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HomeMy WebLinkAbout13 GRT WEST REC RPT 11-06-95AGE N DAI NO. 13 11-6-95 ATE: November 6, 1995 Inter-Com TO: FROM: SUBJECT: WILLIAM A. HUSTON, CITY MANAGER PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT GREAT WESTERN RECLAMATION ANNUAL REPORT RECOMMEN-DATION This report is for information purposes only. It is recommended that it be received and filed. FISCAL IMPACT There is no fiscal impact associated with this action. BACKGROUND As the City's contracted solid waste hauler, Great Westem Reclamation (GWR) is required to submit to the City an annual report of their activities related to the landfilling and diversion or recycling of solid waste gathered in the City.. The attached Great Western report is for the period of July 1, 1994 to June 30, 1995. The primary purpose of this staff report is to review GWR's compliance with contractual obligations and to provide an update on legal compliance, program status and future programs or activities. This report will also cover City compliance with the California Integrated Waste Management Act of 1989 (AB 939 and AB 2494). DISCUSSION There are several methods of assessing the diversion of waste from landfills. Two methods involve those wastes that are collected by GWR. A third method involves an assessment of all wastes collected in the City and disposed by all sources. GWR's report (attached) indicates that by comparing the amount of waste landfilled by GWR in the base year of 1990 (74,507 tons) and the waste landfilled by GWR in 1994/1995 (51,358 tons), the total annual reduction of landfilled waste from one period to the other is 23,149 tons. This is a 31% reduction in waste disposed in landfills. This type of comparison, while convoluted, is necessary to ascertain compliance with the diversion requirements of AB 939/2494. This legislation requires the diversion of twenty-five percent (25 %) of the volume of the waste stream that was generated in the base year of 1990 with adjustments for growth and other factors. The deadline for complYing with this requirement was January 1, 1995. A second assessment of GWR's effectiveness in recycling or diverting wastes from landfills is to review the waste tonnages handled only in 1994/1995 (See attachment B of the GWR report). During the period from July 1, 1994 to June 30, 1995, GWR collected 64,171 tons of waste. Of that amount, 12,812 tons were recycled or diverted from the waste going to landfills. This indicates that GWR is recycling or diverting 20% of the waste collected in the City and that 80% is going to landfills. This is a true indication of the current diversion rate but does not take into account the overall cumulative total of waste diversion and reduced waste generation. Note that the total waste collected in 1990 was 74,507 tons. The total waste collected by GWR in 1994/95 (64,171 tons), is 10,336 tons less than the tonnage collected in 1990. This reflects a 13.8% reduction in the amount of waste that was collected by GWR, even with the population and business growth of Tustin. This reduction of the waste stream can be largely attributed to individual and business recycling and reuse efforts, increased public awareness of waste issues and source reduction and packaging reduction efforts by businesses. A final method of assessing the City's effort to reduce waste going into landfills is to add GWR numbers with all Other waste that is reported as processed and/or disposed in Orange County or other landfills and attributed to the City of Tustin. The Sources of this waste would be other haulers, (Five Star which serves Tustin Unified School District and Federal Disposal Service which serves MCAS, Tustin), demolition firms and some private businesses and citizens who choose to haul waste directly to landfills. Because the County only began maintaining records identifying sources of waste generation in January 1995, this calculation method is not currently reliable. The County's information will be essential to determine the City's compliance with AB 939/2494. Ultimately, the City must be most concerned with complying with the state landfilling/diversion requirements as required by AB 939/2494. In the next few months, the California Integrated Waste Management Board (CIWMB) will adopt a uniform "adjustment method" that will permit the revision of the 1990 waste disposal number by using a set of criteria to compensate for growth of waste stream within a jurisdiction (See the attached graphic titled "The Big Picture"). When this methodology is approved, the City may see a change in the percentage of waste that is diverted from landfills. When all sources of waste generation and diversion are taken into consideration, it is possible that the City's diversion percentage may drop because the 1990 