomorrow Plan directed that the City of Austin seek envi- ronmentally sound methods of solid waste management. Rec- ognizing the benefits of alter- native disposal methods, the plan stated that waste recovery systems need not be financially self-sufficient. Program costs should be weighed against al- ternate costs of land disposal plus the environmental and so- cial costs of additional landfill capacity. In June 1981, a 20-year Solid Waste Management Plan was adopted by the city that called forlandfillmg, composting, transfer stations, resource re- covery (waste-to-energy), and recycling. In February 1982, a pilot curb- side recycling program was im- plemented in two neighbor- hoods including 3,000 homes. Due to its success, the service area was expanded in early 1983 to 12,000 homes. During the second year, over 100 tons per month of glass, news- paper, and cans were col- lected. In the fall of 1983, a volunteer block leader pro- gram was established, and five- gallon plastic buckets were made available to participants through fire stations. Both the dedication of block leaders and the availability of containers have contributed to increased public awareness and partici- pation in the curbside pro- gram. ------- 12 Program Description What Makes Austin's Program Unique? Austin's curbside recycling program is voluntary. It serves about 88,000 households, 75 percent of the collection serv- ice area. Pickup is once a week. Participation is approximately 25 percent, and about 4 per- cent of the recyclable material is diverted from the landfill. Color-mixed glass, aluminum and steel cans, and newspa- pers are picked up. A major lo- cal company buys most of the recyclable material. Austin's million dollar annual budget covers its entire waste reduction program, including curbside recycling. To offset this cost, nearly a third of this amount comes from the sale of recovered material. The re- mainder is received from user and collection fees. In addition to curbside recy- cling, Austin sponsors other recycling services. Annual Christmas Tree Recy- cling. About 22,000 trees were reclaimed and chipped for mulch and compost in 1987. Municipal Landfill Recycling. Approximately 40 tons per month of appliances, bulky metals, and other recyclables are dropped off at the site and recycled by private groups. City Office Facility Recycling. Approximately 10 tons of of- fice paper is recycled per month by private groups. Private Drop-Off Site Recy- cling. Six private newspaper drop-off sites are strategically placed around Austin for citi- zens who do not receive curb- side recycling service. At two of these sites, glass and metal are dropped off as well. Buy-Back Recycling. Several buy-back organizations in the Austin area buy aluminum cans, newspapers, cardboard, glass, and bulky metal items. Other organizations accept used building materials, clothes, appliances, and old furniture for repair and reuse. Home Chemical Collection. This annual event collected 168 barrels of assorted hazard- ous materials in 1988, recycled 600 auto batteries and 2,600 gallons of used motor oil, and directed 4,500 gallons of usable paint to local housing rehabili- tation projects. Municipal Sewage Sludge Com- posting. Presently, Austin's Wastewater Utility composts about 40 percent of its de- watered sewage sludge, adding wood chips from private tree trimming companies and water hyacinths used in the polishing of wastewater effluent, to pro- vide carbon for the composting process. The finished compost is used on municipal parks and recreational areas. One reason for the Austin pro- gram's success is its block leaders. The city is divided into recycling districts of ap- proximately 1,400 homes each. A volunteer block leader is as- signed 20 householders. Each household is presented with in- formation and encouraged to recycle. Block leaders, during home visits to their neighbors, distribute recycling and com- posting literature, recycling pails, yard signs, and bumper stickers. These good-will am- bassadors show how to pre- pare cans, bottles, and papers for curbside collection. Recycling Week is another unique program. In 1988, the week of September 11-17 was selected to call public attention to new developments in the city's curbside recycling pro- gram, and to recognize the in- volvement of businesses, schools, and citizen groups in Austin's waste reduction ef- forts. The city dropped its re- quirement for the color-separa- tion of glass containers collected at the curb, simplify- ing the role of the household recycler. In addition, a new campaign was launched to re- cruit more than 1,000 block leaders. ------- 13 Obstacles Overcome A privately sponsored "Cash for Trash" program went into effect during Recycling Week, offering a $100 prize each day to a randomly selected house- hold with recyclable materials set out for curbside pickup. Private industry and a leading newspaper will provide contin- uing sponsorship of "Cash for Trash" as an ongoing incentive to encourage curbside recy- cling participation. Keep Austin Beautiful pro- grams involving Austin public schools and the business com- munity were also promoted during Recycling Week. Mid- dle schools and junior and sen- ior highs began recycling school paper and aluminum cans on their campuses to benefit their student activity funds and to help the district cut down on its disposal costs. The program, supported by private and public auspices, honors the school with the highest per capita recycling to- tals at the end of the school year. The Keep Austin Beauti- ful Clean Recycler Program serves to promote recycling and responsible waste manage- ment practices on the part of Austin businesses. In addition, a recycling forum included an open discussion of Austin's fu- ture prospects for alternative waste reduction programs. Public awareness and educa- tion played a major part in the activities of Recycling Week, beginning with a press confer- ence and mayoral proclama- tion at City Council chambers. Eleven articles on various as- pects of recycling appeared in five local newspapers. All three major network television stations added their support to Recycling Week with coverage of its highlighted programs and events. Several local radio sta- tions ran news items on Recy- cling Week, using press re- leases issued by Austin's Public Information Office. A public service ad featuring a local musician was developed to provide continuing rein- forcement of the Recycling Week message. The spot, pro- moting the ease of curbside re- cycling and the' 'Cash for Trash" program, was carried by four major local radio sta- tions. Since Recycling Week, the Austin Curbside Recycling Program has recorded daily, weekly, and monthly highs in material collections. On an av- erage, the weekly tonnage of recyclables picked up by city crews increased by 14.5 per- cent, from 110 to 126 tons per week. Calls to the Waste Re- duction Programs Recycling Hotline increased from a daily average of 25 to 35. Further- more, 200 block leaders were added to the program over a two-week period. Austin is not facing an immedi- ate landfill crisis; in fact, land- filling is still rather cheap. Therefore, increasing partici- pation rates and material vol- umes is considerably more dif- ficult. Austin's challenge is to increase recycling to the point that it is a cost-effective alter- native to landfilling. Austin is approaching this challenge, confident that it will be met. ------- Program Contact 14 For further information about Austin's program, contact Alan Watts at (512) 472-0500 or write to Alnn Watts Austin Recycling Program Solid Waste Services Division P.O. Box 1088 Austin, TX 78767-8844 I RECYCLES Alan Watts advises other city recycling program managers to look ahead. 'There are more than 20,000 households participating in our curbside program just because they recognize its long-term value to our economy and environment. It's this kind of commitment from people taking the initiative in their homes, workplaces, and in community life that we've got to build on to help us avoid a garbage crisis rather than confront one after it arrives." ------- 15 Hamburg, New York Type of Program Community Overview Background Program Description Mandatory curbside pickup of separated trash. The Village of Hamburg, a suburb of Buffalo, has a popu- lation of 10,500. Its mandatory program was enacted in 1981. Hamburg's recycling effort be- gan as a voluntary program with citizens taking separated newspapers, bottles, and cans to a recycling center. From there, local firms purchased the material they recovered. Through the efforts of a volun- teer committee, residents were surveyed and public hearings were held to determine whether to make recycling mandatory. As a result, a law was passed in 1981 that re- quired separating and recy- cling of waste material. Com- pliance with the law after one month was 85 percent; since then, compliance has exceeded 95 percent. Residents put out recyclables on regular garbage collection day. Newspapers are put into a paper bag, bottles and cans into another, and cardboard into a third bag. Garbage trucks pulling trailers for the recyclables collect all the trash on a single run. The trailers filled with recyclables are taken to a center operated by an association for the retarded. There, the material is sorted for dealer pickup. Recyclables represent 25 per- cent of Hamburg's waste, by volume. Recycling has re- duced the need for landfills by 34 percent and saved as much as $24,000 in tipping fees each year. Recycling has reduced the need for landfills by 34 percent and saved as much as $24,000 in tipping fees each year. ------- 16 What Makes Hamburg's Program Unique? Comply or else! While as many as 98 percent of Hamburg's residents cooperate, those who do not are penalized. If a household fails to separate all of its recyclables, it gets only one of its trash cans picked up. This one empty can is marked with an orange sticker which serves as a reminder that gar- bage must be separated. If the problem persists, a warning letter is sent. If the household still does not comply, their gar- bage is not picked up for a week—a rare occurrence. Of- fenders can be summoned to court, but garbage cans not picked up is considered a greater punishment. Obstacles Overcome Program Contact Hamburg has been successful in finding markets. There is, however, no assurance these markets will be steady. Secur- ing markets is a constant chal- lenge. For instance, when the newsprint market fell, the town continued to pick up the newspapers, taking what money they could for them. Hamburg has an agreement with a paper company that stipulates that the town gets half if the price is more than $40 a ton; if the price goes be- low $40, the village receives $20 a ton less than market price with a $1 minimum. Even at $1 a ton, the $10 a ton tip- ping fee is saved. For further information about Hamburg's program, contact Gerald Knoll at (716) 649-4953 or write to Gerald E. Knoll Superintendent of Public Works 100 Main Street Hamburg, NY 14075 Jerry Knoll offers this advice to small-scale programs: "Recycling had better save money. If not, it's a tough idea to sell! Moreover, if you're going to recycle, make it mandatory. Mandatory takes no more time but reduces