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16 <br /> The Board discussed and provided direction to Solid Waste staff regarding enforcement <br /> of the current Solid Waste Ordinance provisions related to Construction and Demolition Waste <br /> at the Waste and Recycling Centers. <br /> BACKGROUND: <br /> The Orange County Waste and Recycling Centers (Centers) were established for the disposal <br /> of household municipal solid waste and recycling. Specifically, the Orange County Solid Waste <br /> Ordinance provides in Section 34-40 that Centers are maintained at selected locations <br /> throughout the County for the convenience of County residents. It details a list of wastes that <br /> may not be accepted at convenience centers, including commercial waste, institutional waste, <br /> industrial waste, land clearing waste, and construction waste and demolition waste. In contrast, <br /> the ordinance specifically provides a list of materials that, if there is a specifically designated <br /> area for collection, may be deposited at the Centers, including white goods, furniture, yard <br /> waste and tires. These ordinance provisions have been in effect since <br /> May of 1993. <br /> A recent audit of the Centers highlighted that the Ordinance was not being consistently followed <br /> by some of the Solid Waste staff. The Centers have traditionally allowed a "wheelbarrows" or up <br /> to 3 cubic feet worth of construction and demolition waste to be deposited in the bulky waste <br /> area as an accommodation to residential users of the sites. This amount was being <br /> inconsistently applied by staff. In addition, it became apparent that construction and demolition <br /> waste of a commercial nature was also being brought to the sites. Individuals that were <br /> renovating homes for commercial purposes were bringing or causing large quantities of <br /> material to be brought to the sites. <br /> This activity was not only contrary to the current Solid Waste Ordinance but also raised other <br /> concerns. The Orange County Regulated Recycling Materials Ordinance (RRMO) is being <br /> circumvented by having construction and demolition wastes brought to the Centers. The RRMO <br /> requires that regulated recyclable construction and demolition waste be separated from other <br /> solid waste unless delivered to a certified commingled recycling facility. Allowing the <br /> construction and demolition waste at the Centers violates the RRMO. The construction and <br /> demolition waste that is brought to the Centers is transported to a transfer station and ultimately <br /> disposed of in a municipal solid waste (MSW) landfill. <br /> In addition to conflicting with the RRMO, accepting Construction and Demolition waste at the <br /> Centers increase both transportation costs and disposal costs which have seen recent <br /> increases and will continue to increase. During fiscal year 2019-20, the disposal rate at the <br /> Durham transfer station increased from $44.50 per ton to $47.50 per ton. <br /> FINANCIAL IMPACT: Current conservative estimates are that 20-25% of waste delivered to the <br /> Waste and Recycling Centers are construction and demolition wastes. Tipping fees for those <br /> materials are estimated to be $75,000-$88,000 per year. Increasing the amount of allowable <br /> construction and demolition wastes will result in increased transportation and disposal costs <br /> ultimately resulting in a need to increase the Solid Waste Programs Fee. <br /> Robert Williams, Solid Waste Director, made the following PowerPoint presentation: <br /> Waste and Recycling Centers <br /> Construction and Demolition Discussion <br /> May 19, 2020 <br />