Agenda - 11-19-2009 - 2 - Laserfiche WebLink

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25 Examules of New Initiatives or Activities Solid Waste The addition of corrugated cardboard to residential curbside recycling in October 2008 completed the County's effort in universal cardboard recycling, and enabled Solid Waste to extend the landfill ban on all cardboard, including residential cardboard, beginning in March 2009. While all non-residential has been ban from the landfill since 1996, residential cardboard has historically been exempt from the ban due to the inability to collect it. Imposing the ban on residential cardboard is expected to divert 300 - 500 additional tons a year of cardboard from the landfill. In 2008-2009 Solid Waste increased the amount of recycling of toxic and hazardous materials by 4%--706 tons in 2007-08 to 732 tons in 2008-09. This includes a 10% increase in electronics recycling from 413 tons in 2007-08 to 456 tons in 2008-2009 and captures 116 tons of hazardous waste and 159 tons motor oil, oil filters, antifreeze and batteries from residents and small businesses. Orange County is unique in North Carolina in providing free hazardous waste disposal for conditionally exempt small businesses that would ordinarily incur very high costs for managing small volumes of materials. The Solid Waste Department has also completed an agreement with UNC- Chapel Hill for the development and design of a landfill gas collection system to begin construction in 2010. Such a system will capture the methane generated from decomposing garbage at both the closed, unlined landfill and the currently operating lined landfill. System construction will be fully funded and operated by UNC. Landfill gas will become an energy source for an electrical generator, rather than a source of greenhouse gas. The County will share in revenue as well as being part of the effort to reduce greenhouse gases entering the atmosphere. Finally, the Solid Waste Department recently completed and now occupies a new, high efficiency Solid Waste Administration building that includes a very tight building envelope, daylighting, energy-efficient artificial lighting, and the use of recovered and recycled-content materials, solar water heating and rainwater recovery. Economic Development Economic Development staff has taken the lead in evaluating the feasibility of installing a solar array on the closed portion of the C&D landfill continues, with the involvement of several departments. An RFP has been drafted, and is awaiting the last set of technical comments from the NC Solar Center. Installation of a solar array on the County-owned landfill would provide a reference project (which includes an educational component) and would serve as a public display of the County's support of solar as well as build market demand for local solar vendors.