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Public Education
Vigorous public education
is an integral part of the RRR effort and must be on-going.
Sitka now
has one full year
of collection data to use as a benchmark for comparison purposes.
Most of the
RRR Coordinator’s
time in 2004 was spent in educational outreach efforts; however
Sitka is still
only recycling at
a 5% general rate. The national average is about 30%. There
is much left to do
and plenty of opportunity
to do so.
Recommendation
- Continue spending several hours / week at the Marine Services Center
and at KGH in public
outreach / cleaning sites.
- Continue contacting individuals who do not properly separate
items (unflattened boxes primarily)
to educate.
- Continue contacting individuals who overfill garbage cans
(32, 90 or 350 containers) to educate
and encourage reducing and recycling of contents.
- Continue one-to-one contact with commercial / larger producers
of MSW to encourage them to
recycle.
- Continue and expand media to promote RRR efforts.
- Continue educational opportunities in the schools and other
groups.
RRR Position
This position provides the foundation
for the RRR program. Existing city staff has sufficient
responsibilities that would preclude them from delivering a
vigorous, organized and consistent
RRR program. An RRR program directed by volunteers is not recommended.
Recommendation
- Continue funding RRR contract position beyond June 30,
2005.
Mandatory Recycling
Research should be conducted
to determine the pros and cons of a mandatory recycling program
in Sitka. Communities that mandate recycling have
a higher rate of compliance when compared
with voluntary programs. Costs, contracts, curbside pick-up,
containers, and regional MSW solutions
need to be weighed.
Recommendation
- Begin research on mandatory recycling programs well before
current contractual obligations
are full-filled.
- Consider using Green Star, Inc in Anchorage to help with this research.
Juneau
may be interested
in cost-sharing individual to come to region.
City Management of MSW
Petersburg manages their MSW needs effectively. Research is suggested
to determine the pros and
cons of city management of MSW in Sitka before existing
contractual obligations are met.
Recommendation
- Explore city management of MSW well before current
contractual obligations are full-filled.
- Consider tapping into Greenstar out of Anchorage to assist in assessment.
Curbside pick-up
Curbside pick up of recyclables
increases voluntary participation. This will be very costly
to
implement unless recycling becomes mandatory. Probable low participation
rates would drive
costs too high.
Recommendation
- Research opportunities and constraints for
curbside services.
Southeast Conference
Southeast Conference is financing
a regional study of MSW solutions with Smith, Bayliss and
Leresche, Inc. from Juneau.
The study should include an RRR review. A menu of choices should
be researched and summarized.
Recommendation
- Sitka
should be very proactive in expressing interest in hosting
any regional RRR programs
and economic opportunities. Gaining support from SEDA should
be initiated for potential
economic development activity.Sitka
should bird-dog the Smith, Bayliss and Leresche study to ensure
a comprehensive RRR component is included.
Recyclables
Newsprint
Cardboard, Glass, Tin
Mixed Paper
Sitka could separate office or white paper from mixed paper
because it consistently has a higher
market value. Office paper currently sells for (current value
pending information from Rabanco).
Mixed paper sells for (current value pending information from
Rabanco).
- Pros: Higher rate of return when it goes
to market.
- Cons: Implementation
would require contract negotiation, public education, additional
bins,
more staff time from commercial users to separate and potential
contamination from the general
public.
Recommendation
- Expand research to weigh pros and cons of separating white
paper from mixed paper
- Consider separating office white paper from other mixed paper
for commercial participants
only (SEARHC, SCH, USFS, USCG, CBS etc.)
Plastic
Many residents have expressed
interest in recycling plastics in Sitka.
Plastics come in multiple grades
for recycling. The lower numbers (#1 and #2) have the greatest
resale value.
Juneau began recycling gallon milk and water containers (HDPE #2) and clear beverage container’s
(PET #1) in November on a voluntary basis. An informal survey was conducted to estimate
the number
of these containers entering Juneau from large grocery stores only. Vending
machines, convenience store
and cruise ship sources were not included.
Results of that survey estimate that 3,770,000 PET and
4,500,000 HDPE containers were imported into Juneau
in 2004. This is interesting
to note because
prior to the survey, people believed there were far more PET
#1 containers. In other words, there were
more gallon milk and water containers than clear pop and water
bottles. However, the numbers might
change if a more detailed analysis were conducted to include
all vending machines and smaller stores.
Participation rates started at 5% and have
increased to an estimated 8% in a few short months due in
large part to schools, churches, Juneau Friends of Recycling
and other organizations encouraging people
to recycle. The City and Borough of Juneau purchased recycling
containers for these organizations to use.
