2007 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 2007 report, covering the period of July 1, 2006 - June 30, 2007, 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-two (32) cities and eight (8) counties did not have an approved plan by the end of FY 2007. Local governments that failed to adopt approved solid waste management plans are listed and continually updated online at: www.GeorgiaPlanning.com During FY 2007, 17.7 million tons of waste was sent to Georgia disposal facilities. Most of this waste enters lined, monitored landfills operating under federal Subtitle D regulations. A small and dwindling percentage of the Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) enters unlined landfills that have been allowed to operate under their pre-Subtitle D permits. Construction and Demolition waste (C&D), a subset of MSW, generally goes to unlined landfills that are less expensive to operate. The state continues to have an adequate supply of permitted disposal capacity with 27.7 years of remaining permitted Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) disposal capacity and 19.3 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 2007 more than a third of the permitted disposal capacity in the state was contained in just 4 of the 130 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 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. need for local solid waste management planning and annual monitoring of the implementation of these plans. The Northeast Georgia RDC continues to have 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. (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 Georgia2. The encouraging news is the numbers of communities reporting they had recycling services available were reported higher than they have been for the past decade. During FY 2006, 22 cities and 29 counties reported actively promoting waste minimization practices such as home composting or beneficial reuse of yard trimmings. During FY 2006, 326 cities and 56 counties reported collecting yard trimmings for diversion from MSW landfills. (See section C: Solid Waste & Recycling Collection of the report for more details.) Education efforts are essential to waste reduction efforts. Keep Georgia Beautiful continues supporting the waste reduction and education efforts of the 74 Keep America Beautiful affiliates in Georgia. Also, DCA conducts Waste in Place workshops and workshops related to solid waste planning periodically. DCA currently has no metric for gauging the effectiveness of these efforts. 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 $35.08 per ton ($21.11 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 the state's progress toward meeting the waste reduction goal, and undercuts waste reduction and recycling efforts undertaken by Georgians. On a per capita basis, 7.45 pounds of waste entered MSW landfills daily during FY 2007, 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 $600,000 from the Solid Waste Trust Fund was expended to support local government recycling and waste reduction grants in FY 2007. Almost $370,000 went to provide scrap tire amnesty collections, and approximately $225,000 was awarded by GEFA's Recycling and Waste Reduction grant program to support local recycling collection and processing capacity in seven communities. (See section E: Grants and Loans to Local Governments) Historically funding from the SWTF had been used to support a variety of local government waste reduction programs throughout the state. In response to the needs identified in the 2006 Annual Solid Waste Report and the need to "change business as usually" to affect a change (reduction) in the amount of MSW waste being disposed in the state, a statewide waste reduction and recycling strategy was drafted with the input of local governments and Georgia businesses using recycled content materials. The four part strategy, presented for implementation and funding is outlined below: Away From Home Recycling Equipment to facilitate recycling at sporting events, festivals and other special events 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. Recycling Hubs Infrastructure dollars to develop collection capability leveraging the private sector's shift toward single-stream processing capability, and increasing collection in rural areas of the state. Statewide Recycling Campaign An umbrella marketing campaign focused on increasing recycling participation. This effort will push Georgia residents to look for recycling at special events and their homes and places of work. ReTrac Reporting Metrics All of the above efforts will be tracked via an innovative online reporting mechanism that will link the solid waste annual surveys local governments must complete for DCA, and results from the AwayFrom-Home recycling campaign. These efforts are in line with a waste reduction goal that identifies specific targets to meet the general goal of reducing the amount of MSW disposed on a per capita basis. The waste disposal characterization study conducted in 2004 identified what Georgians were throwing away on an annual basis. Using this data, DCA was able to identify the Georgia industry demand for these materials and convened a Recycling Stakeholder Group with over 60 representatives, including representatives from businesses, local governments, and other state agencies to formulate