United States Environmental Protection Agency Solid Waste and Emergency Response (5306W) EPA-530-F-99-017J October 1999 www.epa.gov/osw Leverett, Massachusetts 53% Residential Waste Reduction Overview Leverett's recycling system, like its trash program, operates on a drop-off basis. In 1988, the city enacted a mandatory recycling bylaw which banned recyclable paper, glass and cans from its landfill. In 1990, Leverett began shipping its recyclables to a state-developed materials recovery facility (MRF) in Springfield, Massachusetts, and in 1993 revised its recycling bylaw to ban all materials accepted at the MRF from disposal with trash. Recycling extended the life of the existing landfill by two years and reduced hauling and disposal costs after the landfill closed in 1993 and the city began disposing its trash in a landfill 27 miles from town. The town's Recycle/Transfer Station is located on the site of its former landfill. Residents can drop off recyclables at this facility for free but must pay a per-bag fee for their trash. The Recycle/Transfer Station is also the home of Leverett's extensive reuse program. The town has no organized program for the management of yard debris but it has banned these materials from disposal. In FY97, Leverett residents diverted 53% of their residential waste from disposal — 31% through recycling and 23% through yard debris diversion. The town's current waste management program is cost- effective compared to the costs of operating its own landfill and disposing of all the town's waste. Keys to High Waste Reduction Leverett's yard debris disposal ban, the acceptance of 25 materials for recycling and reuse, and pay-as-you- throw (PAYT) trash fees have contributed to Leverett's 53% waste reduction level. The town's disposal ban forces residents to manage their own yard debris. In the past the city has sold reduced price compost bins (120 bins in 1996) and provided those residents who purchased them DHALU POPULATION: 1 .908 (1996) HOUSEHOLDS: 650(1996); all single-family homes and duplexes FY87 FY97 Tons Per Year NA 652 Percent Diverted Recycled Composted 0% 0% 0% 53% 31% 23% Average Ibs./HH/day NA 5.50 Net Program Costs/HH $84.46 $50.81 Disposal Services $84.46 $39.37 Diversion Services $0.00 $11.44 Notes: 651 households served in FY89; 650 in FY97. 1986 dollars adjusted to 1996 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). ------- with instruction booklets. The Recycle/Transfer Station accepts all materials processed at the Springfield MRF and provides recycling and source reduction opportunities for other goods. Most of the structures at the town's Recycle/Transfer Station are devoted to reuse; the most active is the "Take it or Leave it." At this facility, residents have moved items such as hand and power tools, small and large appliances, exercise equipment, toys, furniture, housewares, building materials, and even a snowblower into the reuse stream. The second most popular component of the town's reuse operations is its clothes bin where residents can deposit their own unwanted clothing or take items left by other residents. Residents must pay per-bag fees for the disposal of all waste. In FY97, disposal fees were $1.50 per 30-gallon bag and $0.75 for 15-gallon bags. Cost-Effectiveness In FY97, Leverett's gross costs for residential waste management were $37,600. iwjauau DROP-OFF: newspaper, magazines, corrugated cardboard mixed paper (including paperboard, mail, office paper, phone books and other books, and kraft paper bags) juice and milk boxes glass containers cans all plastic bottles, tubs, trays, andjars lead-acid batteries household batteries textiles reusable goods white goods paint scrap metal RESIDENTIAL WASTE GENERATION PER HOUSEHOLD PER DAY S 2.0 1.0 £ FY97 ] Trash ^ Recycling ^Composting Source: Institute for Local Self-Reliance, 1999. Of this, about 72% was spent on trash collection and disposal and 28% was spent on recycling. On a per-ton basis, trash cost $91 and recycling cost $51 ($36 with material revenues). Leverett pays an average of $58 per ton in landfill tip fees, while the town pays no tip fees for delivering recyclables to the MRF. The town's PAYT trash fees, lack of tip fees for recycled materials, and reuse programs have contributed to the cost effectiveness of it waste management program. In FY87, before the town expanded its waste reduction program, waste disposal cost $84 per household. The town's current costs for waste management are only $58 per household ($53 per household when revenues from recyclables are included). Tips for Replication Don't waste time reinventing the wheel. People have to live with your recycling/reuse program. Make it as easy, and as useful to them, as possible. Try not to get too caught up in the numbers game (recycling rates); focus on how to help your community deal with the waste issues that are or will be important to them. The recycling rate will take care of itself. Contact Richard Drury Recycling Coordinator Town of Leverett, Town Hall Leverett, MA 01054 PHONE: 413-367-9683 FAX: 413-367-9611 ------- |