2010-05-25_PWETC_AgendaPacket - Laserfiche WebLink

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Recycling Pilot Program Summary bins, 66% responded "make the bins larger", 61 % responded "add wheels", and 34% responded "add covers". As a result, three components emerged for study based on previous studies and the focus groups in early 2004 of City residents: larger bins, wheels for bins and carts, and weekly collection, as described below. Lamer bins. The City chose to use two 22-gallon bins in place of the 18-gallon bin currently provided to residents for the "Larger Bin Capacity" area of the pilot study. (Bin covers were to be provided as well, but were not available from the vendor at the time of the study.) Wheels. The Eureka Study found the collection method that had the largest percent increase in tons collected was the dual-stream route with two 32-gallon wheeled carts, but cited the expense of the carts as a barrier to implementation. Waste Management provides the option of 32, 64, or 96-gallon wheeled carts for single-stream service in other communities. For the City's pilot, the City chose to attach wheels to the 22-gallon bins used in the "Larger Bin Capacity" area, and to use one 64-gallon cart provided by Waste Management for the single-stream pilot areas. Weekly collection. Weekly collection potentially offers residents both a means to increase the capacity of recyclables they can store between collections, while also eliminating the need to monitor which week is the week for recyclable materials collection. Thus, an "Increased Frequency" pilot study area was included. Materials Recovered and Contamination One of the key issues with the trend to more commingled recyclable materials collection (e.g., dual-stream and single-stream collection systems), is the degree to which these methods result in more material being collected that is not ultimately recycled or remanufactured. Such contamination or residuals may fall into three categories: ^ Non-targeted materials, at the curb: Materials that are defined by the municipality as not acceptable but are frequently included by residents in their curbside bins, such as film plastic, plastic toys, plastic tubs, and wet-strength containers (i.e., beer/pop/water boxes). Processing residuals, at the MRF: Materials that are disposed as trash as an unwanted by-product after processing of recyclable materials at the MRF, such as dirt, residue from containers, and items contaminated to the point of rendering them non-marketable. Contaminants in marketed product, at the mill: Inclusion of materials that are prohibited or which exceed specifications for an end-market manufacturer. For example, glass is a prohibited contaminant in most end market specif cations for newspaper bales from recovered paper suppliers. 4 DRAFT B 1605