The many recycling programs within Santa Cruz County are
managed by public, profit-making and non-profit organizations. Several of these
were investigated by the Grand Jury to see if improvements could be made in
areas of public awareness, efficiency and consolidation. A review of these
programs indicated that through creative methods, landfills in the county were
within state guidelines of 50 percent for solid waste reduction by 2000.
In 1989, California state legislators recognized that
landfill capacities were in a crisis. As a result, recycling of virtually all
materials had become more critical to preserving the quality of the
environment. The policy of “reduce, reuse, recycle,” environmentally sound land
filling and transformation became the desired approach to solid waste
management.[1]
Recycling became a serious subject for California cities and
counties as well as the public with the passage in 1989 of Assembly Bill 939.
The passage of this bill established the following:
·
The current organization, structure and mission of the
California Integrated Waste Management Board (CIWMB).
·
Mandates that all cities and counties reduce the amount
of waste entering their landfills by 25 percent in 1995 and by 50 percent in
2000. This is referred to as the waste diversion rate.[2]
·
An integrated framework for program implementation,
solid waste planning and solid waste facility and landfill compliance.
·
Encouragement of resource conservation.
·
Consideration of the long-term effects of waste
management operations.
Local governments, through CIWMB regulatory oversight,
implement the diversion goals and program compliance. This is accomplished by
monitoring landfill utilization through a disposal based reporting system.[3]
Since the passage of AB 939 in 1989, California landfill
capacity has increased. Although capacity is currently not considered the
statewide crisis it once was, there are still problems regionally.
Recycling does not come without a price. The CIWMB 21st
Century Policy Project was concerned that maintaining the year 2000 goals of AB
939 could be very difficult for some of the cities and counties within the
state. However, as a result of the passage of AB 939 significant progress was
achieved in:
·
Waste diversion.
·
Program implementation.
·
Solid waste planning.
·
Protection of public health and safety and the
environment through the improved operation of landfills and solid waste
facilities.
An important aspect in the surge of involvement with
recycling continues to be public awareness. Each of the recycling facilities
visited by the Grand Jury recognizes the need to publicize its activities. Many
forms of literature are distributed throughout the county in both English and
Spanish. The public awareness of recycling is an ongoing challenge considering
the volume of advertising inundating our society. As with any message aimed at
the public, success depends on its being remembered, which is a result of
attention-getting creativity. Promotional information on recycling takes a
variety of forms, such as:
·
School programs.
·
Bill inserts.
·
Flyers.
·
Pamphlets.
·
Stickers.
·
Television public service messages.
·
Posters on collection trucks.
Separate messages target specific items such as household
batteries, motor oil and computer printer cartridges. Public awareness is an
investment in recycling efforts that can pay off with increased public
participation.
This investigation examines the operations of the various
organizations and agencies in the county involved in recycling. Outreach
programs to increase public awareness are also looked at for each of the
groups. The organizations include:
·
County of Santa Cruz Department of Public Works.
·
City of Santa Cruz Public Works Department.
·
City of Watsonville Department of Public Works.
·
Valley Women’s Club (of San Lorenzo Valley).
·
California Grey Bears, Inc.
·
Waste Management, Inc. of Santa Cruz County.
·
Ecology Action, Inc.
Interviewed:
Santa Cruz County Officials.
Santa Cruz City Officials.
Watsonville City Officials.
Santa Cruz County recycling organizations.
Santa Cruz County landfill organizations.
Reviewed:
Nevada County Grand Jury 2002-2003 Report
California Integrated Waste Management
Board 21st Century Policy Project,
www.ciwmb.ca.gov/2000Plus/Events/FutureMar99/issues1.htm.
Recycling Today, Enforcement of Commercial Recycling,
www.recyclingtoday.com
Darryl Young, Director of the California Department of Conservation,
KGO radio interview May 27, 2004.
Richard Anthony, California Resource Recovery Association Board member,
cited in
Mandatory Summary, www.greenyesgrrn.org/1997/0206.html.
Information in findings 1 - 26 is taken from interviews with
various local recycling and landfill organizations.
1.
County landfills are reaching maximum capacity,
requiring that new sites be identified, licensed and built.
Response:
Santa Cruz City Council AGREES.
Response:
Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors AGREES.