the waste by greater amounts." ------- 17 Mecklenburg County, North CaroSina Type of Program Community Overview Background Program Description Comprehensive integrated solid waste management, in- cluding a three-phased recy- cling program. RECYCLE MOW Mecklenburg County is a growing area, spurred by the economic development of its principal city, Charlotte. Many more people from other coun- ties and states commute to Charlotte for work and shop- ping as well. By 2006, the cur- rent population of 460,000 is expected to increase by nearly 30 percent, with employment increasing by almost 50 percent. The City of Charlotte and other municipalities provide for the collection of waste from its citizens, while Mecklenburg County handles waste manage- ment countywide. The one remaining county-run landfill is expected to be full by 1991. It currently handles about half of the more than 600,000 tons of solid waste produced annually. The other half is accepted at a private landfill. In 1986, only one per- cent of Mecklenburg County's waste was recycled. Locating new landfills has been difficult because of the decreasing amount of available land, unfavorable soil condi- tions, potential long-term envi- ronmental concerns, legal bar- riers, public opposition, and restrictive new permitting reg- ulations—not unlike other areas. As a result, Mecklenburg County developed a County Solid Waste Management Plan. The plan focuses on re- cycling, resource recovery, and landfilling. Since the plan was initiated, recycling activi- ties have steadily increased, two bond issues have been passed to support waste-to-en- ergy facilities and other solid waste management programs, and additional landfill areas are being sought. The predominant avenue of waste disposal continues to be landfills. However, when the resource recovery and recy- cling programs are fully imple- mented, landfills will be used only for disposing of noncom- bustible and non-recyclable material, as well as residue from waste-to-energy facilities. Over the next five years, a three-phase recycling program will be carried out. A 20-year goal of 30 percent waste recy- cling has been set by the county. Phase I of the recy- cling program is now under way. It includes multi-mate- rials curbside collection in se- lected municipalities and neighborhoods, a temporary processing center, and an ex- pansion of already existing re- cycling efforts. These existing efforts include • Two staffed and six un- staffed drop-off centers. • "Metro-mulch," where clean yard waste is left for shredding and sale. The recycling center took in almost $30,000 last year. ------- 18 » Pilot curbside collection of glass, aluminum, newspa- pers, and plastic soft drink and liquor bottles. » Cardboard recovery at the landfill. » Metal recovery at the land- nil. » White office paper collected from county and city offices. • Development of efforts to increase public awareness and promote recycling. Phase II will further expand current recycling programs and will add new ones. • New drop-off centers. « Curbside collection in all municipalities and construc- tion of a materials process- ing facility by 1989. • Sorting operations for se- lected recyclables at all dis- posal sites. » Separate yard waste collec- tion and recycling facility. Phase III will include new pro- grams, policies, and regula- tions that are still needed to achieve the 30 percent recy- cling goal. What Makes Mecklenburg County's Program Unique? The county's recycling budget, funded through landfill user fees, is over $1 million. This pays for a staff of 25 to admin- ister and operate its recycling program. The landfill's recycling center took in almost $30,000 last year. This revenue came from * selling the newspaper, three colors of glass, aluminum cans, and plastic soft drink and liquor bottles collected at curb- side. To encourage recycling, land- fill users can dump free if they bring in a set amount of recycl- ables. With this incentive, indi- viduals and businesses bring in separated recyclables just to avoid the landfill fee. Further- more, when it was discovered that municipal "freeloaders" were mixing recyclable metals with their other wastes, these town collectors agreed to de- posit metals in separate bins. This move has increased reve- nues from recycled metals. The county's tub grinder, lo- cated at the landfill, shreds bush and tree cuttings. The shredded mulch is sold to the public for about $4 per yard. The county and cities use it for landscaping. Approximately one-fourth to one-third of all residential waste is yard waste—leaves, grass, and other clippings—the largest waste stream compo- nent. A separate collection and recycling program for yard waste is just beginning. The multi-materials curbside recycling program, begun in 1987, has an average participa- tion rate of 74 percent. Ap- proximately 9,100 homes par- ticipate in the program. In the selected areas, newspaper, glass containers, beverage cans, and plastic soft drink and liquor bottles are collected. Residents have a red plastic container for mixed bottles, cans, and jars; bundled or bagged newspapers are placed on top. Two types of trucks transport these materials to a processing facility. The trucks, operated by one person, have separated storage compartments for three different materials. Plastic bottles are shredded by a granulator donated by Coca- Cola. The company has also provided free consultations and a guaranteed market for the plastic. An extensive public awareness and promotion program has in- cluded widely disseminated and effective informational materials, mass media support, educational conferences, and public events to spur recycling participation. A volunteer speakers' bureau uses an audiovisual program for public presentations. Volunteer citi- zens and service organizations are working with Mecklenburg County and its municipalities to make recycling work. The public awareness success can be measured by the high recy- cling participation levels, the approval of bonds for waste- to-energy, and the commit- ment of elected officials to help meet Mecklenburg County's waste reduction goals. ------- 19 Obstacles Overcome Program Contact The most difficult hurdle the recycling program has had to clear is one of doubt that recy- cling really works. It took sev- eral years to secure start-up funding for the recycling ex- periment. With good planning and public support, the experi- ment is now successful. The City of Charlotte is even taking on more responsibility for ah expanded recycling pickup program. Currently, the pickup program is working in a group of diverse neighbor- hoods—rich and poor, young and elderly, black and white. Furthermore, the data from this program have enabled the managers to project tonnage that can be expected from a citywide program in Charlotte. These data are being used for accurate planning for a mate- rials processing facility. Those kinds of successes have helped to gain the support of those who doubted the value of recy- cling. The success of curbside recy- cling has been attributed to two key efforts: An intensive public awareness campaign and the receipt by each partici- pating household of a red box for indoor storage of mixed cans and bottles. In addition to a $99,000 annual public aware- ness and education budget, pri- vate contributions have paid for printing of brochures and other publications. To complement the curbside collection program, the Meck- lenburg County recycling pro- gram stresses the importance of drop-off centers, commer- cial recycling efforts, and com- posting projects. And recy- cling is only one part of an even larger integrated waste management scheme. For further information about Mecklenburg County's pro- gram, contact Mecklenburg County Recycling, at (704) 336-2713 or write to Recycling Division Mecklenburg County Engineering Department 700 North Tryon Street Charlotte, NC 28202 "Don't underestimate the complexity of a recycling program," warns Betsy Dorn, who for five years led the Mecklenburg County recycling charge. "Even the most successful residential pickup program will need to be bolstered with an efficient commercial pickup program and composting and drop-off components to reach a 30 percent diversion goal." ------- 20 New Jersey Type of Program State Overview Background Program Description Mandatory recycling law. New Jersey is comprised of 22 solid waste districts with dwin- dling landfill capacity, particu- larly in its highly urbanized northern districts. Over 50 per- cent of New Jersey's solid waste is disposed of in Penn- sylvania, Ohio, or Kentucky. Several counties pay over $100 per ton to manage their trash. In New Jersey, there are 567 municipalities with a popula- tion of more than 7.5 million. In 1976, as part of the amended Solid Waste Management Act, a statewide management plan was developed. Each of the 22 districts is required to submit a solid waste plan for state ap- proval. Plans typically include recycling programs, waste-to- energy facilities, and landfills designed to handle non-recycl- ables and residual ash from waste-to-energy plants. New Jersey started an Office of Recycling in 1982 under the Recycling Act passed by the legislature in 1981. The pro- gram was funded by a state- wide landfill surcharge of 12 cents a cubic yard. As of 1986, about 11 percent of the total solid waste was being recycled by 424 of the reporting com- munities. The recycling office provides grant money, based on recycled tonnage, as an in- centive to communities to par- ticipate in the program and document their recycling ef- forts. In 1987, New Jersey's manda- tory recycling law went into ef- fect. It requires each county to develop and submit a recycling plan as part of its solid waste management plan. Following approval by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, each community begins a recycling program that recovers a minimum of 15 percent of recyclable material in the first year. After one year, the minimum increases to 25 percent. According to the law, at least three materials must be recycled. Typically these materials include news- paper, aluminum cans, and glass containers. As of Sep- tember 1988, leaves are banned from landfills, making composting a high priority as well. In counties with mandatory recycling programs, 25 to 30 percent is being recycled. ------- 21 New Jersey, with its 25 per- cent recycling goal and limited landfill capacity, also counts on waste-to-energy facilities to manage the largest portion of its waste stream. At least 11 large scale projects are cur- rently planned. Studies have shown that recy- cling and energy recovery can be compatible in New Jersey. Removing recyclables from burning can increase the heat content of the remaining waste and thus reduce the ash resi- due. Recycling could also cut capital costs significantly be- cause the waste-to-energy fa- cilities could be smaller. In Warren County, a relatively rural area, construction of a 400-ton-per-day facility and a nearby landfill to hold its ash residue and by-pass waste is under way. Both projects will comply with New Jersey standards. The county has agreed to accept waste from a neighboring county as well. What Makes New Jersey's Program Unique? New Jersey's mandatory recy- cling law