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HomeMy WebLinkAbout0184.092• ~staff l ~ =tel»l ! Karch 12. 1992 ... ~~. --; ... - THE RONORABLE CITY COUNCIL Palo Alto, California COmmercial/lndustri41 Recyclin~ Progr~ms -InformatiqD Kembe~s of the Council: Attention: Policy and Services Ccmmittee Report in Bxief This report provide:;; information on commercial and industrial recycling proqrdJDs 1n Palo Alto. At trle Policy and Services Committee meeting on February 4, 1992, staff prepared an overview of recycling sarvices provided by the city. TI"'"' Policy and Services Committee requested additional inft..-rmation on cOllUllercial!industrla~ recycling programs offered by the city. This report also includes information on "mixed recyclables.- BackgrQund Commercial/industrial wastes account for approxim~tely 75 percent of the city's solid waste e>tream. Approximately 1.1 percent of commercial/industrial waste is currently being recycled. During the AS 939 short-term planning period, the rccycling rate target to achieve £"0:0:' this sector is 30 to 40 percent {equivalent to approximately 24 to J2 pe~cent of the total waste stream). Commercial waste is defined as waste originating from ~holesale and retail distribution opel."ations, institutions (hospitals, education facilities, etc.), service operations (office and repair facilities), and government operations. Industrial waste is defined as waste collected in roll-off containers and typically oriqinating from industrial, comnercial, constructionidemolition, and other sour~es. COmmercial/Industrial Recycling Prog~~ms CITY PROGRAMS a. Hiqh-Gr.~. Office Papar Collection: The office paper recycling program, originated in 1986 is curr~ntly available to private busine.sses, City government offices I and other facilities~ The City offers collection service, provides participants .... ith desks ide containers, informational materials for employees, and assista.nce in establishing office paper -1- CKR; 184:92 - recycling proqrams. Starting in 1990, large businesses were offered large bins or whee!ed carts for ~hite paper to improve collection effi~iency. b. Co_erolal/ln.5uetrl&l corrulj'a.te4 cardboard. Coll.ection: ln 1989, the City begi1n a corrugated cardboard collection recyclinq program. Busin.esses are charged a :lnont.l].ly fe~ for rental of the bih, and collection is provided at no additional charge by PASCO. Corrugated c~rdboard is col.lected from businesses Yp to five days per week, depending on the amount generated. The City has provided 20 bins for cardboard collection at no charge to the university Avenue and California AVenue business districts. Bins a:re shared by local businesses. c. Co ... rcial/ln4ustrial con.ultinq service. Proqr .. : The City provides a Comnercialflndustrial Consulting services program to assiat businesses on how to start and maintain recycling pr09rams. We also perform \iaste audits, which include cost/benefit ar.alyses, and prepare reports identifying materials 'With recycling potential. d. Polystyr.a.. FOUl Collectien: In Nov~mber 1990, the city began a three-month polystyrene foam recycling pilot prograJl! for cups, plates, and take-out/fast-food containers; molded packaging (e.g., what is used to cushion small appliances, TV's, etc.); loos8 packing materials; and meat trays from the qrocary. Polystyrene foam can be t3ken to the recycling drop­ off center or t<) three other sit.es througho'Jt the City. One bin is at CUbberley community center; the other tyO are in indUstrial areas (including Stanford Research Park) which serve the businesses in their proximitY4 This program became pe~anent in June 1991. e. Downtown 1!lnvirona.nul Action Projec:t (DEAPJ: DEAP wa.s designed to encourage dcwntown palQ Alto businesses to recycle. It ~as originally funded by downtown businesses a~d had a steering committee made up of business owners, managers, and volunteers. The management of DEAP has now been passed to the City. Approximately 30 recycling sites have been designated in downtown Palo Alto for collection of newspaper, ql~ssl cans, white paper, cardboard, and polyethylene terephthalate (PET} 4 Each site provides wheeled carts for newspaper. glass/PET combined, cans, white paper, and large bins for corrugated cardboard. Collections by PASCO teqan in November 1990. DEAP block captains and volunteers contacted one thousand busine.sses and provided them information about the collection program. -2-om: lS4 :92 • • • "? ~'. I "1 i 0, OTHER PROGR1>.MS a. private Broker.: Private :rtaterial hrokers such as Weyerhaeuser and Smur~it collect so~rce-separateQ materia is from companies in Palo Alto. The broKers usually pay companies for the materials as an ir.