Solid waste and recycling collection: 2007 solid waste management update [2007]

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