Beyond 40%: Record-Setting Recycling And Composting Programs
280
Beyond 40%: Record-Setting Recycling And Composting Programs
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Overview
Beyond 40% is a practical guide for communities trying to solve their solid waste disposal problems.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781610912525 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Island Press |
| Publication date: | 04/10/2013 |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 280 |
| File size: | 36 MB |
| Note: | This product may take a few minutes to download. |
About the Author
Read an Excerpt
Beyond 40 Percent
Record-Setting Recycling and Composting Programs
By Brenda Platt, Christine Doherty, Anne Claire Broughton, David Morris
ISLAND PRESS
Copyright © 1991 Institute for Local Self-RelianceAll rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-61091-252-5
CHAPTER 1
BERLIN TOWNSHIP, NEW JERSEY
Demographics
Jurisdiction: Township of Berlin
Population: 5,629 (1989 estimate based on an annual growth of 0.58 percent between 1980 and 1985; the growth rate is assumed to be the same between 1985 and 1989)
Total Households: 1,700 (1,552 single-family homes, 48 duplexes, and 100 units in large apartment complexes)
Total Businesses: 280
Area: 3.5 square miles
Other: Berlin Township is a residential community in southern Camden County. Located directly across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, the Township is part of the Philadelphia metropolitan area.
Solid Waste Generation and Collection
(Annual Tonnages for 1989)
Total Waste Generated: 7,778 tons in 1989 (This figure is based on an estimate for commercial waste generation [see below] and excludes bulky materials disposed, such as construction debris and furniture, but includes bulky waste recovered, such as tires, appliances, and scrap metal.)
Residential Waste Generated: 4,841 tons in 1989 (excluding bulky materials disposed, but including recycled scrap metal, appliances, and tires)
Commercial Waste Generated: 2,937 tons estimated for 1989 (1,135 tons estimated disposed, 103 tons recycled by Township, 1,466 tons estimated recycled by private haulers based on 1988 data, and 65 tons composted)
Bulky Waste Generated: Tonnage breakdown is unavailable because residential and commercial bulky materials (including furniture and construction debris) bypass the local landfill; however, 169 tons of bulky materials (tires, appliances, and scrap metal) were recycled in 1989.
% By Weight of Total Waste Recovered: 57 percent in 1989 (32.2 percent recycling and 24.4 percent composting)
% By Weight of Residential Waste Recovered: 57 percent in 1989 (19 percent recycling and 38 percent composting)
% By Weight of Commercial Waste Recovered: 56 percent estimated in 1989 (53.4 percent recycling and 2.2 percent composting)
Landfill Tipping Fee: $12.76 per cubic yard at the Winslow Landfill
Collection of Refuse: The Department of Public Works (DPW) collects refuse from residents and about 20 small bars, restaurants, and other businesses located in residential areas. According to local ordinance, Berlin Township cannot collect refuse from businesses located in commercial zones, but must collect from businesses located in residential zones, if they request the service from the DPW. The Township cannot charge these businesses for collection. The remainder of the businesses contract with private haulers.
Residential and commercial refuse collected by the Township is disposed at the Winslow Landfill in Winslow, New Jersey. Tires, leaves, brush, tree stumps, and light construction debris were banned from the landfill as of March 1, 1985. Private haulers of commercial and industrial refuse were banned from tipping at the Winslow Landfill in June 1988. Since then, the private haulers servicing businesses have disposed of commercial refuse at a number of different landfills. Tipping fees for this refuse range from $59 to $81 per ton. Berlin Township does not require private haulers to report the tonnage of refuse hauled out of the Township.
Residential waste disposed is reported from the Winslow Landfill in cubic yards. The State conversion factor of 3.3 cubic yards per ton has been used to convert 6,845 cubic yards to tons. In 1989, the Township incurred $79,940 collecting this refuse for disposal.
Future Solid Waste Management Plans: In 1990, the Township plans to participate in a new county-wide household hazardous waste program, and to expand its 2-acre municipal composting site into a 4-acre regional facility. Berlin will offer alley collection of recyclable materials to its two apartment complexes in 1991.