provides for the fund- ing of state, county, and mu- nicipal efforts through a $ 1.50 per ton facilities surcharge. Through this, an annual reve- nue of $12 million is antici- pated. This fund supports New Jersey's Office of Recycling, which receives 8 percent of the total amount annually to run the program. Counties receive 7 percent for program grants and also receive funding for education programs. Munici- palities receive 40 percent of the fund in tonnage rebates. A market development study to focus on recyclables such as tires, paper, and plastic bever- age containers was funded at about $200,000. NJ Recycling Payouts 40% Tonnage grants to counties and municipal- ities 35% Low-interest loans to businesses; for research and market develop- ment 10% Public education and awareness programs 7% Administration The law encourages industries to purchase new recycling equipment by allowing them to receive a 50 percent tax credit. Moreover, a number of the law's provisions help stimulate markets for recyclables. For instance, by 1989, at least 45 percent of the amount of money spent for paper pur- chased by the state must be spent for recycled paper. Fur- ther, the State Department of Transportation is encouraged to use recycled material in its asphalt. In addition, priority must be given to using leaf compost material in maintain- ing public land. Each county designates a recy- cling coordinator and is re- sponsible for plan develop- ment. Municipalities have additional responsibilities. They must • Designate a recycling coor- dinator. • Provide for collection. • Require source separation of its designated recyclables. • Develop recycling plans for new development. • Submit tonnage grant re- ports. • Publicize the recycling pro- gram at least every six months. • Require separate leaf collec- tion during fall months. By April 1990, the first report to the New Jersey Legislature will document progress under the law and make recommen- dations about continuing the recycling surcharge. 8% Program grants for counties ------- 22 Obstacles Overcome Program Contact New Jersey's main obstacle has been to get 21 county solid waste plans submitted and ap- proved, and then to get 567 municipalities to comply. To overcome this obstacle, the state recycling coordinators meet with the county coordina- tors at least every other month. In turn, the county co- ordinators meet with their mu- nicipal counterparts. This kind of network helps to stimulate activity, encourages interpro- gram support, and promotes information exchange. And the network helps to boost county and municipal participation. More and more county and community programs are join- ing the recycling effort. Before the program was mandatory, the tonnage grants provided a strong incentive to recycling. The tonnage grant program has also paid off as more complete waste data are collected, help- ing the state plan ahead. Some counties have already enacted mandatory recycling programs. In these counties, 25 to 30 percent of waste is being recycled. Large drops in their waste flows are in evi- dence, demonstrating that re- cycling is working. For further information about New Jersey's program, con- tact Aletha Spang, at (609) 292-033 lor write to Aletha Spang, Administrator Office of Recycling New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection 401 East State Street (CN 414) Trenton, NJ 08625 Aletha Spang advises state recycling program managers: "Changing the behavior of citizens to comply with recycling laws is not an impossible task. The majority of citizens are willing to comply as long as they know how the program works and realize the importance of participation." ------- 23 Oregon Type of Program State Overview Background Law requiring recycling oppor- tunities, public education, and promotion. Oregon's three million people live in small cities and towns and one major city, Portland. The state is divided into 38 wastesheds. Located in the Pa- cific Northwest, Oregon has a strong timber industry which supports the production of pa- per and other wood products. Boasting the first bottle recy- cling law in the nation, Oregon has been in the forefront of en- vironmental consciousness. Its citizenry encourages and re- sponds well to environmental conservation and protection. Oregonians generally'recycle about 90 percent of their beer and soft drink containers and almost 70 percent of their newspapers. In 1983, the Recycling Oppor- tunity Act was passed. It was designed to make participation in recycling easy and to re- claim recyclable items where they are generated: in homes, businesses, and industries. The recycling law added to an already well-developed recy- cling system. This system was comprised of recycling brokers and markets, nonprofit groups, recycling depots, independent collectors, stores collecting beverage containers, and some curbside collection programs with recycling services. The law, implemented in 1986, requires not that everyone re- cycle, but that everyone have an opportunity to recycle. This means • A recycling depot at every landfill and transfer station. • Monthly curbside collection of source-separated mate- rials in cities of more than 4,000 population and within a Metropolitan Service Dis- trict. • A public education and pro- motion program to encour- age recycling. In addition, the law sets priori- ties for waste management. The highest priority is to re- duce wastes; then to reuse, re- cycle, and recover energy; and, as a last resort, to landfill. Recyclable material is defined as "any material or group of materials which can be col- lected and sold for recycling at a net cost equal to or less than the cost of collection and dis- posal of the same materials." This definition allows for mar- ket fluctuations, recognizes new markets, and acknowl- edges regional differences in access to markets. There are 69 Oregon cities for which curbside service is required under the law. Oregonians recycle 90 percent of their beer and soft drink containers and 70 percent of their newspapers. ------- Program Description 24 Curbside service is provided in 67 cities by garbage haulers. To encourage participation, public education and promo- tion programs are in effect. They range from ad campaigns to volunteer-produced pam- phlets delivered door-to-door by Cub Scouts. In addition to curbside service in larger cit- ies, drop-off depots operate at almost every public disposal site in the state. Local governments, recyclers, haulers, and landfill operators have been working together. They report to the state on their communities' implemen- tation programs. The state then must decide if the pro- grams are adequate. In addition, many smaller cit- ies of under 4,000 people have chosen, in conjunction with haulers, to provide for collec- tions of recyclables. No com- munity has established manda- tory recycling. The state, as part of its effort to support recycling, has pro- vided technical assistance to local government officials and recyclers. For example, a ge- neric education and promotion program was designed for adaptation by local groups. In- cluded are flyers, doorhangers, radio announcements, and newspaper ads. A bimonthly newsletter serves as a clearing- house for informational and promotional material ex- change. Workshops have also been held to promote the ex- change of technical and educa- tional tools. Since 1982, parts of Oregon's recycling effort have experi- enced tremendous growth: from 14 to 104 cities with recy- cling collection service; from 27 to 130 recycling depots at disposal sites; and most local communities with educational programs in effect. The num- ber of recycling dealers, non- disposal-site depots, nonprofit group recycling drives, and stores redeeming cans and bottles has remained fairly constant. Prior to passage of the Oregon Recycling Opportunity Act, Oregon already had a high par- ticipation rate. This high level of participation was exhibited in the existing recycling pro- grams promoted by recycling dealers, nonprofit organiza- tions like Boy Scouts, recy- cling depots, and the bottle bill redemption centers. The new curbside programs have in- creased the number of new re- cyclers, while most Oregoni- ans continue to recycle with their same old recycling pro- grams. For most of the new curbside programs, participa- tion rates run between 10 and 20 percent for households served by curbside pickup. Two Portland area suburbs, Gladstone and Oregon City, have initiated a pickup and re- cycling program for yard waste as well, and the entire Portland metropolitan area is gearing up for a new yard debris recycling program. Eugene has a suc- cessful yard waste composting facility. West Linn also runs a yard waste processing facility that accepts as much as 50 per- cent of the city's yard debris. In addition to newspapers, bot- tles, cans, cardboard, and yard waste, Oregon has developed three tax credit programs to promote recycling. The largest credit—50 percent—is avail- able for the purchase of equip- ment to make recycled plastic products. The same credit is allowed for equipment to haul and refine used oil. Tax credits for the purchase of any other equipment solely or principally used for a recycling activity are worth 35 percent of the cost of the equipment. These are deducted from Oregon taxes over a five year period. ------- 25 What Makes Oregon's Program Unique? Oregon's wastepaper has proven to be a valuable substi- tute for its precious lumber. Mill and other wood wastes, combined with waste paper, have provided raw materials for the state's paper industry. The state's steel mills buy scrap metal, and the products of these mills are shipped throughout the West and to other countries. There are am- ple markets for glass and alu- minum, and bottles are sold and reused as well. In addition, many of Oregon's communi- ties have easy access to local and export markets. While Oregon has the built-in advan- tage of good markets, the state has made sure that it supplies a steady stream of recovered materials to maintain these markets. Whether Oregonians recycle through their old systems or take advantage of the law's new recycling opportunities, they do recycle! Obstacles Overcome Program Contact Oregon's recycling efforts have successfully jumped many hurdles. There are still obstacles to overcome, how- ever. There is a lack of equip- ment specifically designed for recycling. And many local haulers have to modify equip- ment to fit small operations. Oregon is also limited by the poor market for plastics. Furthermore, since the trash haulers are also the recyclers, a potential conflict of interest may exist. Recycling equip- ment requires sometimes ma- jor capital expenditures by re- cyclers. These will need to be repaid through revenues. If a hauler discourages recycling, he could add to the volume of garbage he hauls, increasing his garbage hauling revenue. In other words, he might earn more by hauling larger vol- umes headed for disposal than from recycling. For further information about Oregon's program, contact Peter Spendelow at (503) 229-5253 or write to Peter H. Spendelow Hazardous and Solid Waste Division Department of Environmental Quality 811 S.W. Sixth Avenue Portland, OR 97204 TRASH MENAGERIE Paper Tiger HootOa Cardvark Glasshopper