The County and
the cities of Santa Cruz, Watsonville, Scotts Valley and Capitola have been
jointly conducting a solid waste facilities siting study for the last three and
a half years under the umbrella of the Integrated Waste Management Local Task
Force. The purpose of this study is to locate potential sites for new
landfills, transfer stations and other waste management facilities to replace
our aging landfills.
Response:
City of Watsonville AGREES.
The City of Watsonville’s landfill has a
remaining capacity of approximately 15 years.
2.
It takes approximately ten years to get a permit for a
new landfill.
Response:
Santa Cruz City Council DISAGREES.
Permitting time is now exceeding fifteen years in
many cases.
Response:
Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors AGREES.
Response:
City of Watsonville AGREES.
3.
The average lifespan of California landfills is about
15 years.
Response:
Santa Cruz City Council DISAGREES.
The California Integrated Waste Management Board
(CIWMB) Disposal Site database shows that most active landfills have
significantly more than fifteen years life. Around 1992, when Federal
Regulation “Subtitle D” came into effect, many smaller landfills could not
reach compliance and closed. This resulted in fewer landfills, but left larger
ones with more capacity and longer site life.
Response:
Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors NEITHER AGREES NOR DISAGREES.
County staff contacted the California
Integrated Waste Management Board to determine the accuracy of this finding,
and CIWMB was unable to provide us with the average life of all California
landfills.
Response:
City of Watsonville NEITHER AGREES NOR
DISAGREES.
The City of
Watsonville has no data regarding average lifespans of California landfills.
4.
The remaining lifespan for the City of Santa Cruz’s
landfill (Dimeo Lane) is about 34 years, if carefully used.
Response:
Santa Cruz City Council AGREES.
5.
The remaining lifespan of the Santa Cruz County
landfill (Buena Vista) is about 15 years.
Response: Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors AGREES.
6.
Santa Cruz County Code 7.20.110 states that garbage can
be held no longer than seven days.
Response:
Santa Cruz City Council PARTIALLY AGREES.
The actual language states, “Garbage containers on all premises shall be
emptied and garbage shall be collected and properly disposed of not less than
once a week.”
Response:
Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors AGREES.
Response:
City of Watsonville NEITHER
AGREES NOR DISAGREES.
The City of
Watsonville has no data regarding average lifespans of California landfills.
7.
The county contracts with a private company for its
garbage and recycling pickup.
Response:
Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors AGREES.
8.
The cities of Santa Cruz and Watsonville provide their
own garbage and recycling trucks and pickup.
Response:
Santa Cruz City Council AGREES.
Response: City of Watsonville AGREES.
9.
Currently the county has no mandatory garbage or
recycling service in the unincorporated areas. Garbage pickup is mandatory in
all four of the county’s incorporated areas. Separate garbage and recycling
containers are distributed in the cities of Capitola, Santa Cruz, Scotts Valley
and Watsonville. Using the recycling containers is optional.
Response:
Santa Cruz City Council AGREES.
Response:
Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors PARTIALLY DISAGREES.
Unincorporated
county residents who elect to use the franchised collection services offered by
Waste Management also receive garbage, recycling and yardwaste containers. Unincorporated
County residents may also elect to subscribe to lower cost recycling and/or
yardwaste collection service. This “recycle only” service is intended to
support those county residents who strive to generate little or no refuse.
Response:
City of Watsonville AGREES.
Agree as to facts relating to the City of
Watsonville.
10. Approximately
65 percent of residents in the unincorporated areas of the county use garbage
and recycling curbside pickup.
Response:
Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors AGREES.
11. Approximately
55 percent of San Lorenzo Valley residents use curbside pickup.
Response:
Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors AGREES.
12. Mandatory
garbage and recycling pickup in the unincorporated area of the county could
result in less illegal dumping and a reduced amount of recyclable materials in
the landfill, some officials said.
Response:
Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors AGREES.
13. If
all recyclable materials were recycled, officials say that the Buena Vista
landfill could have at least a 30 percent additional reduction in material.
Response:
Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors AGREES.
14. Some
recycling officials said that Buena Vista landfill workers need a better
understanding of California’s recycling laws (AB 939 and the appropriate California
Public Resources Code sections) in order to inform customers who arrive at the
landfill with recyclable materials.
Response: Santa
Cruz County Board of Supervisors DISAGREES.