The Berlin Township governing body is in the process of drafting legislation that will require all commercial establishments to submit proof of their recycling program prior to obtaining or renewing a Mercantile License, which is required for every business or industry in the Township.
Materials Recovery
Berlin Township has been developing its recovery program for the past decade. In 1980, the Township began operating both a curbside program for glass and a drop-off center for glass and appliances in the public works yard. Curbside recovery of glass was accomplished by having Town refuse haulers separate glass bottles from the refuse as it was being dumped into the trucks, storing them in burlap bags attached to the trucks. The full bags were left along the road, and the Superintendent of the Public Works Department would return for the loads the same day. In 1982, the first year that tonnages were recorded, the Township collected 237 tons of glass, which were sold to Recycling Enterprises.
In 1981, 6 years before recycling became mandatory throughout the State, Berlin Township adopted its "Garbage, Rubbage, and Refuse" ordinance, requiring residents to separate glass and mixed paper (including newspaper, junk mail, envelopes, and computer paper) for recycling. The curbside collection program, serving 1,600 households, became one of the first in the State to supply buckets to its residents when a local glass manufacturer donated 3,000 5-gallon white buckets for storing glass. A local bank donated stickers for each of the buckets. The glass was color separated on the truck by the collection crew, and then unloaded into a Eager Beaver trailer at the public works yard prior to being sold.
In November 1984, Camden County, in which Berlin is located, appended the County Mandatory Municipal Recycling Plan to its Solid Waste Management (SWM) Plan. The County plan requires that each municipality institute collection programs for the recycling of newspaper, aluminum cans, used oil, and scrap metal. In addition, the Plan mandates that all whole trees, tree trunks, tree stumps, leaves, and branches be disposed at facilities approved by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, or mulched for use as a ground cover. The Plan included construction of an intermediate processing center (IPC) by the Spring of 1986 to expand the recycling of materials and provide for a stable market for glass and non-aluminum cans.
In anticipation of the IPC, the residents of Berlin were informed in 1984 that they could start separating all PET soda bottles for recycling. Participation was voluntary, but, according to Recycling Coordinator Mike McGee, residents were very eager to participate. The Township stockpiled the plastics in the public works yard. After 2 months, however, it was forced to cancel this program due to a lack of markets. Regardless, many of the eager residents continued to put out their soda bottles for recycling.
The IPC, known as the Camden County Recycling Facility (CCRF), began operation in April 1986 and provides markets for glass and all types of metal cans. According to the February 1, 1986 amendments to the county SWM Plan, all county municipalities must include metal food and beverage containers in their curbside recycling programs. The SWM Plan was amended further to streamline the establishment of composting facilities. Berlin Township built its compost site in 1989, and plans to expand it into a 4-acre regional composting facility by the end of 1990.
In February 1988, Rutgers University provided the Township with 2,000 yellow 20-gallon buckets for a pilot study on plastics collection. The round buckets with molded handles, which are used to store plastic, glass, and aluminum and other metal cans, allow residents to store a greater volume of materials than the 5-gallon buckets. During 1986 and 1987, the Township collected an annual average of 181 tons of commingled glass, aluminum, and other metal containers. In 1988, the Township collected 27 tons of plastics, and the overall tonnage of commingled recyclables increased to 296 tons with the distribution of the larger buckets. The plastics were taken to Rutgers University for processing.
Berlin Township had tried several different storage containers before deciding to stay with the 20-gallon buckets donated by Rutgers University. In 1984, the Township received 100 blue rectangular recycling boxes for demonstration purposes. The boxes, which were distributed to residents, were popular for storage of record albums or tools, and disappeared quickly, according to Mike McGee. The collection crew has found that, overall, the 20-gallon buckets are sturdier than the square boxes or the 5-gallon buckets and easiest to empty. Residents find the 5-gallon buckets convenient for short-term storage of recyclable materials before they dump these into the 20-gallon container left outside, or for storage of extra materials that do not fit in the 20-gallon containers.
