2006 Annual Solid Waste Report Executive Summary The Georgia Comprehensive Solid Waste Management Act of 1990 requires the Department of Community Affairs (DCA), with the cooperation of the Department of Natural Resources' Environmental Protection Division (EPD) and the Georgia Environmental Facilities Authority (GEFA), to report annually on the state of solid waste management in Georgia. Per the Act, the FY 2006 report, covering the period of July 1, 2005-June 30, 2006, contains information on: the status of local and regional solid waste management planning in Georgia; the number and types of solid waste handling facilities in the state; the remaining capacity of each permitted solid waste handling facility; the number and types of solid waste grants and loans made to local governments; a compilation and analysis of solid waste management data provided by cities and counties through their completed Solid Waste Survey; a statement of progress achieved in meeting the 25% waste reduction goal established in subsection (c) of Code Section 12-8-211; a statement of progress achieved in solid waste management education; any revisions in the state solid waste management plan deemed necessary; and recommendations for improving the management of solid waste in Georgia. Further, the Act requires DCA to report on the status of litter prevention and abatement in the state. The litter report shall include but not be limited to: An itemization of expenditures made from the Solid Waste Trust Fund for the prevention and abatement of litter; A compilation and analysis of litter prevention, collection, and enforcement efforts; An assessment of littering in the state; A statement of progress in achieving a litter prevention ethic; and Recommendations for improving litter abatement and prevention efforts. This litter report is available online at www.dca.ga.gov, under Office of Environmental Management programs. The Solid Waste Management Act requires all local governments to have, or be included in, a solid waste management plan that demonstrates adequate waste disposal capacity and collection capability for a 10-year period. Thirty-six (36) cities and 11 counties did not have an approved plan by the end of FY 2006. Local governments that failed to adopt approved solid waste management plans are listed and continually updated online at: www.GeorgiaPlanning.com During FY 2006, 16.9 million tons of waste was sent to Georgia disposal facilities. Most of this waste entered lined, monitored landfills operating under federal Subtitle D. A small and dwindling percentage of the Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) entered unlined landfills that have been allowed to operate under their pre-Subtitle D permits. Construction and Demolition waste (C&D), a subset of MSW, is generally disposed in unlined landfills that are less expensive to operate. The state continues to have an adequate supply of permitted disposal capacity with 25 years of remaining permitted Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) disposal capacity and 16 years of remaining permitted Construction and Demolition (C&D) disposal capacity. It is important that the state and local governments carefully monitor the remaining permitted disposal capacity throughout the state. In FY 2006 just over half of the permitted disposal capacity in the state was contained in just 7 of the 115 landfills. This concentration heightens the need to carefully monitor the financial assurances of these and all the disposal facilities in the state. It also emphasizes the need for 1 During the 2005 Legislative session the 25% per capita waste disposal reduction goal was reworded to state that every effort should be made to reduce the per capita disposal rate of waste sent to MSW landfills in Georgia. local solid waste management planning and annual monitoring of the implementation of these plans. Both the Northeast Georgia RDC and the South Georgia RDC are the only two RDCs with less than 10 years of permitted disposal capacity. Demonstration of capacity and capacity assurance is highly dependent upon the permitting process and the time it takes for a solid waste handling permit to be issued. It is worth noting that the South Georgia RDC had over 20 years of disposal capacity in 2005 but fell below 10 years when a permit expired and the permitted space was not constructed. (See section A Disposal and Capacity and section B Per Capita Disposal for more details) The level and type of solid waste, recycling, and yard trimmings collection services provided throughout the state varies greatly depending upon a community's size, density, and demographic profile. To track solid waste management trends, DCA administers an annual survey of all local governments in Georgia. The number of local governments whose residents have access to recycling services had been dwindling but rebounded sharply in FY 20052. The increase is mostly due to better reporting, but the fact that the numbers are up slightly from 2003 may indicate a general expansion of local government recycling programs in response to citizen demand and increasing recycling commodity values. During FY 2005, 25 cities and 25 counties reported actively promoting waste minimization practices such as home composting or beneficial reuse of yard trimmings. During FY 2005, 258 cities and 33 counties reported collecting yard trimmings for diversion from MSW landfills, however inert landfill disposal is reported as one of the leading "processing" methods for these materials. (See section C: Solid Waste & Recycling Collection of the report for more details) Another growing trend that needs to be carefully monitored is the amount of waste imported to Georgia for disposal and its potential impact on future disposal capacity and Georgia's environment. With statewide MSW tipping fees at $35.51 per ton ($22.09 for C&D waste), far less than Northeastern states and Florida, Georgia landfills represent considerable cost-savings for companies moving large amounts of waste. Because the waste reduction goal specified in the Act includes all waste disposed in MSW landfills, this out-of-state waste is included in our progress toward meeting the waste reduction goal, and undercuts waste reduction and recycling efforts undertaken by Georgians. On a per capita basis, 7.52 pounds of waste entered MSW landfills daily during FY 2006, and nearly one pound/day of that came from outside Georgia's borders. (See section B: Per Capita Disposal and section D: MSW & C&D Landfill Tipping Fees of the report for more details) Nearly $500,000 from the Solid Waste Trust Fund was expended to support local government recycling and waste reduction grants in FY 2006. Almost $200,000 went to provide scrap tire amnesty collections, and approximately $275,000 was awarded by GEFA's Recycling and Waste Reduction grant program to support local recycling collection and processing capacity. (See section E: Grants and Loans to Local Governments) In response to one of the needs identified in the 2005 Annual Solid Waste Report to improve the management of solid waste in the state, DCA commissioned a waste characterization study to provide a comprehensive view of the composition of what Georgians were throwing away. Data were compiled statewide and broken down regionally by Regional Development Centers (RDCs.) The report is available online at www.dca.ga.gov. The report quantifies how much of what types of material are landfilled in Georgia, and whether it comes from residential or commercial sources. Among the findings, the report highlighted that nearly 40% of what is buried in Georgia landfills consists of materials that are commonly included in local government recycling collection programs. This information will be useful to local governments and Georgia based industries that use recycled content materials in their manufacturing operations. 