Regular staff
meetings are held with all landfill and transfer station staff involved with
the public to review and discuss recycling policies, diversion programs and
implementation of AB 939 mandated programs. Numerous flyers and informational
brochures are produced and distributed by landfill and transfer station staff explaining
in greater detail about the various recycling and waste diversion programs
available to the public. All landfill and transfer station managers and
supervisors are regularly sent to seminars conducted by peer professional
organizations in the solid waste and recycling field to keep them up-to-date on
the most current regulations, operational practices and recycling programs.
This information is regularly disseminated to all operational staff. Most landfill and transfer station
supervisors and managers have received operational certification through our
professional peer organization, which requires very specific knowledge of
recycling and waste diversion practices, policies and regulations.
Administrative staff responsible for public education regularly provides direct
outreach to public users of our facilities, both at the facilities and through
direct outreach conducted at businesses and residences.
15. Some
people think recycling is free but because of the expenses involved it is not.
Volume is the key to making a profit in recycling: the greater the volume, the
greater the profit.
Response:
Santa Cruz City Council PARTIALLY AGREES.
We agree that recycling is not free. If you lose a
nickel per unit on each item manufactured, selling more units will not recoup
that loss. Volume has less to do with profit than market price. Volume helps if
one is focused on one material type and the market price is reasonable. However, municipalities collect several
items as a public service, not as a profit-making venture. The cost of all
those items affect the bottom line, and the City does not just stop collecting
unprofitable items, as a for-profit private recycler could do.
Response:
Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors PARTIALLY DISAGREES.
Recycling is not free,
but it typically has a much lower cost than disposal. Revenues generated
through sales of recyclable materials do not typically cover the expense
associated with collection, sorting and marketing of these materials. While
increased volume of some material may also increase revenues, some recyclable
materials have very low market values and can have a detrimental effect on
overall recycling revenues. Overall, recycling markets have been at an all time
low for the last three years and no profits are being made at this time. The County has asked the state
legislature to consider mandating more recycled material content in consumer
products to increase this market.
Response: City of Watsonville PARTIALLY
AGREES.
The economics of
recycling depend on more than just volume. Other factors such as collection and
processing efficiency, material prices, etc. affect recycling economics.
16. The
City of Santa Cruz routinely uses the same customers for its sale of recyclable
materials. The City of Watsonville aggressively negotiates with brokers using
high dollar items (white paper and cardboard) to obtain the best price.
Response:
Santa Cruz City Council PARTIALLY AGREES.
Although the City of Santa Cruz often uses the same
buyers, the Recycling Center Supervisor shops around for the best market price.
Using this best price, he is often able to leverage the usual buyers into
matching the best currently offered price. Having long-term relationships with
buyers can also help ensure that during the low-market periods, the buyers will
still accept our materials and give us their best price given low demand.
Response: City of Watsonville AGREES.
Agree
as to the facts relating to Watsonville.
17. Each
recycling entity that collects materials usually makes its own arrangements to
sell its products to companies outside of the county.
Response:
Santa Cruz City Council AGREES.
Response:
Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors AGREES.
Response: City of Watsonville PARTIALLY
AGREES.
Agree as to facts as they relate to Watsonville.
However, Watsonville has also sold products to companies within Santa Cruz
County.
18. The County of Santa Cruz's Ben Lomond Transfer Station has
a limited area to collect recycling materials.
Response:
Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors PARTIALLY DISAGREES.
The Ben Lomond
Transfer Station has adequate area to collect all the basic materials collected
through the curbside collection program as well as self-hauled woodwaste,
yardwaste, mattresses, tires, household hazardous waste and electronic waste.
However, due to limits on large open areas for processing, the transfer station
is not able to store large volumes of scrap metal for on-site processing. This
forces the County to haul small loads to end markets which reduces the net
revenues because of the increased cost of transportation.
The Ben Lomond
Transfer Station also lacks adequate large open space for collection and
processing of concrete and asphalt materials.
These items are directed to the Buena Vista Site for processing.
19. Interactions among various coordinators of the various
recycling organizations within the county are informal.
Response:
Santa Cruz City Council PARTIALLY AGREES.
We agree that there is no formal system in place for
recycling coordinators within the County to communicate on marketing of
recyclable materials. However, there are several State and national
organizations that all County entities belong to, including the National
Recycling Coalition and the California Resource Recovery Association.