Current market values as of 1/26/05
are prices / pound of baled plastic delivered to the pier in
Seattle for
export to Asia. Pricing for
Sitka
would be calculated using the agreed upon formula for baled
material
delivered to Rabanco. The market value currently is:
- PET is .19/lb
- HDPE Natural is $.20 /lb
- HDPE Pigmented is $.12/lb
Recommendation
- Research potential for recycling HDPE and PET plastics to
begin prior to termination of existing
contracts
Electronic Waste
Individuals and businesses are
interested in electronic waste recycling. In May 2004, STA organized
a
one time only, e-waste recycling event. It was very successful
with minimal public promotion. Sitka
Medical Center
recently inquired about recycling outdated equipment and was
willing to pay a fee. Due
to lack of storage space on their end and the city’s,
and no firm commitment of another recycling event in
the near future, Arrowhead Transfer hauled all equipment to
the transfer station.
Anchorage has had tremendous success in conducting annual electronic
recycling events in 2003 and 2004.
Last May, they collected 610, 695 lbs (more than 305 tons) of
electronics from businesses (including
nonprofits, schools, and government agencies) and residences.
This was twice the quantity (280,283 lbs)
collected in May 03 and the largest quantity of electronics
for a one-time collection event nationwide!
Material was primarily from Anchorage but electronics were brought from about a dozen
communities
statewide and from as far away as Fairbanks
and Ketchikan.
26.5 trailers were filled and shipped to
Total Reclaim in Seattle for processing
and recycling.
Green Star worked with 47 sponsors,
including Dell, Inc., which provided funding to offer recycling
for
households for free; the Rasmuson Foundation, which provided
funding to offer recycling to nonprofit
organizations for free; and BP as the event's overall presenting
sponsor. In addition, the shipping and
moving of trailers was donated, as was almost all the equipment
and supplies used. Over 200 volunteers
participated, providing 800 person hours of effort over four
days of collection and clean up.
For more details about the event,
contact Green Star at 907.278.7827 or at
www.greenstarinc.org/electronicssummary2004.php
Recommendation
- Promote a second cooperative E-waste recycling event with
STA to be coordinated in April during
the annual city-wide clean-up
- Contact Green Star to develop similar model in Sitka and region
for the future
- Acquire in-kind help from businesses and sponsors to defray
costs for the public, ie, freight companies,
local businesses and services organizations and citizen volunteers.
- Promote e-waste recycling in the region through SE Conference
- Locate local dry storage space for businesses and individuals
to deposit electronic equipment. A
short-term solution may be warehouse space out at the Industrial
Park
Composting
The city has worked with STA
over the past year to co-host pumpkin and Christmas tree composting
drives.
STA is interested in expanding the community composting project.
Recommendation
- Explore opportunities with STA to expand composting program.
They have access to funding sources
that may enhance this effort. Include composting
educational events linked to annual city-wide clean up program
Work with Community
School
to incorporate composting project at KGH
Aluminum
The Baranof Barracuda Swim Club
must be commended for their foresight in beginning the aluminum
can recycling program 20 plus years ago. It has and continues
to be an excellent fundraising and
community service opportunity for their membership.
While hard numbers have not been
made available, it is reasonable to expect that revenues have
increased over time with increased volume of cans and scrap
aluminum being recycled. It is also
reasonable to expect the rate of recycling aluminum has increased
since the city implemented a
broader recycling program. The club benefits from the educational
outreach and paid advertising
financed through the RRR position at no cost to them. Several
communities in the region support
youth or community service groups by either giving cans or letting
groups collect cans for recycling.
However, no community, based on current research, gives scrap
aluminum away.
The Club will need to move from
its present location at the Turnaround as the skateboard park
develops. Discussions and communications have been brought forward
indicating financial hardship
on the part of the Club to cover the costs of moving the existing
building to a new location and for
site preparation. A desire has been expressed from the Club
that the City covers these expenses.
Note: The following recommendation
is not to be interpreted as a desire to withdraw recycling
opportunities from the Club nor undermine what they have accomplished. It would be most
discouraging if discussions were not open and collaborative
in nature. Information from the Club
and City should be transparent to base sound decisions upon.
Recommendation
- Review historical revenue data generated by aluminum recycling
from the Club. This review
should include a more detailed analysis of revenue since the
city recycling program was implemented
(August, 2003) and compared with previous years.
- Explore alternative recycling arrangements with Club leadership.