2 The considerable lag time in gathering, verifying, and analyzing this data results in the previous years' collection and yard trimmings management data being used to compile this report. With the findings from the Waste Characterization Study in hand, DCA adopted an updated State Solid Waste Management Plan. The purpose of this state plan is to chart the course for the combined efforts of the state and local governments to manage Georgia's solid waste in an environmentally sound and cost-effective manner over the next ten years. The focus of the plan is on MSW, as it is defined in state law. As such, it includes household and commercial solid wastes, as well as yard trimmings and construction and demolition waste, but does not include solid waste from mining, agricultural, or silviculture operations or industrial processes or operations. The format of the Plan is consistent with the Minimum Planning Standards required for local government solid waste planning efforts. The Plan follows an approach that begins with a description of the solid waste being disposed in the State. It then describes for each element of solid waste management (waste reduction, collection, disposal, land limitation, and education and public involvement) the following information: Inventory and Assessment: Summarizes the inventory of existing programs at the state and local levels, describing current practices and trends. Identification of Needs and Goals: Describes the various opportunities that are available to help address the statewide effort to reach its goals. Implementation Strategy: Describes the actions to be taken by the state government, including providing assistance to local governments. These two tools, the waste characterization study and the state solid waste management plan, need to be used to develop a comprehensive strategy to reduce the amount of waste entering Georgia landfills. The per capita disposal rate in the state continues to rise, mainly due to the continuing rise in outof-state waste imports. The per capita disposal rate for MSW generated and disposed within the state remains relatively constant. It is hoped with the updated State Solid Waste Management Plan and Waste Characterization results, local governments will be better able to target their limited resources and increase the efficiency or expand of their recycling programs. A specific waste reduction goal and recycling strategy needs to be developed for the state. The continued use of inert landfills for yard trimmings and growth in the use of solid waste transfer stations needs to be monitored and addressed in local solid waste planning efforts. As the state identifies a strategy for reducing the MSW disposal rate, efforts to quantify and address C&D waste reduction and solid waste from mining, agricultural, or silviculture operations or industrial processes or operations needs to be completed. This report is available online at www.dca.ga.gov, under Office of Environmental Management programs. Solid Waste & Recycling Collection 2006 Solid Waste Management Update Waste Collection The level and type of solid waste, recycling and yard trimmings collection services provided throughout the state varies greatly depending upon a community's size, density and demographic profile. The data contained in this report is obtained mainly from the Annual Solid Waste Management Survey and Full Cost Report. This data is used to attempt to identify how local governments collect and manage solid waste, yard trimmings and recyclables generated within their community. Before applying any analysis to this data it should be noted that in FY 2004 there was a significant drop in the response rate (from 93% in FY 2003 to 79% in FY 2004). It is believed that the switch to the online system is the primary reason for Residential Waste and Recyclables the significant drop in the response rate. However, for the FY 2005 reporting year, there was a reciprocal increase in the response rate over FY 2004 (91% in FY 2005 up from 79% in FY 2004). Consequently it is recommended that a minimum of two more years of survey data be collected before this information can be effectively used to establish any reliable benchmarks or trend lines. Until then the data should only be used to acquire an over-all "annual snapshot" of solid waste and recycling activities in the State. Collection FY 2003 - 2005 2003 No. of local governments responding 642 to Solid Waste Management Survey Solid Waste Service Providers Local governments 565 providing/arranging for residential waste collection Provided by public sector 362 Provided by private sector 379 2004 546 501 336 379 2005 631 593 335 356 In the table entitled Residential Waste & Recyclables Collection the changing role of local governments as solid waste collection service providers is highlighted. Many local governments have opted to "arrange for" Types of Residential Programs Curbside/backdoor City County 400 374 436 62 60 66 rather than "provide" solid waste collection services. Over the past decade, we have seen the solid waste collection role of the private sector increase. One potential trend appears to be the changing role in providing recycling services. While it is impossible to state with any certainty, it appears that the number of local governments providing recycling services has declined from 2003 to 2005. This change in the general trend could be due to the fluctuating response rate. There are several tools local governments use to partner with the private sector to manage the waste generated within their communities, including: permits, ordinances, franchise agreements, and/or contracts. Staffed Drop-off City County Unstaffed Drop-off City County Dumpsters (Green box) City County Recycling Service Providers Local governments making residential recycling services available Provided by public sector Provided by private sector Provided by non-profit organization 37 44 42 87 95 80 43 17 40 29 25 43 22 27 23 20 49 25 444 390 395 392 266 264 188 67 77 109 57 N/A The number of local governments reporting they use permits, ordinances, and/or franchise agreements appears to have increased immensely from FY 2003 to FY 2005. This may be due in part to the change in the wording of the question as well as the section of the survey in which the question was asked. Permits and ordinances governing the collection of solid waste are typically the least restrictive tools local governments use to manage solid waste collection in their community. Collection ordinances typically establish general standards by which a private sector service provider must operate. Franchise agreements, either exclusive or open, generally establish a minimum level of services that must be provided by all service providers and usually stipulate the specific operating standards. A contract between a local government and private waste service provider provides the greatest degree of management control over the waste Private/Public Partnerships for Residential Waste Collection FY 2003 - 2005 2003 2004 2005 City County City County City County Private collection does not exist 164 23 158 55 178 59 Issue permit or license 11 13 48 31 56 34 Local ordinance 11 22 230 70 251 79 Franchise agreement 34 9 103 36 134 40 Governments contract 181 41 202 53 248 60 stream, with the local government Open competition -- no local 33 66 139 66 167 72 setting forth specific performance government oversight C - 1 Solid Waste & Recycling Collection 2006 Update measures and standards to be met by both parties. As can be seen in the Residential Waste and Recyclables Collection table, the types of residential solid waste collection services range from "green box" or Dumpster drop-off service to curbside or backdoor pick-up. One trend the Department of Community Affairs has been tracking for several years is the use of Dumpsters. They are often placed in unsupervised areas, usually in rural communities, for trash collection and frequently become dumping grounds for everything from household trash to disabled vehicles, tires, and animal carcasses. They can become an eyesore in a community and attract waste from neighboring jurisdictions. The number of local governments using green boxes for residential waste collection has dwindled in recent years. In 1994, 74 cities and 99 counties reported using them for residential waste collection. In Yard Trimmings Management FY 2005, just 23 cities and 25 counties reported using FY 2003 - 2005 green boxes. It appears that around half of the counties using a Green Box system in FY04 did not report using them in FY05. Promote home 2003 City County 55 41 2004 City County 24 27 2005 City County 25 25 composting and grasscycling Yard Trimmings Collection Provide for collection 355 93 365 57 258 33 and disposal Collection Options The number of local governments reporting that they Staffed drop-off 17 41 14 16 19 28 provide for the collection and disposal of yard trimmings facilities fell from 448 in FY 2003 to 291 in FY 2005. This Unstaffed drop-off 10 6 9 3 9 3 decrease may be linked to the increase use of the facilities private sector to provide collection services. The private Curbside collection Accepted at 276 35 16 50 220 3 5 15 294 21 22 32 sector is less likely to offer yard trimmings collection landfill/transfer station because of the additional cost associated with its Other 13 10 13 3 16 6 collection and disposal. The decline may also be due to the discrepancy in the response rate over the last two years. The type of collection service options ranged from accepting yard trimmings at solid waste management facilities like a solid waste transfer station to curbside collection programs. The number of communities reporting they provide collection services has decreased from 448 in FY 2003 to 291 in FY 2005. From the information reported it appears that this decrease is occurring mainly in the curbside programs and transfer stations accepting the material, however due to the low response rate it is impossible to present a conclusive finding. Recyclables Collection During FY 2005, 395 local governments reported they provided or arranged for residential recycling 500 services in their communities. As can be seen in the Residential Recycling Services Providers graph, 450 the strong tradition of public, private, and non-profit 400 partnerships used to provide recycling services throughout Georgia continues. However it appears 350 that the number of private vendors has increased 300 slightly while the non-profit organizations have decreased; this could also be due to the fluctuating 250 response rate. 200 Residential Recycling Service Providers FY 2003 - 2005 The number of local governments whose residents 150 have access to recycling services appears to have slowly dwindled during the last three years however 100 this could be due to the fluctuating response rate. 50 Collection programs for glass, scrap metal, aluminum, and newspaper had fallen dramatically 0 in FY 2004, however they have all risen significantly in FY 2005; the increase in the number of communities reporting aluminum, newspaper, plastic containers, and electronics collection programs appears to indicate a trend beyond just the number or communities responding to the survey. 