Minutes 01-26-2012 - Laserfiche WebLink

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County and Town elected officials have for several years expressed interest in moving to single stream recycling collection. The Solid Waste Planning Work Group, the Solid Waste Advisory Board and various individual county residents have also advocated this change. Consistent with the adopted Fiscal 2011/12 Solid Waste Budget, Orange County recycling programs are now planned to transition to single stream recycling by July 2012. This change will be implemented for all county recycling programs - Rural Curbside, Urban Curbside, Solid Waste Convenience Centers, Multi-family, Commercial, Schools, etc. Single stream recycling is the practice of comingling all recyclable materials (paper and containers) together for collection rather than separating containers from paper (normally referred to as dual stream). There may be some slight variations among programs as discussed in the attached memorandum to the County Manager. An example of the efficiencies gained by the switch to single stream is best illustrated by the expected reduction in contract cost in the Urban Curbside program. The current cost to the County for this collection is $4.17 per household per month resulting in a Fiscal Year 2011-12 budget of $931,395 for this service. Once the landfill switches to single stream collection, the costs is expected to be between $3.00 and $3.75 per household per month. Using the current population, if the cost is as high`'as $3.75 per household per month, the contract cost could be as low as $823,500 per year. Roll carts may be incorporated into the collection cost or bid separately, depending on which is most economical. It is anticipated that roll-carts Will be utilized for the Urban Curbside Program (contracted service) and that the Rural Curbside Program (county staff provided service) will continue to utilize 18-gallon bins, at least for the near term. It is currently understood from resident comments that portions of the Rural Program may not be suitable for roll-carts and staff will, over the next year or two, assess areas where roll-carts can be reasonably used with the expectation that eventually roll-carts can be provided for certain select rural areas. The Town of Chapel Hill is currently evaluating solid waste alternatives for all facets of solid waste management within the Town. Therefore, it is questionable as to whether Orange County should commit to acquisition for recycling roll carts for distribution within the Town at this time. Orange County will need a formal commitment from all of the Towns prior to making the investment in roll-carts and executing an agreement with a contract service provider that includes the Town. The existing urban curbside collection agreement expires June 30, 2012. Solid Waste Convenience Centers (SWCC Based on recommendations from the Solid Waste Planning Work Group, consisting of representatives from the Towns and County and the Solid Waste Advisory Board, the BOCC has decided to begin implementation of the first convenience center in a longer term objective for upgrading and modernizing all five county convenience centers. The Walnut Grove Road Solid Waste Convenience Center site design and construction bidding is currently underway. Staff expects to return for a~ construction bid award in March, 2012 with completion of construction in July, 2012. Other sites will be considered for upgrades through the annual budget process, with the potential for one center to be modernized each year. The Work Group recommended~ a DistricUNeighborhood Center approach with District Centers more centrally located having expanded hours of operation and more services. Neighborhood