Agenda - 09-01-2009 Information Item

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znforma-{-ion =-i-~m Memorandum To: Board of County Commissioners Frank Clifton, Interim County Manager From: Gayle Wilson, Solid Waste Management Director Subject: Bradshaw Quarry Road Solid Waste Convenience Center Closure Date: August 24, 2009 This memorandum provides information related to BOCC request for staff review of the temporary vs. permanent closure issue; the potential hurdles and costs the County may encounter in the future with reopening if closure is temporary; issues, possible solutions and costs the County will need to consider if the closure is permanent; and the long term impact on the County's efforts to make recycling easier. The Manager's recommended Fiscal 2009/10 budget included several recommended service reductions for Solid Waste Convenience Centers (SWCC). The recommendation to close the Bradshaw Quarry Road SWCC was for permanent closure. No temporary closure alternative was proposed and no plans to reopen have been prepared. This pending closure is part of a long trend in convenience center improvements and consolidation. In 1972 the County initiated a formalized waste collection program by siting approximately 65 unstaffed drop-off locations where residents and businesses could drop-off their waste. By 1990 the number of these locations had been reduced to 22. The system of unstaffed waste centers was terminated in 1993 and replaced with six staffed SWCCs. In 2006 the Highway 57 center closed due to a lost lease and some portion of its users then shifted to the Walnut Grove Road center, with some previous users contracting for private waste collection where it was available. The Solid Waste Planning Work Group, which includes the Solid Waste Advisory Board and one elected official and staff from each of the four governmental jurisdictions in Orange County, has been considering a wide range of longer term waste management strategies including how to better serve the unincorporated portion of the County. Their work is nearing its conclusion within the next few months and will provide the BOCC with input on various aspects of waste management improvements and objectives. We believe that there are both short and long term measures that can and should be considered in which waste and recycling services can be provided that would result in increased efficiency and equity and also result in increased recycling and waste reduction as the County strives to meet its waste reduction goals. Short term measures could include: • Expansion of existing curbside recycling into a portion the area previously served by Bradshaw Quarry Road center. Staff is prepared to initiate this expansion by the end of 2009 at no additional cost or budget impact. This is possible because a similar sized