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President’s Message
Sustainable practices begin at the trash can
Diane Linderman, P.E., PWLF
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APWA President
t has been said that you can learn a lot about what is important in a person’s life by looking at their checkbook ledger, or perhaps nowadays, their credit card statement. The same is true for a person’s commitment to sustainability, except perhaps there we need to look inside that person’s trash can.
According to EPA data, in 2009 Americans threw out roughly 243 million tons of trash, or about 4.34 pounds of garbage per person per day. After recycling, composting and incineration, about 132 million tons ended up in landfills that year.
The solid waste industry is changing. As public works leaders, merging the changes of the solid waste industry with sustainable goals is challenging. Cities and counties that were once considering new landfills or incinerators are now looking at how to deal with waste with neither. San Francisco, a city that is presently keeping 77% of its waste out of landfills, has a Zero Waste goal by the year 2020. Seattle, which is diverting 54% of its waste, hopes to reach 70% diversion by 2022.
Organics continue to comprise nearly 40% of our residual waste going to landfills. Organics are comprised of napkins, cardboard, wood, food waste, etc., all of which when composted create a useful product which can be placed back into our environment, whether on a farm field or on our flower and shrub beds around our houses. Now, isn’t that what sustainability is all about? How we collect waste continues to change as well, whether it is the type of vehicle we use, or how it is powered. Of all public works equipment on the market, refuse trucks continue to be the largest users of fuel, simply because they are running eight to nine hours a day, five to seven days a week. Many communities have looked at reducing their carbon footprint by repowering refuse equipment with alternative fuel engines, be it liquid propane or compressed natural gas. Additionally, trucks with split bodies, permitting collectors to separate various materials into different compartments, are now being used which means fewer trucks on the road.
Of course, cities and counties can pass ordinances requiring residents and businesses to recycle, but they cannot control the behavior of citizens. Education and citizen buy-in are major components to the Zero Waste initiatives. That will take time. But we as public works officials must take the first steps to begin that process. If we never start the education process, buyin and citizen behavior will never change. Austin, Tex., is presently in the process of finalizing their Zero Waste Plan and created an outreach campaign “Dare to Go Zero” which aired on the city’s public-access channel. The “Biggest Loser”-style program challenged four families to reduce their waste by 90% over a fiveweek period.
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Placing citizens on a “waste can” diet can also be effective. In many communities, a “pay-as-you-throw” system has been implemented, which encourages citizens to reduce, reuse and recycle. The less residual waste placed at the curb for collection, the less money residents pay for garbage collection.
Incineration and landfills can have their positive sides, however. Through incineration, some communities are harvesting the heat to produce energy, using much cleaner methods than were used 30 years ago. In Seattle, anaerobic digestion is being investigated for use in their compost operation to create methane, which in turn is used to produce energy. To some experts, the only way for society to get to Zero Waste is by working with manufacturers to reduce and rework packaging. Once organics, paper, metals and plastics are removed from the trash stream, traditionally all that remains is packaging materials. As public works professionals, we need to work with manufacturers to rethink how we package materials.
The final step in the sustainable system is being a consumer of recyclable products and materials, from the park benches constructed from recycled plastics, to carpets created from plastic bottles, to buying recycled papers, to purchasing compostable coffee cups, plates and silverware. By purchasing these materials, we are closing the loop and being sustainable.
When it comes to solid waste, the American Public Works Association can do as the old Lee Iacocca Chrysler commercials—we can either “lead, follow, or get out of the way.” I would challenge our membership and communities to be leaders. Let’s help our communities build sustainable systems. Let’s go on a trash diet. Let’s push toward Zero Waste. If not for us, let’s do it for our children. Let’s leave our planet in better shape than what we inherited.
Follow President Linderman’s blog at http://apwapresident.wordpress.com.
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BOARD OF DIRECTORS ADVISORY COUNCIL
PRESIDENT
Diane Linderman, P.E., PWLF Director, Urban Infrastructure and Development Services VHB, Inc. Richmond, VA
PRESIDENT-ELECT
Elizabeth Treadway, PWLF Principal AMEC Environment and Infrastructure Johnson City, TN
PAST PRESIDENT
George Crombie, MPA, PWLF, BCEEM Senior Faculty Member, Public Works Administration Norwich University Northfield, VT
DIRECTOR, REGION I
Rick Stinson, PWLF Director of Public Works Town of Wakefield, MA
DIRECTOR, REGION II
Ed Gottko, P.E., PWLF Town Administrator (retired) Town of Westfield, NJ
DIRECTOR, REGION III
William (Bo) Mills, PWLF Director of Public Services City of Germantown, TN
DIRECTOR, REGION IV
Tommy Brown Superintendent of Fleet Services City of LaGrange, GA
DIRECTOR, REGION V
Linda Petelka, B.Sc., PWLF Manager, Wastewater Program Planning Section The Regional Municipality of Peel, ON
DIRECTOR, REGION VI
Larry Stevens, P.E. Senior Project Manager Howard R. Green Company Johnston, IA
DIRECTOR, REGION VII
Jimmy B. Foster, P.E., PWLF Program Manager Jacobs Engineering Group, Inc. Plano, TX
DIRECTOR, REGION VIII
Ronald J. Calkins, P.E., PWLF Director of Public Works (retired) City of Ventura, CA
DIRECTOR, REGION IX
Doug Drever, P.Eng., FEC Project Director City of Saskatoon, SK
DIRECTOR-AT-LARGE, ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY
Patty Hilderbrand, P.E. Program Management & Development Manager City of Kansas City, MO
DIRECTOR-AT-LARGE, ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
Daryl Grigsby Public Works Director City of Pomona, CA
DIRECTOR-AT-LARGE, FLEET & FACILITIES MANAGEMENT
Brian R. Usher, PWLF Director of Public Works City of Largo, FL
DIRECTOR-AT-LARGE, PUBLIC WORKS MGMT./LEADERSHIP
Cora Jackson-Fossett Public Information Director II Public Affairs Office City of Los Angeles, CA
DIRECTOR-AT-LARGE, TRANSPORTATION
Susan M. Hann, P.E., AICP, ICMA-CM City Manager City of Palm Bay, FL
(Past APWA Presidents)
Robert Albee Roger K. Brown George Crombie Nick W. Diakiw Robert C. Esterbrooks Jerry M. Fay Bob Freudenthal Larry W. Frevert Herbert A. Goetsch J. Geoffrey Greenough Ken Haag Erwin F. Hensch Robert S. Hopson Ronald W. Jensen Dwayne Kalynchuk Larry T. Koehle Martin J. Manning James J. McDonough Robert Miller Judith M. Mueller Ronald L. Norris Michael R. Pender Richard L. Ridings John J. Roark Harold E. Smith June Rosentreter Spence Noel C. Thompson Tom Trice William A. Verkest Win Westfall Carl D. Wills
Executive Director
Peter B. King
Editorial Advisory Board
Gordon R. Garner Neil S. Grigg Susan M. Hann
Executive Director Emeritus
Robert D. Bugher
Stephen J. O’Neill Kyle E. Schilling
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