2003 2004 2005 Governments with recycling services available to residents Provided by public sector Provided by private vendor Provided by non-profit organization C - 2 Solid Waste & Recycling Collection 2006 Update Collection programs appear to have been trimmed mainly from small, rural communities. Some of the decrease may be attributed to the low survey response rate. On a more positive note, more jurisdictions reported collecting problem wastes such as electronic items. As shown in the Number of Jurisdictions Collecting Materials for Recycling tables on page C-4, there was an increase in the number of local governments making residential recycling services available in their jurisdictions. Nationally and regionally, market prices for recycled materials have varied widely. Virtually any recyclable commodity price, when tracked over time, varies greatly. This affects which materials some local governments choose to recycle, given their budget restraints and shifting priorities. This report does not address the scale of the individual local recycling operations, which would be difficult to quantify. Rather, it focuses upon the level of recycling services being offered throughout the state. Since 1992, newspaper has been reported as the residential recyclable material most widely collected in Georgia, followed by aluminum cans. The most popular commodities recycled from residences were newspaper (509 jurisdictions reporting collection); aluminum (452); magazines (378); corrugated cardboard (368); and #1 plastic (360.) round-off the top five most recycled materials category during FY 2005. After trending drastically down in FY 2004 glass has rebounded sharply in FY 2005 this fluctuation could be attributed to the response rate. Although some recyclers have dropped glass from their programs, saying prices have fallen to the point that dealing with the material (which can be a contaminant for other recyclables if not handled properly) is no longer worth the trouble. Glass proponents claim that markets for the material have strengthened in the last two year, and that with care and proper equipment maintenance, glass should not be a problem for a recycling operation. The tables on page C-4 tally the number of local governments collecting commercial and residential materials for recycling. Recyclables Processing In FY 2005 176 local governments reported processing residential recyclables as source separated materials, or reported that they collect source-separated materials from their customers. Source-separated means the materials are separated before being collected, typically by the consumer. For example, a homeowner may have to place glass, plastic and metal in separate containers before collection. Commingled collection means the consumer places all the material in one container and the material is sorted after collection, often by paid staff, inmates or probationers Processing of Residential Recyclables FY 2003 - 2005 2003 2004 2005 City County City County City County Source-separated 142 75 75 97 79 97 Commingled 41 12 32 12 46 14 Both 32 35 8 10 6 9 Unknown 94 11 52 34 32 21 C - 3 Solid Waste & Recycling Collection 2006 Update Number of Jurisdictions Collecting Residential Materials for Recycling by Type FY 2001 - 2005 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 Number of Jurisdictions Collecting Commercial Materials for Recycling by Type FY 2001 - 2005 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 Automobile components tires 98 89 88 62 54 auto batteries 74 70 71 44 38 motor oil 82 71 75 50 36 Automobile components tires auto batteries antifreeze motor oil oil filters Metals aluminum steel cans 141 137 136 117 142 88 93 91 89 100 15 22 24 18 21 109 101 93 66 95 22 17 23 18 28 375 362 334 292 452 173 165 157 118 226 Metals aluminum scrap metal Paper newspaper magazines corrugated cardboard white paper phone books other paper Misc. plastic glass 249 249 238 248 196 175 170 168 106 94 270 258 257 293 254 218 202 198 189 84 268 257 253 202 177 184 190 177 98 66 181 176 168 163 71 154 153 148 92 50 353 353 326 214 181 193 176 177 139 57 scrap metal aerosol cans Paper newspaper magazines corrugated cardboard phone books paper board other paper Misc. #1 plastic #2 plastic other plastic 223 212 214 124 208 38 41 40 16 39 406 380 365 344 509 315 298 280 269 378 332 314 287 280 368 250 241 234 202 322 126 129 132 111 72 238 234 206 172 236 276 268 256 247 360 259 244 255 208 311 85 85 76 52 69 glass 293 266 251 180 303 white goods 263 250 239 246 225 Christmas trees 262 245 244 253 262 C&D materials 66 60 65 51 48 Transfer Stations agricultural chemical 23 22 23 15 10 containers With fewer, more regional-sized landfills in the state and a electronics 20 27 40 12 76 wide array of solid waste collection programs, solid waste Household transfer stations continue to be a popular method of streamlining solid waste collection services. Transfer stations are especially effective when collection routes are farther than 50 miles from a landfill. Combining several Hazardous Waste paint 19 21 24 42 29 cleaning products 6 8 10 0 2 pesticides 4 3 7 4 4 conventional rear-loader garbage truck loads into a single other 12 25 21 19 12 tractor-trailer for the trip to the landfill saves fuel costs, vehicle wear and tear, and means fewer trucks can service more customers. Only 20 cities reported that they or their n/a: Question not asked on that year's survey *Prior to the 2000 survey, DCA did not separate #1 and #2 plastics in its survey. contractors used transfer stations for the collection or disposal of residential waste in FY 1995. By FY 2005, 157 cities or their contractors were using transfer stations to manage residential waste. Use of Solid Waste Transfer Stations FY 2001 - 2005 City County 2001 142 63 2002 143 67 2003 146 70 2004 153 70 2005 157 72 C - 4 Solid Waste & Recycling Collection 2006 Update Georgia banned yard trimmings from lined Yard Trimmings Management Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) landfills in 1996, as part of an effort to extend landfill disposal capacity. Effective Sept. 1, 1996, each city, county and solid waste management authority was required to impose restrictions on yard Promote Home Composting and Beneficial Reuse FY 2003 - 2005 2003 City County 2004 City County 55 41 24 27 2005 City County 25 25 trimmings generated in or disposed within their jurisdiction. The restrictions required that yard Provide for collection and disposal 355 93 365 57 258 33 trimmings: Not be placed in or mixed with municipal solid waste; Not available Collection 133 61 137 86 178 96 Be sorted and stored for collection to facilitate composting or other handling; Your government Another government Solid Waste Authority 253 67 308 54 242 76 18 16 18 12 17 22 11 7 7 6 8 11 To the maximum extent feasible be Private vendor via individual 7 20 8 20 11 24 sorted, stockpiled or chipped for composting subscription or used as a mulch or for other beneficial Private vendor via government contract 30 10 19 12 35 11 purposes; Collection Options Be banned from disposal at MSW Staffed drop-off facilities 17 41 16 23 16 32 disposal facilities having liners and leachate Unstaffed drop-off facilities Curbside collection 10 276 6 16 9 220 6 15 10 240 8 16 collection systems; Accepted at landfill/transfer 35 50 19 39 21 44 Annually, DCA surveys local governments to determine how they collect, process and use station Other 13 10 8 6 8 6 yard trimmings generated within their Processing Methods communities. During FY 2005, 25 cities and 25 counties reported actively promoting waste minimization practices such as home composting or beneficial reuse of yard Composting Solid waste landfill Inert landfill 46 11 46 12 48 18 40 8 35 8 22 8 91 46 177 94 154 92 trimmings. During FY 2005, 258 cities and 33 Grind/chip into mulch 173 55 177 55 183 76 counties reported collecting yard trimmings Own a chipper/shredder 132 23 146 20 143 29 for diversion from MSW landfills. While the total number of local governments Contract out chipping/shredding Use another local 39 28 35 33 31 33 19 5 17 9 18 9 responding