~entive for the comp~nies to choos-e their services over City recycling s.ervices. The City of Pale Alto does not restrict the source-separated collection of recyclables, but seea it as an alternative for companies interested in keepin',} materials ~ut of the waste stream. b. R •• t~ur.nt/B.r Glasa Collections Since 1985, Circo Glass of Ne .. "ark, california has collected glass from restaurants, bars l and hotels in Palo Alto. Circo provides bins ana regular picKups for the glass. FUTURE CITY PROGR~S a. BUDDyvale Katerial Recovery an4 Tra~.f.r (8KaRT) stktion Sunn}~ale, along with the cities of Palo Alto and Mountain View, is currently seeking a cnntractor to build and ope~ate the SMaRT station. This facility will serve as both a materials ~ecovery facility and transfer station for Y&ste oeinq hauled to Ki~by Canyon Landfill in San Jose. TWo-thirds of the Palo Alto waste stream will be transported to the SMaRT statLcn~ Approximately 20 percent of the incoming 'Waste will be re.cycled. It is estimated that 10 to 12 percent of the total Palo Alto waste stream will be recycled at the SMaRT Station. The expected completion date is July 1993, ~ith full operation to beqin in July 1994. ~ansi9n of Commercial/Indystrial Recycling Programs curr~ntly, the materials c~ll~cted through the commercial/industrial program are polystyrene, ne...,spaper, PET, glass, cans, high-grade ~ffice paper~ and Gorrugated cardboard. In order to collect BLare of the commercial/industrial ,.,aste, mere programs will have to be estahlished and a broader range of materials collected. Other materials that could be ccnsidered are film, pla5tic, ferrous metals, compostable 'Waste S'.nCl 'Wood~ In order to increase partiCipation, lhe City has adopte.d an aggressive campaiqn to get neW' cOIilpanies to recycle. Business recycling brochures will be sent to 3,000 companies promoting City and private recycling services~ The Cityrs past efforts were focused on the larqest waste generators in Palo Alto to encourage them to increase their recycling efforts. CITY OUTREACH AND PUBLIC INFORMATION PROGRAM a~ Busin ••• R..cyc:linq Brochure: In November 1990, the City published "Business Recycling ... the Palo Alto Way, '" a brochure -3- C!!R:184:92 --~~----. ,~",:.:,,,,,,;,,,,,·L - -- - ,,...-.. containi~9 10 inserts describing the City's recycling pr~Jram5 for businesses (previously provided to Policy ar:d Services committee members). Included in the brochure is information about broker services available to those businessss for ~h~m selling source-separated ~ateri~ls directly to a hroker would be most economica 1. The :broc.-nu:,e t-.as been distr ibutea at presentations 'tlade to l;n.!sinesses, and by direct mailing to 3,000 Palo Alto businesses. This effort ..,as started in January 1992 and .... i 11 take approxim3tely eight ]!'.onths to complete. The brOchures are beinq mailed out in increments of 500. b. tN.in •• s ltecrelitJq au14.: In February 1992 1 a Business Recyclinq Guide was made availa:ble to the cOlDJl\erciall industrial sect.or. The quide: provides specific information to help DUsinesses start recycling progr~ms~ It includes ans~ers to commonly asked questions about recycling, a ~aste audit she~t, a list of ~uestiQn5 tc ask when selecting a recycling broker, exanplE5 of educational/promotional materials I and specific waste reduction techniques. c. au.in... a.cycling work.hQP: Workshop6 for bUsinesses interested in starting or expending recyclir.:q programs are conducted on a continuing basis. d. Public Pr.8.Dt~tion.; The City gives presentations to interested businesses and community groups