a commodity based waste disposal reduction goal(s). Establishing a baseline goal was the first step to measuring waste reduction and recycling success. The group identified the following goals: Commodity Glass Paper Metal Plastic Total Per Capita MSW Disposal Rate/MSW Reduction Goal Actual Projected Projected Projected 2004 2012 % 2017 Lbs/person Lbs/person 2012 Lbs/person 0.153 0.140 8% 0.140 1.181 1.000 15% 0.850 0.228 0.198 13% 0.186 0.663 0.560 16% 0.530 2.23 1.99 11% 1.71 Projected % 2017 8% 28% 18% 20% 23% 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 and the above mentioned strategy has been formulated to meet the states goal to reduce the amount of MSW being disposed. From the research conducted it is clear that Georgian's are disposing of valuable resources that are needed by Georgia based industries. The strategy developed is to support these industries by diverting these materials from disposal. 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 implements the 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. Disposal and Capacity 2007 Report During Fiscal Year 2007 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. Newly permitted landfills slightly increased capacity to approximately 27.7 years of remaining permitted MSW landfill space and 19.3 years of remaining permitted C&D landfill space. Trends toward privatization of waste collection and disposal infrastructure continue statewide, with transfer stations increasingly popular as landfills become larger and demand larger volumes of waste to operate cost-effectively. Where Does the Waste Go? Much of the waste disposed of in Georgia enters lined, monitored MSW Landfills. Of the 17,719,189 tons of waste disposed in permitted Georgia disposal facilities during FY 2007, 13,162,532 tons, or 74.3%, entered lined, monitored landfills meeting federal Subtitle D requirements. Approximately 4,297,094 tons, or 24.25% entered unlined Construction and Demolition landfills. The remainder was divided among unlined Municipal Solid Waste landfills (159,731 tons, or 1.2%), the state's only MSW incinerator (96,832 tons; 0.6%), and the state's only largescale MSW composting facility (approximately 100,000 tons.) Most of the waste disposed in Georgia enters private landfills. In FY 2007, landfill owners/operators reported 9,134,630 tons of waste entering 16 private MSW landfills, compared with 9,079,225 tons entering 16 private MSW landfills in FY 2006. In FY 2007, 4,348,113 tons of waste entered 50 publicly owned MSW facilities in the state, compared with 3,476,732 tons entering 49 public MSW landfills the previous year. Landfill Quick Facts FY 2007 Private Public MSW Disposal Landfill Ownership Remaining Capacity Years 9.1 million 4.3 million tons tons 16 facilities 50 facilities 19 15 Cubic Yards 243.3 million million C&D Disposal Landfill Ownership Remaining Capacity 3.2 million 1.1 tons tons 19 facilities 35 facilities Years Cubic Yards 13.8 57.8 million 25.2 32.6 million From FY 1993-2007, the number of MSW landfills operated by cities, counties, and solid waste authorities dropped from 121 to 50. Tons of Waste Disposed FY 1998 - 2007 16,000,000 14,000,000 12,000,000 10,000,000 Tons 8,000,000 6,000,000 4,000,000 2,000,000 0 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 Fiscal Year MSW C&D A - 1 2004 2005 2006 2007 Disposal and Capacity 2007 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 2007, landfill operators reported 3,227,723 tons of waste entering 19 private C&D facilities, while 1,086,871 tons of waste entered 35 publicly owned facilities. Permitted Solid Waste Management Facilities FY 1999-20071 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 66* 54* 1 3 1 2007 2,455 966 79 96 105 66* 54* 1 5 1 Air Curtain Destructors 1 3 1 3 0 5 5 5 5 Commercial Industrial Waste Landfill 1 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. *EPD counts MSW landfills accepting C&D waste in specially-designated cells as C&D landfills. For the purposes of this report, DCA counts them as MSW. Unlined Landfills During FY 2007, 159,731 tons of waste was disposed in five unlined MSW landfills. This represents approximately 1.2% of the total waste entering MSW landfills in Georgia. As of July 2007, 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 2007 County Facility Name Total Avg. Remaining Tons Daily Capacity Disposed Tons (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) 99,174 793 28,998 13,863 16,903 159,731 324 2,157,043 N/A N/A 184 1,282,109 164 862,832 55 636,514 727 4,938,498 Average 31,946 145 987,700 *This facility ceased receiving waste in July 2006 Remaining Capacity (Years) 2 N/A 15 9 19 16.8 A - 2 Disposal and Capacity 2007 Report for these landfills to meet Subtitle D regulations, but they will not be granted expansion permits. It is likely a small percentage of MSW generated in Georgia will continue to be disposed in unlined landfills for years to come. 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 2007, 96,832 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 155 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 2007, 40,201 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 more than eight times greater than it was in FY 1998. Waste imports rose from 1,736,865 in FY 2006 to 1,912,674 in FY 2007. Most of the waste brought to Georgia from other states is MSW (83%), with the remainder entering C&D landfills. Out-of-state waste amounts to 10.8% of the total amount of waste disposed in Georgia or 14.1% of the waste entering MSW landfills in the state. (See Imported Waste FY 1998-2007) 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. 