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) $3)) "V "' <&/ \*%& ,A 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). ------- 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/ ------- |