upon reqyest. The business recycling brochure and the business recycling ~~ide are distri~uted at these presentations~ e. PUblic •• coqnitio~ an~ A.arda: Public recognition and awards are used by the City to acknowledge businesses th.at have implemented source reduction and recycling activities. f. 9· particip.tion in Local ZVentd: Participating in local events is a highly visible metl'lod of reachj ng the community about waste rcduc~ion programs. The City targets events such as Earth Day and the Safety Fair at S~anford Shopping Cen~er as opportunities to incorporate ~aste reduction practices. The City places displays on the recycling pr09ra~ and the household hazardous 'Waste progra:;n at these events. a8oycliD9 Video.: CUrrently, the City has two videos that focus on its recycling program; one was developed by Cable Co­ op. the other by an independent producer. The~e are loaned to businesses and cozmunity groups. h. w .... It.eleas •• , The City prepares news releases for local papers and magazines concerning waste management issues and waste reduction efforts. -4- CMR:184:92 " . . - ·., ..... OTHER RELATED INFORMATION SO~~CES a~ P~DID.ul. COA8ervation center (pee): The pee has available for UI!U! .2IIIt the PCC library the "Recycled px-oducts Guide~ II yhich is updated quareerly. In aodition, suhscriptions can be ordsred through the PCC. The Guide contains information on products made from recycled conS\lmer proOucts , office products, construction materials, industrial commodities, and more. pec also gives annual awards to bu&ine&ses fo"'(" environmentally responsible proje.cts, including recrcling and .ouree reduction activities. pee sponsors bl:oyn bag se-mir.ars {or people interested. in waste reduction and other environmental issues. 'Ihe ongoing lecture series covers wa.ste reduction programs, including recyclinq and source reduction. The pee has also formed the Business Environmental Network, which sponsors workshops on different aspects of business rec.ycling. b. 8&!lta Clu. CQ\Ulty Kanuraetl!Jdllq Gro\lp: The Santa Cli,ra county Kanu,~acturin'3 Group publishes a recycling quide tor bUsinesses that emphasizes the importance of waste reduction and identifies how tc implement a recycling program a:1d resources available to assist 'Wi th locating recycled pr-cdlicts, markets I and technical assistance. c. center tor .Develop.ent of Recycling' (CDR): CDR is a non­ profit research and information center located at San Jose state University. It pro ..... ides inforl!lation to the public about recycling opportunities, and compiles research for qovernment or businesses on solid waste issues. CDR waG initially formed through a partnership with the City of San Jose. d. au,in ••• BDvironaental •• twork {SEN): BEN i~ affiliated with pce and provides a network for businesses in San~a Clara and San Mateo Cour.ties: Oll environmental issues. They provide seminars, lect\lres l and ..... orkshops as __ ell as a monthly newsletter to thei~ members. Ftrr'JRE PUBLI CI T"i EFFORT S 4. COOrdination _tth the COUDt~ of Banta Clara: The city will participate in public education and technical assistance efforts organized by the County of Santa clara. The City of Palo Ai to pays :fees to the county of Santa Clara :based on tonn~qes of solid ~~ste disposed. These fees support countywide solid waste management activities. r.. H ••• letter: The City is .. ·orkinq with a conSUltant to develop a newsletter that contains information on solid waste issues. c. Speakers BUr.au: The City is organizing a speaker-s bureau that ~ay include Volunteer speakers for solid 'Waste issues. The list of speakers will be distributed to community groups, schools, businesses, government offices, and churches -5- CKR: 184: 92 .' interested management. tile "Publ ic seotion. ) in sponsoring a 'Workshop or seminar on waete (This effort will be a more formalized version of Preser.tation" prog,ram listed in the previous STAFFING AND BUDGET Work on the commercial/industrial recycling program is done by the Recrcling Coordinator, two Program Assistants, the P!"oject C(~rdinator, and the Solid Waste Manage~. Estimates of staff time for new or expanded proqram implementation: .