Solid waste and recycling collection: 2008 solid waste management update [2009]

Solid Waste & Recycling Collection 2008 Solid Waste Management Update

Waste Collection

The primary objective of waste management is to protect the public and environment from potential harm. The traditional

role of government in solid waste management is the creation and enforcement of regulation to ensure the safety of the

public and environment. A historical as well as a futuristic view is necessary to be able to enact and enforce relevant

effective regulation. One way of acquiring a historical and futuristic view is by using a set of metrics that captures and

analyzes the key indicators of a solid waste management program. The Annual Solid Waste Management Survey

Residential Waste and Recyclables

and Full Cost Report provide us with information on some of the key indicators of solid waste management programs throughout the State.

Collection FY 2006 - 2008
2006 2007 2008

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

No. of local governments responding

631

643

663

to Solid Waste Management Survey

Solid Waste Service Providers

Local governments

593

640

509

providing/arranging for residential

waste collection

Provided by public sector

335

347

429

Provided by private sector

356

293

214

Annual Solid Waste Management Survey and Full 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

Types of Residential Programs Curbside/backdoor
City County

436

448

370

66

71

45

noted that annual response rates vary greatly and may contribute to the variations in trends.
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 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 2006 66% of local governments who provided or arranged for residential waste collection for

Staffed Drop-off

City

42

21

43

County

80

57

78

Unstaffed Drop-off

City

40

26

22

County

43

32

14

Dumpsters (Green box)

City

23

20

22

County

25

17

27

Recycling Service Providers

Local governments making residential 395

408

401

recycling services available

their residents, also made recycling services available, in FY 2008 this number increased to 79%.

Provided by public sector Provided by private sector

264

290

315

77

112

104

Local governments can partner with the private sector to

Provided by non-profit organization

80

80

108

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 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 stream, with the local government setting forth specific performance measures and standards to be met

Private/Public Partnerships for Residential Waste Collection

FY 2006 - 2008

2006

2007

2008

City County City County City County

Private collection does not exist 181

59

199

58

199

58

Issue permit or license

57

37

68

41

69

41

Local ordinance

267

84

278

95

279

95

Franchise agreement

142

41

149

42

150

42

Governments contract

260

63

274

64

275

64

by both parties.

Open competition -- no local

169

72

151

74

151

74

government oversight

C - 1 Revised July 31, 2009

Solid Waste & Recycling Collection 2008 Update

The number of local governments reporting they use ordinances continues to increase (351 in FY 2006 to 374 in FY 2008). The wording of this question as well as the section of the survey in which the question was asked was changed in FY 2005. We will continue to monitor the trending of this question in the future.

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 green boxes for residential waste collection has dwindled. In 1994, 74 cities and 99 counties reported using them for residential waste collection. In FY 2008, just 22 cities and 27 counties

Yard Trimmings Management

FY 2006 - 2008

2006

2007

2008

City County City County City County

Promote home composting and grasscycling

25

25

22

29

28

21

reported using green boxes.

Provide for collection 258

33

326

56

304

45

and disposal

Collection Options

Yard Trimmings Collection

Staffed drop-off facilities

19

28

21

28

12

31

The number of local governments reporting that they

Unstaffed drop-off facilities

9

3

10

3

10

3

provide for the collection and disposal of yard

Curbside collection

294

22

302

21

295

17

trimmings increased from 291 in FY 2006 to 349 in FY 2008. The number of local government reporting

Accepted at

21

32

23

31

15

24

landfill/transfer station

they provide the service has increased from 253 in

FY 2006 to 290 in FY 2008. 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 2006 - 2008

During FY 2008, 401 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, 300
and non-profit partnerships used to provide

recycling services throughout Georgia

250

continues, however it appears that the public

sector maybe taking a stronger role in

200

providing collection services.

150

The number of local governments whose

100

residents have access to recycling services

has increased slightly during the last three

50

years. Collection programs for paper, beverage 0
containers and plastics continue to rise. It

appears that cities and counties are expanding

collection programs at about the same rate.

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

Counties who reported collecting other

2006

2007

2008

Governments with recycling services available to residents Provided by public sector Provided by private vendor Provided by non-profit organization

C - 2 Revised July 31, 2009

Solid Waste & Recycling Collection 2008 Update
Household Hazardous Waste.
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 2008, the most popular commodities recycled from residences were newspaper (492 jurisdictions reporting collection); aluminum (448); corrugated cardboard (431); magazines (430); and Phone books (415). It should be noted that there was a decrease in the number of jurisdictions collecting these materials. We will continue to monitor this decrease. The tables on page C-4 tally the number of local governments collecting commercial and residential materials for recycling.
Recyclables Processing
In FY 2008 145 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 2006 - 2008

2006

2007

2008

City County City County City County

Source-separated

79

97

77

92

74

71

Commingled

46

14

31

13

78

21

Both

6

9

9

8

23

20

C - 3 Revised July 31, 2009

Solid Waste & Recycling Collection 2008 Update

Number of Jurisdictions Collecting

Number of Jurisdictions Collecting

Residential Materials for Recycling by

Commercial Materials for Recycling

Type

by Type

FY 2005 - 2008

FY 2005 - 2008

2005 2006 2007 2008

Automobile components tires auto batteries motor oil Metals aluminum scrap metal Paper newspaper magazines corrugated cardboard white paper phone books other paper Misc. plastic glass

2005 2006 2007 2008

62

54

47

31

44

38

13

26

50

36

14

24

248

196

187

74

106

94

94

49

293

254

252

69

189

84

67

48

202

177

174

83

98

66

66

*

163

71

71

60

92

50

31

35

214

181

162

*

139

57

47

56

Automobile components tires auto batteries antifreeze motor oil oil filters Metals aluminum steel cans scrap metal aerosol cans Paper newspaper magazines corrugated cardboard phone books paper board other paper Misc.

