United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Solid Waste and
Emergency Response
(5306W)
EPA-530-F-99-017h
October 1999
www.epa.gov/osw
Falls  Church,
Virginia
65% Residential Waste Reduction
Overview
    Falls Church made a commitment to recycling in 1989
when it hired its first Recycling Coordinator. A city code,
effective since 1991, requires the city to provide curbside
recycling and yard debris services to all residents receiving
city trash service. The city provides weekly trash and
curbside recycling services, and brush, fall leaves, and bagged
yard debris collection. In addition, the city operates a drop-
off facility for recyclables. Falls Church's waste reduction rate
increased from 39% in FY90 to 65% in FY97 (25% through
recycling and 40% through composting). The biggest gain
was in recycling, which rose from 10% to 25%. During the
same period, per household trash disposal was cut nearly in
half.

Keys to High Waste Reduction
    Collection of a wide range of materials for recovery, year-
round curbside yard debris collection, and community
involvement and education programs contribute to Falls
Church's waste reduction success. Falls Church accepts 14
types of recyclables in its  curbside collection program and
three additional categories at its drop-off facility.  Materials
accepted include paperboard, mail, aluminum foil and scrap,
   and some household batteries. Falls Church has many
   mature lawns and trees and yard debris is a significant
   component of the city's waste stream.
   Each household generates more than
  five pounds  of yard debris per day. The
  city's fall leaf collection and processing
  program is alone responsible for 45% of
   the city's total waste diversion. Falls
    Church operates a multi-faceted
    education and outreach program that
     includes personal contact, volunteer
     participation, written materials, and
     school and community programs.
     One notable program, the city's
                               DHALU
                                POPULATION:  9,578
                                  (1989); 10,000 (1996,
                                  estimate)
                                HOUSEHOLDS: 4,637 (1996);
                                  2,194 single-family
                                  households, 1,441 multi-
                                  family units, 431
                                  townhomes, 571
                                  condominiums

1 RESIDENTIAL PROGRAM SUMMARY 1
FY90
Tons Per Year 6,956
Percent Diverted 39%
Recycled 10%
Composted
Average Ibs./HH/day 13.23
FY97
6,655
65%
25%
40%
12.45
Net Program Costs/HH $372.21 $215.21
Disposal Services $194.43 $104.30
Diversion Services $177.78 $110.91
Notes: 2,880 households served in 1990; 2,928 in 1997. 1990
dollars adjusted to 1997 dollars using the GDP deflator.
Numbers may not add to total due to rounding.
                                         Source: institute for Local Self-Reliance, 1999.
   This profile is part of the fact sheet Cutting the Waste Stream in Half: Community Record-Setters Show How (EPA-530-F-99-017).

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                "Recycling Block Captain" program involves
                more than 100 community volunteers who
                distribute recycling information in their
                neighborhoods and serve as a liaison between
                residents and the  city.

                Cost-Effectiveness
                   Falls Church  experienced a $420,000
                decrease in its solid waste management budget
                from FY90 to FY97.  In 1996, the city spent
                    about $215 per household served by city
                       waste management programs ($104  on
                            trash collection and disposal, $38
                             on recycling, and $73 on yard
                            debris collection and recovery).
                          On a per-ton basis, trash cost $139
                and waste  reduction cost $73 (recycling cost
                $62, and yard debris recovery $80).
                   The city's waste reduction program  is cost-
                effective due to a reduction in trash routes
                made possible by  decreased trash generation,
                and a fee structure whereby increased
                recycling does not increase costs because the
                recycling contractor is paid per household
  MATERIALS RECOVERED
 CURBSIDE:
   newspaper, magazines and catalogs, corrugated cardboard
   mixed paper (including mail, copier and computer paper, colored and glossy
    paper, envelopes, folders, note cards, paperboard, and phone books)
   glass containers
   metal cans
   #1 and #2 plastic bottles
   white goods
   brush, grass clippings, leaves, and other yard and garden debris

 DROP-OFF:
   all materials collected at curbside (excluding
    compostables)
    plus:
    aluminum foil
    and pie pans
    scrap metal
    some household
    batteries
    City workers vacuuming
autumn leaves in Falls Church
        RESIDENTIAL WASTE GENERATION
            PER  HOUSEHOLD PER DAY
         13.0
      •S  9.0
                FY90
                        FY94
                                FY97
               Trash    ] Recycling
     Source: institute for Local Se!f-Re!iance, 1999.
Composting
served.  Falls Church reduced trash collection
from twice to once weekly in 1991, less than
one year after the city started multi-material
curbside recycling. As a result, the city cut
trash collection labor needs by one-third.
Unlike recycling, trash, brush, and yard debris
costs grow as these streams increase because of
tonnage-based tip fees the city pays for their
management. In the 1990s, the greatest
increase in the city's diversion rate resulted
from recycling.

Tips for Replication
      Community involvement and
encouraging volunteers are critical to keeping
residents motivated and  participating.
      Educate the community, especially
children, because children can have a big effect
on a household's behavior.
      Recover yard debris.
      Make program participation convenient.

   Contact
    Annette Mills
    Coordinator
    Recycling and Litter Prevention
    City of Falls Church, Dept. of Public Works
    Harry E. Wells Building, 300 Park Avenue
    Falls Church.VA 22046-3332
    PHONE: 703-241-5176
    FAX:  703-241-5184

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