to the survey is about the same in FY03 and FY05, the number of local government's chipper/shredder Burning 30 3 24 0 24 4 governments reporting they collect materials is significantly lower in FY05. Those that did report that the service was available Other Beneficial Use 23 8 0 0 23 6 indicated that they provided the collection Give away 171 49 180 56 178 68 services with just a few indicating they Sell contracted with a private vendor to collect 8 9 8 7 8 8 yard trimmings. In many areas, especially Used by local government 92 29 112 26 97 41 urban and suburban communities, the visible Becomes property of private contractor result of the yard trimmings ban has been the 12 8 39 13 39 15 presence of large paper bags of leaves and grass at curbsides. Collection of yard trimmings in paper bags enables them to be ground into a mulch or feedstock for composting. The majority of local governments who reported collecting yard trimmings, either ground or shredded the collected material for use as mulch, however 246 local governments reported disposing the collected materials into an inert landfill. Composting and burning were also reported as common processing methods Yard trimmings, when processed properly, have numerous beneficial uses in a community. The use of compost and mulch is extremely beneficial for slowing storm-water runoff and retaining moisture around plants. Many local governments use processed yard trimmings as mulch for their landscaping and civil engineering applications or report offering the processed yard trimmings to their citizens for residential landscaping. C - 5 Disposal and Capacity 2006 Report During Fiscal Year 2006 the amount of waste sent to Georgia Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) and Construction and Demolition (C&D) landfills increased, with imported waste offsetting reduced disposal by Georgians. In 2006, the remaining permitted MSW disposal capacity was approximately 25 years, down from 28 in Landfill Quick Facts FY 2006 Private Public 2005 and 16 years of remaining permitted C&D landfill space, down from 17 in MSW 2005. Trends toward privatization of waste collection and disposal infrastructure Disposal continue statewide, with transfer stations increasingly popular as landfills become larger and demand larger volumes of waste to operate cost-effectively. Landfill 9.1 million 3.5 million tons tons 16 facilities 49 facilities Where Does the Waste Go? Ownership Remaining Much of the waste disposed of in Georgia enters lined, monitored MSW Landfills. Of the16,928,567 tons of MSW and C&D waste disposed in permitted Georgia disposal facilities during FY 2006, 12,759,735 tons, or 75%, entered lined, Capacity Years 18.2 Cubic Yards 230 million 38.7 204 million monitored landfills meeting federal Subtitle D requirements. Approximately 3,758,010 tons, or 22% entered unlined Construction and Demolition landfills. The remainder was divided among unlined Municipal Solid Waste landfills (182,707 tons, or 1.1%), the state's only MSW incinerator (102,860 tons; 0.6%), and the state's only large-scale MSW composting facility (approximately 50,000 tons.) C&D Disposal Landfill Ownership 3.5 million 752,000 tons tons 18 facilities 34 facilities Most of the waste disposed in Georgia enters private landfills. In FY 2006, landfill owners/operators reported 9,079,225 tons of waste entering 16 private MSW landfills, compared with 8,947,772 tons entering 15 private MSW landfills in FY 2005. In FY 2006, 3,476,732 tons of waste entered 49 publicly owned MSW Remaining Capacity Years 11.9 Cubic Yards 50 million 32.7 32 million facilities in the state, compared with 3,209,827 tons entering 53 public MSW landfills the previous year. From FY 1993-2006, the number of MSW landfills operated by cities, counties, and solid waste authorities dropped from 121 to 49. Tons 14,000,000 Tons of Waste Disposed FY 1997 - 2006 12,000,000 10,000,000 8,000,000 6,000,000 4,000,000 2,000,000 0 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 Fiscal Year MSW C&D A - 1 2003 2004 2005 2006 Disposal and Capacity 2006 Report C&D Landfills Construction and Demolition landfills are permitted disposal facilities that can only accept waste building materials and rubble resulting from construction, remodeling, repair, and demolition operations on pavements, houses, commercial buildings and other structures. Such wastes include, but are not limited to, yard trimmings, asbestos-containing waste, wood, bricks, metal, concrete, wall board, paper, cardboard, inert waste landfill material, and other nonputrescible wastes which have a low potential for groundwater contamination. In FY 2006, landfill operators reported 3,525,015 tons of waste entering 18 private C&D facilities, while 752,452 tons of waste entered 34 publicly owned facilities. Permitted Solid Waste Management Facilities FY 1999-20061 Inert Landfills Collection Operations2 Transfer Stations On-Site Thermal Treatment Facilities On-site Processing Facilities Municipal Solid Waste Landfills Construction and Demolition Landfills Recovered Materials Processing Facilities Composting Facilities Waste-to-Energy Facility 1999 2,167 538 161 79 75 70 32 5 4 1 2000 2,304 610 176 83 84 69 34 5 3 1 2001 2,399 708 202 88 92 62 33 5 3 1 2002 2,424 775 230 89 95 60 46 3 3 1 2003 2,354 796 233 99 90 58 51 0 3 1 2004 2,389 872 76 101 93 58 54 1 3 1 2005 2,373 891 76 101 99 55 54 1 3 1 2006 2,437 946 78 96 100 65 52 1 3 1 Air Curtain Destructors 1 3 1 3 0 5 5 5 Commercial Industrial Waste Landfill 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1. Operating as of July 2006; some facilities cease operations or are added, so these figures may differ from those used elsewhere in this report. 2. Collection operations are any entity that collects waste from residential or commercial locations. Unlined Landfills During FY 2006, 182,707 tons of waste was disposed in five unlined MSW landfills. This represents approximately 1.1% of the total waste entering MSW landfills in Georgia. As of July 2006, five unlined MSW facilities were still operating under their original EPDapproved permits, and had not reached their closure capacity. Until they do, they must adhere to the same operating procedures and methane monitoring requirements as their more modern counterparts. When the unlined facilities close, they will be capped and monitored under federal Subtitle D regulations. There is no time limit Unlined Landfills Accepting MSW FY 2006 County Facility Name Total Tons Disposed Avg. Daily Tons Remaining Capacity (CY) Bibb Decatur* Grady Liberty McIntosh Total Macon-Walker Road Phase 2 (SL) Decatur Co.-S.R. 309 Bainbridge Phase 2 (SL) Cairo-6th Ave. (SL) U.S. Army-Ft. Stewart Main Cantonment (SL) McIntosh CountyKing Road (SL) 116,405 9,365 30,640 13,506 12,790 182,707 378 2,339,096 62 337,311 47 862,832 53 669,281 540 4,208,520 Average 36,541 108 1,052,130 *This facility ceased receiving waste in July 2006 Remaining Capacity (Years) 10 11 33 20 19 for these landfills to meet Subtitle D regulations, but they will not be granted expansion permits. It is likely that a very small percentage of MSW generated in Georgia will continue to be disposed in unlined landfills for years to come. A - 2 Disposal and Capacity 2006 Report Other Disposal Facilities There is one MSW incinerator operating in Georgia accepting MSW. Located in Chatham County, the operation is also known as a waste-to-energy facility. The facility receives an average of 384 tons per day, mostly from the city of Savannah. During FY 2006, 102,860 tons of waste were incinerated at this facility. There are several other types of incinerators in public and private use that accept only specialized waste, such as wood waste. Another unique waste disposal operation in Georgia is Cobb County's MSW composting facility. The facility accepts approximately 186 tons per day of MSW collected in Cobb County. The composting process results in a clean, beneficial soil amendment given to Cobb residents free of charge. During FY 2006, approximately 50,000 tons of MSW was processed at the Cobb Composting facility. Imported Waste The amount of waste brought to Georgia from other states and disposed is nearly 10 times greater than it was in FY 1998. Waste imports rose from 1,638,292 tons in FY 2005 to 1,736,865 in FY 2006. Most of the waste brought to Georgia from other states is MSW (91%); the remainder is C&D waste. Out-of-state waste amounts to 10.3% of the total amount of waste disposed in Georgia or 13.4% of the waste entering MSW landfills in the state. (See Imported Waste FY 19972006) It is difficult to track border waste exchange, and it is suspected that in most cases, it travels relatively short distances across state lines. Based on telephone interviews with transfer station operators that ship waste out of state, it is believed that approximately 150,000 tons per year of Georgia-generated waste is sent to neighboring states. Imported Waste FY 1997 - 2006 2000000 1800000 1600000 1400000 1200000 Tons 1000000 800000 600000 400000 200000 0 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 