2500000 Imported Waste FY 1998 - 2007 2000000 1500000 Tons 1000000 500000 0 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 Fiscal Year 2004 2005 2006 2007 A - 3 Disposal and Capacity 2007 Report Capacity, or the amount of available space in landfills to dispose of tightly compacted waste, grew from 516 million cubic yards in FY 2006 to 559 million cubic yards in FY 2007. Georgia has an estimated 27.7 years of remaining permitted landfill capacity statewide, based upon 2007 disposal rates. A regional breakdown, by Regional Development 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 constructed 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 54, up from 52 in FY 2006 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 2007, more than a third of the state's permitted disposal capacity sits in just four facilities, although there are 130 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 table entitled `Georgia Landfills with Most Remaining Permitted Disposal Capacity FY 2007' on page A-8 ranks the top ten landfills in the state by remaining disposal capacity. Landfill Capacity by Type FY 1998 - 2007 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 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 Fiscal Year 2004 2005 2006 2007 A - 4 Disposal and Capacity 2007 Report Remaining MSW Landfill Capacity FY 2007 FY 2006 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 2007 Report Georgia Landfills with Most Remaining Permitted Disposal Capacity FY 2007 County Facility Name Total Tons Domain Facility Remaining Avg. Rate of Remaining Disposed Type Capacity (CY) Daily Fill (CYD) Permitted Capacity FY 2007 Tons (Years) Richmond Richmond Co. - 347,847 Public MSWL Deans Bridge Rd. Phase 3 51,536,579 1,440 1,963 103 DeKalb DeKalb Co. - 433,296 Public MSWL Seminole Rd Ph 2a, 3, & 4 (SL) 49,736,563 1,587 1,661 92 Cherokee Cherokee Co. - Pine 1,282,338 Private MSWL Bluff Landfill, Inc. 49,084,766 4,499 4,988 34 Taylor Allied Services, LLC - 479,924 Private MSWL S.R. 90/ S.R. 137 47,801,524 2,400 3,000 56 Butts Butts Co. - Pine Ridge 985,053 Private MSWL Recycling 34,703,735 3,543 5,203 24 Forsyth Eagle Point Landfill 647,509 Private MSWL 30,950,000 1,771 2,952 37 Camden Camden Co. - S.R. 348,756 Public C&D 110 C/D/I Landfill 22,619,235 1,189 1,322 56 Banks Chambers R&B 1,026,486 Private MSWL Landfill Site #2 18,966,509 3,530 4,663 14 Lowndes Veolia E.S. Evergreen 0 Private MSWL MSWL 16,274,016 340 567 100 Walton U.S. 78 C&D Landfill 98,847 Private C&D 13,582,479 373 727 73 Total 5,650,056 335,255,406 20,672 27,046 47.7 A - 6 Disposal and Capacity 2007 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 2007 Total Tons Remaining Permitted Capacity Remaining Permitted Capacity Disposed (Cubic Yards) (Years) 2,732,906 24,238,526 7.6 75,818 4,127,319 30.3 52,584 293,730 3.6 362,926 22,800,490 62.7 47,986 847,090 12.0 450,951 3,169,741 4.6 45,997 663,858 6.7 6,488 0 0 36,451 1,016,667 16.8 24,897 490,707 17.0 73,974 3,746,191 39.3 0 0 0 251,332 17,408,679 37.8 12,429 23,486 0.8 41,398 574,538 7.0 80,957 11,216,749 92.8 4,297,094 90,617,771 19.3 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 2007 Total Tons Remaining Permitted Capacity Remaining Permitted Capacity Disposed 2,876,154 365,959 114,321 577,985 647,156 1,775,138 948,687 75,950 1,044,183 528,177 (Cubic Yards) 114,797,399 54,254,830 2,213,448 8,601,297 20,383,723 59,054,483 14,095,034 5,235,582 40,874,495 58,029,582 (Years) 34.2 98.5 17.1 12.2 28.8 27.5 16.3 33.2 28.7 66.5 836,270 264,628 834,047 1,340,344 890,005 303,091 22,661,539 17.8 21,614,357 55.0 5,056,962 4.7 20,311,455 17.8 15,570,403 13.8 5,967,259 22.2 13,422,095 468,721,848 27.7 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 2007 Report County Facility Name Atlanta Regional Commission C&D Cherokee Cherokee Construction And Demolition Landfill Cherokee Cherokee Co.-Swims- SR 92 Ph 5 Clayton Stephens MDS, LP, C&D 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 Total Tons Domain Facility Disposed Type FY 2007 Remaining Capacity (CY) Average Daily Tons Rate of Fill (CYD) 102,343 Private C&D 75,219 Private under construction 112,019 Private Private 547,813 Private 273,248 Private 181,259 Public 30,845 Public C&D C&D C&D C&D C&D C&D C&D 600,156 Private 278,399 Private 531,605 Private C&D C&D C&D 1,282,338 60,685 433,296 Private Public Public MSWL MSWL MSWL 211,542 22,190 866,103 Private Private Private MSWL MSWL MSWL 2,889,195 212,660 14,221,090 201,044 1,322,234 991432 145,573 611,250 808,000 2,821,585 14,463 49,084,766 3011,925 49,736,563 370,245 62,625 12,531,275 362 245 0 450 1,860 1,100 183 103 1,973 766 1,866 4,499 196 1,587 781 72 3,517 532 790 0 692 1,185 1,692 238 206 3,288 1,079 2,498 4,988 393 1,661 263 113 5,510 20,071 47,238 6,153 753 1,603 Public Private Public Public Public 940 7,432 347,847 9,740 Public Public Public Public C&D C&D C&D C&D MSWL MSWL MSWL MSWL MSWL 125,731 2,961,271 901,909 138,408 70,864 365 1,360,373 51,536,579 1,286,649 27 156 25 30 27 0 24 1,440 49 109 233 89 59 34 0 48 1,963 108 5,592 Public C&D A - 8 226,464 16 40 Remaining Permitted Capacity (Years) 19 2 N/A 1 4 2 2 10 1 9 20 34 25 92 1 2 8 4 41 41 14 8 0 92 103 46 18 Disposal and Capacity 2007 Report County Facility Name Troup LaGrange - I 85/ S.R. 109 Troup Troup Co. - S.R. 109 Mountville MSW Troup LaGrange - I 85/ S.R. 109 Coastal Georgia C&D Camden Camden Co. - S.R. 110 C/D/I Landfill Glynn Eller - Whitlock Ave Liberty 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. Walker LaFayette-Coffman Springs 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 Eagle Point Landfill Forsyth Greenleaf Recycling, LLC Hall Reliable Tire Service Habersham Habersham Co. - S.R.13 Rabun Stephens MSW Banks Forsyth Habersham Rabun Co. -- Boggs Mountain Stephens Co.