base number is the only waste generation number used to calculate diversion and landfilling percentages. That number will be revised upward by this new method. It should be noted that while the City's solid waste contract with Great Western Reclamation requires it to do all that is required to bring' the City into compliance with AB 939, GWR is not responsible for waste generated or disposed of by other contractors. Some of the waste that is going to County landfills is attributed to the City by the County, but is hauled by private citizens or businesses and by the Tustin Unified School District waste hauler and the Marine Corps waste hauler. City staff, GWR and the County have been unable to fully account for the volumes of waste generated by each of these sources. Staff has identified two additional sources of waste that will give the City further credits for waste diversion. Under the City's current contracts for tree maintenance and landscape maintenance, all green waste is eligible for diversion credit. This information is currently being compiled and will be included in future reports. To assist in satisfying state reporting requirements, the CIWMB is developing a simplified model reporting format that will be used to report AB 939/2494 data to the CIWMB. The City will adopt this format when it is available. It is anticipated that it will be available by the end of this year. Staff will be working with GWR to revise all internal reports to be consistent with this new format and next year's report to the City Council will reflect the new adjustment method discussed above and the new reporting format. The next landfilling/diversion goal for the City comes in the year 2000 when the City must reduce its landfilled waste total to 50% of the adjusted 1990 landfilled amount. To attain that goal City staff and Great Western Reclamation are working on several programs to decrease waste generation, increase recycling and promote public awareness. Many of these efforts are detailed in Great Western's report. A major emphasis of these programs is an outreach program'for businesses in Tustin. Staff will work with GWR to target businesses for inclusion in a voluntary effort to increase the recycling of paper products and to reduce the generation of waste from packaging materials and other by- products. GWR has assigned dedicated personnel to handle this project. The City is currently receiving this assistance as staff implements a mixed paper recycling program throughout City Hall. The results thus far have been very encouraging. Another area of waste reduction/recycling that staff will pursue with GWR is to institute a green waste collection program. This program has the potential to divert significant amounts of waste from landfills as much of the current waste is mixed with other waste. Staff and GWR will consider alternatives which will allow separation of .the green waste from the normal waste stream without altering the current collection and Material Recovery Facility processes. In all of these efforts, staff and GWR will continue to emphasize public education and awareness of various waste issues. Staff has proposed to GWR that it design and utilize a standard "newsletter format" that is unique to Tustin, newsworthy and timely. As the design, printing and distribution of brochures is already required by the franchise agreement, there will be no cost to the City. Tim D. Serlet ~-/ Director of Public Works/ City Engineer Administrative Assistant II Public Works TDS :JM Attachment SOLID WASTE LANDFILL AND DIVERSION CALCULATION METHODS UNADJUSTED AB 939/2494 CALCULATION GREAT WESTERN RECLAMATION COLLECTIONS ONLY 1990 BASE YEAR TOTAL TONNAGE REDUCTION OF % DIVERTED, TONNAGE LANDFILLED ' LANDFILLED BY LANDFILLED RECYCLED OR BY GWR GWR IN WASTE BY REDUCED 1994/1995 DIVERSION OR FROM WASTE RECYCLING OR STREAM SOURCE REDUCTION 74,507 51,358 23,149 31 GREAT WESTERN RECLAMATION SINGLE YEAR CALCULATION JULY 1, 1994 TO JUNE 30, 1995 TOTAL WASTE TOTAL WASTE TOTAL % OF WASTE TONNAGE COLLECTED TONNAGE WASTE TONNAGE DIVERTED OR BY GWR IN 1994/1995 LANDFILLED BY DIVERTED FROM RECYCLED GWR LANDFILLS OR BY GWR IN RECYCLED BY GWR 1994/1995 64,171 51,358 12,813 20 II City of Tustin Annual Recycling Report July 1994 - 1995 Index Waste Diversion Results !1. Compliance with AB 939/AB2494 !il. Bulky Item Activity IV. Commercial Customer Satisfaction Program Vo Business Outreach- City of Tustin VI. Public Education/Promotional Materials VIi. Community Involvement Future Components of Public Education Program Attachments (A) (B) (C) (D) (E) (F) (O) (H) Recycling ProgresS- Diversion Summary Tonnage Certification 'Tonnage Not Taken to MRF and Bulky Items Diversion Summary Report Diversion Report- Residential Diversion Report- Commercial Diversion Report- Industrial (Rolloff) Diversion