Fiscal Year 2003 2004 2005 2006 Permitted capacity, or the amount of available space in landfills to dispose of tightly compacted waste, grew from 471 million cubic yards in FY 2005 to 516 million cubic yards in FY 2006. Georgia has an estimated 25.2 years of remaining permitted MSW landfill capacity statewide, based upon 2006 disposal rates. A breakdown by Regional Development A - 3 Disposal and Capacity 2006 Report Center, can be found on page A-9. The projection of remaining capacity is based upon current disposal rates and disposal capacity permitted by the Georgia EPD, but not necessarily built landfill space. The number of MSW landfills in Georgia has fallen since tighter federal regulations were adopted in the mid-1990s, but the number of C&D landfills has increased to 52 in FY 2006. In FY 1993, there were 187 public and private landfills in Georgia, and 75% of these were small facilities that only accepted waste generated within the host county. For FY 2006, approximately 53% of the state's total remaining capacity sits in just seven facilities, although there are 117 active permitted landfills in Georgia. These gains in remaining disposal capacity have occurred while smaller or older landfills are closed and enter lengthy post-closure monitoring periods. The public sector owns and operates a greater number of C&D facilities in the state, but it manages only 38% of the statewide C&D disposal capacity. The table entitled `Georgia Landfills with Most Remaining Permitted Disposal Capacity FY 2006' on page A-6 ranks the top ten landfills in the state by remaining disposal capacity. The map on page A 5 illustrates regional capacity for MSW landfills, and highlights the importance of sound solid waste planning. A solid waste authority in the South Georgia RDC had received a permit for 13.5-million cubic yards of airspace for a new MSW landfill, but the facility was never constructed and the permit expired. That caused the region to lose approximately 20 years of disposal capacity, from 25 years to only five years of permitted disposal capacity. Landfill Capacity by Type FY 1997 - 2006 600,000,000 500,000,000 Cubic Yards 400,000,000 300,000,000 200,000,000 MSWL SL C&D/L Total 100,000,000 0 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 Fiscal Year 2003 2004 2005 2006 A - 4 Disposal and Capacity 2006 Report Remaining MSW Landfill Capacity FY 2006 FY 2005 Map prepared by: Georgia Department of Community Affairs. Source: Years of remaining capacity by Regional Development Center was calculated using EPD-supplied average rate of fill and cubic yards of remaining capacity, based on 260 operating days per year. A - 5 Legend Less than 10 years 10 - 19 years 20 - 29 years 30 years and above Disposal and Capacity 2006 Report Georgia Landfills with Most Remaining Permitted Disposal Capacity FY 2006 County Facility Name Total Tons Domain Facility Remaining Avg. Rate of Remaining Disposed Type Capacity (CY) Daily Fill (CYD) Permitted Capacity FY 2006 Tons (Years) Richmond Richmond Co. - 313,361 Public MSWL Deans Bridge Rd. Phase 3 52,003,404 1,558 2,345 110 Cherokee Cherokee Co. - Pine 1,232,224 Private MSWL Bluff Landfill, Inc. 50,113,926 4,371 6,096 29 DeKalb DeKalb Co. - 429,103 Public MSWL Seminole Rd Ph 2a, 3, & 4 (SL) 50,214,225 1,514 1,824 78 Taylor Allied Services, LLC - 991,439 Private MSWL S.R. 90/ S.R. 137 43,649,249 4,000 5,000 28 Butts Butts Co. - Pine Ridge 930,353 Private MSWL Recycling 35,712,142 3,164 4,328 31 Camden Camden Co. - S.R. 176,742 Public C&D 110 C/D/I Landfill 23,031,586 666 740 100 Forsyth Eagle Point Landfill 565,046 Private MSWL 22,087,223 1,958 3,204 24 Banks Chambers R&B 831,876 Private MSWL Landfill Site #2 19,810,769 1,958 3,204 24 Gwinnett BFI-Richland Creek 908,013 Private MSWL Rd (SL) 18,302,636 2,956 5,002 13 Fulton Willow Oak C&D 499,596 Private C&D Landfill 15,235,685 1,713 2,636 20 Total 6,877,753 330,160,845 23,858 34,379 (Avg.) 36 A - 6 Disposal and Capacity 2006 Report Regional Development Center Atlanta Regional Commission Central Savannah River Area Chattahoochee Flint Coastal Georgia Coosa Valley Georgia Mountains Heart of Georgia-Altamaha Lower Chattahoochee McIntosh Trail Middle Flint Middle Georgia North Georgia Northeast Georgia South Georgia Southeast Georgia Southwest Georgia Statewide C&D Total Disposal Capacity by RDC Construction and Demolition Waste Landfills FY 2006 Total Tons Remaining Permitted Capacity Remaining Permitted Capacity Disposed (Cubic Yards) (Years) 2,899,910 63,442 48,308 180,951 55,870 516,261 29,961 8,501 23,913 10,128 125,282 n/a 198,641 9,494 43,621 63,204 26,997,185 4,074,587 275,275 23,109,944 850,916 3,518,915 713,738 n/a 24,067 6,954 3,845,652 n/a 17,952,521 48,375 n/a 348,146 7.4 38.7 4.4 115.9 9.2 4.5 7.9 n/a 0.6 0.3 19.5 n/a 47.0 1.9 n/a 2.5 4,277,487 81,766,275 15.9 Regional Development Center Atlanta Regional Commission Central Savannah River Area Chattahoochee Flint Coastal Georgia Coosa Valley Georgia Mountains Heart of Georgia-Altamaha Lower Chattahoochee McIntosh Trail Middle Flint Middle Georgia North Georgia Northeast Georgia South Georgia Southeast Georgia Southwest Georgia Statewide MSW Total Disposal Capacity by RDC Municipal Solid Waste Landfills FY 2006 Total Tons Remaining Permitted Capacity Remaining Permitted Capacity Disposed 3,015,144 392,565 118,095 594,103 546,900 1,502,704 747,300 69,072 971,903 1,039,190 (Cubic Yards) 122,374,197 54,519,360 2,368,952 9,374,901 22,923,918 50,546,814 15,322,854 5,398,814 36,059,840 54,451,216 (Years) 30.3 81.8 17.7 12.1 26.6 22.8 16.2 38.9 31.0 38.9 666,548 316,395 982,132 722,747 602,469 268,690 17,063,649 14.9 9,790,098 20.7 5,936,808 5.0 4,136,003 5.0 16,311,823 18.3 7,339,812 19.4 12,555,957 433,919,059 25.2 Note: For the purposes of reporting regional capacity, MSW landfills that receive C&D waste in specially-designated cells have their tons received recorded as C&D, but their remaining capacity is represented in these tables as MSW, in accordance with their permits. For details on these facilities, please see the table beginning on page A-8. A - 7 Disposal and Capacity 2006 Report County Facility Name Total Tons Domain Facility Disposed Type FY 2006 Atlanta Regional Commission C&D Cherokee Cherokee Construction And Demolition Landfill Cherokee Cherokee Co.-Swims- SR 92 Ph 5 DeKalb BFI-East DeKalb Landfill DeKalb APAC/Ga - Donzi Ln Ph 5a (L) DeKalb Rogers Lake Road C&D Landfill DeKalb DeKalb Co.-Seminole Rd Ph 2 (Sl) Douglas Douglas Co. - Cedar Mt/Worthan Rd Ph 1 (SL) Fulton Safeguard Landfill Management C & D Fulton Chadwick Rd Landfill, Inc. Fulton Willow Oak C&D Landfill MSW Cherokee Cherokee Co. - Pine Bluff Landfill, Inc. Clayton Clayton Co. - SR 3 Lovejoy Site # 3 DeKalb DeKalb Co. - Seminole Rd Ph 2a, 3, & 4 (SL) DeKalb BFI - Hickory Ridge (MSWL) Fulton Chambers - Bolton Rd (SL) Gwinnett BFI-Richland Creek Rd (SL) Central Savannah River Area C&D Burke Burke Co. - Clarke Rd. Columbia Columbia Co. - Sample & Son (C&D) Jenkins Jenkins Co. - CR 54 Richmond US Army-Ft. Gordon/Gibson Rd. Washington Washington Co. - Kaolin Rd. MSW Columbia Columbia Co. - Baker Place Rd (Sl), Ph 2 Jefferson Jefferson Co. - CR138 Richmond Richmond Co. - Deans Bridge Rd. Washington Washington Co. - Kaolin Rd. Chattahoochee Flint C&D Coweta Coweta Co. - Ishman Ballard Rd. Landfill Troup LaGrange - I 85/ S.R. 94,651 Private C&D 85,687 Private 201,650 Private 723,251 Private 409,255 Private 112,347 Public 27,633 Public C&D C&D C&D C&D C&D C&D 405,226 Private 340,614 Private 499,596 Private C&D C&D C&D 1,232,224 96,766 429,103 Private Public Public MSWL MSWL MSWL 329,061 19,977 908,013 Private Private Private MSWL MSWL MSWL 19,026 33,140 5,953 3,587 1,736 Public Private Public Public Public C&D C&D C&D C&D MSWL 61,884 7,641 313,361 9,679 Public Public Public Public MSWL MSWL MSWL MSWL 7,044 27,634 Public Public C&D MSWL Remaining Capacity (CY) Average Daily Tons Rate of Fill (CYD) 2,935,877 342,750 393,090 1,744,722 1,291,988 358,507 419,278 1,160,418 3,114,870 15,235,685 50,113,926 3,106,065 50,214,225 563,080 74,265 18,302,636 142,753 3,022,223 769,959 139,652 66,326 2,000 1,352,229 52,003,404 1,095,401 160,537 130,448 339 279 768 2,356 1,632 266 94 1,324 909 1,713 4,371 313 1,514 1,576 70 2,956 26 98 18 32 31 8 41 1,558 43 13 60 499 558 1,040 2,067 2,511 443 189 2,648 1,363 2,636 6,096 626 1,824 1,898 96 5,002 105 148 41 65 46 12 82 2345 120 27 120 Remaining Permitted Capacity (Years) 21 2 1 3 2 3 7 2 8 20 29 16 78 1 3 13 5 65 76 13 6 0 53 110 37 19 3 A - 8 Disposal and Capacity 2006 Report County Facility Name Total Tons Domain Facility Disposed Type FY 2006 109 Troup Troup Co. - S.R. 109 Mountville MSW Troup LaGrange - I 85/ S.R. 109 Coastal Georgia C&D Camden Glynn Liberty Camden Co. - S.R. 110 C/D/I Landfill Eller - Whitlock Ave U. S. Army Ft. Stewart Main Cantonment MSW Camden Camden Co. - S.R. 110 Chatham Savannah - Dean Forest Rd. Chatham Superior Landfill & Recycling Center Liberty U. S. Army Ft. Stewart Main Cantonment McIntosh McIntosh Co. - King Rd. Coosa Valley C&D Bartow Bartow Co. - S.R. 294 Emerson Floyd Floyd Co. - Rome Walker Mtn. Rd. Paulding Paulding Co. Gulledge Rd. Walker Walker Co. - Marble Top Rd. MSW Bartow Bartow Co. - S.R. 294 Emerson Floyd Rome Walker Mtn. Rd., Gordon Gordon Co. Redbone Ridge Rd. Polk Polk Co. - Grady Rd. Georgia Mountains C&D Forsyth Forsyth Hall Eagle Point Landfill Greenleaf Recycling, LLC Reliable Tire Service Habersham Habersham Co. S.R.13 13,630 Public C&D 118,095 Public MSWL 176,742 4,163 46 Public Private Public C&D C&D C&D 62,617 104,265 397,029 13,506 16,686 Public Public Private Public Public MSWL MSWL MSWL Unlined MSWL Unlined MSWL 74 11,315 25 44,456 Public Public Public Public C&D C&D C&D C&D 132,987 79,373 43,912 290,628 Public Public Public Public MSWL MSWL MSWL MSWL 232,607 69,046 195,754 10,000 Private Private Private Public MSWL C&D C&D MSWL Rabun Stephens MSW Banks Forsyth Habersham Hall Rabun Co. -- Boggs Mountain Stephens Co.