Agenda - 11-21-2013 - 2 - Laserfiche WebLink

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C education and outreach program, one -stop recycling and waste reduction shopping and the statewide recognition of our local programs and their unique level of achievement. Orange County residents hear the same recycling message and are able to recycle the same material whether they are at home, school, or work. Town residents also appreciate their local program's achievements and the ease in which they can obtain information about or otherwise communicate with recycling staff about their service. This is a major contributor to the establishment and perpetuation of our local culture of waste reduction and resource preservation. Further, comprehensive data collection and management (soon to be enhanced by RFID) provides a single source of program information and reporting and a web site that includes the entire gamut of local programs. Through the past 24+ years, all residents, both rural and urban, have come to expect and rely on the County -wide integrated nature of the program. The long partnership between the Towns and the County illustrates to our own residents, as well as the state at large, that our local governments place a priority on environmental responsibility and performance. This unified approach will be of additional importance as we move more seriously toward discussions of long- term regional solutions to waste disposal with our neighboring jurisdictions. Also relating to value is the stability provided by the uniformity and integration of local recycling services. Only the most recent newcomer to our county would have any doubt whom to contact with any question related to recycling services. Any and all questions regarding residential hazardous waste, recyclability of various materials, advice on material preparations for recycling, collection or facility operating schedules, questions such as what the various materials are recycled into, regulations /rules, etc. are available from one location, one phone number, one web site and even one email address. Even suggestions for program improvements, expansions, or notification of problems can be easily conveyed through a single point of contact. County collection equipment and staff are located on Eubanks Road and available across programs as necessary to respond to a critical service need, offering a valuable program redundancy even to contracted services. As an example, the County works closely with the Town of Chapel Hill to provide extra collections in the downtown business district during Halloween and noteworthy athletic events at no extra cost. An indication as to the value that the county places on recycling services county- wide is the $1.7 million the county transferred from enterprise fund reserves to continue funding of the Urban and Rural programs during the funding crisis of the last budget. The Towns are receiving a package of high performing services /programs, excellent quality customer service, cost effective operations, cooperative planning and statewide achievement. This is value that's difficult to duplicate. It should also be noted that a Town of Chapel Hill's solid waste consultant indicated in a previous report that the County programs were a very good value. ➢ Performance — The record of program performance over the past twenty -four plus years is difficult to question. The array of local programs has steadily grown over this period to reach the pinnacle of waste reduction statewide, and even regionally. At the time the 61 % waste reduction goal was established by local Town and County officials, many believed it was unachievable. Now we currently sit at 59% and in the very near future envision celebrating reaching that goal and together, setting another, even more aggressive and challenging goal.