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truck as routes are adjusted to accommodate the additional tonnage managed. In addition to this, <br />managing the additional fiber at the current facility would require that the County proceed to a <br />more efficient storage and hauling system for the currently managed materials. Details of this <br />were discussed at the Solid Waste Plan Work Group on November 28, 2007, and a <br />recommendation will be brought to the BOCC at an upcoming meeting. <br />Including a maximum size or cut down requirement for acceptable cardboard will be critical to <br />program operations. In the current two-bin system, and even in any future cart system, cutting <br />down the cardboard would be a requirement for fitting the cardboard into the bins or carts and <br />then into the trucks. This means that corrugated cardboard placed at the curb that was not <br />flattened and/or cut to the minimum size would need to be rejected. The Town of Cary has a cut- <br />down requirement to 2'x 3' to fit the material in their 18 gallon curbside bins, and the County <br />would need to adopt a similar standard. While enforcement of this standard may cause <br />frustration to some residents, as an alternative to cutting boxes down, oversized boxes could still <br />be taken to drop-off sites, and benefits to the community-at-large. would likely outweigh the <br />inconvenience. <br />Based on initial review, the estimated landfill space savings of adding cardboard to residential <br />curbside collection services is 0.3 months. <br />C. Expansion of the rural curbside recycling program to an additional 5,000 homes (about <br />60% of the households in the unincorporated portion of Orange County are presently <br />serviced). <br />Based on initial review, the staff level of planning/preparation, staff commitment and cost to <br />implement this level of expansion would not allow implementation in time to have any <br />meaningful impact on landfill space savings. <br />D. Expansion of the commercial recycling programs. (not analyzed here as it is under <br />review by the Solid Waste Plan Work Group) <br />This memo does not address expansion of the commercial recycling effort beyond the County's <br />current modest effort in cans and bottles and food waste from selected establishments. There is a <br />considerable amount of recyclable material remaining in the commercial waste stream. <br />Expansion to adequately and thoroughly serve this sector is complex, potentially costly and <br />already under study by the Sold Waste Plan Work Group. Additionally, developing an effective <br />sector-wide program has a planning horizon that is longer than the time needed to save landfill <br />space. Thus it is considered separately and more deliberately. The Solid Waste Work Plan Group <br />has on its immediately upcoming agenda the consideration of various options for expansion of <br />commercial recycling programs and will likely make recommendations regarding commercial <br />recycling later this year. <br />III - Summary <br />It has not generally been County procedure in the past to implement landfill bans without first <br />ensuring that there are reasonable alternative options available besides landfill-based disposal. <br />Preliminary assessment indicates that it makes sense to couple the addition of corrugated <br />cardboard to the urban and rural curbside recycling programs with expansion of enforcement of <br />the existing cardboard collection ban to the residential sector. The two in conjunction would <br />likely produce greater diversion and landfill space savings than either one option taken alone. <br />5