-S.R. 145 Chambers R&B Landfill Site #2 Eagle Point Landfill Habersham Co. - Total Tons Domain Facility Disposed Type FY 2007 23,256 Public MSWL 23,736 Public C&D 114,321 Public MSWL Remaining Capacity (CY) Average Daily Tons Rate of Fill (CYD) 101,184 75 115 67,266 79 158 2,112,264 360 497 348,756 13,926 244 Public Private Public C&D C&D C&D 75,834 102,039 369,346 13,863 16,903 Public Public Private Public Public MSWL MSWL MSWL Unlined MSWL Unlined MSWL 22,619,235 63,527 117,728 1,600,893 1,912,979 3,588,079 862,832 636,514 1,189 45 1 258 149 1,219 164 55 1,322 74 2 516 298 1,563 327 11 75 13,529 182 33,512 688 92,682 56,603 206,099 291,772 Public Public Public Public Public Public Public Public Public C&D C&D C&D C&D C&D MSWL MSWL MSWL MSWL 11,000 260,841 1,842 478,037 95,370 788,000 5,223,762 12,466,223 1,905,738 0 46 0 109 3 330 223 259 1,006 1 48 0 217 5 500 446 180 1,597 207,944 52,251 166,484 15,186 Private Private Private Public 4,895 4,221 Public Public 1,026,486 647,509 25,499 Private Private Public MSWL C&D C&D MSWL 2,438,740 356,706 2,547,045 C&D C&D 12,500 230,726 35,264 MSWL MSWL MSWL 18,966,509 30,950,000 915,590 A - 9 765 171 576 45 19 14 3,530 1,771 102 1,391 342 757 83 47 27 4,663 2,952 154 Remaining Permitted Capacity (Years) 3 1 15 56 3. N/A 11 20 8 9 19 63 40 N/A 8 69 6 38 95 4 6 4 12 1 18 5 14 37 21 Disposal and Capacity 2007 Report County Facility Name S.R.13 Hall Hall Co.-Candler Rd. (S.R. 60) 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 Dooly1 Dooly Co. -- CR 101 MSW Crisp Crisp Co. - U.S. 41S Taylor Veolia E.S. Taylor Co. Landfill Middle Georgia C&D Bibb Swift Creek Landfill Baldwin Central State Hospital-Freeman Building Houston Houston Co. - S.R.247 Klondike MSW Bibb Macon - Walker Rd. Bibb Baldwin Houston Monroe Swift Creek MSW Landfill Baldwin Co. - Union Hill Church Rd. Houston Co. - S.R. 247 Klondike Monroe Co. - Total Tons Domain Facility Disposed Type FY 2007 75,644 Public MSWL Remaining Capacity (CY) Average Daily Tons Rate of Fill (CYD) 5,771,144 251 502 4,569 Public 24,575 16,853 10,737 30,470 14,693 44,938 847,849 Public Public Public Public Public Public Private C&D MSWL C&D MSWL MSWL MSWL MSWL MSWL 441,412 347,314 222,446 362,736 2,048,576 488,086 1,533,271 9,315,051 18 81 75 45 100 70 150 2,848 37 193 150 71 186 140 300 2,637 6,488 Public MSWL 75,950 Public MSWL 214,592 5,020,990 26 52 304 607 36,451 Public 985,053 59,130 Private Public C&D MSWL MSWL 1,016,667 34,730,735 6,143,760 138 3,543 227 233 5,203 271 22,644 Public 2,253 48,253 479,924 Public Public Private C&D C&D MSWL MSWL 490,707 0 10,228,058 47,801,524 56 0 172 2,400 13 0 358 3,000 17,470 5 56,499 99,174 234,861 17,795 152,855 16,252 Private Public Public Public Private Public Public Public C&D C&D 358,761 C&D 7,324 3,380,106 Unlined MSWL 2,157,043 MSWL 1,342,951 MSWL 2,359,207 MSWL 3,538,650 MSWL 2,277,365 A - 10 12 21 0 0 173 346 324 648 889 1,240 62 124 492 820 56 156 Remaining Permitted Capacity (Years) 37 46 6 5 20 36 12 18 12 17 33 15 24 80 17 0 104 56 64 N/A 32 2 4 66 15 42 Disposal and Capacity 2007 Report County Facility Name 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 Cook Cook Co. - Taylor Rd. Adel MSW Ben Hill Cook Cook Co. - Taylor Rd. Lowndes Veolia E.S. Pecan Row Lowndes Veolia E.S. Evergreen MSWL 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. Dougherty Maple Hill LF3 Thomas Thomasville/Sunset Dr. MSW Decatur Decatur Co. - S.R. 309 Bainbridge2 Decatur Dougherty Grady U.S. Hwy. 27 MSWL Dougherty Co. Fleming/Gaissert Rd. Cairo-Sixth Ave Total Tons Domain Facility Disposed Type FY 2007 315,333 Public MSWL Remaining Capacity (CY) Average Daily Tons Rate of Fill (CYD) 10,986,323 1,150 1,917 125,986 138,642 Public Public MSWL MSWL 13,306,719 8,307,638 513 789 451 722 23,424 Public 26,551 98,847 102,510 680,505 84,891 68,651 Public Private Private Private Public Public C&D C&D C&D C&D MSWL MSWL MSWL 0 867,180 13,582,479 2,959,020 2,367,238 1,302,034 1,387,690 80 86 373 366 2,451 278 277 132 182 727 732 3,014 557 583 2,600 9,829 Public Public 631,176 8,542 650,729 49,897 Public Public Private Private Public MSWL C&D MSWL MSWL MSWL MSWL MSWL 631,176 23,486 544,945 2,113,884 16,274,016 747,434 10 50 2 50 3,050 340 212 19 100 3 100 3,389 567 289 41,147 251 Public Private 59,810 830,195 Public Private MSWL C&D MSWL MSWL 877,000 574,538 3,342,203 11,351,200 163 31 221 3,200 251 63 351 4,000 37,470 Public N/A Private 43,487 Public 793 Public 42,601 Public 80,216 Public 28,998 Public MSWL C&D C&D 279,088 10,951,000 265,749 Unlined MSW Landfill MSWL MSWL Unlined MSW Landfill 0 1,282,109 4,499,750 311,925 A - 11 73 123 N/A N/A 164 342 0 0 184 302 311 443 73 145 Remaining Permitted Capacity (Years) 