Minutes 04-09-2013 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Establish a short- and long-term plan to manage solid waste in Orange County in a comprehensive and sustainable manner that continues to further divert the current waste stream from the landfill. Include public input and a process for public recommendation in that plan. Final Comment: In making budget decisions, be penny wise, but not pound foolish when it comes to garbage. Jessica Bollinger, owner of the Efland Trash Service, said there are two issues she would like to address, and the first is the proposed waste franchise in Orange County. She said that by implementing this system, small business such as hers are in danger of being displaced. She said that residents of Orange County should have the option to choose which trash recycling services they utilize. She said that her company and other private companies are specifically designed to accommodate residents in rural areas and can travel down drives and roads that larger and heavier trucks cannot travel. She said her business also provides backdoor service to elderly and disabled customers, as well as recycling at no extra charge. She said that a waste franchise would have a negative impact on those special needs residents. She said that option 6 seems to provide the best opportunity for businesses like hers to remain in business. She said the second issue is the alternative dumping options due to the closing of the Orange County Landfill. She said that the only current option is to transport the trash to Durham, which is a 50 mile round trip and doubled dumping fees. She said that all other surrounding counties and landfills have denied use of their facilities. She said that, being a small company, these private businesses transport less than one ton of recycling or trash per trip and with the increased rates, mileage and time, will soon be out of business. She proposed that small, registered trash companies be allowed to dump at the convenience centers with a special permit and a flat rate pay system that is currently in use at the landfill. She said that this would include only companies that hand unload and separate trash and recycling. She said that a pay as you throw system might benefit individuals, but it would more than double small company fees. She said that this proposal would allow Orange County to continue collecting a portion of the revenues lost at the closing of the landfill. She said that her company alone paid over $7,000 in dumping fees. She said it would also support local business and local economy. Bonnie Hauser, Orange County Voice, read the following: We studied the rural curbside recycling 5 years ago. At the time, the county wanted to close convenience centers and introduce waste franchises. We surveyed the trash and recycling habits of rural households. Dr Karl Hoffman, demographer, led our team — and we had 881 responses from households throughout the county north and west of Chapel Hill. Based on our survey responses, 85% of rural residents recycle regularly, 60% compost yard waste, 48% compost kitchen waste. Given trends in composting, those numbers could be higher now. First some basics- The County's five convenience centers are the county's most important recycling service. The county's website reports that over 40% of the residential recyclables go to convenience centers and drop sites. That is over 5000 tons a year. The rural curbside recycling program is much smaller— about 15%, or just over 1800 tons a year. Today the county provides rural curbside recycling to roughly 13,500 rural households. Thousands of those households DO NOT USE THE SERVICE TODAY. They already opt out. Our survey, which was consistent with the county's own data, suggested that about 40% of the 13,500 households opted out. That's about 5000 families.