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Home My WebLink About1996-12-10 City Council (6)City of Palo Alto City Manager’s Report TO:HONORABLE CITY COUNCIL ATTENTION:POLICY AND SERVICES COMMITTEE FROM:CITY MANAGER DEPARTMENT: PUBLIC WORKS AGENDA DATE: SUBJECT: DECEMBER 10, 1996 CMR:493:96 CITY OF PALO ALTO SOLID WASTE CHARACTERIZATION STUDY - SCOPE OF SERVICES REQUEST Attached to this report is a draft scope of services for a consultant to assist the City in conducting and preparing a Solid Waste Characterization Study. This project was among those the Policy and Services Committee identified for review prior to staff soliciting for proposals. RECOMMENDATIONS Staff recommends that the Policy and Services Committee approve the attached scope of services and direct staff to issue a Request for Proposals (RFP) for consulting services. BACKGROUND Assembly Bill 939 (AB939) required each ciU and county in California to divert the amount of waste being landfilled 25 percent by 1995 and 50 percent by the year 2000. Each city is also required to monitor the reductions in solid waste and to submit an annual report to the California Integrated Waste Management Board summarizing the progress toward achieving the mandated goals. The Solid Waste Characterization Study is an important planning tool, which allows staff to evaluate progress since the 1990 study and to recommend new cost effective recycling programs to meet the 50 percent mandated goal by the year 2000. DISCUSSION The attached scope of services describes the work of the Solid Waste Characterization Study. The major tasks included in the attached draft scope of services are: Review and evaluate existing solid waste, recycling, diversion and disposal information, data and previous reports including: ¯ ¯ Source Reduction and Recycling Element, Emcon Associates, June 1995. Household Hazardous Waste Element, Emcon Associates, June 1995. SMART Station Waste Characterization Study, Brown, Vence and Associates, December 1995. CMR:493:96 Page 1 of 2 City of Palo Alto Solid Waste Disposal and Diversion Annual Report, August 1996. Conduct a one week Solid Waste Characterization Study at the Palo Alto landfill in conformance with Title 14, California Code of Regulations. 3.Prepare and submit a report to the City on the Study’. Identify base-year data problem(s) and prepare revisions to disposal tonnages, diversion of materials for submittal to State of California Integrated Waste Management Board. Recommend new cost effective recycling programs to meet the 50 percent diversion goals by the year 2000. POLICY IMPLICATIONS Approval of this Scope of Services is consistent with City policy. FISCAL IMPACT Funds for this project have been included in the FY 1996-97 Refuse Fund Operating Budget. ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT This project is categorically exempt from the provisions of CEQA (Section 15306) and no further environmental review is necessarT. STEPS FOLLOWING APPROVAL Staff will prepare a request for proposals for solicitation to consultants and return to Council with a iecommended consultant agreement. ATTACHMENT Draft scope of services for City of Palo Alto Solid Waste Characterization Study PREPARED BY: Mike Miller, Deputy Director, Public Works Operations DEPARTMENT HEAD REVIEW: CITY MANAGER APPROVAL: ~’~,Director o~’Publi W ~s ona or CMR:493:96 Page 2 of 2 PART II SCOPE OF WORK OR SERVICES CITY OF PALO ALTO A. General Information. The City. of Palo Alto (City) generates approximately 140,000 tons of solid waste a 3’ear from approximately 25,200 households and 4,000 businesses. Sources of solid waste stream fall under four categories: residential, commercial, industrial and self-haul. The City." contracts with the Palo Alto Sanitation Company (PASCO) to provide refuse, recycling and yard waste collection services including the operation of the City’s Recycling Center, the curbside recycling program and the emptying and maintenance of public trash receptacles. The refuse collected by PASCO is either transported to the Palo Alto Landfill or to the Sunn.vvale Material Recover’ and Transfer Station and ultimate disposal of residues at the Kirby Canyon Landfill. The California Integrated Waste Management Act of 1989, also known as AB939, required each local government to develop a plan, the Source Reduction and Recycling Element (SRRE) of specified content which demonstrates the means by which the amount of waste currently disposed or transferred will be reduced by 25% in 1995, and 50% by the year 2000. The City, completed the plan in 1991 and is currently implementing the SRRE plan. In August 1996, the City, submitted an annual report to the California Integrated Waste Management Board (CIWMB) summarizing the progress in achieving the diversion requirements. In summau, the annual report showed the following achievements/information by the end of 1995. Diversion rate: Disposal rate: Total waste diversion tonnage: Total waste disposal tonnage: Total waste generation tonnage: 55,255 tons 84,280 tons 139,535 tons 39.6 percent 60.4 percent During the preparation of the annual report, City’s staffhave identified a few potential problems as follows" o The City has met and surpassed the 25 percent mandated goal of 1995 but meeting the 50 percent by the year 2000 will be very challenging and costly too. The base year generation tonnage (a current statewide issue), especially the base year diversion tonnage was under estimated due to the difficulty in quantifying the amounts. This request for proposals is seeking the services of a qualified and experienced firm to conduct a waste characterization (generation and composition) study, identify the base year data problem(s) and prepare revision for the CIWMB approval, and recommend new cost-effective recycling programs to meet the 50 per cent mandated goal by the year 2000.