recycle away - american public works association
TRANSCRIPT
Recycle Away
NC APWA Solid Waste Division Conference
August 12, 2016
Atlantic Beach, NC
Recycling is Everywhere (almost)
Airports
Athletic Fields
Beaches
Churches
Civic Centers
Concert Venues
Convention Centers
Events
Festivals
Gas Stations
Malls/Shopping Centers
Museums
Parks and Greenways
Post Offices
Stadiums
Community Events
Growing Away From Home Recycling
Convenience increases participation
Opportunity to comply with landfill bans for
bottles and cans
Great potential for recovery
30-40% of PET bottles and as much as half of
aluminum cans are consumed outside the home
Citizens WANT recycling!
Steady Progress in NC
NCDEQ has prioritized AFH recycling
Technical Assistance
$625,000 in state grant funding for AFH projects
Another $211,000 awarded for 2016-17
Communities large and small embracing AFH
LG Annual Report data indicated an overall 16% increase in the number
of communities with AFH recycling from 2013 to 2015.
How are we doing in NC?
Conducted an NC AFH assessment in 2014/2015
What would it cost for a fully twinned system?
How much of that infrastructure is already developed?
Findings
$38 million to pair all waste and recycling containers (assuming no
existing infrastructure)
At least $30 million in public and private funds still needed
Gas stations, pedestrian, transit, parks and sports fields were less
developed.
What about now?
Revisited in 2016
Follow survey and data analysis for Pedestrian,
Parks, Sports Fields, Beach Accesses
Significant growth in pedestrian (13%), park
(11%), and sports field (18%) access
Investment needed for twinning reduced by $2
million
Best Practices and Resources
www.recyclemorenc.org
Twin Your Bins
Picking Your Bin
Recycling bins MUST look different from trash cans
Use of bin COLORS and different shapes for lids or openings
If using garbage can style, use restrictive lids to avoid contamination
NOPE! YES!
Signs
Should have visible signs on and around containers
Keep it simple, use images and key words
“Recycling” and “Bottles and Cans”
Shout Outs!
2012-13
Edenton
Claremont
Hendersonville
Wilmington
Sunset Beach
Fontana Village
Fayetteville
Jackson County
Sylva
Carrboro
Concord
Clinton
Onslow County
Mooresville
2014-15
Belmont
Gastonia
Mount Holly
Gaston County
Davidson
Harrisburg
Oak Island
Sylva
2013-14
Greensboro
High Point
Mt Airy
Raleigh
Roanoke Rapids
Wilmington
Winston Salem
Carolina Beach
Fuquay Varina
Indian Trail
Pine Knoll Shores
Sunset Beach
Sylva
Class of 2017
Carolina Beach
Hillsborough
Raleigh
Wilson
Haw River
Mt Airy
Kernersville
Wilmington
Fontana Dam
Burlington
Mount Holly
Cary
Trends and Looking Forward
Continued focus on material quality
Retrofitting existing containers with new signs or lids
Looking at overall assets
Prioritizing projects by usage or volume of materials
Setting community-wide standards for containers
Automatic inclusion of recycling with trash cans in new
construction
Multifamily Recycling“Capturing more Commodities”
Recycling Program Overview
Service approximately 73,000 households
Bi-weekly collection
Comingled/ Single Stream
Multifamily Recycling Pilot
Multifamily recycling pilot
utilizing dumpsters began
in July 2014.
Goals:
1. Increase efficiency
2. Provide greater capacity
Old Multifamily Program
The recycling program was expanded to
Multifamily complexes in 1996
Cart stations were created at the request of the
management
Cart station size ranges from 3 to 20 carts in some
locations
Cart Station Challenges
Limited capacity reducing the amount of
recyclables that can be placed out for collections
Limited capacity will result in more recyclables
being placed into the waste stream
Collections require driver to dismount and handle
each cart
Cart stations can diminish the aesthetics of a
complex and increase the probability of litter
Old Multifamily Program
Steps for Pilot Program Initiation
The Sanitation Department requested permission
from Council to pursue grant application from the
North Carolina Department of Environmental and
Natural Resources
The department submitted a grant proposal for the
initiation of a pilot program and received funding in
the amount of $30,000 to begin the program
Marketing for Pilot Program
Brochures were created to encourage participation
and educate participants on what to recycle
Business community received notification of new
pilot program through city produced publication
Multifamily complexes were notified via social
media about potential to participate in the pilot
program.
Marketing
Information is the Key!
New Look of Multifamily Recycling
Results
We currently have 20 multifamily complexes involved in
the program.
The complexes are generating about 9 tons of recyclables
per month.
Recovered approximately 163 tons of recyclables since the
pilot began
Contamination hasn’t been a real issue due to strict
contamination enforcement. Complexes agree that If
contamination becomes a problem the complex will be
removed from participation
Future Challenges
Continued Marketing/Education to ensure compliance
with program rules despite high resident turnover
Finding new multifamily complexes with room for an
additional recycling dumpster for participation in the
program
Requiring space and infrastructure improvements for 2
dumpsters in the site plan review for all new
multifamily complexes
QUESTIONS?