Agenda - 12-06-2010 - 7c - Laserfiche WebLink

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financing. A set of options for expansion of commercial recycling have been analyzed and the various businesses surveyed have generally favored development of a model similar to the public model for residential and drop off recycling services. The opinion surveys, focus groups and related analytical work were undertaken prior to the recession and the concept of paying additional fees for services may not be as popularly received as when the work was done. One future planning challenge/decision point will be regarding long term development of a publicly funded and operated commercial recycling program. There was a recent request from a property owner for publicly provided cardboard recycling service as an example of one direction that commercial programs might take. Alternatives included privately-operated programs with strict disposal bans that essentially require recycling to comply with those disposal bans as is now the case with cardboard or some type of franchised program that avoids public investment in equipment and labor but still results in diversion of materials from the landfill via franchised recycling haulers. • C&D mana ement, While C&D volume is presently declining not only in Orange County, but also nationally,the need continues to provide local means to manage recyclable and waste C&D materials. For the County to sustain its ability to manage the recyclable C&D like metal and wood along with the C&D landfill, it will be important to address the question of financing these programs in view of ongoing equipment operating costs and declining tonnage with concomitant declines in revenues. • Landfill closure and lon�-term maintenance• The County is now planning for closure and has funds available, but post-closure monitoring and maintenance and hauling of local wastes to out of County disposal facilities are being further evaluated. Post-closure monitoring is required for a minimum of thirty years according to Federal law. If any environmental problems arise,the County must provide solutions,which are typically not inexpensive. This is an area intimately tied to the long term financial planning and is mandatory that we address it. Thus any long-term plan will have to take account of these elements and future staff work will provide some options for developing this long term funding. • Conversion to single stream recvcling_while it appears that this approach to recycling is the trend nationally and has been endorsed by the SWAB, we do not plan an immediate conversion due to staffing constraints for both management and operations. It is not obvious that single stream is a`best' solution, but certainly evidence shows that it increases tonnage into the recycling container. The collection efficiency gained from single stream conversion, at least in urban areas where it would be almost universal, is likely to be able to cover the cost of converting from two recycling bins to rollcarts. That issue is more complex in the rural areas as not all areas are suitable for cart-based collection. That sub-issue is undecided at this time and can be determined if the overall conversion to single stream is embraced using carts. • Expansion of rural residential rec cling: While some possibilities exist for marginal expansion to rural curbside recycling along or adjacent to existing routes including simply infill and natural growth up to an estimated 800 or 900 additional homes, any significant expansion that would encompass much of the remaining third of unserved households is a larger policy decision that has not been thoroughly discussed. The Work 44