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Best Practicesin

Single Stream Recycling Susan Kinsella & Richard Gertman

Conservatree Environmental Planning Consultants

CRRA Conference Workshop

August 2006

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What is Best Practices?

Recover wasted resources Recover manufacturing feedstocks Achieve

‘Highest and Best’ Use Make sure changes work for the whole recycling system

Best Practices Manual & Guidehttp://www.conservatree.org/learn/SolidWaste/bestpractices.shtml

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Special Thanks

California Department of ConservationAmerican Forest and Paper Association

American Plastics Council Forest Products Association of Canada

Glass Packaging InstituteAlameda County Stopwaste.org

Sonoma Co Waste Management AgencyGreenWaste Recovery, Inc.

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Single Stream

Has the potential to increase recycling by residents

Has the potential to increase supply to recycled product manufacturers

But it has to be done right!

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Closing the Loop!

1) Collect recyclables2) Process into commodities3) Manufacture new products4) Purchasers buy recycled

products5) Consumers put recyclables

out for collection

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The Collection Industry Moved Ahead!

The Rest of Us Are Playing Catch Up!

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Implementing Single Stream

Savings in collection and worker injury costsHigher processing costsHigher cost for new collection and processing equipmentHigher manufacturing costs when processing not done rightOverall not much change, but more recyclables collected

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Types of Single Stream Programs

Fully automated carts, semi-automated carts, manual bins or totesCollect only paper and containersCollect paper onlyDo not collect glassCollect glass separatelyCollect additional material types

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Cost Difference: Single Stream vs. Dual Stream

Collection - saves $10-20/ton Processing - increases $5-15/ton Paper Production - increases $5-13/ton Average systemwide - increases $3/ton

Source: American Forest & Paper Assn./Jaakko Poyry/ SERA 2004

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AT INDIVIDUAL PAPER MILLS

8x the yield loss at pulper (2% 16%)$2 million/year to replace non-fiber materials received in paper4 times increase in annual maintenance costs to repair damageProblems vary by type of paper mill

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Paper Mill ContaminantsCan, Glass and Plastic Industry Loss

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Re-Thinking Wastes

Recycling is a Resource Management System

Recyclables are resources, not diverted wastesGarbage is the residue of a resource based economy

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Program Elements

Request the services that achieve the program goalsConsult with recycled product manufacturersGet the best price for the services requestedDon’t put savings before performance – do your police drive the Ford Focus?

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Best Practice

GOALS: conserve resources and produce quality

manufacturing feedstocks

The economics of the system should serve, not determine, the

goals

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Best Practice

Promote your program, early and often!

Hire a professional promotions firm, not a

garbage collector

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Program Promotion

Tell the publicWhat to RecycleWhat not to recycleHow to prepare recyclablesWhy to recycleWhat happens to the recyclables

Target your messagesNo one message fits all

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Tell your residents

How well the program is workingTruth in Advertising – is it really being recycled?Provide ‘instant feedback’ to residents

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Best Practice

Require processors to get feedback about materials quality from

the manufacturers who buy your recyclables, and share it with your

program

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Best Practice

“Collection” is not the same as

“Recycling”

Recycling includes processing and making new products!

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Best Practice

“Diversion” is not the same as

“Recycling”

Recycling includes making new products from the recovered materials!

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Best Practice

Make sure processing system can take apart what collection put together

Ensure that marketed materials meet manufacturers specifications [ISRI Specs]Produce quality feedstock materials to maximize revenues

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Who is in charge?

City, County, Authority or State Hauler Processor Manufacturer Resident

Local government controls the curbside recycling program

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It’s a Balancing Act

Diversion or Commodities ‘Collect It All’ or

‘Only Marketable Materials’ Highly sorted or mixed

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It’s a Balancing Act

More Equipment or More Labor Capital Cost or Operating

Costs

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Cart Collection

Higher recovery rates are from Higher participation Collecting more material types The large wheeled cart

Relative size of garbage carts and recycling carts is a factor

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Convenience (for whom?)

It’s easier to: Throw it all in together Wheel the cart to the curb Collect the cart contents Promote the program

But it’s not as easy for the processor or the manufacturer

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Contracting

Specify the services you want to receiveSpecify what happens if it is not done ‘right’?Offer incentives as rewards for cleaner recyclables

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Collection

One truck or twofor garbage and recyclables Size of compartmentsNumber of Loads per day [60:40]Compaction ratesMonitoring set-out qualityMirrors and cameras

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Collectors

Driver training is essential Are accountable for what is collectedAre the point of contact with your residents

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Automated Collection

Larger container = higher recovery rateEasier to store recyclablesEasier to get to the curbReduced worker injury & costsLess litter on windy daysKeeps the paper dryFewer setouts increases efficiency

Don’t wait, automate now !

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What about Glass?

Bottles are not the problem, Broken glass is!Glass is broken during processing Change to low-impact processing – separate the glass before it breaks

allows removal of contaminants allows color sorting of bottles

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PET and HDPE

PET and HDPE recovery is higher if all plastic containers are

collected than if only PET and HDPE are

collected

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Plastic Bags

If you are going to collect film plastics,

ask residents to ‘bag-your-bags’ to keep them clean,

and so you can separate them from the paper

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Processing & Quality

Tons per day received v. processing equipment capacity.If equipment is rated at 25 TPH,the optimum rate is really 20 TPH,but facility is probably run at 30 TPHBalance higher per ton cost of sorting with added market value.Don’t skimp on staffing

Don’t overload the system !

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Processing Operations

Receive only what you can separatePlan on receiving materials you don’t wantProcess in sequence to produce qualityMeter flow of materials to minimize process line burden depthEliminate material surgesDon’t make a big storage pile, it degrades recyclables

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Processing Variables

Design to process the number of streams of materials your facility will receive - single stream and dual stream- residential and commercial

Plan for future growth Prepare for seasonal population changesBe ready for future changes in the markets for your recovered materials

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Market Focus

‘It’s Good Enough’ is not good enough!

Don’t sort materials just enough to be sold!

Do sort materials into high quality

feedstocks for manufacturing!

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Market Compatibility

Types of materials collectedTargeted RecyclablesUnwanted RecyclablesUnwanted WastesProblem Materials

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Sampling

Sample collected materials to identify contaminants

Sample processed recyclables to make sure you are shipping the right material to the right buyer

Sample the residue to make sure you are not discarding recyclables

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Contaminants & Residue

Minimize non-recyclable materials received

Design processing system to minimize degradation of recyclables

Minimize recyclables disposed Send the right recyclables to the right market

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Processing Contract

Focus on what happens to the collected materials

Identify processing steps taken to avoid degrading materials

Maintain quality of shipped product

Allowable residue rates should not include contaminants collected

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Reporting

To track how well the program is workingTo know whether the program goals are being reached

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5 Key Elements

Write a good contractKeep residents happyRecover resources for reuseAllow Contractors to make a good profitMaximize efficiency of the whole system

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Recycling is a collaborative system

and all of the pieces must fit together

to

‘Close the Loop’

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Richard GertmanEnvironmental Planning ConsultantsA Green Business

1885 The Alameda, Suite 120San Jose, CA 95126-1732408-249-0691

richard@environplan.com

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Susan KinsellaExecutive Director

100 Second Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94118 • 415-516-6526 • www.conservatree.org