-S.R. 145 Chambers R&B Landfill Site #2 Eagle Point Landfill Habersham Co. S.R.13 Hall Co.-Candler Rd. (S.R. 60) 4,781 4,073 Public Public C&D C&D 831,876 565,046 24,620 81,162 Private Private Public Public MSWL MSWL MSWL MSWL Remaining Capacity (CY) Average Daily Tons Rate of Fill (CYD) 114,738 45 91 2,238,504 334 514 23,031,586 78,358 n/a 1,761,903 2,121,158 3,959,727 862,832 669,281 666 13 n/a 223 352 1,220 47 53 740 27 n/a 447 704 1,627 94 106 11,000 265,577 2,114 572,225 905,000 5,350,259 13,218,800 3,449,859 1,859,779 536,725 2,703,295 34,878 242,520 36,375 19,810,769 22,087,223 952,993 5,801,172 N/A 35 N/A 150 323 274 142 1200 840 225 629 37 17 15 3,021 1,958 83 257 N/A 54 N/A 301 489 548 273 2,000 1,400 450 939 106 48 30 4,648 3,204 157 514 Remaining Permitted Capacity (Years) 4 14 100 9 n/a 15 11 6 33 20 N/A 16 N/A 7 6 32 178 6 5 4 10 1 19 5 15 24 20 36 A - 9 Disposal and Capacity 2006 Report County Facility Name Total Tons Domain Facility Disposed Type FY 2006 Heart of Georgia-Altamaha C&D Appling Appling Co.-Roaring Creek Laurens Laurens Co. - Old Macon Road Toombs Toombs Co. - S1898 MSW Candler Candler Co. - S.R. 121 Laurens Laurens Co. - Old Macon Rd. Telfair Telfair Co. - CR 144 Toombs Toombs Co. - S 1898 Wayne Wayne Co. - S.R. 23 Broadhurst Lower Chattahoochee C&D Muscogee Columbus, Pine Grove MSW Muscogee Columbus, Pine Grove McIntosh Trail C&D Spalding Spalding Co. - Griffin/Shoal Creek Rd. (Phase 2) MSW Butts Butts Co. - Pine Ridge Recycling Lamar Lamar Co. - Cedar Grove Regional Middle Flint C&D Macon Macon Co. - Middle Georgia SWMA Regional MSWL Dooly Dooly Co. -- CR 101 MSW Crisp Crisp Co. - U.S. 41S Taylor Allied Services, LLC - S.R. 90/ S.R. 137 Middle Georgia C&D Bibb Swift Creek Landfill Baldwin Central State Hospital-Freeman Building Houston Houston Co. - S.R.247 Klondike Twiggs Wolf Creek Landfill LLC MSW Bibb Macon - Walker Rd. Bibb Baldwin Houston Swift Creek MSW Landfill Baldwin Co. - Union Hill Church Rd. Houston Co. - S.R. 247 Klondike 3,984 Public 22,401 3,576 11,557 29,860 19,321 59,448 627,114 Public Public Public Public Public Public Private C&D MSWL C&D MSWL MSWL MSWL MSWL MSWL 8,501 Public MSWL 69,072 Public MSWL 23,913 Public C&D 930,353 41,550 Private Public MSWL MSWL 6,462 Public MSWL 3,666 47,751 991,439 Public Public Private C&D MSWL MSWL 23,216 34 Private Public C&D C&D 52,592 49,440 Public Private C&D MSWL 116,405 222,651 23,388 153,515 Public Private Public Public Unlined MSWL MSWL MSWL MSWL Remaining Capacity (CY) Average Daily Tons Rate of Fill (CYD) 455,592 418,662 258,146 380,497 2,170,402 571,336 1,702,689 10,079,268 251,862 5,146,722 16 74 75 46 99 69 150 2,182 34 276 31 167 150 76 213 138 300 2,909 68 533 24,067 35,712,142 347,698 76 3,164 147 152 4,328 152 514,973 6,954 10,286,994 43,649,249 364,441 6,326 3,474,885 194,791 2,339,096 1,676,440 2,373,750 4,098,368 25 14 189 4,000 25 0 156 200 378 959 69 516 71 28 386 5,000 44 1 312 400 746 1,323 138 860 Remaining Permitted Capacity (Years) 57 8 6 20 33 15 20 12 15 37 0 31 8 28 1 106 28 31 17 36 2 10 5 60 15 A - 10 Disposal and Capacity 2006 Report County Facility Name Monroe Monroe Co. - Strickland Loop Rd. Twiggs Wolf Creek Landfill North Georgia MSW Murray Murray Co. - U.S. 411 Westside Whitfield Whitfield Co. - Dalton, Old Dixie Hwy. Northeast Georgia C&D Newton Newton Co. - Forest Tower/Lower River Rd. Oglethorpe Olgethorpe Co. - U.S. 78 Phase 2 Walton U.S. 78 C&D Landfill Walton Walton C&D MSW Barrow Republic Waste - Oak Grove S.R. 324 Clarke Clarke Co. - Athens Dunlap Rd. Newton Newton Co. - Lower River Rd. South Georgia C&D Ben Hill Fitzgerald-Kiochee Church Rd. Cook Cook Co. - Taylor Rd. Adel MSW Cook Cook Co. - Taylor Rd. Lowndes Veolia ES Pecan Row Tift Tifton- Omega/Eldorado Rd. Southeast Georgia C&D Atkinson Atkinson Co.-S.R. 50 Coffee Transwaste Services, Inc. C.R. 129/17 MSW Atkinson Atkinson Co.-S.R. 50 Charlton Chesser Island Road Landfill, Inc. Southwest Georgia C&D Dougherty Dougherty Co.- Fleming/Gaissert Rd. Thomas Thomasville/Sunset Dr. MSW Decatur Decatur Co. - S.R. 309 Bainbridge Dougherty Grady Dougherty Co. Fleming/Gaissert Rd. Cairo-Sixth Ave Thomas Thomasville/Sunset Dr. Total Tons Domain Facility Disposed Type FY 2006 13,702 Public MSWL 136,887 Public MSWL 143,756 172,639 Public Public MSWL MSWL 14,647 Public C&D 26,287 71,177 86,530 809,958 99,264 72,910 Public Private Private Private Public Public C&D C&D C&D MSWL MSWL MSWL 2,246 9,494 Public Public MSWL C&D 9,252 665,936 47,559 Public Private Public MSWL MSWL MSWL 43,609 12 Public Private MSWL C&D 53,921 548,548 Public Private MSWL MSWL 19,613 Public 43,591 Public 9,365 Public 101,778 Public 30,640 Public 126,907 Public MSWL C&D Unlined MSW Landfill MSWL Unlined MSW Landfill MSWL Remaining Capacity (CY) Average Daily Tons Rate of Fill (CYD) 2,318,013 4,063,191 43 96 750 1,250 1,288,450 8,501,648 421 877 566 943 61,972 934,042 13,795,934 3,160,573 3,174,748 1,429,370 1,332,690 N/A 48,375 603,675 2,703,420 828,908 876,834 n/a 3,431,274 12,003,715 367,845 348,146 Ceased accepting waste 7/06 3,889,918 337,311 2,744,738 66 97 276 309 2,885 282 171 N/A 50 50 2,548 194 173 n/a 207 2,250 64 256 N/A 333 62 471 132 194 524 618 3,706 564 342 N/A 100 100 2,831 258 326 n/a 296 2,813 84 449 N/A 658 124 673 Remaining Permitted Capacity (Years) 74 11 5 29 1 15 103 18 3 8 11 N/A 2 22 3 12 10 n/a 45 15 14 3 N/A 19 11 15 A - 11 Per Capita Disposal 2006 Solid Waste Management Update The amount of garbage entering Georgia's Municipal Solid Waste landfills in recent years on a per-capita basis has remained fairly constant, with only minor fluctuations. Since FY 1994, the per capita municipal solid waste disposal rate has climbed from 5.66 lbs/person/day to 7.52 lbs/person/day. However, a rise in imported waste accounts for half of that increase. Looking at records that exclude the amount of waste disposed from out-of-state sources, the per capita MSW disposal rate has been lower, climbing from 5.55 lbs/person/day in FY 1994 to 6.48lbs/person/day in FY 2006. To reach the 25% goal, removed by the Legislature in 2004, no more than 5.33 pounds can enter Georgia MSW landfills per person, per day; regardless of its source. As can be seen in the Per Capita Daily Waste Disposal graph, there is more than one way to track per-capita disposal rates. In FY 2006, the Department of Natural Resources, Environmental Protection Division (EPD) reported a total of 16,289,908 tons of waste disposed in Construction/Demolition and MSW landfills in the state. When looking at the reported total amounts of waste disposed, the per capita waste disposal was 9.77 lbs/person/day in FY 2006, down slightly from 9.85/person/day in FY 2005. This figure represents all waste entering MSW and C&D landfills. It includes residential waste, sludge from municipal wastewater treatment plants, some industrial waste, construction debris, commercial and business waste, and waste brought here from other states. It does not include waste sent to incinerators or composting operations. Per-Capita Daily Waste Disposal FY 1995-2006 12.00 10.00 8.00 6.00 4.00 2.00 0.00 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 Total Waste MSW Georgia MSW C&D Total Goal B-1 Per Capita Disposal 2006 Update Looking at the disposal rate at MSW landfills only, including waste disposed from out-of-state sources, the per capita disposal rate returned to its 2004 rate of 7.52 pounds per person per day. When excluding out-of-state waste imports, the daily per capita MSW disposal rate is 6.48 lbs/person/day. It should be noted that these rates reflect all waste entering a MSW landfill as reported to the EPD, not just MSW. According to a 2001 study, about two-thirds of the waste disposed in MSW landfills is actually MSW. Based upon this estimate, the FY 2006 per capita MSW disposal rate, excluding waste imported into the state, is approximately 4.27 lbs/person/day. Imported waste has grown from representing 0.1/lb/person/day in 1998 to 1.13 lbs/person/day in FY 2006. Fiscal Year 1995 Georgia Waste Disposal Rate and Population FY 1995-2006 Population Total Total Total Waste Out of Total Waste Waste Disposed in State MSW Landfilled Landfilled (Millions of tons) (Pounds/ person/day) MSW