Report- Multi-Family - Waste Diversion Results For the reporting year ending June 30, 1995, Great Western Reclamation hauled a total of 64,171 tons of solid waste within the City of Tustin. Of this total, 12,813 tons (20%) was diverted and 51,358 tons (80%) was landfilled. The diversion percentage of 20% represents a 13% increase over the 1993/94 total of 17.7% (see Attachment A). Most of this increase is attributable to improved equipment and processing at Sunset Environmental Transfer and Recycling Center. Residential diversion decreased slightly from' 12.6% in 1993/94 to 10.7% in 1994/95. Multi-family and Commercial diversion both increased from 17.5% in 1993/94 to 17.6% in 1994/95. Industrial diversion showed the largest improvement, increasing from 26.4% to 35.2% in the previous reporting period. Attachments D through H provide more detailed' diverSion results by commodity, by month, in summary and by wastestream type. II. Compliance with AB939/AB2494 As mentioned above, GWR landfilled a total of 51,358 tons in 1994/95. AB2494 requires that we compare the current year's iandfilled tonnage with that of the 1990 base year to determine if the AB939 diversion goals has been achieved, as follows: City of Tustin -Landfilled Tons Total Landfi!led - 1990 Base Year(i) 81,642 Less Other Haulers- 1990 Tons Landfilled (7,135) Total Tons Landfilled by GWR in 1990(2) 74,507 Less 1994/95 Tons Landfilled by GWR(3) (51,358) Total Reduction in Landfilled Tons - GWR 23,149 % Reduction (23,149 + 74,507) 31% (1) (2) (3) City of Tustin SRRE, Appendix A, page 6, Table 2 City of Tustin SRRE, Appendix A, page 7, Table 4 Attachment B The above analysis indicates that the overall reduction in GWR's landfilled tonnage in 1990 compared with 1994/95 totaled 23,149 tons or 31% This exceeds the AB939 goal of 25%, effective January 1995 by six percentage points. If we assume that other haulers are still landfilling 7,135 tons, the City of Tustin total diversion rate would be 28%, again well within the AB939 requirements. III. Bulky item Collection Great Western Reclamation offers a bulky item collection of materials, such as furniture and large household appliances, to our residential customers free of charge. There were 1,009 bUlky item requests in program year 1994 - 1995. This represents 94.55 tons of materials which were processed at the Sunset MRF. IV. Commercial Customer Satisfaction Program Great Western Reclamation has continued its comprehensive Customer Satisfaction Assessment Program which began in 1993. Maritz Marketing conducts quarterly surveys from Great Western Reclamation's commercial customer base. The purpose of the survey is to determine the customer's perception of quality of service, price and billing practices. From these surveys, a report is generated and forwarded to our Sales Manager on a weekly basis. If any negative feedback is given by a customer on the report, it is the Sales Manager's responsibility that the Customer is contacted with 72 hours of receipt of the report to resolve any customer problems. The Sales Manager then receives feedback regarding the resolution of the customer problem and forwards it to the Division President for review. This program continues to have the highest level of support from the President of Waste Management Inc., Great Western's parent company, and is an excellent example of our commitment to "total customer satisfaction". Great Western Reclamation has developed' and implemented a single-point-of- contact "Customer Service Center". Our goal is to create an environment where any one of our highly trained Customer Service Representatives can handle any and all customer needs. This system and the additional training our employees have received has resulted in better service and increased customer satisfaction. Instrumental in this scenario is a completely upgraded and enhanced telephone system. In 1995, Great Western Reclamation added an Automatic Call Distributor to more efficiently distribute calls to available Customer Service Representatives. This new system enables staff to answer customer calls more quickly. V. BUSINESS OUTREACH - CITY OF TUSTIN VI. Great Western Reclamation has been and continues to be, an active member of the Tustin Chamber of Commerce. By serving on the Governmental Affairs Committee as well as attending numerous chamber breakfasts, mixers, and events, Great Western Reclamation staff educates the business community about recycling and source reduction. In addition to these efforts, source reduction audits are provided upon request of the customer in order to reduce monthly trash bills as well as assisting commercial customers in "closing the loop" through source reduction, recycling, and.reusing materials. In September 1995, Great Western Reclamation will implement a commercial mixed paper recycling program for Tustin businesses. 