Agenda - 04-15-2008-6d - Laserfiche WebLink

Browse Search

Chapter 3 Solid Waste Planning Update Planning In this section we follow the outline in the guidance document. Thus we will start with general planning guidelines in this chapter Appendix F contains the planning elements listed element by element with source reduction, etc., description of the work by the Solid Waste Management Depar6ment and the Solid Waste Plan Work Group on each plan element and include a timetable for the coming year along with a description of likely activities in years to come. Orange County's has maintained its long-term goal of 61 % per capita reduction in solid waste landfilled but has removed any timetable for achieving that goal. The prior goal for the date was 2006. The County has made progress towards the goal and during FY 2006-07 achieved its highest waste reduction rate ever of 47.7% per capita. The 2005 one-week waste sort indicates that if about 50% of what is recyclable that now remains in the waste stream were able to be recycled, the County could achieve a waste reduction rate in the mid-50's percentage. Achieving the final 5% would have to be achieved through waste reduction, if the 2005 waste sort is accurate and can be reasonably extrapolated and a set of interim goals by material can be achieved. It is possible as it appears that our MSW generation rate remains steady while population increases slowly at 1.5% to 2% per year. The amount landfilled continues to decrease, even when what is landfilled out-of-county that we can account for is included as it is in each year's state report. Evaluation of Program Performance Even without the long-term plan fully implemented, county solid waste efforts continue to evolve and change. Various programs have matured and continued to grow. The County's hazardous waste program, known as the Toxic Reduction Improvements Program or T.R.I.P. includes the conventional Hazardous Household Waste, the automotive fluids, filters and batteries collection from Convenience Centers and the electronics program at Convenience Centers and the Landfill has expanded annually and tonnage now exceeds 640 tons, up from 595 in 2005-06 and that was increased from 487 three years ago, 32% increase in three years. (see Chapter 1, Table l j for details) Curbside recycling in both rural and urban programs as well as multifamily, was slowly growing prior to mixed paper, but adding mixed paper in the second half of 206-07 with the attendant public education, new bin distribution, conversion to two-stream at apartments and rural route additions increased tonnage markedly. 19