Agenda - 02-18-1999 - Attachment 10

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II: MRF Size The capabilities of a MRF to process recyclable materials have a significant cost impact on collection system. • A simple MRF will require the recyclables to be sorted at curb and delivered in multi compartment vehicles which results in higher unit collection costs but has the lowest MRF processing cost. • A two stream MRF (i.e. commingled fibers and commingled containers) enables the recyclables to be collected in two compartment vehicle and reduces collection cost. This method can increase MRF processing costs but also increases recovery. • A complex MRF enables the recyclables to be processed in a fully commingled form (ie: "single stream" but not a "dirty MRF") reducing collection costs but increases MRF costs and reducing recovery. Communities in Orange County are currently serviced by area recycling processors that are similar to the first type of MRF. This MRF Project is considering development of the second type of MRF in order to increase recovery and lower collection costs. This second type of MRF can be designed for small volumes of material at affordable costs for recycling processing or can be designed to handle larger volumes of material at even lower costs. Depending on which communities and private companies want to use an Orange Regional MRF there is the potential for development of a MRF that handles lower quantities of material each year (10,000 tons) or higher quantities (20,000, 30,000 or even more tons per year). A MRF that handles large quantities costs more to construct but has much lower unit costs per ton. Following are three potential scenario's for MRF size. Each scenario identifies the possible sources of recyclable material as well as estimates of the quantity of recyclable material from those sources in the current year, in 5 years and in 10 years. Any of these scenario's are possible depending on the interest of the participants. After describing the three scenarios the project costs per ton for MRF processing is shown, illustrating how the larger facilities can make recycling processing very affordable and a key tool in reaching higher levels of landfill diversion. THE 71ER 1 TONNAGE MRF" This scenario is achievable with recycling tonnage that is controlled by Orange community recycling programs. It is the "do it yourself" option. Orange Community Recycling (OCR) collects recyclables from Orange County drop -off sites and commercial glass. Through contracts with OCR, Waste Industries collects curbside from residences and small businesses in the towns of Carrboro, Chapel Hill and Hillsborough along with rural curbside recycling and multi - family recycling. Waste Industries collected from 13,500 curbside units in FY97 -98. 7,700 rural curbside stops are also serviced along with 190 multifamily stops. Programs being considered for implementation by Orange Community Recycling would significantly increase these volumes during the next ten years, from current levels of 8,510 to as high as 21,650 tons per year in year 10 (see Table 1). The projected MRF tonnage under this scenario includes newspaper, magazines, white paper, mixed paper, corrugated cardboard, aluminum cans, steel cans, plastic bottles and glass jars. A summary of this tonnage under the Tier 1 Tonnage MRF scenario follows. As this chart shows, there is a risk of designing a MRF that is too small given the expected growth in ORC tonnage, yet that tonnage is 2/5/99 Orange Regional MRF LOG Workshop Materials