TOP 10 LIST FOR A SUCCESSFUL & COST EFFECTIVE IWM PLAN

Transcription

1 TOP 10 LIST FOR A SUCCESSFUL & COST EFFECTIVE IWM PLAN Kirstin Castro-Wunsch, P.Eng., CEO Senior Waste Reduction Specialist E: kirstin@cleanitgreenit.net P: National Compost Conference September 16-18, 2015, Gatineau, Québec

2 Outline Who we are Background Top 10 list Summary Questions & Answers

3 Who we are Advanced Enviro Engineering Ltd. (AE) APEGA permitted environmental engineering firm specializing in: Integrated Waste Management Composting and Waste Diversion Systems Public Communication Programs Environmental Site Assessment (Phase I, II, III) Site remediation Soil and Water Testing Services

4 Our Sister Company Cleanit Greenit Composting System Inc. (CG) Provides organic recycling services to ICI & municipal sector Produces grade A landscape products trademarked

5 Mission and Vision AE is committed to: Mission Developing successful and sustainable solutions for business and the environment. Maintaining business and personal integrity. Providing service excellence. Vision We create success for business and environment. Our success comes from protecting the environment that provides us with the resources to do business.

6 Background 25 yrs in design & delivery of waste management programs & communication strategies for municipalities/institutions in AB AE is UNIQUE for its Zero Waste Approach Wasted Resources= Potential Revenue AE has developed specialized tools to achieve 80% + diversion (at same cost as landfilling that same material)

7 Top 10 List 1. Conduct an IWM Study DO A SURVEY Do a waste sort Review Current System 2. Without goals you can t score- Set a goal 3. You don t know your costs 4. Carts are here to stay (type, collection frequency, carts limits) 5. Organics & Yuck! factor 6. Seasonality 7. I mean Grasscycling (not bike cycling) 8. Incentives 9. Bans 10. Public Communication DO A SURVEY!!!!

8 1. IWM Study If you haven t done an IWM study by an independent consultant in the last 3 to 5 yrs just do it Make decisions supported by residents and save $$$ Do IWM study first before you go out for collection tender Don t ask the hauler to do the integrated plan This will cost you & you won t know what you re paying for!

9 Survey Ask what residents want Ask opinion on existing system components. AE has found nothing is taboo! Excellent communication tool to educate residents on current system Critical to ask residents what they want to pay! The path is clear why throw stones before you! Survey is the single biggest thing you can do to guarantee your success!

10 Survey Format designed in a questionnaire form questions are based on consultants experience & input from municipality distributed to households by mail (or utility bill) and online (webpage) conducted to a high confidence interval (approximately 95% ± 5) Survey Removes Assumptions!

11 Survey Sample Question #: How much waste do you think the City should attempt to divert from landfill in the next five years? None 20% 40% 50% 80% City could successfully set a target of 50% diversion rate in the next 5 years

12 Waste Sort This is the Organics stream- even the mayor doesn t recognize it! Recycling stream?

13 Waste Sort Do a waste sort of the different streams (recyclable, organics & garbage) Don t worry about stats, sample size and number Go out for a day, look in the bins and in some trucks This always gives specific data to communicate to residents e.g. you need a pizza box recycling program

14 2. Set Goals Without a goal you can t score!

15 3. Know Your Current System Cost Real cost of waste is hidden in many department budgets. Often staff do not know the real cost A good example is communication cost, often hidden in marketing budget (different department) No one knows what is actually being spent and how much waste it is diverted

16 4. Carts Are Here To Stay Carts are here to stay. They work! Over ½ the households in Canada use carts (waste, recyclable, organics, or all three) They are neat, tidy, and set a limit on waste!