The Township still runs the drop-off center at its public works yard, which, as of January 1990, is open 7 days a week, 24 hours a day. (Previously, the center was open only Monday through Friday from 6:00 a.m. until 2:30 p.m.) Because the center is not staffed, residents are required to separate all materials into the proper bins themselves. Glass, plastic, aluminum, and ferrous cans are stored in an Eager Beaver trailer on the site. Wastepaper (including newspaper, paperboard, high-grade paper, and corrugated cardboard) is stockpiled in one corner of the yard. Oil delivered in sealed containers can be left at the center, as well as car batteries and tires. Scrap metal and aluminum are stored in 55-gallon drums and bins made from tires, both of which have been recovered from the waste stream. In addition, residents may bring white goods to the facility.
The Township and its recycling coordinator have received several awards for its recycling program. In May 1989, the Township was recognized as having the Best Recycling Program in Camden County, and Mike McGee was honored as Camden County's Recycler of the Year. In the same year, the program was recognized as one of the best recycling programs in the State at the New Jersey State Recycling Awards Presentation, and, again, the Coordinator was honored as one of the two top recyclers in the State. In November 1989, Berlin won the Best Curbside Recycling Program award from the National Recycling Congress. In February 1990, the Township won the Highest Recovery Rate and the Best Overall Program in a Suburban Community awards in the Record Setting Recycling Contest 1989, sponsored by the Institute for Local Self-Reliance. And most recently, in April 1990, Berlin won the Source Reduction and Recycling Award in Renew America's Searching for Success Contest.
Curbside Collection
Start-up Date: September 1980 (mandatory as of June 1981)
Private/Public: Public
Materials Collected: Glass and newspaper collection began in 1980. In 1982, aluminum cans were collected with glass. In 1985, ferrous cans were added to the list of commingled materials. Car batteries, scrap metal, corrugated cardboard, and paperboard (including cereal boxes, but not milk cartons) were also cited for collection in 1985. Pick up of clean lumber began in June 1988. Plastic PET soda bottles were first collected in 1984 for 2 months, but this program was discontinued. An expanded program collecting plastic (PET and HDPE) beverage and other containers (including detergent and shampoo bottles, but not oil, window-washing, or anti- freeze bottles) began in February 1988. Residents may also place tires, white goods, and motor oil at the curbside for collection. Leaves, brush, and Christmas trees are also collected.
The Township collects newspaper, corrugated cardboard, scrap metal, glass, plastic, aluminum cans, and tin cans from businesses.
Pick-up Frequency: Weekly collection of recyclable materials, leaves, and other yard waste materials. Leaves, brush, and clean lumber are collected throughout the year.
Pick-up Same Day as Refuse: Yes, except for brush and wood waste
Material Set-out Method: Glass, aluminum, plastic, and ferrous food and beverage containers are stored commingled in a 20-gallon plastic container supplied by the Township. Corrugated cardboard and paper-board must be crushed and bundled. Newspaper and other paper can be mixed, but must be bundled separately from the cardboard. Tires, white goods, and car batteries are placed loose at the curbside. Used motor oil must be contained and clearly identified. Recyclable materials must be placed 5 feet away from refuse. Leaves are collected bagged at curbside except during November and December, when residents must rake them to the curb. Brush and wood waste may be set out either bagged or loose.
Mandatory: Yes (all materials with the exception of white goods, wood waste, and Christmas trees)
Service Provider: Department of Public Works
Collection Vehicles: An Eager Beaver compartmentalized truck (with the compartments removed) is used for collection of commingled recyclable materials. Crushed cardboard is collected in a 1-ton dump truck with paperboard. Newspaper, mixed paper, and metal scraps are collected in a dump truck. A 3/4-ton dump truck is used for collection of tires, batteries, and motor oil. Vacuumed or scooped leaves, chipped brush, and clean lumber are loaded into dump trucks. Finally, a dump truck is sent through the streets after other trucks have gone through to clean up streets and collect any materials that may have been left behind. Each truck is staffed by one person.
Households Served: 1,600 single-family homes and duplexes. Berlin does not service its two apartment complexes.
Participation Rate: 95 percent of the households served (based on a monthly setout rate)
Businesses Served: Approximately 200 bars, restaurants, schools, offices, gas stations, and stores have recyclable materials collected by the Township.
