Carson's waste management policy is to encourage public-private partnerships to achieve AB939 goals. Cost sharing minimizes costs to any one party. It increases cooperation and trust between businesses and the city.
We worked with UCLA, through Dr. Eugene Tseng, and CalState Dominguez Hills to have students look at 95 large businesses. The City was the project manager. We ensured the confidentiality of the data by deleting the names of the companies. The benefit was creating a real picture of waste generation, of what businesses were actually doing, at a minimum cost to the city. The initial cost of $10,000 was paid by our franchise hauler to UCLA. Sudents reported to the waste management program.
The city's role in business development is to provide technical assistance, outreach and education, be the ombudsman, and portray the city as business-friendly. We get bi-weekly updated lists from new or renewed license applications and contact them to help develop waste reduction programs.
We are participating in the USEPA's WasteWise satellite downlink, and will have a local panel to discuss local industrial efforts for waste reduction. When trash from one company becomes a source of raw materials for other businesses, it has a value after transportation costs. Therefore this value can be offset by the hauler. Remember, disposal companies are mainly transportation companies.
Other city programs include our annual environmental science fair and an environmental (Scout) Explorer Post. We also coordinate C&D disposal/recycling reporting and do used oil roundups. We have a vermicomposting (worm farms) pilot program for the residential sector. We had a workshop with hotels and motels to promote recycling. We had a "second chance week" that raised $600 from a yard sale of goods ranging from donated small appliances to exercise equipment. These normally would be items thrown out as trash. We are in phase II of a three phase waste reduction and recycling auditing for the commercial sector.
Our office is responsible for Los Angeles meeting the 50% diversion rate. In 1997 we achieved 46.1%. The City of LA provides a wide range of recycling and waste reduction publications which show businesses how to recycle and list who to contact for recycling services. We provide technical assistance to businesses and manufacturers. We do waste audits by sector, looking at targeted generators. Some of the largest sources are large office buildings.
We found only 11% was diverted, and most of that waste was paper. We have developed an "eco building" program, where we are collecting paper, commingled recyclables, and bulky items, and providing "buy recycled" information and training. We sent out a recycling guide for textiles, including manufactures and hotels about new methods for linens disposal. We work with Goodwill to set up collection sites and restaurants to donate leftover food to non-profits for distribution to the homeless. We also encourage businesses to buy recycled products.
We run Southern California's most successful MRF. In environmental clean up, the first pound is cheap, but the last pound is very expensive. We have gone the first step, but 50% is a very difficult goal.
Most cities are in the 20% and 30% range and have found all the cheap easy stuff has been done. I believe the "80/20 rule" that 20% of the generators produce 80% of the trash is false. I find the largest 20% of the generators produce only 40% of the waste.
Many businesses started doing resource recovery, reuse, and recycling long before it became popular, because businesses want to save money. For example, Avon in Pasadena ships tons of cardboard every week, but recycles most of it, with only a very small amount of trash.
We have a policy problem with "one size fits all" legislation, because we do not have a "one size fits all" trash problem. To achieve 50%, you need to use a combination of means, including curbside, greenwaste, commercial source-separation recovery, C&D, education, drop off centers, etc.
About 50-60% of our commercial customers have only one 3 cubic yard bin collected once a week. Source-separated recycling is not feasible because you need separate bins and trucks, which cost extra, unless the price for recycled materials goes up. I think the lowest cost method is to use a dirty MRF, where you put the entire commercial waste stream across a line and pull out everything you can recycle.
Read Hayek's book, The Road to Serfdom, which is a critique of the command and control approach. The lowest cost is the lowest consumption approach. Good economics takes a long look into the future, bad economics takes a short view.
Chuck Ellis: In terms of long term economics, we need to see all trash as a resource. El Segundo asked businesses to put in one recycling bin per block. It has worked out well and the cost is minimal to any one business.