Cangaroo Peter Spendelow, an Oregon recycling specialist, suggests: "State governments need to lead the way for a strong public education program, but local communities need to devote considerable resources to this effort, too!" ------- 26 Queen Village Neighborhood, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Type of Program Community Overview Background Program Description Urban neighborhood "block corner pickup" program. Queen Village is a central Phil- adelphia neighborhood of over 7,000 people living in a quarter of a square mile area. The Queen Village Neighborhood Association organized the vol- untary effort to serve this ur- ban community's dense popu- lation. L COWBPitXWHANMOO*! The Queen Villise Experience In Surtins in Urbin Recycling Program n4 Mr CM OM Air CMMir M hMn rt IKVtElM )• MT33.1HL The neighborhood uses the proceeds for block improvement projects. Queen Village residents began to recycle in 1985 by starting a drop-off center. But the drop- off center was not convenient and did not work. Still convinced of the merits of recycling, the neighborhood considered other options. The neighborhood group ruled out curbside pickup because of the expense. The "block corner pickup" was then initiated as a compromise between the effi- ciency of drop-off center col- lections and the convenience of curbside pickup. Picking up at designated street corners in this Philadelphia neighborhood also meant short traveling dis- tances for trucks and reduced time spent by pickup crews. Between 9 and 10 a.m. on two Saturdays a month, neighbors take their newspapers, glass, and aluminum cans to their designated street corners. A city truck picks up the mate- rials. The truck, a driver, and two additional crew collect from 25 street corners in less than three hours. Because of the brief amount of time the trash sits on the corner, there are no complaints from neighbors and no opportunities for vandals. In addition to pickup time, it takes about two hours to re- port to the route, travel to the repository or buyer, unload, and report back to the base. The Queen Village program serves about 1,200 households on 46 blocks. Blocks are re- cruited into the program only if there is a block coordinator to hand out reminder leaflets and encourage participation. Once the householders get used to block corner pickup, reminders are tapered off. All local organization and pub- licity is handled by volunteers on the Queen Village recycling committee. The neighborhood, which sells the recyclables, uses the proceeds for block im- provement projects. ------- 27 What Makes Queen Village's Program Unique? The block corner pickup pro- gram is unique in itself. To spread the idea to other com- munities, Queen Village's Re- cycling Committee chairman, Robert W. Pierson, Jr., pre- pared a handbook on how to start an urban recycling pro- gram. The handbook is entitled The Block Comer Pickup Handbook: The Queen Village Experience in Starting an Ur- ban Recycling Program. The handbook presents eight steps in developing a block corner pickup program: • Form a recycling committee. • Find a buyer. • Find a truck to service the pickup route. • Create awareness about the solid waste crisis and the benefits of recycling. • Find block coordinators for block corner pickup. • Set the program start-up date. • Publicize the block corner pickup program. • Begin block corner pickup. The Queen Village program has been very successful. In fact, it has recently been com- pared with a curbside collec- tion program in another Phila- delphia neighborhood. The study concluded that Queen Village collected nearly twice the recyclables from each household served and is nearly four times more efficient in its use of collection crews and trucks than curbside collec- tion. Obstacles Overcome Queen Village takes stock of its program from time to time and deems it a success, not only because of the compari- sons above, but because of its growing participation. The neighbors are even considering an expanded program, weigh- ing a number of possibilities such as • Expanding pickup to include other materials. • Recovering the bottles thrown away by restaurants and bars. • Collecting high-grade office paper. • Increasing the frequency of collection. • Involving local schools in solid waste management projects. FOR KIDS OWI'MUNDER WIN PRIZES FOR COLLECIK THE MOST ALUMINUM CAN AND GLASS BOTTLES •""- The Queen Village block cor- ner pickup concept does have some limitations. • It is difficult to organize block corner pickup pro- grams. They require good local organization and infor- mation networks. • The best day for community participation is Saturday, even though it is harder to find a hauler on Saturday. • Cooperative neighbors' cor- ner sidewalks are available for a very limited time only. Queen Village has been suc- cessful even with these limita- tions. ------- 28 Program Contact For further information about Queen Village's program, con- tact Robert Kerson at (215) 563-4220 or write to Robert W. Pfcrson, Jr. Rogers, Golden & Halpcrn 1216 Arch Street Philadelphia, PA 19107 Bob Pierson, volunteer spokesman for the Queen Village Recycling Committee, thinks that the block corner program can work in other urban neighborhoods: "Other communities, not able to arrange Saturday pickup, for example, may need to make special arrangements such as placing special recycling bins at block corners or exchanging the value of the recyclables for free pickup by a private hauler." ------- 29 San Jose, California Type of Program Community Overview Background Program Description Comprehensive waste reduc- tion program includes volun- tary curbside collection, spe- cial agreements with landfill operators, and a recycling zon- ing ordinance. San Jose is a large metropoli- tan area of more than 730,000 people, generating about 635,000 tons of trash annually. Although the three landfills serving the area are currently handling those wastes, the commitment to recycling was born out of a strong environ- mental commitment by the City Council and the public. Commitment also grew in re- sponse to a disposal crisis in 1982, which underscored the need to diversify the city's dis- posal strategy beyond complete reliance on landfills. In 1983, San Jose adopted a comprehensive set of goals and principles for solid waste man- agement, including reducing its waste stream by 25 percent by 1990. Recycling and waste re- duction initiatives have been aggressively pursued to meet this goal. A curbside recycling program was the first major step of this effort. In 1985, the city's first waste reduction strategy to attain the 25 per- cent goal was adopted. The strategy focused on a $19 mil- lion, six-year waste reduction plan. Since then, a revised 1987 strategy calls for a $25 million effort and a 36 percent reduction in waste by 1992. San Jose has acted on evi- dence that recycling is and will continue to be less costly than collecting, hauling, and dispos- ing of wastes in increasingly expensive landfills. San Jose's recycling program consists of its waste reduction strategy, the largest weekly curbside recycling program in the nation, and support for re- cycling in contracts, permits, and ordinances. The curbside program, averag- ing 57 percent participation, was expanded to include 175,000 single-family house- holds. Because it was demon- strated in the pilot study that more households participated when three special stacking containers were provided, the expanded program's resi- dences all received containers. San Jose's expanded citywide effort now is recovering about 22,000 tons each year. To pro- vide this service, the city has contracted with a waste com- pany to provide the service for $1.9 million annually. . During the last fiscal year, the waste collection company re- ceived about one-third of its revenues from the sale of re- covered material. The rest came from the city. Also, to bolster participation, the city has a major ongoing promo- tional program, with a budget The curbside program was expanded to include 175,000 single- family households. ------- 30 of $200,000 a year used for doorhangers, school outreach, minority outreach, and media programs. San Jose has saved over $190,000 in avoided land- fill tipping fees since the start of this pilot program. New initiatives underway in San Jose include developing a program to collect yard wastes at curbside for producing high quality compost, working to develop new markets for re- cyclables, designing a house- hold hazardous waste pro- gram, and developing a pilot program for apartment house recycling. Another new initia- tive assists businesses in re- ducing their wastes and in- creasing the amount they recycle. And to discourage businesses from landfilling, a business tax of $2 per cubic yard is levied on all landfill dis- posal. One landfill operator is already diverting as much as 25 percent from its waste stream. Another landfill is developing a major "Recyclery" to recycle up to 40 percent of its incoming commercial waste stream. What Makes San Jose's Program Unique? , In addition to recycling initia- tives, San Jose has included a variety of requirements in col- lection and disposal contracts and landfill permits to help meet recycling goals. Disposal and permit agreements address • Providing for composting. • Using compost as landfill cover. • Salvaging white goods and bulky wastes. • Providing recycling informa- tion and economic incen- tives to encourage participa- tion. • Evaluating the potential of waste-to-energy on the site. • Developing methane recov- ery. • Maintaining scales and col- lecting data for use in future planning. The State of California has passed an innovative beverage container recycling law which requires new recycling facili- ties to be established within one-half mile of every major supermarket in the state. To encourage the acceptance of these new recycling facilities, a zoning ordinance was enacted to permit mobile, movable, and stationary recycling collec- tion operations in most zoning districts of the city. These are subject to appropriate regula- tions and assume compatibility with surrounding land uses. Similar efforts were made to permit recycling processing operations in most commercial and industrial zoning districts, subject to appropriate regula- tory control. Furthermore, the zoning code ensures that recy- cling containers are built to prevent litter, to minimize noise and other nuisances, and to be attractive and blend in with their surroundings. Obstacles Overcome Through a carefully con- structed strategy implemented over several years, San Jose was able to change its entire waste system from one that re- lied solely on landfilling to one that emphasizes recycling and waste reduction as primary goals. But there are still hurdles to jump. One may be the prover- bial price of success. The na- tional prominence of San Jose's program has resulted in an overwhelming demand for tours, informational materials, and technical information. Re- quests come from other cities around the world, as well as from private industries. The amount of staff time needed to be responsive to these requests is a problem for the city. To address this problem, San Jose is proposing that San Jose State University be funded to develop an