This could include:
City management
of all aluminum recycling – collection, baling, storing
and selling when the market is high. The Club
would receive an annual payment from the city based upon the
historical review of revenue generated.
- The Club could collect cans only and the city collect all
scrap metal is an option to investigate.
- Retain community service component of existing program by
Club members to increase number of
cans recovered for recycling (increased pick-up from bars
for example).
- A financial payment to the Club should be “guaranteed”
from Assembly to Assembly in future years.
- Research alternative aluminum recycling programs in the region/state
- Research additional uses of sharing revenue generated by aluminum
recycling. Note: This is revenue
above and beyond what the Barracuda’s would receive
on an agreed upon annual basis. Examples:
Petersburg sends one bale of aluminum with each
trailer of MSW or recyclables shipped to Seattle.
One bale pays for all shipping costs. In Anchorage, businesses have created
a Recycle for Rondy
program, which allowed people to donate the value of their
recycled aluminum cans to the Fur
Rendezvous World Championship Sled Dog Race. Fur Rondy has
received about $40,000 from
the can donation program since 2000. Sitka could consider designating aluminum
can recycling
for other groups after the Barracuda Swim Club received their
share.
Rate Structure
Commercial accounts are free
to use the recycling program at no extra cost. The city pays
for pick up,
processing and shipping recyclables to Seattle
after items are dropped off at the Marine Services
Center.
Businesses, if they do an excellent job of recycling, should
be able to reduce either the number of garbage
pick-ups and / or reduce their size can. Paper and cardboard
account for most waste for many businesses.
The same holds true for residential accounts.
Sitka might well consider instituting a rate structure several
communities have adopted to cover these
costs, or at least defray the costs.
Residents in Juneau pay a $4.00 monthly fee to cover
costs associated with household hazardous waste and
recycling costs. Commercial accounts pay a recycling fee based
on quantity. Commercial and residential
accounts must haul recyclables themselves. Garbage disposal
fees are paid directly to a private contractor
for both residential and commercial accounts.
An environmental protection assessment fee of $2.33 is being considered in Petersburg. This flat fee would
be assessed for both residential and commercial accounts and would cover costs associated with removing
chemicals from the solid waste stream and the sewers (HHW collection). It will be used to fund the expense
of shipping recyclables, which is considered another environmental issue. The revenue generated from the
fee will be earmarked in the budget for these two causes.
Recommendation
· Expand rate research in the region and develop recommendation for Sitka for residential and
commercial accounts to cover handling and shipping costs.
Overfilling
garbage cans
In August 2004, an
ordinance was drafted which would make overfilling a garbage
can illegal and punishable by a fine of up to $250. The intent
was to discourage individuals from overfilling their garbage
cans. Overfilling cans attract ravens and bears. Cans tend to
tip over more easily and creates an unsightly mess. Households
are also not paying for the service level they have paid for
if they overfill their cans habitually.
The Assembly was
not interested in adopting this ordinance and it failed on first
reading. It was recommended to promote the 200 lbs. of additional
garbage that every household is entitled to bring to the Transfer
Station, every month, at no extra charge. This was done through
paid advertising on Raven Radio, KIFW radio, Sitka Sentinel
and Sitka Soup. In addition, the RRR contractor personally contacted
individuals who overfilled cans and offered suggestions as to
how they could reduce and recycle their excess in addition to
hauling it to the Transfer Station.
Cans are still being
overfilled.
Petersburg has adopted a “closed lid ordinance".
It has been effective in keeping the bears out of town and
keeping things from getting messy. Petersburg Municipal
Code Chapter 14.12.030.B and C deal with this issue. People
are also charged for extra garbage for each volume, less than
or equal to 32 gallons, over their service level at the time
of pickup. The charge
is an additional $4.88 per 32 gal volume. This has
worked very well in keeping the litter problem down as well
as covering the
City for garbage that is set out over the service level being
paid for by the customer. The following is from
their code:
Petersburg Municipal Code, Chapter
14.12.030.B
B. …Containers shall have a tight-fitting
overlapping cover or a cover permanently attached to the container.
A reasonable effort shall be made to stow or secure refuse containers
in such a manner that refuse will not be accessible to animals.
C.
The customer shall keep each refuse storage container clean
inside and out so that no odor nuisance shall exist. Covers
shall not be removed except when necessary to place refuse in
the storage container or take the same there from. Containers
shall not be overloaded to the extent that covers cannot be
securely replaced.
Recommendation
- Sitka adopts similar language in the Municipal
Code to discourage individuals from overfilling garbage cans.
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