Agenda - 09-16-2010 - 2 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Draft • Commercial recyclin�this element of the waste stream retains the largest potential for waste reduction,without a more systematic approach to reducing commercial waste we are unlikely to reach our waste reduction goal.By increasing collection efficiency in the past two years,the County has managed to provide over 250 businesses with recycling services but has reached its limit under currently configured staffing and fmancing, • C&D mana ement: While C&D volume is declining,the C&D landfill,related recycling processing for regulated materials and enforcement of rules pertaining to managing these materials remain important counTy resources. If the reduction goal is maintained and local disposal of C&D is an important characteristic of our solid waste system, means of sustaining these programs must be determined. The County will be capable of managing the recycling and disposal any abandoned manufactured housing delivered to the landfill. • Landfill closure and long-term maintenance:While this inevitable,the County must ensure means of managing the closed landfill for at least for thirty years according to Federal law. If any environmental problems arise,the County must provide solutions. • Conversion to sin�le-stream recvclin�: Long-term this does appear to be the direction that most curbside programs are headed as they have been in other counties and typically it includes conversion from bins to rollcarts along with automated collection. The Work Group and various elected officials have expressed interest in this technique as well. Currently there is not sufficient staff capacity to effectively plan and implement this conversion even if it is adopted or recommended. • Expansion of rural residential curbside rec �clin�there are two distinct phases to be considered phase one being the near-term addition of about 1,000 homes that could be added with no new staffing(provided existing staffing is restored)and a second tier that expands to a near universal service encompassing as much as 90%of the rural areas, excluding the most sparsely settled and hardest to serve areas. • Franchised waste collections: if there is not to be a County operated solid waste facility, then the direct benefit to the County of franchised collections is somewhat limited. Franchises can provide significant benefits to the environment, greater enforcement of local environmental rules, enable greater access to service, can stabilize and minimize collection costs and are likely to reduce operations pressure on the convenience centers which will increase when the landfill closes. • Re�ulatorv and economic incentives to promote waste reduction:As corollaries to implementing recycling collection programs,regulations and incentives can maximize program results. Orange County began residential curbside cardboard collection in November 2008 and banned it from the garbage in March 2009. Similar bans could be implemented along with economic incentives such as Pay As You Throw waste collection.There has been little short-term political interest in Pay-As-You-Throw over the past year. • Review of other alternative technolo�ies and consideration of re io�al a�proaches: The SWAB has been tasked by the BOCC with conducting a review these two items due in 2010-11. Ultimately,use of large-scale alternative technologies may require regional approaches to achieve sufficient economies of scale. • Develo�ment of infrastructure to collect and manage source separated organic wastes: This has been discussed in only very broad and abstract terms. It is very much a future oriented issue, although privately contracted infrastructure exists now and is cost- effective where wastes and their collection routes are concentrated. 18