SWAG agenda 013017 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Memorandum To: Solid Waste Advisory Group From: County Staff Subject: General Staff Updates /Status Reports Date: January 30, 2017 The following updates are provided for the SWAG's consideration. Questions or comments are welcome as necessary. 1. C &D Landfill Business Practice Evaluation County staff is in the process of initiating an evaluation of the existing Construction & Demolition Landfill to determine if there are alternative management strategies to make this facility more financially productive and cost - effective while maintaining focus on C &D waste reduction priorities. The study will evaluate existing C &D landfill operations and economics, assess ways in which this facility's economics can be enhanced, evaluate the performance of the Regulated Recyclable Materials Ordinance, including evaluation of alternative waste reduction and recovery options, and examine C &D waste flow for disposal from Orange County to surrounding counties. 2. Emergency Storm Debris Management Site Search — (Attachment) 3. Government Building Waste Audits (Attachment) In November 2016, Solid Waste staff investigated the contents of waste from nineteen major Orange County buildings and four in Town of Hillsborough. Solid waste was not investigated from smaller facilities. Waste from Town of Carrboro and Chapel Hill major buildings will be audited in early 2017. The intent of the waste audit was not to be all- encompassing, nor to involve all government employees and facilities. Instead, the scope of the study was to examine buildings and departments with high traffic that are frequently used by relatively large numbers of employees or the public to assess the need to improve waste reduction and recycling efforts internally. At this point, only Orange County waste audit results have been evaluated. Evaluation of data from audit results from Town of Hillsborough are pending. From the targeted buildings in this survey, Orange County produced 302 pounds of waste collected November 17. Of this, 246 pounds were materials properly placed in the trash. Fifty -seven pounds of disposed materials were actually recyclable, reusable or hazardous and therefore incorrectly put in trash bins. Overall, in the 2016 audit, 18.9 percent of Orange County government building waste was still recyclable or reusable. Four buildings had under ten percent recycling in the trash. In contrast, in 2008, 28 percent of measured County building waste was recyclable. Thus in eight years, Orange County government buildings and employees have reduced by 33 percent the weight of recyclable materials remaining in the trash.