information trans- fer program that would eventu- ally be part of a national inte- grated waste management information network. The city is looking for $100,000 to fund this university-based system. A second phase of such a pro- gram would include curriculum development and training for recycling professionals. ------- 31 Program Contact Another significant hurdle al- ready cleared has been the funding of its expanded pro- gram. A 1985 city windfall went to support the expanded recycling effort. This money resulted from savings realized through the competition for garbage business. A revised business tax of $2 a cubic yard on trash, adopted in 1987, also supported program expansion. With other cities now able to use San Jose's facilities, addi- tional revenues from business taxes will support a further ex- pansion of recycling services. The remaining hurdle involves how to accrue to recycling the avoided costs of collection and disposal. Currently, the city benefits from avoided disposal costs. The garbage collector pays the city a recycling rebate for every ton of waste recycled as an avoided disposal cost. The garbage collector, as a re- sult of recycling, benefits addi- tionally from needing fewer trucks on the road. The collec- tion company does not cur- rently share this benefit with the city. San Jose is negotiat- ing with the garbage company to share those savings as part of the development of its yard waste composting effort. When the city solicits bids in 1990, garbage companies will need to reflect avoided collec- tion costs in order to be com- petitive. Nevertheless, most San Jose residents already benefit from the city's recy- cling program and its inte- grated waste management system. For further information about San Jose's program, contact Gary Liss at (408) 277-4509 or write to Gary Brian Liss Solid Waste Program Manager Office of Environmental Management 801 N. First Street, Room 460 San Jose, CA 95110 Gary Liss believes: 'The real key to accomplishing integrated waste management is for institutions—including contracts, permits, and rate structures—to be changed to foster waste reduction and recycling." ------- 32 Santa Monica, California Type of Program Community Overview Background Program Description Multi-faceted voluntary pro- gram, includes "recycling zones" for multi-family dwellings. Santa Monica is a city of 96,000 people, 83 percent of whom live in multi-family housing. The city encompasses an area of about eight and a half square miles along Califor- nia's coastline. SANTA MONICA RECYCLE The Santa Monica recycling ef- fort was initiated under a 1981- 1982 recycling grants program sponsored by the California Waste Management Board. An initial grant for $30,000 funded a feasibility study and prelimi- nary design for the recycling program. A second grant for $260,000 was used to purchase equipment, improve existing recycling sites, and start a pub- lic relations campaign. Santa Monica currently uses a privately owned landfill lo- cated 31 miles from the city. However, this landfill is ex- pected to close by 1991 if it is not expanded. An alternative landfill is further away by 15 miles, but using it would re- quire increased transportation costs and possibly increased tipping fees. In addition to the shortage and expense of land- fills, Santa Monica is faced with another problem shared by many urbanized areas—the overwhelming percentage of people living in apartment complexes. To combat this po- tential obstacle, the city re- sponded with the creation of a "recycling zone" program. Challenged by the number of citizens living in multi-family dwellings and the need to recy- cle their wastes, Santa Monica. developed its "recycling zone" initiative. As a result, alleyways behind apartment houses are dotted with three specially designed, two-cubic- yard bins for mixed glass, mixed cans, and newspapers. Currently, no resident needs to travel farther than one-third of a mile to recycle. There are 61 drop-off zones serving 35,000 multi-family units. In 1988 and 1989, the program will be add- ing 30 new zones. The recycling zone concept has also been expanded to nearly 25 bars and restaurants. Recycling bins received about three tons of material a month from bars and restaurants at the start of the program. Eight to ten tons a month are now collected in these bins. In single-family residential areas, residents receive two five-gallon storing buckets for mixed glass and mixed metal. Overall recycling participation in Santa Monica is at 27 percent. ------- 33 A recycling crew picks these up biweekly, along with news- paper in bundles and used mo- tor oil in sealed, non-breakable containers. The recycling program has a contract to sell all collected materials to a private recycler, who leases property from the city. The private recycler also has a buy-back and drop-off center at this site, where glass, metal, and newspaper are pur- chased. In addition, the center buys scrap metals, various grades of paper, plastic bever- age bottles, magazines, and phone books. Used motor oil and cardboard are accepted, but customers are not paid for these materials. To encourage the proper dis- posal of used motor oil, a net- work of eight automotive serv- ice businesses was created to accept used oil from residents. By agreeing to participate, the businesses get their oil picked up free of charge by a private hauler. Other recycling services of- fered to residents include a paint exchange and a house- hold hazardous waste collec- tion center. Santa Monica resi- dents may bring their unused household paints to a special center at the recycling office. Residents may also pick up this donated paint, free of charge. Paint not taken by resi- dents is recycled and used by the city for graffiti removal. A household hazardous waste collection center is now open for Santa Monica residents only. Materials collected in- clude solvents, paint thinners, pesticides, batteries, pool acids, household cleaners and other similar types of waste. The center expects to collect 30,000 pounds of household hazardous wastes annually. In addition to these services, the city is also involved in col- lecting and recycling non-resi- dential waste. A private com- pany leases city-owned land and operates a "debris yard" where concrete, asphalt, and other demolition rubble are re- cycled into aggregate for con- struction uses. Scrap metal generated at city yards is col- lected and sold for recycling, and office paper generated at most city facilities is also col- lected for recycling. What have all these efforts yielded? Total tonnage recy- cled includes the following: TONS IN ITEM 1986 1987-88 Newspapers... 1,312 1,210 Glass 569 565 Aluminum cans 3.25 4.01 Steel cans .... 64 42 High-grade paper 11 n (from city offices only) Scrap metals 161 154 (generated at city yards) Used motor oil 4.44 5.16 (1,269 (1,474 gallons) gallons) What Makes Santa Monica's Program Unique? The city has a very successful participation rate of 22 percent for apartment dwellers. In fact, Santa Monica's recycling pro- gram was recognized in 1983 by the National Recycling Co- alition as the "Best Multi- Family Program." The success of this program is attributed primarily to the convenient placement of recycling con- tainers near apartment build- ings. Overall recycling partici- pation in Santa Monica is at 27 percent, with some single-fam- ily residential areas as high as 60 percent. Santa Monica's special wastes collection is also unique. A new household hazardous col- lection center receives small quantities of hazardous chemi- cal products as a free service to residents. These leftover products include corrosives like drain and oven cleaners and pool acids; solvents such as polishes, spot removers, and mothballs; paint products; aerosol sprays; pesticides; and automotive fluids. Further- more, a guide to safe substi- tutes and alternatives to using hazardous substances has been prepared and distributed to households. ------- 34 Obstacles Overcome Program Contact Santa Monica's recycling pro- gram has overcome a few ob- stacles. One obstacle, scav- enging, has hampered the program since it reduces the amount of material collected. An insufficient market for products using recycled yard wastes led to the demise of the yard waste collection pro- gram—another minor setback. The city is also facing the chal- lenge of recycling plastic con- tainers. The original program was not designed to include plastics collection and recy- cling. Therefore, the current system would require modifi- cation and increased opera- tional expenses in order to ac- commodate the additional volumes and special needs cre- ated by plastic bottles. In spite of these setbacks and challenges, Santa Monica's re- cycling program seems to be thriving! For further information about Santa Monica's program, con- tact Deborah Baine at (213) 458-8526 or 458-8527, or write to Deborah Baine, Coordinator Santa Monica Recycle 2500 Michigan Avenue Santa Monica, CA 90404 Deborah Baine, Coordinator of Santa Monica's recycling program, suggests, 'To reduce scavenging, avoid placing bins under building balconies, near gas or water meters, or across from carports or garage entrances with turnaround areas." ------- 35 Sauk County, Wisconsin Type of Program Community Overview Background Program Description Private, nonprofit, regional re- cycling enterprise. Located in rural Wisconsin, Sauk County is the site of the Wisconsin Intercounty Non- profit Recycling Company (WINR). The 43,000 residents of Sauk County and two towns in Dane County are served by WINR. Rural communities are jointly served by this regional, nonprofit enterprise. In 1978, Mildred Zantow spent six weeks in Japan. There she saw that garbage is separated and that different items are col- lected each day. She returned to Baraboo, Sauk County, a firm advocate for recycling. Ms. Zantow observed the large amount of plastics at the county landfill, mostly because there are many plastic manu- facturers located in the area. One of those plastic companies agreed to purchase her recy- cled plastic if she bought a grinder at her own expense. Determined to make recycled plastic a reality, she cashed in her life insurance policy and bought a grinder. With a part- ner, she then established E-Z Recycling. The partners soon expanded the business, taking in aluminum, glass, newsprint, cardboard, grease, and oil. As- sisted by two helpers, they col- lected the materials, baled cardboard, and cleaned plastic milk jugs. They made the proj- ect work! In 1982, E-Z was sold to WINR, where Ms. Zantow now serves as volunteer man- ager. Baraboo, Sauk City, Prairie du Sac, and other com- munities are served by this re- gional endeavor. Today, the nonprofit company receives recyclable materials from • Two mandatory, curbside, source-separation programs, in which there is 95 percent participation. • Two towns with voluntary, curbside pickup. Recycled materials from the towns are delivered to WINR. • Five drop-off satellite cen- ters, which are staffed twice a week. The recyclables are sorted and put into trailers. Then the trailers are hauled to. WINR to be processed and marketed. • Two Dane County town gar- bage haulers, who bring re- covered materials to WINR. Each participating town is rep- resented on a governing Board of Directors that oversees the operation. Six people are on the payroll; 35 people are vol- unteers, working six at a time. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources helps the program by developing educa- tional materials. And in 1985, Sauk County gave a grant to the nonprofit, independent company. ------- 36 WINR recycled over 12,000 tons of material in 1988. This is more than 200 tons above the recycling figures for 1987. In the mandatory collection pro- grams, over 30 percent of all household, commercial, and industrial recyclable materials are being recycled. What Makes Sauk County's Program Unique? This privately operated, non- profit enterprise is recycling a lot of material. And the pro- gram relies mostly on volun- teers—primarily retired friends in the community. The company does not pay for any recovered materials. The citizens of Sauk County do not expect to be paid. Further- more, there is no charge for leaving recyclables. In the fu- ture, however, a small tipping fee may be established. WINR is about to embark on a unique, new project to help lo- cal drought-stricken farmers. Working closely with the Uni- versity of Wisconsin and the Extension Service, the com- pany will shred newsprint for use as animal bedding in barns. The university is designing a shredder/baler unit for this pur- pose. Shredded and baled newspaper will be picked up by farmers, free of charge. To enhance this and its other operations, the recycling enterprise is moving to larger quarters. Obstacles Overcome Program Contact Two of the company's most serious obstacles have been public apathy and low market prices. To overcome apathy, educational programs are pre- sented to schools and civic groups. This seems to work well in Wisconsin small towns and rural areas, where people are easily informed about the problems caused by excessive waste and want to be good neighbors. Finding new mar- kets, on the other hand, takes a lot of hard work! For further information about Sauk County's program, con- tact Mildred Zantow at (608) 643-2274 or write to Mildred Zantow Wisconsin Intercounty Nonprofit Recycling Company, Inc. S7691 U.S. Highway 12 North Freedom, WI53591 Milly Zantow confidently states, "Recycling is the only way to go in the future. There's just no alternative." ------- 37 Seattle, Washington Type of Program Community Overview Background Curbside collection and drop- off centers. A city surrounded by the Cas- cade and Olympic mountain ranges and Puget Sound, Seattle is blessed with a myr- iad of recreational opportuni- ties. Its port is also central to a large international shipping in- dustry. Seattle is home to about 470,000 people. The City Council established a goal of recycling 40 percent of all commercial and residential waste by 1991. Seattle's citizens support many private recycling enter- prises. About 25 percent of the city's waste stream has been diverted from landfills by these operations, a combination of volunteer group recycling drives and drop-off and buy- back centers. Still, in 1988, the City Council established a goal of recycling 40 percent of all commercial and residential waste gener- ated within the city by 1991. This goal will increase to 50 percent by 1993 and 60 percent by 1998. Seattle's residential solid waste is managed by a city utility and financed through an enterprise fund. Rates are the source of reve- nue. For years, Seattle man- aged all parts of the garbage system, from collection con- tracts to transfer stations to long-haul transfer to city owned and operated landfills. But by 1986, both of the city's landfills had to be closed be- cause of explosive levels of methane gas migrating off site and their subsequent listing as Superfund sites. So the city had no choice but to contract with surrounding King County for landfill disposal. Disposal rates rose from $ 11 a ton to $31.50 a ton. In addition, clo- sure of two old landfills would cost $76 million. These sky- rocketing costs were the bane of the old-style solid waste management system, but a boon to a system which incor- porates waste reduction, recy- cling, and composting. Thus, the ground was laid for Seattle to begin its plan for recycling. In addition, the city recently completed a comprehensive planning initiative which in- cluded a ten-volume environ- mental impact statement on waste reduction, recycling, and disposal alternatives. ------- 38 Program Description What Makes Seattle's Program Unique? Early in 1988, Seattle began residential curbside collection, servicing 147,000 house- holds—all single-unit through four-unit residences in the city. Two different collection strate- gies are being tested. North of the ship canal, residents re- ceive three stackable house- hold containers for newspaper, mixed bottles and cans, and other mixed paper. The con- tainers are picked up weekly. In the southern half of the city, residents mix all their recycla- bles in a 60- or 90-gallon con- tainer for monthly pickup. Seattle has an active house- hold hazardous waste collec- tion program. There is a per- manently staffed drop-site open 35 hours a week at one of its transfer stations. Drop-off is $4 for unlimited quantities. Also, the utility is sponsoring research into paint recycling. The city now requires manda- tory yard waste separation from household trash. Yard wastes represent 30 percent of the residential waste stream. The city wiU pick it up at the curb or alley for $2 a month and take it to a composting fa- cility. Grass clippings, leaves, branches, brush, and sod are accepted. At transfer stations, the utility accepts clean yard waste in a program called Clean Green. The brush, grass, and leaves are transferred to a private composting facility for processing. The utility also funds a backyard composting education program run by Seattle Tilth, a local nonprofit organization of urban garden- ers. In 1989 the program will be expanded to include "yard waste auditors," who will make house calls and distrib- ute free composting bins. The utility also provides recy- cling drop boxes at its two transfer stations, receiving all the traditional materials: from aluminum cans to cardboard to used motor oil to white goods to some not-so-traditional ma- terials, such as mattresses. Seattle's experiment with two different collection systems for recyclables should provide some interesting information and lessons for other cities. Both programs are voluntary. Citizens are asked to recycle through church and school drives, at drop-off sites, or buy-back centers—whatever works best for them. Or they can participate in the city recy- cling program. In the south, they can recycle mixed paper, tin and aluminum cans, glass jars and bottles, cardboard, and aluminum foil with the curbside and alley program just by signing up. Participating households re- ceive a sturdy plastic container on wheels that has a lid and is suitable for outdoor storage. A free calendar tells them which day to wheel their carts to the curb or alley for emptying. The program, serving 82,000 households, is run by Recycle Seattle, a subsidiary of Ra- banco, Inc., a large, locally owned waste management company. Recyclables are col- lected in old rear-loading trucks, then processed in a new recycling facility. This 80,000 square foot facility processes both commercial waste with a high percentage of recyclables and the commin- gled material collected from curbside. The city pays Recy- cle Seattle $47.75 a ton. Their contract does not require a minimum payment, but does have an agreement that the city and the company share risks of changes in the recycled mate- rials market. North of the ship canal, Recy- cle America, a subsidiary of Waste Management, Inc., serves 65,000 households. Three stacking containers are provided: one for glass con- tainers and aluminum and tin cans; a second for mixed scrap paper; and a third for newspa- per. Cardboard is set out next to the containers. A compart- mentalized recycling truck col- lects the material. Recycle America separates the glass, aluminum, and tin with a com- bination of hand and mechani- cal sorting. Seattle pays the company $48.15 a ton, with a minimum payment of $2.8 mil- lion over the five-year con- tract. Recycle America ab- sorbs total market risk. ------- 39 Obstacles Overcome Successful implementation of such a large program in such a short time has required both extensive promotion and re- sponsive customer service rep- resentatives in the city's solid waste utility. The utility man- ages all promotional efforts, but carries them out in con- junction with the two contrac- tors and a consultant. Two all-city mailings kicked off the program. Customers were asked to sign up to re- ceive a recycling container. Public service announcements were also ran on television. Once the initial rush of sign- ups was over, there was a con- tinuing effort to advertise and promote the program to en- courage more participation. The utility staffs booths at street fairs, works crowds at festivals, and will soon have bus placards around the city. The utility regularly creates media events to get coverage, and Recycle America has de- veloped a newsletter for the north end of the city. A Cash for Trash program, complete with its own costumed recy- cling superheroine called Major Recycler, has been started by the solid waste util- ity. Next year, it plans to begin neighborhood blitzes and a block leader program. The two-zone program began in February 1988. By August, 2,600 tons of material were being collected each month, a significant amount of material for such a new program. By the end of October, 72.1 per- cent of the eligible households had signed up in the north end; 48.7 percent had signed up in the south end. The city-wide signup rate is 59 percent. Re- cycle Seattle in October aver- aged 29.2 pounds per eligible household. Recycle America averaged 45.8 pounds per eligi- ble household. The city-wide average was 36.6 pounds per eligible household. In addition to the two-zone re- cycling program, the city funds research and development of waste reduction and recycling techniques through a unique program called the Environ- mental Allowance Program. This allows both nonprofit or- ganizations and for-profit firms to propose to the utility their best ideas. Projects currently in progress under the Environ- mental Allowance Program in- clude these: • Paper Fibres, Inc., collects mixed wastepaper from small businesses and apart- ment buildings. • Washington Energy Exten- sion Service has developed dial tapes, slide shows and information tapes on waste reduction. • King County Nurses Asso- ciation will educate the com- munity on the hazards and proper disposal of disposa- ble diapers. • R.W. Beck will do waste re- duction audits for fifty busi- nesses and educate other commercial generators at waste reduction workshops. A new six-month pilot plastic recycling program is under way in Seattle as well. Seven collection routes serving 4,500 households participate. People not on these routes can take their rinsed and flattened plas- tics to one of four locations: two stores and two transfer stations. The material will be purchased by a Thai plastic company. It will be shipped to Thailand where it wiU be recycled into new products