65 gallon carts will be delivered to 60 commercial units, whereby all mixed paper will be collected for recycling. This simple, yet effective, commercial recycling program will increase recycling awareness and participation in the workplace and increase the City's diversion. Great Western Reclamation is also introducing Multi-Family Recycling Bins to Tustin residents in gated communities, Again,.this simple recycling program will maximize the City of Tustin's recycling revenue by offering multi-family residents the option to recycle newspapers, aluminum, glass and cardboard. PUBLIC EDUCATION/PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS Great Western Reclamation has worked hard to provide numerous public information venues for Tustin residents and commercial customers. In addition to creating several informational brochures regarding recycling, source reduction, and reusing materials,-Great Western Reclamation has implemented the following educational programs. Environmental Business Award Program - GWR worked with City staff and the Tustin Chamber of Commerce to develop a comprehensive awards program to honor local businesses for their recycling efforts. The first awards program was initiated in September 1994 and was tremendously successful. With over 25 local Tustin applicants, Ricoh Electronics was ultimately selected and recognized by the City Council for their achievements in "closing the loop" and "Reducing, Reusing, and Recycling." Another Business Awards presentation will take place sometime in the Fall 1995 and continue on a quarterly basis. Supermarket Source Reduction Campaign - Great Western Reclamation has developed a unique poster for distribution to all Tustin stores and businesses in. order to proactively increase public awareness regarding recycling and protecting our environment. The eye-catching 17 x 22 poster uses the City.of Tustin's identifiable recycling logo developed by Great Western Reclamation in 1994 and provides easy recycling and source reduction tips for consumers and businesses. Upon receipt of language approval by City staff, the posters will be printed and distributed by August 1995. Anti-ScaVenging Decals - Due to the increasing commodity value of recyclable materials, many Orange County cities have experienced an increase in scavenging.' As a result, GWR offered the City to develop an Anti-Scavenging Decal which would be distributed to every Tustin resident and business unit to place on garbage containers. The decals will serve as an educational tool and as a Warning message that scavengers will be prosecuted. Although this educational component is not part of our contractual agreement with the City of Tustin, GWR believes this matter deserves special attention and gladly offers to incur the development and printing costs of the decals. Tustin Today Articles - Per the City's request, GWR wrote a brief article describing the City of Tustin's upcoming Used Oil and Anti,Scaven§ing Programs for inclusion in the August 1995 Tustin Today edition. Great Western Reclamation also. proposes to continue developing recycling articles for publication in the City newsletter on a regular basis in order to maximize our public education effectiveness. CYCLER, Waste Management's recycling robot, appears at many local events to teach children and adults about recycling. Cycler is a very useful educational tool and is a big hit with Tustin kids. VII. COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT GWR has a long history of providing financial support, in-kind donations, and volunteers for a number of local events and organizations. When appropriate, recycling program information is distributed. The following lists only some of the many City events GWR sponsors: 1995 Tustin Business Expo Tustin Eastern Little League Tustin Chamber of Commerce Casino Night Tustin Boys & Girls Club Tustin Community Foundation Tustin Chamber of Commerce 1995 Annual InstallatiOn Event Sponsor Substantial contributions of services such as-bins, trash and recycle boxes and portable.toilets were provided to the following events, qualifying GWR as a major sponsor: 4th of July Parade Tustin Chile Cook-Off Taste of Tustin Tustin Tiller Days VIII. FUTURE COMPONENTS OF PUBLIC EDUCATION PROGRAM Recycling/Anti-Scavenging Presentations - GWR's Recycling Coordinator will identify and proactively schedule recycling and scavenging presentations to Tustin Homeowner Associations, community groups and 'organizations, City Boards and Commissions, and business organizations in an effort to maximize recycling awareness. Recycling/Source Reduction Video & PSA's - GWR proposes to assist City staff in developing a recycling video for airing on Cox Cablevision. 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