Blaine County Recycling Program Review & Planning Meeting # 4 January 21, 2005
Review of Last Meeting
Concept of Avoided Costs
Avoided costs are savings that can be realized from choosing a less costly waste management option. Avoided costs are often applied to recycling or waste diversion programs to account for some of the deficit of program costs minus program revenues. Blaine County’s avoided cost per ton is approximately $11.94
Cost of Processing Commodities
Approximate value of community service labor at the BCRRC is $17,700 per year If we add this value back into the cost per ton calculation from last time, the processing cost per hour increases from $34.47/hour to $40.56/hour If all other factors remain the same, the addition of community service labor makes the following changes to the cost per ton to process each commodity
Note: Because the difference in cost per pound worked out to just 10ths of a cent, the figures were not rounded to the nearest cent, as they were in the calculations from the December meeting
Summary of Costs Per Ton Commodity Cardboard Newspaper Aluminum Cans Tin Cans Paper Grades Magazines Plastic
Processing Cost (Revenue) per Ton $
2.49 (39.65) (336.23) 182.80 (7.56) (23.13) 1395.00
The Collection System
Collecting Recyclables-Methods
Residential Curbside
Commercial Collection
Mandatory in Hailey and Ketchum Voluntary, or “subscription” service in Bellevue, Sun Valley and unincorporated areas Service provided by Clear Creek Disposal Voluntary, or “subscription” service Both Clear Creek Disposal and Recycling Services provide this service
Self-Haul
Public brings materials to BCRRC at Ohio Gulch
Collecting Recyclables– Residential Curbside
Pros Convenient for Residents Utilizes one collection vehicle vs. multiple residential vehicles Can increase recycling awareness at the household level
Cons Extremely expensive Labor intense Requires constant re-education Quality of materials often compromised
Collecting RecyclablesCommercial Collection
Pros Can save a business money if reduces dumpster size Convenient for the business Can have a significant impact on the waste stream (esp. OCC)
Cons Requires frequent re-training of staff Large OCC containers often used by residents for illegal dumping Difficult to pinpoint sources of contamination once materials are in the truck
Collecting RecyclablesSelf-Haul
Pros Perceived as “free” by residents Generally produces a cleaner stream of materials Self-haul can participate in UBC buyback
Cons Not as convenient for residents/businesses More vehicle and pedestrian traffic at BCRRC = possible safety risk
Collecting Recyclables% of BCRRC Total Volumes 521 24%
263 12%
1,407 64%
Residential Curbside
Business Collection
Self-Haul
Participation Rates
Difficult to determine since people may only set out bins every 2-3 weeks when full Best estimates: On any given week:
38% of Residential Accounts 58% of Business Accounts
will have their recyclables set out for curbside collection
Taking a Closer Look at Curbside
Mandatory and Subscription Curbside Services
“Mandatory” service refers to the curbside costs being rolled into the monthly garbage fees of every resident – everyone pays; however, it is up to the individual whether or not to set out their bin
Curbside collection is mandatory in the Cities of Hailey and Ketchum
“Subscription” service refers to a separate line-item charge for curbside recycling at the discretion of the resident
Curbside collection is available by subscription in the Cities of Bellevue and Sun Valley, and in unincorporated areas
The Cost of Curbside Collection City
Service Level
Collection Costs
Curbside Billed Separately?
Curbside Cost
Bellevue
Unlimited garbage
$16.05
Y
$4.95
Hailey
30 gallon 90 gallon
$11.45 $22.89
N
$3.00
Ketchum
70 gallon 95 gallon
$18.53 $20.38
N
$3.15
Sun Valley
Unlimited garbage
$15.57
Y
$4.95
Residential Curbside# of Residents Served Area Bellevue
# of Residential Curbside Accounts
# of Stops per week (based on 38% set out rate)
51
20
Hailey
2,510
954
Ketchum
1,328
505
Sun Valley
182
70
Unincorporated
461
176
4,532
1,725
Totals
Cost per Ton for Collection – Garbage vs. Curbside Recycling ESTIMATED AVERAGE COST PER TON FOR RESIDENTIAL GARBAGE COLLECTION
$130
ESTIMATED AVERAGE COST PER TON FOR RESIDENTIAL CURBSIDE RECYCLING
$691
Notes on Estimated Costs per Ton for Collection ď Ž
ď Ž
Curbside Recycling rates were set before the addition of plastics and mixed paper to the program Both residential and business recycling are collected in the same truck, therefore, volumes for residential curbside are calculated by an estimated percentage of the total, based on information from the recycling collection driver and BCRRC staff
Adding New Items to CurbsideHow Does it Affect Collection?
Discussion Questions ď Ž
ď Ž
What are the benefits/drawbacks of charging the cost of curbside recycling as a separate line-item on residential billing statements? Would charging curbside recycling as a separate line-item on residential statements increase participation in curbside recycling?
Discussion Questions
Based on the information presented, is the curbside program financially stable? (i.e. can we retain the current # of materials collected at the current collection rates?) If no, what can be done to make curbside recycling more fiscally responsible, and the pros and cons of each option. If yes, do we want to see the program grow in any way, and if so, what might the financial impact be?
Discussion Questions ď Ž
What direction should the recycling programs in Blaine County take? Should the focus be on recycling more (quantity) or recycle better (quality)?