United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Solid Waste and
Emergency Response
(5306W)
EPA-530-F-99-0170
October 1999
www.epa.gov/osw
San Jose, California
43% Municipal Solid Waste Reduction
(45% Residential Solid Waste Reduction; 42% Institutional/Commercial
Solid Waste Reduction)
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Overview
Prior to implementation of the Recycle Plus Program
in 1993 — part of San Jose's Integrated Waste Management
(IWM) Program — residents set out unlimited trash for a
flat monthly fee and recycled only five material categories.
Now they can set out more types of recyclables (including
mixed paper, corrugated cardboard, mixed plastics, scrap
metals, and textiles), multi-family dwellings (MFDs) are
offered recycling and yard debris collection services, and
recycling contractors are paid per household and per ton
recycled. 1 As a result, from 1992 to 1996, the single-family
household participation rate increased from 66% to 83% and
the single-family waste reduction level increased from 33%
to 55%. In FY97, San Jose diverted 45% of its residential
waste and 42% of its commercial waste. Overall diversion
was 43% (34% was recycled and 9% was composted).
Keys to High Waste Reduction
Key elements of the IWM Program are weekly residential
curbside collection of 19 categories of recyclables (available to
all MFDs too),2 pay-as-you-throw (PAYT) fees for single-
family household trash pick-up, weekly year-round residential
yard trimmings collection, and financial
incentives for businesses to recycle and
reduce waste. To encourage participation,
the city provides three yellow stacking
bins to single-family households and
sets of three 96-gallon recycling carts to
MFDs. PAYT trash fees are an
economic incentive to divert materials
from the trash through recycling and
composting. Yard trimmings account
for about two-thirds of material
recovered. The city's unique "loose-
in-the-street" collection system
allows residents to set out more yard
debris than would fit in a typical
cart. (MFDs also have curbside
yard trimmings pick-up.) In order
DHALU
POPULATION: 849,363
(1996), 873,300
(1997)
HOUSEHOLDS: 259,365
(1993), 269,340(1996);
188,900 single-family
households, 80,440 multi-
family units
BUSINESSES: 27,000
FY93
FY97
Tons Per Year MSW NA 1,315,436
Tons Per Year RSW 283,000 433,576
Tons Per Year ICW NA 881,860
Percent MSW Diverted NA 43%
Percent RSW Diverted 33% 45%
Percent ICW Diverted NA 42%
Average Ibs./HH/day
8.61
8.82
Net Program Costs/H HI $206.85 $187.03
Disposal Services $142.78 $81.95
Diversion Services $64.07 $105.09
Key: MSW = municipal solid waste RSW = residential solid waste
ICW = institutional and commercial waste
NA = not available
Notes: 1992 dollars adjusted to 1996 dollars using the GDP
deflator.
1 Figures reflect residential sector only. FY93 tonnage data represents
180,000 single-family dwellings only; multi-family dwellings
were included in commercial service at that time. In FY97,
269,340 single-family dwellings and multi-family dwellings were
served.
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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to encourage waste reduction among
businesses, San Jose charges trash haulers
serving businesses fees of more than $3 per
cubic yard for trash; in contrast, recycling
collection firms pay no fees for commercial
recyclables hauled.
Cost-Effectiveness
The financial elements of the IWM
Program are varied and complex. There are
numerous funding sources, multiple programs
serving a variety of customers, and oversight
of more then 25 residential and commercial
contracts. All of the city's fees encourage
maximum waste reduction. Its recycling
contractors, for instance, receive additional
payments for each ton they actually market to
an end user. As a result, recycling costs were
$206 per ton in FY97, more than twice as
high as per ton trash or yard trimmings
management costs.3 However, the net cost of
single-family residential waste services has
remained relatively stable ($207 per household
SFD RESIDENTIAL WASTE GENER-
ATION PER HOUSEHOLD PER DAY
MATERIALS RECOVERED
CURBSIDE:
newspaper, magazines and catalogs, corrugated cardboard
mixed paper (including mail, colored and white paper, envelopes, bags, egg
cartons, paperboard, and phone books)
glass containers
cans
juice and milk cartons
plastic bottles/jugs and polystyrene packaging
scrap metals (e.g., aluminum foil and plates, small metal appliances, hub
caps, metal pots)
textiles
used motor oil
grass clippings, leaves,
brush, and other yard
and garden debris
holiday trees
bulky goods (collected for
a small fee)
DROP-OFF:
the city operates no public
drop-off facilities
Recyclables set out at
curbs/tie in San Jose
•g 5.0
1.0
FY93 FY97
| Trash ^ Recycling | Composting
Source: Institute for Local Self-Reliance, 1999.
in FY93 compared to $210 in FY97). The
city spends less per household for the
provision of trash services to MFDs compared
to single-family dwellings so that net program
costs per household for all 270,000 San Jose
households averaged $187 in FY97.
Tips for Replication
Set up a cost structure that encourages
recycling and waste reduction (for households,
for businesses, and for contractors).
Know customers and implement a
program that balances needs of city and
customers.
Create a relationship with haulers that is
conducive to continuous improvement.
Pilot programs and collect data (put
reporting requirements in contracts).
Notes:
ifhe contractor serving MFDs is paid per ton only not per
household.
^Residents in multi-family dwellings can recycle the same
materials at curbside as residents in single-family dwellings
with the exception of used oil.
3fhe city has since renegotiated its contracts with its haulers to
reduce recycling costs.
Contact
Ellen Ryan
Program Manager
City of San Jose Environmental Services Department
Integrated Waste Management Program
777 North First Street, Suite 450
San Jose, California 95112
PHONE: 408-277-5533
FAX: 408-277-3606
RESIDENTIAL WEB SITE: www.recycleplus.org
COMMERCIAL WEB SITE:
www. sjrecycles. org/business/
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