Additionally, State legislation mandates a committee, the Local Task Force and
Technical Advisory Committee, that is tasked to review and act on solid waste
and recycling issues within the County. All County agencies have membership on
this committee and most private and non-profit agencies are also members. Our
City of Santa Cruz Waste Reduction Coordinator, who works with outreach and
education issues, does work with other County agency peers, in both formal and
informal settings.
Response:
Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors PARTIALLY DISAGREES.
While some
interactions are informal, there are also formal forums for staff and public
discussion of regional recycling issues. The Integrated Waste Management Local
Task Force is a formal organization composed of elected officials and their
representatives from each of the county and city jurisdictions. The purpose of
this task force is to address regional, countywide waste management and
recycling issues common to all participating members. The Task Force conducts
all its meetings in the public forum.
The County and
the Cities of Capitola, Watsonville and Scotts Valley are all members of the
Central Coast Recycling Media Coalition (CCRMC), which also includes county and
city representatives from Monterey and San Benito counties. The CCRMC was
formed under a Memorandum of Understanding between all the participating
agencies and each agency provides funding to the CCRMC for public education.
The CCRMC works specifically on joint public outreach efforts for recycling and
litter reduction across the tri-county region.
The County and
the cities of Scotts Valley and Capitola are jointly funding resource
conservation education in the public schools. This successful program provides
information on recycling and resource conservation as part of the classroom
curriculum and provides the necessary recycling infrastructure to support
school recycling and waste diversion activities. This very successful program
has received statewide awards and is supported by the County Office of Education.
Response: City of Watsonville AGREES.
20. Some recycling officials are concerned about the idea of
consolidation recycling activities that involve information and public
awareness. They feel the money might not be wisely spent.
Response:
Santa Cruz City Council AGREES.
Response:
Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors PARTIALLY DISAGREES.
The County
understands that other jurisdictions have taken this position on certain
programs and as such have refused to participate or have dropped out of
participating in some multi-jurisdictional recycling or public awareness
programs. However, the County has and
continues to promote joint efforts to address recycling, waste management and
public education efforts as evidenced by our continued participation in those
joint programs outlined in our response to finding 19 above. The County
believes that joint efforts in this area help create programs that are
consistent across the entire county, improve public understanding, and can be
more cost effective than individual jurisdictional efforts aimed at the same
goal.
All of the
existing multi-jurisdictional programs have processes to involve each entity in
the fiscal decisions of the programs. The level of involvement in program
financing and budgeting decisions has always been left up to each participating
jurisdiction.
Response: City of Watsonville PARTIALLY
AGREES.
The City of Watsonville has such concerns in
cases where individual programs differ significantly.
21. The City of Santa Cruz has won awards for its public
recycling information.
Response:
Santa Cruz City Council AGREES.
22. The
county’s informational materials on recycling were criticized as poor and
unimaginative.
Response:
Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors DISAGREES.
The County’s
public education program is very comprehensive and uses all forms of media to
reach the intended audiences. The County has produced directly and indirectly
through contract a wide variety of public information items including
brochures, TV commercials, radio ads, internet information, hot lines and
regular business and residential newsletters. The County has received numerous
awards for educational activities such as three “Trash Cutter” awards from the
California Integrated Waste Management Board for the 1) Best Public Information
Program, 2) Best Schools Program, and 3) Best Creative Partnerships Program.
The latter award is in recognition of our efforts to partner with local
non-profit agencies for development and implementation of educational outreach
for a wide variety of recycling and waste diversion programs.
The County has
also received an award from the California Resource Recovery Association for
“Innovations In Government” in recognition of our Public Schools Resource
Conservation Program.
The County employs a full-time Public Education
Coordinator to oversee all educational activities. By conducting most of our
educational efforts with in-house staff or local non-profit agencies, the
County is able to provide these services more cost effectively than by using
more expensive outside consulting services. As an example, the County directly
contracts with local TV stations for production of commercials instead of using
an intermediary consultant. The stations produce the commercials with their own
professional advertising staff and the County provides editorial direction.
This results in professionally produced commercials without the added overhead
cost of a consultant, which allows the use of more educational funding for
airtime.
23. Some
recycling groups in the county believe they do not get adequate exposure to
inform the public of proper recycling procedures and the availability of local
resources.
Response:
Santa Cruz City Council PARTIALLY AGREES.
There is a wealth of advertising and public outreach
in this County. Informing the public about recycling is not easy due to
differences in programs and the marketability of some products, such as
plastics marked as recyclable even though no practical market exists.
Response:
Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors DISAGREES.
The County has
funded and worked with a local non-profit, Ecology Action, for over 15 years to
produce the only comprehensive guides available for local recycling
opportunities. The County produces, regularly updates, and distributes two guides: the “Where to Recycle Guide” for residential
customers and the “Business Recycling Guide” for local businesses. Four
newsletters are sent each year to unincorporated County residents, two to
residential customers and two to all County businesses focusing on business
recycling issues. These newsletters contain information and articles on the
latest recycling services, changes in local and state regulations, and other
current waste management issues. The County’s refuse and recycling collection
franchisee, Waste Management, also produces informational brochures for their
residential and commercial customers that list alternative recycling resources
in the county. The County also maintains a recycling “hotline” with up-to-date
local information on recycling opportunities throughout the entire County.
The County also
provides significant funding and outreach support to two local non-profit
recyclers, the California Grey Bears and the Valley Women’s Club.
The County also employs a full time Commercial Waste Reduction Coordinator who works directly with businesses to reduce wastes. The role of this position is to assist and coordinate recycling and waste diversion service between the businesses and the various local recycling service providers. We actively promote all the known recycling service providers in the county.
Response:
City of Watsonville AGREES.
24. Ecology
Action is a Santa Cruz based non-profit informational organization that uses
grants from federal, state and county governments to promote recycling. Ecology
Action works with the county on some recycling projects.
Response:
Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors AGREES.
25. Some
cities and counties get state and federal grants to run special recycling
programs. Examples are programs to recycle motor oil and batteries.
Response:
Santa Cruz City Council PARTIALLY AGREES.
Some funding is available to assist in funding
programs such as motor oil collection, however, the entire cost of the programs
typically are not covered (with the exception of initial funding for innovative
pilot projects).
Response: Santa Cruz County Board of
Supervisors AGREES.
The County agrees with this finding but is
not aware of any federal or state grants available for recycling batteries.
Response:
City of Watsonville AGREES.
26. As
of 2003, 22 of the 58 counties in California have met the 50 percent solid
waste diversion requirement specified by AB 939.[4]
In 2001, Santa Cruz County had a 53 percent diversion rate.
Response:
Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors AGREES.
27. Each
day 2.5 million glass bottles are discarded in landfills in California.
Commercial customers, such as restaurants and apartment complexes, are large
users and therefore large contributors to the problem in California.
Response:
Santa Cruz City Council PARTIALLY AGREES.
The last full statewide waste characterization study
available from the CIWMB was done in 1999. It estimates that about 2.8% of the
waste stream is glass, or about 1.07 million tons (although this figure
includes non-recyclable glass). It is
not clear to us that there is a logical basis for the assumption that
commercial customers send a larger proportional share of glass to the landfill
rather than recycling it. Many of the restaurants and apartment complexes in
the City of Santa Cruz do participate in glass recycling. In our 1998 City
landfill disposal characterization study, the commercial samples showed 2%
glass bottles and containers, and the residential samples 2.1%. (It would be
useful if the Grand Jury cited the source of their statistics.)
Response:
Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors PARTIALLY DISAGREES.
This is a very
generalized statement. In the unincorporated County, we have very good
participation in bottle recycling both at businesses and apartment
complexes. Our Business Waste Reduction
Coordinator also works with a network of dedicated recycling advocates at most
apartment complexes to disseminate recycling information, track waste diversion
progress and expand recycling services.
Response: City of Watsonville NEITHER
AGREES NOR DISAGREES.
The City of Watsonville has no statewide data
of this nature.
28. Several
communities across the U.S. have adopted programs of mandatory recycling with
excellent results. (This does not include mandatory garbage pick-up). An example
is San Diego where mandatory separation saw participation jump from 30-40% up
to 80-90%. They used a coordinated approach of public awareness, slogans, media
press releases, press conferences and special events to enlist public
understanding of the advantages of recycling.
Response:
Santa Cruz City Council DISAGREES.
While some cities in the nation may have mandatory
recycling, the City of San Diego is not one of them. The reference may refer to
that program changing from source-separated recycling collection to its new
single-stream collection. A major program change would include all those
outreach aspects. With the current levels of voluntary participation, most
communities see little need to move to mandatory recycling. There is no proof
that mandatory recycling would increase recycling levels by the amounts
indicated. There are also additional questions about how enforcement can be
done and the increased program cost to fund enforcement.
Response:
Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors AGREES.
Response: City of Watsonville NEITHER
AGREES NOR DISAGREES.
The City of Watsonville has not confirmed the
features and performance of such programs in other jurisdictions.
29. The
key element of mandatory recycling is to make participation “convenient.”
Response:
Santa Cruz City Council PARTIALLY AGREES.
Convenience is a key component to the success
of all recycling programs, but may not be the most important factor to
the success of mandatory recycling.
Response:
Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors AGREES.
Response: City of Watsonville AGREES.
The City of Watsonville believes that
convenience is a key factor in voluntary programs as well.
30. Other
communities have seen increased cooperation by use of economic incentives along
with comprehensive education and promotion activities. Although the word
“mandatory” initially raises concerns, communities have found little need for
it. With convenient home and commercial pick up service, plus vigorous
inspection at the landfill entrance for drive up loads, people are more
inclined to recycle willingly.
Response:
Santa Cruz City Council AGREES.
Response:
Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors AGREES.
Response: City of Watsonville NEITHER AGREES NOR
DISAGREES.
The City of Watsonville has not confirmed the
features and performance of such programs in other jurisdictions.
31. Enforcement
programs vary tremendously throughout North America.
Response:
Santa Cruz City Council AGREES.
Response:
Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors AGREES.
Response: City of Watsonville
AGREES.
1.
At the present rate of intake, the county will need to
close the Buena Vista landfill in 15 years and move to a new location.
2.
Reducing the amount of recyclable materials that go
into the county landfill could lengthen the site’s life by five years.
3.
The increased amount of solid waste generated by
requiring mandatory garbage and recycling pickup could fill the county’s
landfill sooner than its currently projected lifetime. The increased amount of
recycling might not be enough to offset the extra volume.
4.
The quality of public information on recycling varies,
depending on which agency produces it.
5.
Some buyers pay more than others for specific recycled
materials.
6.
Consolidating the contracts to sell specific materials
from the various county recycling entities offers the potential for higher
prices for the different categories of materials.
7.
Santa Cruz County exceeded the state mandate for the 50
percent solid waste diversion requirement in 2001.
8.
While recycling efforts throughout Santa Cruz County
have enabled the landfills to surpass the minimum goals, there is still more to
do. The ideal goal would be to capture 100% of the recyclable materials being
generated in the county. Practicality dictates that such a goal is not entirely
realistic. However Santa Cruz County can do better.
9.
“Educate, encourage, enforce” is an approach that has
proven to help increase recycling efforts.
1.
The County of Santa Cruz should examine its operation
of the Buena Vista landfill. Close monitoring and enforcement of recycling
practices could reduce the amount of recyclables entering the landfill. This
could include positive incentives for proper disposal and citations for
improper disposal of recyclables.
Response:
Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors AGREES.
This recommendation has already been implemented. Ongoing evaluations
of landfill practices have occurred on a regular basis over the last 15 years
and program changes or new programs are implemented frequently.
We have been
providing rate incentives for over 15 years to customers who appropriately
separate specific recyclable commodities. In order to address those landfill
users who still elect not to participate in the wide variety of recycling
opportunities we provide, we are preparing to implement an extensive sorting
operation for construction and commercial wastes to further reduce recyclables
from entering the landfill. This program will also
include physical site improvements to make recycling easier and more convenient
for the public. In support of this program, we will be proposing future
ordinance changes that would also ban specific recyclable items from the
landfill, including provisions for enforcement.
2.
The county, the cities of Santa Cruz and Watsonville
and other local agencies involved in recycling should be more cooperative among
themselves. For maximum public exposure and fiscal efficiency, they should
coordinate printed recycling information and media coverage.
Response:
Santa Cruz City Council PARTIALLY DISAGREES.
The recommendation will not be implemented
across all printed materials and media coverage. Recycling programs vary by
community and communities target different problems, populations,
opportunities, and safety and environmental issues that are unique to that
community. The City of Santa Cruz participates with other agencies within the
region on coordinated outreach for some types of media (especially regional
media such as TV) and some public events. We will continue to do this when it
provides a clear benefit to our purpose and public. A recent example of the
importance of clearly designed and distinctive media information was a very
serious problem created for the City of Santa Cruz by a TV ad run for the Waste
Management operations of the County. The TV ad told “Santa Cruz County
customers” that they no longer needed to separate their paper and containers in
their blue recycling carts. Many City of Santa Cruz customers saw this ad, and
assumed that since they live within the County, they no longer need to separate
their recyclables. However, the City has not yet moved to a single-stream
sorting system, and we have been experiencing a much greater degree of
contamination in loads, resulting in a higher percentage of materials that must
be disposed of, and increased staff and equipment costs to hand sort the
materials at the recycling center.
Response:
Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors AGREES.
From the County’s perspective, this recommendation
has been implemented as described above in responses to findings 19 and 20. In
addition, the County would welcome the interest of those cities who have
dropped out of these joint programs and elected not to participate to
re-initiate their involvement. Programs for joint public outreach efforts
already exist, and the County is actively participating with other agencies.
The County is also continuing to support countywide outreach efforts through
our contract with Ecology Action to promote home composting, prepare recycling
guides and participate in community fairs and events across the county.
Response: City of Watsonville PARTIALLY
AGREES.
Whenever
possible, this has been implemented. Where practicable, regional coordination
on recycling information does occur. An example is the curbside waste oil
program. However, Watsonville has developed a number of recycling programs that
are operationally distinct from those in the County and Santa Cruz City. As
such, Watsonville has to provide information to their residents that is not
applicable to programs in the other areas. An example of this is the City’s
fully commingled curbside recycling program, which is based on undivided carts,
serviced every-other-week.
3.
Local recycling entities should take a regional
approach to obtain countywide contracts in order to combine and sell together
each category of recycled materials to the highest bidder. They should total
the volume at the various locations, rather than collect the material at a
central station.
Response:
Santa Cruz City Council DISAGREES.
The
recommendation will not be implemented across all materials. Programs vary by
types of materials collected, mix of materials collected, type of processing,
and storage space. This impacts the potential buyers and transportation
schedules, which may make countywide contracts infeasible. City of Santa Cruz
staff has held conversations in the past with other regional recyclers on this
topic and will continue to explore this option for materials where it appears
to have a financial benefit.
Response:
Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors AGREES.
From the County’s
perspective, this recommendation has been implemented. The County and Cities of
Scotts Valley and Capitola all utilize the collection and recycling services of
a private hauler, Waste Management. Waste Management, as a private, for-profit
entity, has its own internal process for preparing and marketing materials.
Waste Management is the largest recycling collector in North America and has
well-developed markets for all collected materials, including most of the low
value commodities that are hard to market. Waste Management collects and
co-markets all recyclable materials collected by these county jurisdictions as
well as jurisdictions within Monterey County at their combined processing
facility in Castroville. In turn, recyclables from Waste Management’s many
operations across North America are combined for mass marketing to end users
all over the world in order to achieve the highest and most stable market
values.
The Cities of
Santa Cruz and Watsonville collect and process their recyclables using city
staff and facilities. Both cities could elect to approach Waste Management to
work out details for combined marketing of their recyclables. Waste Management
has informed the County that they have provided combined marketing service for
other municipalities across the country.
Response: City of Watsonville PARTIALLY
AGREES.
This
recommendation has not yet been implemented. Watsonville uses an aggressive
marketing strategy to obtain the highest price for its recycled materials. If
the other agencies were willing to pursue this technique, Watsonville would be
open to joining a regional marketing coalition.
4.
Local recycling agencies should consider the experience
of other communities and decide whether mandatory recycling would be
beneficial.
Response:
Santa Cruz City Council AGREES.
The
recommendation has already been implemented. At this time, the City of Santa
Cruz does not consider the costs of enforcement of mandatory recycling to be
worth any diversion gain it might garner, since our recycling rates continue to
increase without it. We will reevaluate at such time as our diversion
flatlines, and will look at our waste composition at that time to see what
action is warranted to continue toward a zero-waste goal.
Response: Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors CANNOT RESPOND.
The recommendation requires further
analysis.
The County
regularly evaluates recycling and waste management programs in communities
across the U.S, Asia and Europe for new and innovative ideas. Many of our
current programs are modeled after other successful programs we have evaluated.
Mandatory collection has been demonstrated to improve participation and waste
diversion. This recommendation will be analyzed as part of the renewal process
for the collection franchise with Waste Management in the spring of 2005.
Response: City of Watsonville CANNOT
RESPOND.
This
recommendation has not yet been implemented. Watsonville is researching
mandatory recycling at this time.
5.
Cardboard and office paper are the focus when landfills
ban commercial waste. These are high dollar items for re-sale. To enforce these
bans, landfill operators should:
·
Refuse loads of cardboard and office paper.
·
Impose fines on haulers of cardboard and office paper.
·
Track down offending customers and fine them.
·
Place a significant amount of responsibility on haulers
to force customers
to comply.
Response:
Santa Cruz City Council DISAGREES.
The
recommendation will not be implemented. Our Resource Recovery Facility staff
currently checks loads at the gate, at the public tipping area, and at the
landfill face, and if large amounts of any type of recyclable material are
seen, they are directed to the appropriate off-loading area to try to capture
those materials. Our collection and public education staff also contact
customers and encourage them to use recycling containers for cardboard, paper,
or containers when a large amount of those items are seen in the refuse
containers. Our refuse rate structure encourages reduction in garbage volumes,
and recycling containers and collection is included for no extra charge. At
this time, we do not feel that the additional staff time and costs of a
landfill ban on cardboard and paper are warranted.
Response:
Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors PARTIALLY AGREES.
The recommendation has not yet been
implemented.
The Department of
Public Works will be proposing future ordinance changes for Board consideration that
would ban specific recyclable items from the landfill and propose provisions
for enforcement. Potential items to be considered for bans include cardboard,
yardwaste, woodwaste, scrap metal, and concrete. The department anticipates
preparation of proposed ordinance changes will occur in spring 2005, after all
the upgrades and improvements to our recycling and public service facilities
are completed.
Response: City of Watsonville PARTIALLY
AGREES.
This has been
partially implemented. The City owns and operates the solid waste collection
franchise and the city landfill. As such, the City is able to control the
collection and disposal of these two materials. City garbage truck drivers
deliver any drop box bearing more than 50% recyclable material (including
cardboard and paper) to the City Materials Recovery Facility for sorting.
The City encourages diversion
of recyclable materials by collecting them at no cost. In general, this arrangement has worked very
well, as is evident from the City’s
very impressive 72% diversion rates for 2001 and 2002.
Occasionally, the City has had
to use fines to correct chronic contamination problems in cardboard containers.
The city has issued fines as high as $565 per container for contamination of
cardboard with trash.
6.
The City of Santa Cruz Public Works
Department and in particular the Waste Reduction Coordinator should be
commended for its excellent work in public awareness through its publications
and media coverage. It should be commended for winning the 2004 Award of
Excellence in Writing for the statewide competition conducted by the California
Public Information Officials (CAPIO).
Response:
Santa Cruz City Council AGREES.
The
recommendation has already been implemented.
7.
The Valley Women’s Club should be commended for using
recycling revenues to finance its charitable services to the community.
Response:
Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors AGREES.
The Board of
Supervisors shares the Grand Jury’s appreciation of the Valley Women’s Club’s use of recycling
revenues to fund its charitable services to the community.
8.
The California Grey Bears should be commended for its
service to the seniors of Santa Cruz County and for using recycling as one
means to raise money.
Response: Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors AGREES.
The Board of
Supervisors shares the Grand Jury’s appreciation of the California Grey Bears for their service to
seniors and for their recycling efforts.
9.
The County of Santa Cruz should be commended for
exceeding the state mandate of 50 percent solid waste diversion in 2001.
Response:
Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors
The Board of Supervisors appreciates the Grand
Jury’s acknowledgement of the efforts of the Department of Public Works and the
residents of Santa Cruz County to meet this mandate.
Entity
|
Findings
|
Recommendations
|
Respond Within
|
|
Santa Cruz City Council |
2 - 6 |
90 days (September 30, 2004) |
|
|
Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors |
1 - 3, 5 - 7, 9 - 15, 17 - 20, 22 - 31 |
1 - 5, 7 - 9 |
90 days (September 30, 2004) |
|
Watsonville City Council |
1 - 3, 6, 8, 9, 15 - 17, 19, 20, 23, 25, 27 - 31 |
2 - 5 |
90 days (September 30, 2004) |
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