or sold as a raw material to other Asian markets. Seattle is very pleased with the results of its program so far. The city has had a few set- backs, too, from which it has learned: • The city fire code had to be changed to allow plastic gar- bage containers. • The number of needed recy- cling trucks was underesti- mated at nine; eighteen will soon be utilized. • The processing facility was not yet operational at the time collection began. Recy- cle America began its proc- essing operation in an open parking lot! • Customer service had to be upgraded to respond to over 10,000 calls a month. Be- cause the staff wasn't avail- able, about half of these calls were lost during start- up operations. • Signing up for service turned out to be a problem. Seattle might not require sign-ups if they had to begin again. The city might just supply con- tainers to every eligible household. ------- Program Contact 40 For further information about Seattle's program, contact Timothy Croll at (206) 684-7640 or write to Timothy Croll Program Development Director Seattle Solid Waste Utility 710 2nd Avenue, Suite SOS Seattle, W'A 98104 Tim Croll suggests that recycling be viewed as a solid waste management tool. "Be willing to fund recycling with the cost savings from the refuse side of the operation, and structure garbage rates to provide an incentive for recycling." ------- 41 University City, Missouri Type of Program Community Overview Background Program Description Leaf collection and compost- ing. University City, outside of St. Louis, is a middle-class com- munity with an abundance of leaf-bearing trees. The popula- tion of University City is about 43,000. For many years, University City had been collecting leaves raked to the gutter line by resi- dents. In the late 1960s, when leaf burning was banned, the city took the leaves to a land- fill. By 1970, a refuse transfer station started operating, re- ducing travel costs to the land- fill. Soon, however, landfill disposal costs began to rise. The city, as part of its effort to reduce landfill costs, began to recycle newspaper and metals. When it was discovered that leaves represented over 15 per- cent of University City's an- nual waste stream, leaves be- came the next target for waste reduction. The University City leaf com- posting program began in 1983 on less than an acre of unim- proved park land. Using city collection equipment, approxi- mately 20 truck and sweeper loads are brought in daily for two months in the fall. Now University City collects approximately 9,200 cubic yards of mulched leaves an- nually with the help of vacuum loaders and street sweepers. This material is turned several times during the winter and early spring, utilizing an aera- tor/pulverizer which further mulches the material. Total processing time is approxi- mately six months, after which the compost is reduced to 20 to 25 percent of the volume origi- nally deposited. The estimated weight is between 1,000 and 1,200 pounds per cubic yard. University City currently sells the finished leaf compost for $4 a cubic yard, returning at least a portion of the costs of pro- University City collects approximately 9,200 cubic yards of mulched leaves annually. ------- 42 cessing and loading into the purchaser's trucks or trailers. Users include tree and plant nurseries, landscaping compa- nies, and many individuals and companies using one or two truckloads. University City Leaf Composting Cost Analysis Landfill Cost Avoidance $39,250 Land Haul Cost Avoidance 41,559 Revenue from Sale of Mulch .... 4,592 Cost of Processing {Estimate)....... ( 4.281) Net Annual Value Gained ....$81,120 What Makes University City's Program Unique? University City has turned 15 percent of its waste stream into a useful commodity. This is particularly unique in an area where other community pro- grams have fallen victim to costs and labor needs of collec- tion, coupled with difficulties of handling and disposal. Stock piles of leaf compost are provided for the use of resi- dents for their lawns and gar- dens at no cost. For commer- cial use, the charge of $4 per cubic yard includes loading trucks—a real bargain. One landscape company worked three or four inches of compost into several acres in which young trees were planted. The company had done this several years before and experienced phenomenal growth. It was also used to heal or protect the balls on larger tree stock. An- other landscaper added sand and leaf compost to her own lawn, where she is doing an ex- perimental project with a very deep-rooted grass that should be resistant to drought and cold. Although it had been too wet to plant the grass seed, she was amazed to find no washing of the relatively steep lawn af- ter heavy rains. A new shopping center used leaf compost in all of its out- side planting beds, working it into fill soil. Here wood chips were used for top dressing. Al- though the leaf compost could have been used for the same purpose, it would decompose more rapidly than the wood chips. The city park depart- ment used leaf compost to im- prove the soil in its planting beds as well. The city continues to promote the value of compost to add or replace organic matter to the soil. Compost is useful to • Help plants utilize available nutrients. • Act as a storehouse of water, preventing soil erosion. • Loosen heavy clay, allowing plants to breathe. • Serve as top dressing to re- duce compaction, lessen maintenance, and insulate roots. • Upgrade poor soil. Furthermore, leaf compost is cheap! University City's method of turning leaves in minimum space and marketing compost through local land- scape and nursery companies also adds to its uniqueness. Obstacles Overcome University City has convinced residents and businesses to use compost! However, the larger market has not been fully de- veloped. The city is working to avoid carry-over of compost from one year to the next. Cur- rent inventory is about 1,300 cubic yards. Currently, smaller quantity customers means higher costs. University City would wel- come a single purchaser for most or all of its compost. The city also hopes to improve a loading and delivery system to its customers. While a large- volume trailer would serve this purpose, the expense cannot be justified at this time. Uni- versity City is experimenting also with a chemical spray that can reduce odors produced af- ter compost turns anaerobic, without harming the bacteria in the mulch. ------- Program Contact 43 For further information about University City's program, contact Allan B. Dieckgraefe, at (314) 862-6767 ext. 260 or write to Allan B. Dieckgraefe, Director Department of Public Works 6801 Delmar Boulevard University City, MO 63130 2. When the 17-cubic-yard box is filled, the truck disconnects from the loader and hauls the shredded leaves to a processing area on unimproved park land. The truck then returns to a route, where it is reconnected to the original or another loader. 3. An aerator/pulverizer mounted on a wheel loader further shreds and piles leaves in the processing area. The machine uses 3-foot-diameter paddles on a horizontal shaft 7'6" long. This shows a vacuum loader towed behind a truck, picking up leaves from the street gutter. The loader blows leaves through a flexible connection into a box mounted on the towing vehicle. Allan Dieckgraefe, Director of University City's recycling program, believes there's a strong need for compost to prevent the loss of topsoil. "In this age of high tech, it's comforting to know that a low-tech process, such as composting, can help solve a critical problem." 4. Windrows are created, 8 to 10 feet high and 20 to 35 feet at the base. The piles are turned periodically to restore oxygen for bacterial composting action. This shows that after approximately 6 months of processing there is a dark, rich, peat moss-like material immediately below the surface ready for use as a soil amendment or stabilization. ------- 44 Wellesley, Massachusetts Type of Program Community Overview Background Program Description Voluntary, source-separation drop-off recycling center. Wellesley is a town of 27,000 people, located about 25 min- utes from downtown Boston. It is primarily a suburban resi- dential community. Wellesley's recycling program was started in 1971 by local en- vironmentalists and the De- partment of Public Works when the town's incinerator failed to meet air emission standards. Unlike many of the earlier recycling centers around the nation, Wellesley's is still in business and is thriv- ing. Located at the town Recy- cling and Disposal Center, the operation has grown from col- lecting materials in 55-gallon drums to using 40-cubic-yard, open-top, transfer-haul con- tainers, plus horizontal and pit balers. It is now run by the town public works department and consists of a recycling cen- ter, transfer station, and yard waste composting site. Wellesley has never had curb- side garbage collection. Its res- idents—at least 83 percent of them—take their refuse to the Recycling and Disposal Center (RDF). The Wellesley RDF is free only to residents. Welles- ley hauls its refuse to a private sanitary landfill 25 miles away, which charges more than $25 a ton in tipping fees. Town residents bring both sep- arated recyclables and regular garbage to the town recycling and disposal facility. There are drop boxes there clearly marked for glass, newspaper, corrugated cardboard, mixed paper, tin cans, aluminum, bat- teries, nonferrous and ferrous metal, used oil, plastic bottles, yard waste, firewood, and tires. There is also a reusable items corner for the exchange of books, games, toys, appli- ances, furniture, and clothes. In addition, there is an area for composting leaves, grass, and other yard wastes. The RDF is a redemption center under the Massachusetts Bottle Bill as well. About 90 percent of Wellesley residents who use the RDF also recycle. Newspaper, glass, cardboard, ferrous metal, and aluminum are the primary materials recycled. In addition, cardboard, metals, glass, and returnable con- tainers are taken from the tip- ping floor of the transfer sta- tion, which is used for residential and commercial refuse. Net recycling benefits for 1988 were about $188,000. ------- 45 The following materials are collected and sorted at the Wellesley recycling and dis- posal facility: PAPER Newspaper Cardboard and corrugated Brown paper bags Mixed paper—magazines, junk mail, etc. GLASS Clear Green • Brown CANS Aluminum Steel, bimetal PLASTIC High density polyethylene con- tainers OIL Engine TIRES BATTERIES • Automotive METALS • Iron • Steel • Aluminum Wet cells Brass Copper WOOD « Logs provided free for firewood • Kindling free to townspeople • Wood chips—for mulch or com- post LEAVES, GRASS & YARD WASTES • Composted—available free to town residents; excess sold or donated RETURNABLE BOTTLES & CANS • All types—five-cent refund and two-cent handling fees go to the town BOOKS • People can take and leave books free at the "Book Ex- change" CLOTHING, SMALL EQUIPMENT, ETC. • Donated to Salvation Army or Goodwill Industries (an at- tended trailer at recycling center) MISCELLANEOUS REUSABLE ITEMS—"TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT" AREA a Usable furniture, equipment, and miscellaneous articles are left by residents and taken