-4 person years for expansion of commercial/industrial recyclinq progr~msj ,05 person years tor work involving the SMaR'l' Station; 1.0 person years for education and public information; and .05 person years for wanaqement of nev cvmmercial/industrial recycling programs. The total of 1.5 person years of commercialj industrial recjo'cling 'Work will be divided among the five staff positions ~lready mentioned. The Source Reduction and Rec~rclin9 Element (SRRE) costing section esti~ates that $260,000 ~ill be used for planning and capital costs for new comlllerciaijindustrial rec~icling programs. Annual operating costs are estimated to be $513,000 to $542,000; and $133,000 is the projected amount per year fer program revenues. All new equipment for expanded programs will be purchased by the Palo }.lto sanitation. Company (PASCO). B_efuse Collgction Fees The Palo Alto refuse collection rates are set by t~e City Council. It is City policy that the Refuse fund be operated on a cost recovery basis f.or any cor;;ts related to solid waste activities. This includes all refuse collection services, recycling programs, landfill operation, street sweeping, litter pickuPI state and local environmental mandates (including household hazardous waste programs), refuse fund capital improvement projects, conversion of t,he refuse disposal area to Syxbee ParK, and the State requjred 1.5.­ ~O year post-Closure environm~ntal maintenance fund. In fiscal year 1991-92, the Refuse fund will generate approximately $1).3 millic·n dollars for solid waste activities; of the $13~J million, $5.1 million or approximately 38 percent will be paid to Palo Alto sanitation Compar.y {PASCO) for all refuse collection services, compost collection program, residential and commercial recycling programs, and c~llection a~d cleaning of all public trash receptacles. The balance, $8.2 million (62%), is reta~ned by the City for the solid waste progra~s (Attachment A) ~n addition to PASCO's services. In 1993. the City will begin disposal of approximately tYo-thiras of its refuse at Kirby canyon Landfill in San Jose. The costs for this transfer and handling wi 11 result in significant increases to the refuse collection rates. -5- CMR:184:92 .L .' "I -j , ! I The city of Palo Alto has an exclucive collection aqreement for refuse with PASCO, in .... hich PASCO also p=ovides commercial; indu,stri.oJtl recycling programs. Businesses are permitted to directly sell source-separated materials, but cannot hire outside firms t.o provide "mixed recycl.el::lle w collecti-on or other refuse services, unless they 'Work as a subcontractor to PASCO. This exclusive agreement aS6u~es tnat the City bills and collects the fees for solid waste services~ and that anyone proposing to offer these services is under the Same contractual oDligation as PASCO~ Mix~d Recycling Programs Businesses in Palo Alto have been approached by firms. offering "mixeci recyclables l1 collection. The programs offered by various firms are packaged in vary appealing terms to businesses. They offer siqnificantly lo~er collection rates than tha City charges, whiCh translates into direct savings for busine;sses, end they require. no separation of materials> Host of th.e finns otEering "mixed recycling" services are in the refuse collection business. Basically, a firm ~ill approach commercial/industrial companies and propose to collect all materials unsorted, .ith the exception of food waste. This unso~ted material is then sometimes sorted for recyclables, and the residue is disposed. Three or four companies in Stan.ford Research Park area have been approached by a firm. proposing "mixed recycling-services. The company requests a copy of the custOmEr's qarbaqe bill; then proposes to offer "mixed recyclinq" services for approximately 20-30 percent less than the total City hilling, stating the revenues t~om recyclables allows reduced costso In comparing the City's refuse billing to 3 "mixed .recycling" proposal, the proposer compares the total bill and not the 38 percent vhicn is for refUse collection. If the billing for mixed recycling services were compared to