117

142

127

224

89

100

88

167

18

21

24

78

66

95

100

187

18

28

25

75

292

452

463

448

118

226

228

289

124

208

204

294

16

39

35

101

344

509

507

492

269

378

381

430

280

368

386

431

202

322

324

415

111

72

105

293

172

236

253

339

#1 plastic

247

360

363

378

#2 plastic

208

311

324

348

other plastic

52

69

72

238

glass

180

303

311

361

white goods

246

225

222

324

Christmas trees

253

262

254

363

Transfer Stations
With fewer, more regional-sized landfills in the state and a

C&D materials agricultural chemical containers

51

48

45

0

15

10

8

37

wide array of solid waste collection programs, solid waste

electronics

12

transfer stations continue to be a popular method of

Household

streamlining solid waste collection services. Transfer stations

Hazardous Waste

are especially effective when collection routes are farther

paint

42

than 50 miles from a landfill. Combining several conventional cleaning products 0

76

102

221

29

27

93

2

0

44

rear-loader garbage truck loads into a single tractor-trailer for

pesticides

4

4

4

19

the trip to the landfill saves fuel costs, vehicle wear and tear,

other

19

12

6

65

and means fewer trucks can service more customers. Only

70 counties reported that they or their contractors used transfer stations for the collection or disposal of residential waste

in FY 2005. By FY 2008, 82 counties or their contractors were using transfer stations to manage residential waste.

Use of Solid Waste

Transfer Stations

FY 2005 - 2008

City

County

2005

153

70

2006

157

72

2007

157

77

2008

106

82

C - 4 Revised July 31, 2009

Solid Waste & Recycling Collection 2008 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 September 1st 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;

Yard Trimmings Management

Be sorted and stored for collection to facilitate composting or other handling;

FY 2006 - 2008

2006

2007

2008

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.

City County City County City County

Promote Home

25

25

22

29

28

21

Composting and

Beneficial Reuse

Provide for collection 258

33

326

56

304

45

and disposal

Collection

Annually, DCA surveys local governments to determine how they collect, process and use yard trimmings generated within their communities. During FY 2008, 28 cities and 21 counties reported actively promoting waste minimization practices such as home composting or beneficial reuse of yard trimmings. During FY 2008, 304 cities and 45 counties reported

Not available

178

96

189

96

203

98

Your government

242

76

245

8

254

36

Another government 17

22

12

9

4

0

Solid Waste

8

11

7

8

1

1

Authority

Private vendor via

11

24

8

17

8

0

individual

subscription

Private vendor via

35

11

36

9

35

5

government contract

collecting yard trimmings for diversion from MSW

Collection Options

landfills. It is not surprising, given lot sizes and

Staffed drop-off

16

32

20

29

12

31

population densities, that cities lead the way in

facilities

providing yard trimmings collection services. Most local

Unstaffed drop-off facilities

10

8

10

3

10

3

governments also reported that they provided the

Curbside collection

240

16

277

22

295

17

collection services with just a few indicating they contracted with a private vendor to collect yard

Accepted at landfill/transfer station

21

44

23

54

15

24

trimmings. In many areas, especially urban and

Other

8

6

suburban communities, the visible result of the yard trimmings ban has been the presence of large paper

Processing Methods

Composting

48

18

35

9

9

1

Solid waste landfill

22

8

42

5

40

1

bags of leaves and grass at curbsides. Collection of

Inert landfill

154

92

104

30

63

16

yard trimmings in paper bags enables them to be ground into a mulch or feedstock for composting. The

Grind/chip into mulch Own a

183

76

158

30

99

12

143

29

144

17

0

0

majority of local governments who reported collecting

chipper/shredder

yard trimmings either ground or shredded the collected

Contract out

31

33

47

21

chipping/shredding

0

0

material for use as mulch, however 79 local

Use another local

18

9

21

3

0

0

governments reported disposing the collected materials government's

into an inert landfill. Composting and chip into mulch were also reported as common processing methods.

chipper/shredder Burning Other

24

4

26

0

21

0

23

6

0

0

10

1

Yard trimmings, when processed properly, have

Beneficial Use

Give away

178

68

159

16

73

0

numerous beneficial uses in a community. The use of

Sell

8

8

11

3

2

0

compost and mulch is extremely beneficial for slowing storm-water runoff and retaining moisture around

Used by local

97

41

48

17

7

0

government

Becomes property of 39

15

39

21

15

0

plants. Many local governments use processed yard

private contractor

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 Revised July 31, 2009