free by other residents In 1987, more than 16 percent of the 17,677 tons of waste processed at the RDF was re- cycled. Figures for 1988 show that 3,047 tons, or 19 percent, of the total residential, com- mercial, and municipal solid wastes are recycled. This is 24 percent of residential trash. Recycling net benefits were about $186,000 for 1988. This includes sales of recyclables, avoided hauling and landfill costs, and recycling expenses. What Makes Wellesley's Program Unique? The Wellesley drop-off center evolved from a town incinera- tor site to a multi-purpose re- cycling center. The center is proud of its park and social- gathering setting. Picnic tables, well-maintained lawns, trees, flowers, and a circular drive contribute to the site's popu- larity for Girl Scout cookie sales as well as political glad- handing. The center is also unique in its wide acceptance by townspeo- ple and its dedicated staff. Fur- ther, the Wellesley recycling center sponsors a recycling ed- ucation program aimed at all Wellesley residents, including a curriculum for third graders in Wellesley public and private schools. "Recycle. Join the Team" is its theme. The center also actively promotes other recycling in the community. For instance, it helps spread the word about community- sponsored rummage sales. ------- 46 Obstacles Overcome Program Contact At the recycling center, a wide range of services can be found: a redemption center for bot- tles, donated as a source of revenue for the center; a yard waste composting operation; and Goodwill and Salvation Army depots, with an attend- ant in the Goodwill trailer. The book exchange is also a popu- lar hangout for residents! The Wellesley recycling pro- gram works, and it has always worked! Nonetheless, there are the complaints that recy- cling takes too much time and that separate storage bins take up too much space in the home. To overcome these complaints, the center relies on its information and educa- tion program. Not only does the public works staff go to the schools, they provide commu- nity presentations and promote recycling regularly. For further information about Wellesley's program, contact Maurice "Pat" Berdan at (617) 235-7600 or write to M.R. Berdan, Director Wellesley Department of Public Works 455 Worcester Street P.O. Box 81364 Wellesley, MA 02181 Recycle. Join the Team! Pat Berdan offers this advice: "Wellesley's success is due to a combination of environmental awareness of the townspeople, their desire to conserve scarce resources, and their recognition that the town benefits financially by its recycling operation." ------- 47 Wilton, New Hampshire Type of Program Community Overview Background Program Description Mandatory, material separa- tion at drop-off center. Wilton and the towns of . Greenfield, Greenville, Lynde- borough, Mason, and Temple, New Hampshire, built the Wil- ton Recycling Center in 1979. It serves nearly 80 percent of the 9,000 residents of this rural area. The center requires resi- dents to drop off their sepa- rated trash free of charge. The residents' other option is to pay for curbside pickup. A stone quarry in Wilton evolved from an old swimming hole to an unpleasant dump. By 1976, the town acknowl- edged that something needed to be done. With its neighbor- ing towns, Wilton cleaned up the dump and created the Re- cycling Center on its site. The six towns agreed to share expenses as well as revenues, based on population. They also passed ordinances in 1978 re- quiring the separation of waste prior to its being left at the cen- ter. Most of the residents were already dropping off their trash. Opened in 1979, the Recycling Center cost about $360,000 to construct. The four-acre site is set up with stations receiving a variety of recyclables. The fa- cility recycles 45 percent of the waste, burns 43 percent in an on-site incinerator, and land- fills the remaining 12 percent, including ash. enter accepts all household wastes. Cans, glass, paper, plastic and metal are recycled. Trash catego- rized for incinerating, landfill- ing, and composting must be kept separate as well. There is a charge to dispose of some items, such as tires and demo- .lition waste. And compost and Wood chips prepared at the center are offered for sale. Workers at the "low-tech" Center compress and bale papers and cans. Glass is crushed, and plastic jugs are ground up. Industries in the area purchase most of these .^materials. The Wilton district spends only about $36 a ton to dispose of its waste. And in 1986, the 'District sold $26,000 worth of recycled material. The regional center recycles 45 percent of the waste it receives. ------- Information 50 For more information about re- cycling and for additional cop- ies of Recycling Works.', call v , the EPA Solid Waste Hotline " at 1-800-424-9346. InD.C., call 382-3000. Following is a list of state recy- cling offices: ALABAMA Department of Environmental Management Solid Waste Division 1715 Congressman Wm. Dickinson Drive Montgomery, AL 36130 (205)271-7700 ALASKA Department of Environmental Conservation Solid Waste Program P.O. Box 0 Junoau,AK 99811-1800 (907)465-2671 ARIZONA Department of Environmental Quality -O.W.P. Waste Planning Section, 4th Floor Phoenix, AZ 85004 (602)257-2317 ARKANSAS Department of Pollution Control and Ecology Solid Waste Division 8001 National Drive Uttia Rock, AK 72219 (501)562-7444 CALIFORNIA Recycling Division Department of Conservation 81919th Street Sacramento, CA 95814 (916)323-3743 COLORADO Department of Health 4210 E. 11th Avenue Denver, CO 80220 (303)320-4830 CONNECTICUT Recycling Program Department of Environmental Protection Hartford, CT 06106 (203)566-8722 DELAWARE Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control 89 Kings Highway P.O. Box 1401 Dover, DE19903 (302)736-4794 DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Public Space and Maintenance Administration 4701 Shepard Parkway, S.W. Washington, DC 20032 (202)767-8512 FLORIDA Department of Environmental Regulation 2600 Blairstone Road Tallahassee, FL 32201 (904)488-0300 GEORGIA Department of Community Affiars 40 Marietta St. N.W., 8th Floor Atlanta, GA 30303 (404)656-3898 HAWAII Litter Control Office Department of Health 205 Koula Street Honolulu, HI 96813 (808)548-3400 IDAHO Department of Environmental Quality Hazardous Materials Bureau 450 W. State Street Boise, ID 83720 (208)334-5879 ILLINOIS Illinois EPA Land Pollution Control Division 2200 Churchill Road P.O. Box 19276 Springfield, IL 62706 (217) 782-6761 INDIANA Office of Solid and Hazardous Waste Management Department of Environmental Management 105 S. Meridian Street Indianapolis, IN 46225 (317)232-8883 IOWA Department of Natural Resources Waste Management Division Wallace State Office Building Des Moines, IA 50319 (515)281-8176 KANSAS Bureau of Waste Management Department of Health and Environment Topeka.KS 66620 (913)296-1594 KENTUCKY Resources Management Branch Division of Waste Management 18 Reilly Road Frankfort, KY 40601 (502)564-6716 LOUISIANA Department of Environmental Quality P.O. Box 44307 Baton Rouge, LA 70804 (504)342-1216 MAINE Office of Waste Reduction and Recycling Department of Economic and Community Development State House Station #130 Augusta, ME 04333 (207)289-2111 MARYLAND Department of Environment Hazardous and Solid Waste Administration 2500 Broening Highway Building 40 Baltimore, MD 21224 (301)631-3343 MASSACHUSETTS Division of Solid Waste Management D.E.Q.E. 1 Winter Street, 4th Floor Boston, MA 02108 (617)292-5962 MICHIGAN Waste Management Division Department of Natural Resources P.O. Box 30028 Lansing, Ml 48909 (517)373-0540 ------- 51 MINNESOTA Pollution Control Agency 520 Lafayette Road St. Paul, MN 55155 (612)296-6300 MISSISSIPPI Non-Hazardous Waste Section Bureau of Pollution Control Department of Natural Resources P.O. Box 10385 Jackson. MS 39209 (601)961-5047 MISSOURI Department of Natural Resources P.O. Box 176 Jefferson City, MO 65102 (314)751-3176 MONTANA Solid Waste Program Department of Health and Environmental Science Cogswell Building, Room B201 Helena, MT 59620 (406)444-2821 NEBRASKA Litter Reduction and Recycling Programs Department of Environmental Control P.O. Box 98922 Lincoln, NE 68509 (402)471-4210 NEVADA Energy Extension Service Office of Community Service 1100 S.Williams Street Carson City, NV 89710 (702)885-4420 NEW HAMPSHIRE Waste Management Division Department of Environmental Services 6 Hazen Drive Concord, NH 03301 (603) 271-2900 NEWJERSEY Office of Recycling Department of Environmental Protection CN414 401 E. State Street Trenton, NJ 08625 (609)292-0331 NEW MEXICO Solid Waste Section Environmental Improvement Division 1190 St. Francis Drive ' Sante Fe, NM 87503 (505) 457-2780 NEW YORK Bureau of Waste Reduction and Recycling Department of Environmental Conservation 50 Wolf Road, Room 208 Albany, NY 12233 (518)457-7337 NORTH CAROLINA Solid Waste Management Branch Department of Human Resources P.O. Box 2091 Raleigh, NC 27602 (919)733-0692 NORTH DAKOTA Division of Waste Management Department of Health 1200 Missouri Avenue, Room 302 Box 5520 Bismark, ND 58502-5520 (701)224-2366 OHIO Division of Litter Prevention and Recycling Ohio EPA Fountain Square Building, E-1 Columbus, OH 43224 (614)265-7061 OKLAHOMA Solid Waste Division Department of Health 1000 N.E. 10th Street Oklahoma City, OK 73152 (405)271-7159 OREGON Department of Environmental Quality 811S.W. Sixth Portland, OR 97204 (503)229-5913 PENNSYLVANIA Waste Reduction and Recycling Section Division of Waste Minimization and Planning Department of Environmental Resources P.O. Box 2063 Harrisburg, PA 17120 (717)787-7382 RHODE ISLAND Office of Environmental Coordination Department of Environmental Management 83 Park Street Providence, Rl 02903 (401)277-3434 SOUTH CAROLINA Department of Health and Environmental Control 2600 Bull Street Columbia, SC 29201 (803)734-5200 SOUTHDAKOTA Energy Office 217-1/2 West Missouri Pierre, SD 57501 (605)773-3603 TENNESSEE Department of Public Health Division of Solid Waste Management Customs House, 4th Floor 701 Broadway Nashville TN37219-S403 (615)741-3424 TEXAS Division of Solid Waste Management Department of Health 1100 W. 49th Street Austin TX 78756 (512)458-7271 UTAH Bureau of Solid and Hazardous Waste Department of Environmental Health P.O. Box 16690 Salt Lake City, UT 84116-0690 (801)538-6170 VERMONT Agency of National Resources 103 S. Main Street, West Building Waterbury.VT 05676 (802)244-8702 ------- 52l VIRGINIA Department of Waste Management Division of Litter Control and Recycling 11th Floor, Monroe Bulding 101N. 14th Street Richmond, VA 23219 1-800-Keeptt WEST VIRGINIA Department of Natural Resources Conservation, Education, and Litter Control 1800 Washington Street E. Charleston, WV2S305 (304)343-3370 WASHINGTON Department of Ecology Mail Stop PV-11 Olympia.WA 95804 1-800-RecycIe WISCONSIN Department of Natural Resources P.O. Box 7921 Madison, WI53707 (608)266-5741 WYOMING Solid Waste Management Program Department of Environmental Quality Herschler Building 122 W. 25th Street Cheyenne, WY 82002 (307)777-7752 The Office of Solid Waste thanks the recycling program managers, who contributed valuable time and materials to this project. U. S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE : 1991 0 - 300-133 QL 3 ------- |