just refuse collection services, the mixed recyclinq would cost 32 percent more~ staft met on two or three occasions with a representative of a firm proposing "'milf.ed recycling" services in an attempt to evaluate their services. They did not provide staff 'With a copy of any proposals made to busin~sses in Palo Alto, nor did they provide a published rate sheet for the types and frequency of s~r~ice6o They did not propose to offer their service~ to ~ business deSiring this type of collection, but limited t~eir offer to the largest qenerators (and coincidentally) the firms with the biggest refuse bills. When staff requested a copy of a "mixed recyclinq" agreement, they provided a "Non-Exclusive Franchise Agreement Fer Hauling Industrial Refuse W with the ci~y of Santa Clara. City and PASCO staff attended a California Resource Recovery Association meeting in Hountai~ View in December 1991 and in an effort to work ~ith "miked recyclers·, offered to collect "mixed recyclables" using PASCO equipment and making it available at a single location {the landfill) Eor pickup by a mixe.d recycling firm. staff felt this minimized transportation costs to various sites in Palo Alto by the firms proposing "mixed recyclinq,-Not -7- CHR:184:92 --'!"-----'--~L ~: .. , - - one firm has. expressed any !nterest in 'Caking this material for free. When staff offer~d to have PASCO deliver "mixed recyclable" loads free of charge to the San Jose firm which had approached businesses in Stanford Research Park, and allow the fire to retai~ 100 percent of the rav~nues trom recyclaole ~aterial, they refused ~nd wanted to charge a process rate. Staff has oftered a nu~ber of "mixed recyclers" the opportunity to work as a subcontractor to PASCO. This 'Would assure all billings f.or services 'Would be received and distributed by the City. No firms have indicated an interest in working 'Within that frQme~crk. alxed Recycling Pilot Progra~ Tn :May 1991, the City Manaqer ~uthoriz~d Puhlic wcr}.:s statf to perform a pilot proqram to collect "mixed recyclablE"'s" for a SO-cay period to determine the costs and be~efits of a program to collect unsegregated materials. SUl'l Microsystems Inc. (Palo Alt.o) 'Was selected for the pilot program. The material collected 'Was transported by P;\SCO to the Bro'Wning Ferris Industries (BFI) Recyclery in San Jose~ On May 16, 1991, PASCO performed a waste audit to determine the size and frequency of bin service required to keep "wet -wastes'" (food r kitchen scraps) separ6te from ~aterial intended for a "mixed re-::yclable" compactor. As a result of the survey, PASCO added a 4- yard container on a five times per week collecticn schedule, and changed their existing 30-yard compactor to "on-c~ll" servic~ dedicated to "mixed recyclables.- On May 23, the compactor was surveyed to determine the amount of recycla:bles and level of contamination. Four to five yaJ:-ds of 'Wet wastes were founQ in the container including food scraps, coffee grounds, used disposable food utensils, food packaging, bathroom garbage, cigarette butts and ashes, HVAC air filters, plants and dirt. The containments represented 10-15 percent of the entire load; and due to contamination, the entire lo~d was unaccep~able for ~mixed recycling~ :by BFI. A letter was sent to Sun Microsystems on May 27 with this information, explaining the necessity for minimizIng this type of material. Subsequent loads collected during the pilot were much cleaner than the first. A total of seven compactor collections ~ere made during this pilot proqra:ct. The first pull has been discussed in the preceding paragraph; the second and last pull were taken to the Palo Alto Recycling Center to a~dit the amounts of ~he recycled materials in the compactor. The third "I:hrough sixth pulls were taken directly to the 8FT Recyclery in San Jose for sorting~ Results were: -8- CMR: 184: 92 n .. ~ , I ! I , I, Ml. l2An: CONDrno"'" TA.RE ;,\{f.IQ!