Landfills (Tons) Waste (Tons) (Pounds/ person/day) 7,161,485 9.54 7.30 7,684,271 149,481 5.88 1996 7,332,311 9.78 7.31 7,222,499 160,000 5.40 1997 7,503,138 9.86 7.20 7,925,222 172,150 5.79 1998 7,673,965 10.75 7.68 9,026,078 193,819 6.44 1999 7,844,792 11.43 7.98 9,382,622 453,875 6.55 2000 8,015,626 12.71 8.69 9,724,736 511,472 6.65 2001 8,186,453 13.36 8.94 10,678,980 893,651 7.15 2002 8,383,915 13.04 8.52 10,233,692 950,779 6.68 2003 8,544,005 14.25 9.14 11,135,473 1,197,686 7.14 2004 8,684,715 15.77 9.95 11,916,124 1,633,182 7.52 2005 8,918,129 16.46 9.85 12,155,598 1,627,044 7.47 2006 9,132,553 16.66 9.77 12,531,898 1,889,312 7.52 GA MSW (Pounds/ person/day) 5.77 5.28 5.66 6.31 6.24 6.30 6.55 6.05 6.38 6.50 6.52 6.48 For more information regarding Georgia's solid waste management or for a glossary of terms used in this report, contact the Georgia Department of Community Affairs, Office of Environmental Management at 404-679-4940, or online at www.dca.state.ga.us B-2 MSW and C&D Landfill Tipping Fees 2006 Solid Waste Management Update Landfill tipping fees across Georgia remain competitive with other Southeastern states. Posted gate rate tipping fees have steadily risen in recent years, but the increasing amount of waste sent to Georgia for disposal indicates the actual contract prices per ton remain attractive to waste hauling companies, compared with our neighboring states. Annually during the month of July, DCA conducts a phone survey of the landfills in the state to identify their posted "gate rate" tipping fee to calculate regional and statewide average disposal fees. Based upon these surveys, the average tipping fee for Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) in the state remained basically flat, rising only slightly from $35.38 per ton in 2005 to $35.51 per ton in 2006. It should be noted that the fees reported represent an average of the posted gate rates charged by landfills throughout the state; actual prices paid are frequently lower, sometimes by more than half, depending on volume discounts offered to waste haulers, businesses, and local governments. Also, several large Atlanta landfills significantly increased their posted gate rates in an effort to dissuade customers with small loads. DCA also tracks tipping fees for Construction and Demolition (C&D) waste. C&D tipping fees fell, from $30.21 per ton in 2005 to $22.09 per ton in 2006. This is possibly due to the increasingly common practice of MSW landfills dedicating a portion of their operation exclusively to C&D disposal, allowing them to charge rates more competitive with C&D landfills. The requirement to cover all waste daily is waived for C&D landfills, allowing them lower operational costs. Also, they do not have the expensive liner and monitoring requirements that MSW landfills must comply with. GA MSW Landfill Tipping Fees 2006 2 1 3 5 Legend $24.86 - $30.00 $30.01 - $35.00 $35.01 - $37.50 $37.51 - $47.28 $35.51 State average 4 7 6 8 9 12 10 11 GA C&D Landfill Tipping Fees 2006 2 1 3 5 Legend $16.26 - $20.00 $20.01 - $25.00 $25.01 - $27.50 $27.51 - $34.38 $22.09 State average 4 7 6 8 9 12 10 11 Data Source: DCA - Office of Environmental Management - phone survey, 2006 Map prepared by: Georgia Department of Community Affairs, 2006 Data Source: DCA - Office of Environmental Management - phone survey, 2006 Map prepared by: Georgia Department of Community Affairs, 2006 D-1 MSW and C&D Landfill Tipping Fees 2006 Update Average Tipping Fees Paid at Georgia MSW Landfills Region Coosa Valley/North Georgia 1 Georgia Mountains 2 Atlanta Regional Commission 3 Chatt. Flint/McIntosh Trail 4 Northeast Georgia 5 Middle Georgia 6 Central Savannah River Area 7 Middle Flint/Lower Chatt. 8 Heart of Georgia-Altamaha 9 Southwest Georgia 10 South Georgia/Southeast Ga. 11 Coastal Georgia 12 McIntosh Trail Middle Flint North Georgia Southeast Georgia State of Georgia 2006 Average MSW Tipping Fee $32.38 $37.26 $38.40 $31.90 $36.92 $26.01 $33.55 $35.43 $30.19 $24.86 $35.90 $47.13 $35.51 2005 Average MSW Tipping Fee $32.48 $36.63 $40.77 $30.00 $36.63 $27.04 $32.79 $27.50 $29.10 $24.60 $31.39 $46.71 $31.71 $37.81 $31.00 $28.36 $35.38 2004 Average MSW Tipping Fee $31.38 $33.07 $39.32 $30.00 $36.68 $27.00 $34.10 $27.50 $29.39 $24.60 $33.17 $41.61 $31.45 $36.02 $30.99 $28.83 $34.95 Average Tipping Fees Paid at Georgia C&D Landfills Region Coosa Valley/North Georgia 1 Georgia Mountains 2 Atlanta Regional Commission 3 Chatt. Flint/ McIntosh Trail 4 Northeast Georgia 5 Middle Georgia 6 Central Savannah River Area 7 Middle Flint/Lower Chatt. 8 Heart of Georgia-Altamaha 9 Southwest Georgia 10 South Georgia/Southeast Ga. 11 Coastal Georgia 12 McIntosh Trail Middle Flint North Georgia* Southeast Georgia State of Georgia 2006 Average C&D Tipping Fee $18.17 $31.20 $21.96 $27.49 $23.31 $16.26 $30.65 $24.38 $25.45 $16.50 $34.38 $14.65 $22.09 2005 Average 2004 Average C&D C&D Tipping Fee Tipping Fee $26.70 $29.99 $31.46 $27.36 $24.78 $21.64 $28.78 $25.00 $24.29 $22.24 $24.11 $31.34 $26.55 $22.50 $28.48 $30.21 $29.29 $21.45 $29.09 $27.67 $23.78 $23.89 $25.77 $27.50 $24.92 $17.92 $26.51 $29.39 $26.55 $31.00 $21.95 $28.14 *No landfills within this RDC reported charging a separate rate for C&D waste. D-2 MSW and C&D Landfill Tipping Fees 2006 Update MSW Landfill Tipping Fees, 2005 North Georgia Coosa Valley Georgia Mountains Atlanta Regional Commission Northeast Georgia Legend $20.00 - $24.99 $25.00 - $29.99 $30.00 - $34.99 $35.00 and above Chattahoochee Flint McIntosh Trail Lower Chattahoochee Middle Georgia Central Savannah River Area Middle Flint Heart of Georgia - Altamaha Coastal Georgia Southwest Georgia South Georgia Southeast Georgia Source: Georgia Department of Community Affairs, Office of Environmental Management - phone survey, 2005 C&D Landfill Tipping Fees, 2005 North Georgia Coosa Valley Georgia Mountains Atlanta Regional Commission Northeast Georgia Legend $20.00 or less $20.01 - $23.00 $23.01 - $27.00 $27.01 and above Chattahoochee Flint McIntosh Trail Central Savannah River Area Middle Georgia Lower Chattahoochee Middle Flint Heart of Georgia - Altamaha Coastal Georgia Southwest Georgia South Georgia Southeast Georgia Source: Georgia Department of Community Affairs, Office of Environmental Management - phone survey, 2005 MSW Landfill Tipping Fees, 2004 North Georgia Coosa Valley Georgia Mountains Atlanta Regional Commission Northeast Georgia Legend $20.00 - $24.99 $25.00 - $29.99 $30.00 - $34.99 $35.00 and above Chattahoochee Flint McIntosh Trail Lower Chattahoochee Middle Georgia Central Savannah River Area Middle Flint Heart of Georgia - Altamaha Coastal Georgia Southwest Georgia South Georgia Southeast Georgia Source: Georgia Department of Community Affairs, Office of Environmental Management - phone survey, 2004 C&D Landfill Tipping Fees, 2004 North Georgia Coosa Valley Georgia Mountains Atlanta Regional Commission Northeast Georgia Legend $20.00 or less $20.01 - $23.00 $23.01 - $27.00 $27.01 and above Chattahoochee Flint McIntosh Trail Central Savannah River Area Middle Georgia Lower Chattahoochee Middle Flint Heart of Georgia - Altamaha Coastal Georgia Southwest Georgia South Georgia Southeast Georgia Source: Georgia Department of Community Affairs, Office of Environmental Management - phone survey, 2004 Calculating Weighted Average Tipping Fees To account for tonnage disparities between large and small landfills, a weighted average tipping fee was used. If out-of-county residents or businesses were charged a higher rate than in-county customers, the higher rate was used. Tipping fees charged for MSW at transfer stations were excluded. When tipping fee rates were reported by volume rather than weight, a ratio of four cubic yards to one ton (4 CY: 1 ton) was used to approximate weight-based rates. Weighted averages were calculated for the area served by each RDC and for the state by multiplying the Average Daily Tons received at each facility (ADT) by the per-ton gate fee, divided by the total ADT for all landfill facilities within each RDC and within the state. The process was repeated for C&D landfills. To avoid double counting, Average Daily Tonnage was assigned to the MSW column for those facilities charging the same rate for MSW and C&D waste. Most facilities charge the same rate for C&D and MSW received, but a significant number do not. In these cases, the landfills were asked to provide an approximate ratio of MSW to C&D waste received. Weighted averages were calculated using the method described above, with the Average Daily Tons reported split accordingly between MSW and C&D. For facilities that reported receiving no C&D waste, their fees were not used in calculating average C&D fees. In all RDCs, this dropped the average C&D fee, in some cases resulting in no C&D average cost for certain RDCs. D-3 Grants and Loans to Local Governments 2006 Solid Waste Management Update During Fiscal Year 2006, nearly half a million dollars ($470,347.76) in Solid Waste Trust Fund (SWTF) receipts were awarded to Georgia communities to help them manage solid waste. By fostering the development of