20 62 38 0 16 73 14 3 8 8 17 1 0 20 2 100 9 14 N/A 37 10 7 N/A 3 0 15 33 9 Disposal and Capacity 2007 Report County Facility Name Total Tons Domain Facility Disposed Type FY 2007 Thomas Thomasville/Sunset Dr. 1 This facility closed during FY 2007 2 This facility is in closure 3 This facility is under construction 150,483 Public MSWL Remaining Capacity (CY) Average Daily Tons Rate of Fill (CYD) 2,594,387 566 666 Remaining Permitted Capacity (Years) 14 A - 12 Per Capita Disposal 2007 Solid Waste Management Update Georgia's waste reduction efforts and continued permitting of new Construction and Demolition landfills has apparently resulted in a stabilization of the per-capita amount of waste entering Georgia's Municipal Solid Waste landfills. When excluding out-of-state waste imports, the daily per capita MSW disposal rate has remained constant since 2004, at 6.5 lbs/person/day. Since FY 1998, the per capita municipal solid waste disposal rate has grown from 6.44 lbs/person/day to about 7.5 lbs/person/day. For FY 2007, Georgia's MSW landfills received 7.45 pounds of waste daily for each resident. Looking at records that exclude the amount of waste disposed from out-of-state sources, the per capita MSW disposal rate has been marginally lower, climbing from 6.31 lbs/person/day in FY 1998 to 6.46lbs/person/day in FY 2007. 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 2007, the Department of Natural Resources, Environmental Protection Division (EPD) reported a total of 17,088,072 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 rate grew to 10.17 lbs/person/day in FY 2007, up from 9.77 lbs/person/day in FY 2006. This figure represents all waste entering MSW and C&D landfills, including out-of-state sources. 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 12 10 8 6 4 2 0 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 Total Waste MSW Georgia MSW C&D B-1 Per Capita Disposal 2007 Update Looking at the disposal rate at MSW landfills only, including waste disposed from out-of-state sources, the per capita disposal rate has hovered at about 7.5 pounds per person per 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 2007 per capita MSW disposal rate, excluding waste imported into the state, is approximately 4.26 lbs/person/day. Imported waste has grown ten-fold, from representing 0.1/lb/person/day in 1997 (less than 150,000tons) to 1.13 lbs/person/day in FY 2007 (nearly 2 million tons.) Fiscal Year 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 Georgia Waste Disposal Rate and Population FY 1998-2007 Population Total Waste Total Waste Total Waste Landfilled Landfilled Disposed in (Millions of tons) (Pounds/ MSW Landfills person/day) (Tons) 7,673,965 10.75 7.68 9,026,078 Out of State Waste (Tons) 193,819 Total MSW (Pounds/ person/day) 6.44 7,844,792 11.43 7.98 9,382,622 453,875 6.55 8,015,626 12.71 8.69 9,724,736 511,472 6.65 8,186,453 13.36 8.94 10,678,980 893,651 7.15 8,383,915 13.04 8.52 10,233,692 950,779 6.68 8,544,005 14.25 9.14 11,135,473 1,197,686 7.14 8,684,715 15.77 9.95 11,916,124 1,633,182 7.52 8,918,129 16.46 9.85 12,155,598 1,627,044 7.47 9,132,553 16.66 9.77 12,531,898 1,889,312 7.52 9,363,941 17.09 10.17 12,746,159 1,942,647 7.45 GA MSW (Pounds/ person/day) 6.31 6.24 6.30 6.55 6.05 6.38 6.50 6.52 6.48 6.46 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 Solid Waste & Recycling Collection 2007 Solid Waste Management Update Waste Collection Solid waste management is essential to reduce the harmful effect of waste on our health, environment and to recover valuable resources from it. This update will focus on the level and type of solid waste collection, processing and, recycling methods available throughout the State. 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 Residential Waste and Recyclables Cost Report. This data is used to acquire an over-all "annual snapshot" of solid waste and recycling activities in the State. 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 reporting system is the primary reason for the significant drop in the response rate. Statistically this is the first year of reliable data collection since returning to a significant response rate. As a result this data should only be used for primary analysis. Collection FY 2004 - 2006 2004 No. of local governments responding 546 to Solid Waste Management Survey Solid Waste Service Providers Local governments 501 providing/arranging for residential waste collection Provided by public sector 336 Provided by private sector 379 Types of Residential Programs 2005 631 593 335 356 2006 643 640 347 293 In the table entitled Residential Waste & Recyclables Collection the changing role of local governments as solid waste collection service providers is highlighted. Many local Curbside/backdoor City County 374 436 448 60 66 71 governments are now "providing for" rather than "arranging for" solid waste collection services. One potential trend appears to be the increasing availability of recycling services. In FY 2004 91% of those responding to the survey indicated that they provided or arranged for recycling services for their residents, in FY 2006 this number increased to 99%. It should be noted that this trend can not be validated until two more years of data is collected. Staffed Drop-off City County Unstaffed Drop-off City County Dumpsters (Green box) City County Recycling Service