-iI ~~ ~ill r.a.sCQ H...u! !NG COlit IQIM..J;Qill 6/26 dirty 2,11cn. W70Q 00 135.00 34::,OC • 712 ,w 1" wra 1711,55 2iAS 148.5<)· 2.3,",,05 , 7116 <irty :.6 telll 207.00 00 l.q:,,~ 355.50 • 7". ow '(,0 toNi 166 30 40,70 148 50"' 31440 ~.OO hour increase on July 1, 1991 -refuse rate increas~ 30% The cost for this -mixed recyclinq" pilct proqram vas 92 percent of the disposal fee char-qed by BF r at the faci 1i ty, and the cleanest loads of mixed recyclables still cost 88 percent of .. hat BFI r s disposal fee at the landfill would have been. The costs of t.his pilot proqra!!l. (EF! fees and PASCO haul costs) did not include costs for the City's other solid waste programs. WWe AtKIn (performe('l by!.tafi' on 2nd and 7th pu!I,) cardboard wb ite ledger mixed paper ""Iorod ledger polY")Tene mise. pl.astic g.mage Pilot swr.:mory W~jght (Per cubjc nc' 66 450 400 435 20 20 200 7S.8 3.3 3.6 1.1 5.6 L1 8.9 Imal Cubic..l..iU1 68 3 • I 5 I 8 The results of this pilot demonstrated that only 28 percent (2 of 7) of the pulls were c!ean enough to be recycled, and i2 percent of the material 'Would be classified as qarbaqe~ BFI staff stated that the "clean" loads still contained ma1"lY contaminants. Whi te ledger paper, cardboard, and polystyrene could have been col 1 ect.ed separately under other programs offered by PASCO (polystyrene would have to be dropped off by the customer at one of four polystyrene collection centers in the City), 01" through a source-separated materials broker. By performing source separation of materials, the quality and marketability of the material """ould increase Significantly. source reduction is the method that the California Integrated Waste Management Board (CIWMB) has placed at the top of the integrated W'aste lIanagement hierarchy~ Unlike recycling, source reduction activities worx to reduce or prevent waste from entering the waste stream, thus eliminating processing for recyclables (and associateQ costs) ~ -9- CMR: 184: 92 Source-neparate:d recyclinq progra:!:'is place tl".e responsibili ty on the glener.ator, 'Which furthe.r encourat;es source reduction activities. The cost for source-separated recycling programs is incurred by the individual or business generating the refuse, not the rate payinq group at la~ge~ If there are any dramatic decreases in revenue a from co::nmerciall industrial customers usi...ng mixed recycling services, the loss .·ould be trar.sferret! to the residential rate payers. The City has achieved a 29 percent reduction in waste f.Lom the residential sector through source-separated and source reduction activities. OUr SAAR objective fot' commercial/industria.l recyclinq i6 to increase the current 11 perc~nt to 30-40 percent, which is achievable if all bu:iinesses "Work to reduce -waste qenerated~ Mixed recycling pr-Dgrams discouraqe source reduction by providing little, if any, incentive to chanqe procurement policies I packaqing, and individual habits~ R~spectfully submitted, )II CilAEL H. )II LLER Deputy Director, ~blic Works 6perations , . • /" ,/ ~/ ----{, //-v'-<--<--'"-./'­ J1JNl! FLEMING 'As~istant City '-/' Manager' // DAVID G. ADA,l oIS Dir~ctor of Public Wo~ks AttacluDent A: Table I -1991-92 Use of Funds -10- CMR: 184: 92 \ ---" Attachment .\ • , Pt"rcent of 1 Program$und/QescriptjOD ~ llea} Rev"'fme PAYMENTS TO PASCO $.5,185,066 39 • RefLi.Se Co!l~ti(1Q • Co,DPO:it CoHee: -Ro::sid;:r.tiaI II· Recycling Collection -CommerdalfRe.;identiaJ • Publ ic T~ Receptacle'; (! 87 receptacles empti~ oc the average Oftw[ce per week) lANDFlLI.RENT 2,68 7 ,000 20 • Paid To Ger.eraI Fund ALLGC:A TED OVt:RHEAD S65,815 07 • An 3900 Categories. LA. "DFlLL ClOS URE FUND 56S,OOO 04 .. State Mandsted ADMINISTRATh'E/GENERAL PROGRAM 463,209 03 UATERlAL RECOVERY PROGRAM 475,679 04 • City Recycl iog and Compost (1501;;: P.R. AB 939, brochures, etc. 3 pcxitions; 2 at 120,(00) STREET SWEEPL'IG PROGRAM 64(),737 05 • AIl Sweeping • Liner Pickup DISPOSAl OPEltHJONS aOGRAM 953,692 07 ENVlRONMENTAL CONTROLS PROGRAM • Household Hazardous W.asi:e 1,362,428 10 , • City-Gener.ned HuWaste (Cnyw[de) • All Environmental Monitoring at LmdfiIl (water sampling, leacltar:e, waste di5charge permit) • State!Loca.i Garbage Tues State H3Z'.I.,aste and Disposal Taxes SYSTEMS IMPkOVEMEI,. 154,000 01 • Dirt/Asphalt (lntennediate) • Well Maintenance and construction, etC_ 113,355,626 100% DAVE ,"'Elil ". --------~--