SWAG agenda 082514 - Laserfiche WebLink

Browse Search

Comprehensive Review of S olid W aste Collection and Disposal Options v2.1 41 10/22/12 4.0 SOLID WASTE COLLECTI ONS EVALUATION During the week of April 16 through 20, 2012, SCS conducted field observations of solid waste collections practices and programs in the Town of Chapel Hill (Town) and interviewed supervisors and waste collection staff. Residential, yard waste, scooter truck, and commercial routes and collection practices were observed. SCS conducted these field observations and interviews for the purpose of providing the Town with recommendations to improve solid waste collection efficiencies while maintaining the ongoing high level of customer service Town residents appreciate and expect. 4.1 OBSERVATIONS AND REC OMMENDATIONS FOR IMPROVED COLLECTION EFFICIENCY 4.1.1 Residential Collections 4.1.1.1 Containers During field observations, it was noted that some residents do not have the standard Town issued trash carts, and instead use standard trash cans or leave non-containerized bags on the curb. Furthermore, some residents use cans that cannot be mechanically tipped to manage excess waste volumes in addition to the town issued carts. Management of these variable containers and waste placement methods by Town collections staff introduces inherent inefficiencies in the collections process. Non-standard cans often do not have wheels or handles which cause collection staff to lift heavy objects and prevent the use of mechanized cart tippers. The physical management of overweight cans and odd containers creates delays and subjects collections personnel to an increased risk of injury. Requiring residents to use the town issued carts will allow the carts to be mechanically tipped rather than physically lifted by Town employees, increasing efficiency and reducing the amount of physical labor required. The Town could realize increased efficiency with residential waste collection by collecting only waste placed in the Town-issued cart. However, as with the current practices, a special exemption for appropriate circumstances may be issued to qualifying households. Residents who do not put their waste in a Town-issued cart would face the consequence of not having their waste collected, which means having to store it for another week or transporting it to a disposal site themselves. With the closing of the Orange County landfill, improving overall collection efficiency becomes a more relevant factor when considering the additional off-route time necessary to transport collected waste a longer distance to another public or private landfill or transfer station as discussed in Sections 6 and 10. The Town ordinances, Chapter 8, Sections I and II describe regulated collection and disposal policies including receptacle policies; however, our assessment noted adherence to many of these policies are loosely enforced. According to the Town ordinance, a 65-gallon cart, provided by the Town at no charge, is available to each residence by request. A public notice directing those residents needing a cart to request one, and an audit/inventory conducted by the collections staff during their regular collections routes would identify other residents needing a Town-issued cart. Standardizing the collection carts would not only promote collection efficiencies, it would