Providers Local governments making 44 42 21 95 80 57 17 40 26 25 43 32 27 23 20 49 25 17 390 395 408 Local governments can partner with the private sector to manage the waste generated within their communities by using permits, ordinances, franchise agreements, and/or contracts. Permits and ordinances governing the collection of solid waste are typically the least residential recycling services available Provided by public sector Provided by private sector Provided by non-profit organization 266 264 290 67 77 112 57 80 80 restrictive tools local governments use to manage solid waste collection in their community. Collection ordinances typically establish general standards by Private/Public Partnerships for Residential Waste Collection FY 2004 - 2006 2004 2005 2006 which a private sector service provider City County City County City County must operate. Franchise agreements, Private collection does not exist 158 55 178 59 181 59 either exclusive or open, generally Issue permit or license 48 31 56 34 57 37 establish a minimum level of services Local ordinance 230 70 251 79 267 84 that must be provided by all service providers and usually stipulate the Franchise agreement 103 36 134 Governments contract 202 53 248 Open competition -- no local 139 66 167 40 142 41 60 260 63 72 169 72 specific operating standards. A government oversight contract between a local government and private waste service provider provides the greatest degree of management control over the waste stream, with the local government setting forth specific performance measures and standards to be met by both parties. The number of local governments reporting they use ordinances continues to increase (300 in FY 2004 to 351 in FY 2006). Since this is only the second year of data collection since the wording of the question as well as the section of the survey in which the question was asked has changed, it would be premature to establish this as a trend. C - 1 Solid Waste & Recycling Collection 2007 Update As can be seen in the Residential Waste and Recyclables Collection table (C-1), 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 Yard Trimmings Management green boxes for residential waste collection has FY 2004 - 2006 dwindled in recent years. In 1994, 74 cities and 99 counties reported using them for residential waste collection. In FY 2006, just 20 cities and 17 counties Promote home 2004 City County 24 27 2005 City County 25 25 2006 City County 22 29 reported using green boxes. composting and grasscycling Provide for collection 365 57 258 33 326 56 and disposal Yard Trimmings Collection Collection Options Staffed drop-off 14 16 19 28 21 28 The number of local governments reporting that they facilities provide for the collection and disposal of yard Unstaffed drop-off 9 3 9 3 10 3 trimmings fell from 422 in FY 2004 to 382 in FY 2006. This apparent decrease may be attributable to local facilities Curbside collection Accepted at 220 3 5 15 294 21 22 32 302 23 21 31 governments using private contractors to arrange for landfill/transfer station this service. The number of counties reporting they Other 13 3 16 6 18 7 provide collection services has increased from 33 in FY 2005 to 56 in FY 2006. From the information reported it appears that this increase is occurring in the curbside programs. 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. Recyclables Collection Residential Recycling Service Providers FY 2004 - 2006 During FY 2006, 408 local governments reported they provided or arranged for 450 residential recycling services in their 400 communities. As can be seen in the Residential Recycling Services Providers 350 graph, the strong tradition of public, private, and non-profit partnerships used to provide 300 recycling services throughout Georgia 250 continues. 200 The number of local governments whose residents have access to recycling services 150 has increased slightly during the last three years. Collection programs for paper, beverage 100 containers and plastics continue to rise. It 50 appears that cities and counties are expanding collection programs at about the same rate. 0 This increase in programs may be linked to the rise in prices for recyclable commodities. What is notable is the increase in the number of jurisdictions who reported collecting special wastes such as electronic items. 2004 2005 2006 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 2007 Update As shown in the Number of Jurisdictions Collecting Materials for Recycling tables on page C-4, there has been a steady increase in the number of local governments making residential recycling services available in their jurisdictions. Nationally and regionally, market prices for recycled materials have risen steadily. Over the past year we have seen a stabilization of the price for recycled materials. This price stabilization along with local residents demand has prompted local governments to add recycling services and to increase the number of materials they accept in their program. 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. During FY 2006, the most popular commodities recycled from residences were newspaper (507 jurisdictions reporting collection); aluminum (463); corrugated cardboard (386); magazines (381); and #1 plastic (363). As the prices for recyclable glass increases local governments have added this material to their recycling programs. The tables on page C-4 tally the number of local governments collecting commercial and residential materials for recycling. Recyclables Processing In FY 2006 169 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 2004 - 2006 2004 2005 2006 City County City County City County Source-separated 75 97 79 97 77 92 Commingled 32 12 46 14 31 13 Both 8 10 6 9 9 8 Unknown 52 34 32 21 27 34 C - 3 Solid Waste & Recycling Collection 2007 Update Number of Jurisdictions Collecting Residential Materials for Recycling by Type Number of Jurisdictions Collecting FY 2002 - 2006 Commercial Materials for Recycling by Type 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 Automobile components tires auto batteries motor oil Metals aluminum scrap metal FY 2002 - 2006 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 89 88 62 54 47 70 71 44 38 13 71 75 50 36 14 249 238 248 196 187 170 168 106 94 94 Automobile components tires auto batteries antifreeze motor oil oil filters Metals aluminum steel cans 137 136 117 142 127 93 91 89 100 88 22 24 18 21 24 101 93 66 95 100 17 23 18 28 25 362 334 292 452 463 165 157 118 226 228 Paper newspaper magazines corrugated cardboard white paper phone books other paper Misc. plastic glass 258 257 293 254 252 202 198 189 84 67 257 253 202 177 174 190 177 98 66 66 176 168 163 71 71 153 148 92 50 31 353 326 214 181 162 176 177 139 57 47 scrap metal aerosol cans Paper newspaper magazines corrugated cardboard phone books paper board other paper Misc. 212 214 124 208 204 41 40 16 39 35 380 365 344 509 507 298 280 269 378 381 314 287 280 368 386 241 234 202 322 324 129 132 111 72 105 234 206 172 236 253 #1 plastic 268 256 247 360 363 #2 plastic 244 255 208 311 324 other plastic 85 76 52 69 72 glass 266 251 180 303 311 white goods 250 239 246 225 222 Christmas trees 245 244 253 262 254 C&D materials 60 65 51 48 45 Transfer Stations agricultural chemical containers 22 23 15 10 8 With fewer, more regional-sized landfills in the state and a wide array of solid waste collection programs, solid waste 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 conventional rear-loader garbage truck loads into a single tractor-trailer for the trip to the landfill saves fuel costs, vehicle wear and tear, and means fewer trucks can service more customers. Only electronics 27 40 12 76 102 Household Hazardous Waste paint 21 24 42 29 27 cleaning products 8 10 0 2 0 pesticides 3 7 4 4 4 other 25 21 19 12 6 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. 20 cities reported that they or their contractors used transfer stations for the collection or disposal of residential waste in FY 1995. By FY 2006, 157 cities or their contractors were using transfer stations to manage residential waste. Use of Solid Waste Transfer Stations FY 2002 - 2006 City County 2002 143 67 2003 146 70 2004 153 70 2005 157 72 2006 157 77 C - 4 Solid Waste & Recycling Collection 2007 Update Georgia banned yard trimmings from lined 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 trimmings generated in or disposed within their jurisdiction. The restrictions required that yard trimmings: Not be placed in or mixed with municipal solid waste; Be sorted and stored for collection to facilitate composting or other handling; To the maximum extent feasible be sorted, stockpiled or chipped for composting or used as a mulch or for other beneficial purposes; and Be banned from disposal at MSW disposal facilities having liners and leachate collection systems. Annually, DCA surveys local governments to determine how they collect, process and use yard trimmings generated within their communities. During FY 2006, 22 cities and 29 counties reported actively promoting waste minimization practices such as home composting or beneficial reuse of yard trimmings. During FY 2006, 326 cities and 56 counties reported collecting yard trimmings for diversion from MSW landfills. It is not surprising, given lot sizes and population densities, that cities lead the way in providing yard trimmings collection services. Most local governments also reported that they provided the collection services with just a few indicating they contracted with a private vendor to collect yard trimmings. In many areas, especially urban and suburban communities, the visible result of the yard trimmings ban has been the 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 134 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 stormwater 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. Yard Trimmings Management FY 2004 - 2006 2004 2005 2006 City County City County City County Promote Home 24 27 25 25 22 29 Composting and Beneficial Reuse Provide for collection 365 57 258 33 326 56 and disposal Collection Not available 137 86 178 96 189 96 Your government 308 54 242 76 245 8 Another government 18 12 17 22 12 9 Solid Waste 7 6 8 11 7 8 Authority Private vendor via 8 20 11 24 8 17 individual subscription Private vendor via 19 12 35 11 36 9 government contract Collection Options Staffed drop-off 16 23 16 32 20 29 facilities Unstaffed drop-off 9 6 10 8 10 3 facilities Curbside collection 220 15 240 16 277 22 Accepted at 19 39 21 44 23 54 landfill/transfer station Other 8 6 8 6 Processing Methods Composting 46 12 48 18 35 9 Solid waste landfill 35 8 22 8 42 5 Inert landfill 177 94 154 92 104 30 Grind/chip into 177 55 183 76 158 30 mulch Own a 146 20 143 29 144 17 chipper/shredder Contract out 35 33 31 33 47 21 chipping/shredding Use another local 17 9 18 9 21 3 government's chipper/shredder Burning 24 0 24 4 26 0 Other 0 0 23 6 0 0 Beneficial Use Give away 180 56 178 68 159 16 Sell 8 7 8 8 11 3 Used by local 112 26 97 41 48 17 government Becomes property of 39 13 39 15 39 21 private contractor C - 5 MSW and C&D Landfill Tipping Fees 2007 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 fell slightly from $35.51 per ton in 2006 to $35.08 in 2007. 