17 Cart System Implementation & Cart type Evaluation Some carts are better suited to winter collection e.g. round bottoms (easier to clean, no freezing (common organic cart complaints) Thinner Width (takes less space in storage) Quiet lids & quiet wheels (less annoying & safer) Conventional Cart Residues remain in corners Cart with spherical bottom Residue-free dumping

18 Cart System Implementation & Evaluation Cart size- One size is not for all Think about seniors Avid waste reducers Tight cul de sacs Collection Options Pros & Cons Fully-automated collection Semi-automated collection User Pay Systems/Volume limits Radio Frequency Identification Device (RFID) Collection Frequency- Huge Program Cost Impact Reduce organics collection frequency during winter time. Have organics collection throughout the year. Reduce garbage collection frequency.

19 Cart System Implementation & Evaluation How often should the City collect waste? Weekly Every 2 weeks Other Garbage Recycling Organics Comments:

20 5. Organics and Yuck Factor 40 to 60 % of the waste stream is organics compared to 30% recyclables (metals + plastic + glass) Composition of waste to landfill

21 Organics and Yuck Factor Organics diversion has to be part of the solution Has the potential to be most cost effective because of the sheer large volume/weight Don t underestimate the Yuck Factor. The Yuck Factor is what causes odour! Be humble in your planning and open yourself to advice.

22 Organics and Yuck Factor Conflict blows in with the smell of compost By Paige Parsons, Edmonton Journal August 17, 2015

23 Organics and Yuck Factor We are NOT yet that smart! 50% of all compost systems end up closed (small one, big ones, expensive ones, good ones, fancy ones, well located ones DOESN T MATTER! The story never changes! The good news is we are learning, we are getting better DO NOT UNDERSTIMATE ODOUR!

24 6. Seasonality Collect organics less frequently in winter. Organics freeze and don t smell in winter. Use your Canadian advantage.

25 7. Grasscycling In the world we have large lots & lots of grass e.g. AB generates 60% of annual waste stream in May (it s mostly grass). Consider banning grass from landfill grasscycle. This is a bylaw change. Cheap. No municipality has done it. WHY? Try it!!

26 8. Bans Bans are not bad Start with the easiest You probably have already done it! Bottle, cardboard, newspaper, plastic bags Phase it in with a lot of communication

27 Bans Landfill Ban Results Country/state Waste to landfill before the ban(s) Waste to landfill after the ban(s) Time between measurements (years) Austria 29% 4% 7 Belgium Flanders 25% 3% 10 Germany 27% 1% 6 Netherlands 35% 10% 11 Sweden 23% 4% 6 Massachusetts 25% 22% 2 Results of diversion are from the Green Alliance report for Defra (2009) Percentage of waste going to landfill before and after landfill bans A graphical representation of the results of diversion from the Green Alliance report for Defra (2009)

28 9. Incentives Coupons Thank you for recycling! Pay as you throw Rewards

29 10. Public Communication AE found for every 70K spent = 5 to 10 % more diversion Inform residents about services Share your goals & commitments with residents School programs (target students from grade one to six) Introduce social pressure Acknowledge e.g. mayor letter Use social marketing strategies

30 Public Communication

31 SURVEY PLEASE DO A SURVEY!

32 FREE Municipal Solid Waste Webinar Series For the past 25 years, Advanced Enviro Engineering Ltd. has developed specialized tools to achieve 80% + diversion, even in small communities. The webinar series will review a cost effective approach as well as explain a specificallydesigned planning tool to enable the development of a go-forward implementation plan; and provide the essentials in the development of successful, cost-effective waste reduction strategy. 1. Top 10 List For A Successful And Cost Effective Integrated Waste Management Plan October 8, :00 AM MT 2. How To Get Off Landfill And Divert Over 80% of Your Construction & Demolition Waste October 15, :00 AM MT 3. WASTE CARTS WHAT WORKS AND WHY October 22, :00 AM 4. WASTE SORT- AN ALTERNATIVE FEEDBACK FROM RESIDENTS - October 29, :00 AM MT 5. ENVIRONMENTAL SITE ASSESSMENT WHAT S NEW November 5, :00 AM MT

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34 Thank You! Kirstin Castro-Wunsch, P.Eng., CEO Senior Waste Reduction Engineer E: P: