ORGANICS RECYCLING COMPLIANCE/NON- COMPLIANCE DECEMBER 6, 2017 - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

ORGANICS RECYCLING COMPLIANCE/NON- COMPLIANCE

DECEMBER 6, 2017

Leslie Lukacs

Policy Drivers

• AB 939 -50% diversion requirement on jurisdictions
• AB 341 - 75% statewide by 2020
• AB 32 - ARB Scoping Plan –Reduce GHGs to 1990 levels
• AB 1594 - ADC ≠ recycling after 1/1/20
• SB 1383 – Short lived climate pollutants
• AB 1826 - Mandatory commercial organics recycling
• AB 876 - 15-year planning horizon for organics

capacity

AB 1826 – Organics Disposal Requirements

• Jan 2016: Jurisdictions required to implement program to divert organics

generated by businesses

• April 2016: Businesses generating 8 CY organics/week require organic waste

recycling & Multifamily complexes must divert greenwaste

• Jan 2017 : 4 CY/week of organics
• Jan 2019: 4 CY/week of solid waste
• 2020 trigger: Reduce to 2 CY of waste if statewide organics disposal not cut in

half

• CalRecycle to review jurisdictions’ programs
• CalRecycle to recommend actions re: state’s organic recycling infrastructure

AB 1876 City and County Requirements

• Implement: organics management

program

• Identify: businesses with Jan. 2019

threshold

• Conduct: annual education and
• utreach
• Implement: annual monitoring

activities

• Report Aug 2017 –Annual Reports
• n education/outreach/monitoring

• Jurisdiction

 Lack of infrastructure  Cost for infrastructure  Permitting facilities  Current hauling

contracts

• Business

 Space constraints  Cost to businesses  Ick Factor

Challenges

OR

Carrot or Stick?

OR

CalRecycle AB 1826 Enforcement

• Calrecycle review of jurisdictions
• AB 341 Compliance
• March 2017 –30 referred for potential compliance orders due to

non-compliance with Mandatory Commercial Recycling

• Review period was 2012-15, so too early for Mandatory

Commercial Organics Recycling review

AB 1876: Expect Anytime Review

AB 1826 Status

• Assume implementation of organics programs
• April 2016: Businesses generating 8 CY
• rganics/week require organic waste recycling
• Jan 2017 : 4 CY/week of organics
• Determine which businesses fall under Jan 2019,

2 cubic yard waste disposal threshold

• Site visits to large food generators to encourage

food donation

Green Waste Recycling for Businesses: Assistance Guide

RECYCLESMART

Who is RecycleSmart?

• Northern California / East Bay
• Central Contra Costa Solid Waste Authority
• Comprised of 6 municipalities
• 5 staff
• 12 board members (2 from each city)

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Mission: To developing and delivering high quality, cost effective solid waste reduction, recycling, and refuse programs that provide and promote sustainability in our communities.

RecycleSmart Project

Determined Organics Generators Targeted highest organics generators and 200 restaurants that:

• Need additional education and outreach to reduce

food bin contamination;

• Had food waste recycling service but was not

participating;

• Had larger containers and weekly service volumes

than businesses with smaller containers and lower volumes of material; and

• Republic Services assessed as needing technical

assistance.

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Purpose To reduce contamination in food scraps that are taken to a wet anaerobic digester.

Step 1

Site visit to 200 restaurants

• Confirmed service levels
• Performed visual audit
• Provided outreach and training to support

successful food waste recycling. Evaluation System

• Pass equaled less than 10% contamination
• Marginal equaled a 10%-20% contamination
• Fail equaled over 20% contamination

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Step 2

Technical assistance to 82 restaurants

• Under-performing
• Not performing
• High contamination rates

Goal of visit

• Increase food diversion
• Educate businesses on food waste recycling

services

• Improve participation of business
• Business transition from failing to passing

grade

• Initiated food service to 21 restaurants

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Targeted

• Poor performing with

greatest potential to divert food

• Highest volume of food

and least likelihood of contamination

• Eager to improve efforts
• Commercial areas where

the density of food generative business were the greatest

Data Collected

• Baseline waste assessment
• Grading contamination level in

food bin

• Rate incentive opportunities
• Level of participation
• Staff knowledge of food waste

program

• Necessary steps to increase food

waste recycling program

• New food service added
• Signage needs
• Compliance with AB 1826
• Next steps

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Results

• 52businesses (65%) went from failing to passing
• 21 businesses (26%) went from failing to marginal
• 91% of businesses visited improved their contamination levels
• 27% received internal food waste containers
• 95% received new signage and stickers
• 29% received food waste, recycling and trash service changes
• 7 restaurants failed final grading process

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Best Practices

• Continual technical assistance
• Employee education via bilingual training
• Posters, stickers and properly paired color coded

containers

• Management support
• Follow up monitoring and training
• Clean bins and re-sticker
• No trash containers in kitchen
• Front of house post-sort

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AB 876- 15-year Planning for Organics Capacity

• Estimate amount of organic waste (CY) generated over a 15-year period in

county

• Inclusion in annual report (commenced August 1, 2017)
• Estimate additional organic waste facility capacity (CY) needed to process that

amount of organic waste

• Identify new or expanded organic waste recycling facilities

Cities and counties must plan for organics processing facilities to divert organics from landfills

Composting Processing Capacity and Organics Material Diversion Study

Organics Study Tasks

• Current and projected organic materials generated
• Quantities and types of organic materials processed by

existing facilities

• Organic processing facility expansions
• Additional composting capacity
• On-site processing technologies
• Existing organic materials backhauling operations
• Food waste reduction activities

Questionnaire of 11 Organic Processing Facilities in Santa Clara County

KEY FINDINGS

Organic Processing Facilities & Expansions

• Unused permitted capacity however facilities say they running

close to through-put capacity

• All anticipated increased quantities of compostables
• 4 of the 11 facilities are planning to modify their facilities

Organic Processing Facilities Outside County

• 108 facilities located outside of Santa Clara County

were identified

• 62 facilities do not have available capacity
• 46 facilities have some capacity available for organic

materials – amount unknown

Facility Types by County Outside Santa Clara County

Current and Projected Organic Materials Generated

Based on:

• Population growth
• Commercial vs residential
• CalRecycle 2014 WCS
• Material type/feedstock

Projected Annual Organics Tons by Generator

Comparison of Commercial and Residential Organics Disposed and Diverted

Organics Material Generated

Current and Projected Organic Materials Generated

• 657,000 tons of organic materials generated in 2015
• 416,000 tons (63%) were diverted
• 241,000 (37%) tons were disposed
• 772,100 tons of organics material projected in 15 years
• 117,000 additional tons annually

Organics Material Projected

Projected at 117,000 additional tons over 15 years 241,000 tons of organics disposed = 358,000 tons need organics processing Unknown amount of out of County organics material

Additional Composting Research

Backyard composting, composting at parks, schools, golf courses, and stables

• 14,915 tons per year of food scraps are estimated to be

composted in backyards (based on Palo Alto study)

• School onsite composting – composting activities were unknown
• 253 parks in County, most cities reported composting,

grasscycling or hauler collecting organic material

• Golf courses – composting activities were unknown
• Horse stables – composting activities were unknown

On-Site Processing Technologies

Mini-aerobic systems Bio-digesters Dehydrators

Backhauling Operations

• CalRecycle waste characterization data
• City survey information
• Hauler information

Food Waste Reduction Activities

• Food rescue activities:
• Some food rescue activity in most cities
• 7 food rescue organizations
• Grant to Joint Venture Silicon Valley and talent

partnership

• Three-year tiered plan of action to develop a

regional framework that matches surplus food to authorized agencies

RECOMMENDATIONS

Recommendations-Organic Materials

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• Monitor and track the quantity of organics generated
• Communicate with local and regional organics processors

regarding future plans

• Establish a collaborative process for hauling and/or processing

contracts to facilitate advance planning for collection and facilities

• Work with CalRecycle to obtain information on facility permitting

and expansion plans and proposals

• Monitor and track grant opportunities

Recommendations-Organic Materials

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• Consider implementing a local organics landfill disposal ban
• Implement enforcement measures to reduce the quantity of
• rganic materials placed in waste receptacles
• Create incentives to support the transition to native

landscaping that reduces organic waste

• Develop outreach campaigns to encourage native

landscaping, grasscycling, backyard composting, and correct food purchasing

• Conduct kitchen audits to measure the quantity of waste

generated from the residential sector.

AB 1826, AB 876, AB 1383 In a nutshell…

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• Be Proactive (Waiting is Worse)
• Assess Current Materials Management System
• Put a Short Term / Long Term Plan in Place
• Be Innovative, Creative and Flexible on Plans
• Provide Outreach to Businesses and MFDs
• Every City and Program is Unique
• Provide Plans and Reports to CalRecycle

Thank You

Leslie Lukacs SCS ENGINEERS llukacs@scsengneers.com (707) 484-0441