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 $22.09 per ton in 2006 to $21.11 in 2007. 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. D-1 MSW and C&D Landfill Tipping Fees 2007 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 2007 Average MSW Tipping Fee $32.26 $37.20 $38.26 $31.95 $36.69 $27.88 $33.50 $35.37 $30.16 $24.99 $35.08 $47.13 $35.08 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 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 2007 Average C&D Tipping Fee $19.23 $27.28 $22.42 $27.52 $23.37 $15.50 $30.54 $24.23 $25.36 n/a $22.00 $21.63 $21.11 2006 Average C&D Tipping Fee $18.17 $31.20 $21.96 $29.29 $23.31 $16.26 $30.65 $24.38 $25.45 $16.50 $34.38 $14.65 $26.55 $22.09 2005 Average C&D 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 D-2 MSW and C&D Landfill Tipping Fees 2007 Update 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 Data Source: DCA - Office of Environmental Management - phone survey, 2006 Map prepared by: Georgia Department of Community Affairs, 2006 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 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 Data Source: DCA - Office of Environmental Management - phone survey, 2006 Map prepared by: Georgia Department of Community Affairs, 2006 Source: Georgia Department of Community Affairs, Office of Environmental Management - phone survey, 2005 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 region 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 regions, this dropped the average C&D fee, in some cases resulting in no C&D average cost for certain regions. D-3 Grants and Loans to Local Governments 2007 Solid Waste Management Update During Fiscal Year 2007, over half a million dollars ($594,196.62) 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. F- 1 Grants and Loans to Local Governments 2007 Update EPD disbursed over $371 thousand dollars in Local Government Scrap Tire Eradication Reimbursement program funds in FY 2007. EPD's program prevents against the illegal disposal and management of scrap tires and solid waste. The program funded projects in 37 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 2007. Community City of Keysville City of Homerville City of Swainsboro City of Atlanta City of Eatonton City of Hogansville City of Loganville Baker County Banks County Barrow County Bulloch County Cook County Crawford County Local Government Scrap Tire Eradication Reimbursement Program Awards FY 2007 Amount Community Amount Community $ 4,458.93 Decatur County $26,332.15 Murray County $56,320.50 Fannin County $ 5,000.00 Oglethorpe County $11,261.00 Forsyth County $ 1,935.25 Oglethorpe County $27,348.50 Fulton County $17,850.00 Quality Tire Recycling $ 3,408.25 Hall County $ 5,404.55 Peach County $ 0.00 Hart County $12,880.54 Pierce County $18,000.00 Jackson County $12,945.27 Polk County $13,659.26 Johnson County $ 3,830.75 Randolph County $ 3,750.00 Lamar County $ 3,250.00 Rockdale County $ 6,447.50 Laurens County $12,541.30 Screven County $ 6,348.00 Liberty County $ 2,000.00 Union County $24,517.09 Lowndes County $ 8,451.75 $ 4,779.75 Madison County $ 6,761.10 TOTAL Amount $ 3,700.00 $ 748.85 $ 737.98 $ 2,100.00 $ 2,405.70 $ 8,250.00 $12,652.00 $15,186.00 $ 1,336.25 $16,204.90 $ 8,697.50 $371,500.62 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 $222,696 in Recycling and Waste Reduction Grants in FY 2007. The program funded projects in 7 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 2007 and a brief description of their program are included in the table on the following page. G-2 Grants and Loans to Local Governments 2007 Update Community City of Alpharetta City of Atlanta City of Camilla Dalton-Whitfield County Hall County Oconee County City of Thomason TOTAL Recycling and Waste Reduction Grants FY 2007 Amount Description $22,500.00 Hold one-day household hazardous waste collection event $63,250.00 Purchase special RFID tags for collection bins to electronically collect recycling data. $16,946.00 Purchase new forklift. $25,000.00 Purchase five (5) 40-cubic yard collection containers. $45,000.00 $10,000.00 $40,000.00 $222,696.00 Conduct a facilities assessment of existing recycling programs and practices. Purchase commercial-grade composting bins for resale to citizens at reduced cost. Expand current recycling center in order to offer recycling services to Warren County and the City of Warrenton. Another financial support program offered by GEFA is their low interest revolving loan program available to local governments. There were no GEFA funds loaned to local jurisdictions for solid waste programs in FY 2007. 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. No Local Development Fund Grant projects were awarded during FY 2007. 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 404-679-4789 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