Economic Incentives: Fines
Enforcement: Residents and businesses that do not separate recyclable materials run the risk of not having their refuse collected. The Township reserves the right to further enforce source separation of mandated materials with a series of fines. First time offenders are fined $25, second time offenders are fined $50, and each subsequent abuse carries a fine of $100. A Public Works staff member makes periodic inspections.
Commercial Materials Recovery Activities
Berlin Township provides collection service of recyclable materials for 200 of its 280 businesses. In 1989, there were two different collection days for businesses. Small businesses located in residential neighborhoods were serviced on the same day as residents, and a special Friday pick-up was provided for bars and restaurants. The collection service is offered to the businesses at no charge, thus creating an incentive for businesses to recycle. This service has been provided since 1981, when the Town adopted its "Garbage, Rubbish, and Refuse" ordinance. In January 1990, the Township began Friday collection from all the businesses it services.
Bars and restaurants are provided with 55-gallon drums for storage of glass. Other businesses may request a 20-gallon container for storage of glass, aluminum and tin cans, and plastic HDPE and PET containers. The Township will also collect newspaper, corrugated cardboard, and scrap metal from businesses. In addition, businesses have the option of bringing their recyclable materials to the drop-off site at the public works yard. The Township provides the commercial establishments with a list of local vendors for materials that are not collected by Berlin. The commercial sector recycled 36 tons of commingled glass, aluminum, and plastic in 1989, most of which was collected by the Township on its Friday route. The Township collected a total of 168 tons of recyclables from businesses in 1989.
The 1981 "Garbage, Refuse, and Recycling" ordinance mandates that businesses must choose three materials for separation from the list of materials collected from residents. Businesses that do not take advantage of the Township's recycling service are required by State law to contract out with private haulers and submit an annual recycled tonnage report to the municipality's recycling coordinator by June 1 of the following fiscal year. In 1989, businesses recycled high-grade paper, mixed paper, and car batteries through private haulers. (The total tonnage of commercial materials recycled is usually not known until shortly before the deadline.)
Berlin Township reviews businesses' recycling plans prior to issuing or renewing the Mercantile Licence necessary for all commercial establishments in the Township. In 1990, the Township will officially make this issuing and renewal process contingent upon submission of a recycling plan. The State and Town ordinances are explained to businesses when they request collection of recyclables by the Township.
The banning of commercial materials from the Winslow Landfill and the mid-summer deadline for reporting materials recycled has made it impossible for the Township to know the tonnage of commercial waste generated in 1989 at this time. The estimated recovery rate for 1989 assumes the tonnage recovered by private haulers in 1989 is the same as that recovered in 1988 (1,466 tons). According to Mike McGee, this assumption is a conservative one.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from Beyond 40 Percent by Brenda Platt, Christine Doherty, Anne Claire Broughton, David Morris. Copyright © 1991 Institute for Local Self-Reliance. Excerpted by permission of ISLAND PRESS.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
Table of Contents
Contents
About Island Press,About the Institute for Local Self-Reliance,
Title Page,
Copyright Page,
List of Tables,
Abbreviations,
Acknowledgements,
How to Use This Study,
Introduction,
Observations,
Data Definitions and Methodology,
Case Studies,
BERLIN TOWNSHIP, NEW JERSEY,
LONGMEADOW, MASSACHUSETTS,
HADDONFIELD, NEW JERSEY,
PERKASIE, PENNSYLVANIA,
RODMAN, NEW YORK,
WELLESLEY, MASSACHUSETTS,
LINCOLN PARK, NEW JERSEY,
WEST LINN, OREGON,
HAMBURG, NEW YORK,
WILTON, WISCONSIN,
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON,
CHERRY HILL, NEW JERSEY,
UPPER TOWNSHIP, NEW JERSEY,
BABYLON, NEW YORK,
PARK RIDGE, NEW JERSEY,
FENNIMORE, WISCONSIN,
WOODBURY, NEW JERSEY,
Index,
Also Available From Island Press,
Island Press Board of Directors,