local, integrated solid waste management programs, the SWTF, funded by a $1 per tire fee when new tires are purchased in the state, is used for scrap tire management and cleanup; closure of abandoned landfills, grants to local governments for waste reduction and recycling; emergency, preventative and corrective actions at solid waste facilities, market development from recycled products; solid waste education and enforcement; and litter prevention and abatement. The fund is used to support the Environmental Protection Division's (EPD) Local Government Scrap Tire Eradication Reimbursement program, the Georgia Environmental Facilities Authority's (GEFA) Recycling and Waste Reduction Grant program, solid waste programs offered by the Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA) and other state agencies, and local government programs striving to reduce and manage the solid waste disposed in Georgia. In addition to the programs supported by the SWTF, the Georgia Environmental Facilities Authority and Georgia Department of Community Affairs have other grant and loan programs available to local governments to support their solid waste management efforts. Environmental Protection Division (EPD) EPD's Local Government Scrap Tire Eradication Reimbursement program was designed to support local efforts to prevent and enforce against illegal scrap tire and solid waste disposal. The program gives local governments financial incentives to use enforcement and education activities to address: 1. The management of scrap tires, including preventing the illegal dumping of scrap tires; 2. Solid waste reduction and the controlling of illegal dumps; and 3. Other environmental issues. An eligible applicant may be comprised of one or more local governments. Grant funds are available for establishing and maintaining local programs that uses enforcement, eradication, and education components to meet its program goals. Continued grant funding is not guaranteed from year to year. Renewal requests are based upon need, the performance of the Local Government Scrap Tire Eradication Reimbursement program, and the availability of funds. Grant information and application material for the Local Government Scrap Tire Eradication Reimbursement program are available on the Environmental Protection Division's web site, www.dnr.state.ga.us under "Environmental" then under "Technical Guidance." Or, contact Winthrop Brown at (404) 362-2537 or email winthrop.brown@dnr.state.ga.us. EPD disbursed over $196 thousand dollars in Local Government Scrap Tire Eradication Reimbursement program funds in FY 2006. EPD's program prevents against the illegal disposal and management of scrap F- 1 Grants and Loans to Local Governments 2006 Update tires and solid waste. The program funded projects in 17 communities, offsetting the local costs to clean up tire piles where the responsible party is either unwilling to remove the tires, cannot afford to remove them, or is unknown. A local government may also use program money to remove tires as part of a community-sponsored clean up event (e.g., Earth Day, America Recycles Day, or Rivers Alive). Below is a list of communities that received funding in 2006. Community City of Americus Decatur County Evans County Floyd County Fulton County Glynn County Local Government Scrap Tire Eradication Reimbursement Program Awards FY 2006 Amount Community Amount Community $ 3,202.95 Heard County $ 788.60 Oglethorpe County $ 7,948.00 Jackson County $37,000.00 Oglethorpe County $ 2,929.97 Lanier County $ 2,400.00 Oglethorpe County $ 9,217.85 Lowndes County $78,494.18 Pickens County $14,600.00 Montgomery County $ 3,159.00 Polk County $16,080.01 Newton County $1,563.00 TOTAL Amount $ 790.70 $ 628.55 $3,427.05 $5,000.00 $9,150.00 $196,380.76 Georgia Environmental Facilities Authority (GEFA) GEFA annually administers a program funded by the SWTF that is intended to help local governments foster an integrated approach to solid waste management by supporting waste reduction, recycling, and composting programs. Grants of up to $50,000 are available to qualified cities, counties, and solid waste authorities. Demonstration projects or projects implementing an integrated solid waste management plan designed to help the state reach its waste reduction goal were eligible to receive grants of up to $200,000. Grant applications are typically due in late March and reviewed in mid-April. Awards are typically announced in May. GEFA Recycling and Waste Reduction Grant applications are available by request or can be downloaded from the GEFA Web site at www.gefa.org. Contact Richard Ross at (404) 584-1031 or rross@gefa.org to request and application or to obtain more information about GEFA's Recycling and Waste Reduction Grant program. GEFA disbursed $273,967.00 in Recycling and Waste Reduction Grants in FY 2006. The program funded projects in 14 local communities, offsetting the local costs of waste reduction and recycling through the purchase of equipment for local government recycling centers and supporting the development of integrated solid waste management plans. A list of communities awarded grants in 2006 and a brief description of their program are included in the table on the following page. G-2 Grants and Loans to Local Governments 2006 Update Community City of Adrian City of Barnesville City of Forsyth City of Roswell City of Thomasville Bulloch County Decatur County City of Elberton Forsyth County Hall County Jefferson County Union County Warren County City of Waycross TOTAL Recycling and Waste Reduction Grants FY 2006 Amount Description $ 713.00 Construction of recycling collection building and one (1) can crusher. $17,010.00 Purchase of forklift for moving recyclables. $15,676.87 Purchase of four (4) roll-off containers. $19,670.00 Complete construction of baler, pit, two (2) 20 ft. storage buildings, and four (4) concrete stalls. Purchase portable display and brochures. $38,650.00 Purchase of vertical baler for county baling center. Purchase of five (5) 4-bin recycling boxes. $ 4,649.13 Repair and repaint recycling containers. $36,500.00 Purchase of used semi-automatic balers for recyclables. $18,464.00 Purchase of used forklifts for loading baled cardboard onto trucks. $40,000.00 Purchase of one (1) 4-yard compactor for recyclables. Purchase of five (5) 30-yard covered recycling containers. $ 3,500.00 Computer and electronics collection day to benefit victims of Hurricane Katrina. $ 7,000.00 Purchase parts to upgrade/repair cardboard baler and metal baler. $26,812.00 Purchase of 12 mobile recycling bins and 1 year of storage. Purchase of used truck for transporting bins. Advertising. $ 9,495.00 Purchase of one (1) 3-bin trailer for newspaper, plastic, and aluminum. Purchase of roll-off container for metals. $29,410.00 Purchase of four (4) 3-bin recycling containers. Construction of new recycling center. $273,967.00 Another financial support program offered by GEFA is their low interest revolving loan program available to local governments. Drawing upon funds from its bond proceeds and revolving loan program, GEFA loaned $600,000 to one (1) local jurisdiction in FY 2006. The local jurisdiction and a brief description of the project is listed in the table below. Community City of Jasper TOTAL Georgia Environmental Facilities Authority Solid Waste Loans FY 2006 Amount Description $600,000.00 Loan reverted City did not use funds. $600,000.00 G-2 Grants and Loans to Local Governments 2006 Update Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA) DCA annually administers a Local Development Fund Grant program, a state appropriated grant program that provides matching grants to finance community improvement activities, including solid waste management projects. Grants are typically awarded in maximum amounts of $10,000 for single community projects and $20,000 for multi-community projects. Applications are reviewed based on the following criteria: Feasibility including such factors as reasonableness of budgets and timetables, adequate consideration of all the factors necessary for implementation, commitment from other funding sources, etc. Impact of the project on the community and community need. During FY 2006, two (2) Local Development Fund grants were awarded for solid waste management projects with total grant disbursement of $65,000. Community City of Swainsboro Forsyth County TOTAL Local Development Fund Grant Program FY 2006 Amount Description $50,000.00 Expand the Recycling and Waste Reduction Center. $15,000.00 $65,000.00 Purchase equipment for recycling center. Semi-annual competitions are held in the spring and fall each year. More information on the Local Development Funds is available on DCA's Web site at www.dca.state.ga.us or contact Cynthia Easley at 404679-4789 or ceasley@dca.state.ga.us. For more information regarding Georgia's solid waste management or for a glossary of terms used in this report, contact the Georgia Department of Community Affairs, Office of Environmental Management at 404-679-4940, or online at www.dca.state.ga.us/environmental/swar.html G-2