RDOS BOARD STAFF REPORT June 21, 2001

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1 RDOS BOARD STAFF REPORT June 21, 2001 DATE: June 19, 2001 FILE NO.: FROM: RE: OBJECT: David Duckworth, Public Works Manager Gypsum Recycling at the Campbell Mountain Landfill To advise the Board of a gypsum drywall recycling pilot project at the Campbell Mountain Landfill. ADMINISTRATOR S COMMENT: RECOMMENDED MOTION THAT the Board receive this report for information; and, THAT the Board forward a letter to the District of Summerland, the Town of Osoyoos, and the Town of Princeton to seek their co-operation to impose gypsum drywall disposal bans at their landfill sites in the year POLICY N/A HISTORICAL OVERVIEW Background In 1997, the Corporate Board approved the Regional Solid Waste Management Plan (RSWMP). The RSWMP endorses the maximum practical use of all existing landfills within the Regional District and emphasizes waste reduction, reuse and recycling in order to achieve a 50% waste diversion from all landfills within the Regional District.

2 One component of the RSWMP is the implementation of material bans at all landfills within the Regional District. Materials that should be banned from our landfills include Special Wastes, as defined by provincial and federal policies, and various wastes that have sustainable, alternative waste management alternatives (e.g., recycling or composting). Gypsum Drywall Recycling Proposal Last year, staff received an unsolicited proposal to recycle gypsum drywall at all various landfill sites throughout the Regional District. Briefly, the proposal includes the following highlights: Establish a main gypsum drywall recycling depot at the Campbell Mountain landfill. This includes the construction of a storage area where all gypsum drywall would be delivered and stored for delivery to New West Gypsum Recycling in Langley, B.C. ; Establish satellite gypsum drywall recycling depot (i.e., small bins) at the Oliver, Osoyoos, and Summerland landfills; Gypsum collected at all satellite depots would be transported to the Campbell Mountain gypsum drywall depot for bulk storage and transportation; Implement gypsum drywall disposal bans at all landfill sites; Implement gypsum tipping fees in the order of $130 to $150/tonne. This proposal was forwarded to each of the three Regional District solid waste committees for consideration. Upon review, each committee resolved to defer consideration of this proposal to a later date. Penticton & District Solid Waste Committee On February 16, 2001, the committee instructed staff to issue a request for proposals for gypsum drywall recycling at the Campbell Mountain landfill. This work is included in the 2001 Campbell Mountain landfill work plan. Unfortunately, due to other work commitments, staff is not able to issue a request for proposals in a timely manner. As a result, on May 31, 2001, the committee resolved the following: To implement a gypsum recycling pilot project at the Campbell Mountain Landfill, subject to a staff report by the Public Works Manager, David Duckworth, at June 21, 2001 Corporate Board. This report discusses a proposed six-month (i.e., July December) gypsum drywall recycling pilot project at the Campbell Mountain landfill. LEGAL CONSIDERATIONS N/A FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS The costs associated with this pilot project will be funded from the Campbell Mountain landfill operating budget. Excluding staffing and administration costs, staff estimates the pilot project will cost roughly $10,000. 2

3 STAFFING CONSIDERATIONS The Public Works Manager will be responsible for overseeing the implementation of the gypsum drywall pilot project. This is expected to take roughly 7 hours. The Works Technician will be responsible for: implementing the operational requirements at the landfill making arrangements to transport the collected gypsum to Alpine Disposal in Kelowna for recycling This is expected to take roughly 40 hours for the duration of the six-month pilot project. The Solid Waste Management Coordinator will be responsible for: educating key stakeholders (e.g., construction associations) and the public advising the District of Summerland, the Town of Osoyoos, and the Town of Princeton of the pilot project and seeking their participation This is expected to roughly 35 hours for the duration of the six-month pilot project. AGENCY COMMENTS None. DISCUSSION Background Over 1.5 billion tons of drywall are produced in North America annually. It is estimated that the construction of a single-family residence generates one pound of scrap per square foot of floor area, or about one ton per house. Gypsum drywall is the second most common component of the construction waste stream, especially for new residential construction. Gypsum represents roughly 15% of the waste from construction sites. Between 6 to 9% of all gypsum used during construction becomes waste. This gypsum drywall waste typically finds its way into our local landfills. Large volumes of gypsum, when mixed with other garbage and moisture, gives off hydrogen sulphide gas, which has a very strong odour and, in concentrated forms, is toxic. Additionally, when exposed to moisture, gypsum can produce sulphide, which could leach into and contaminate ground water. For these reasons, the GVRD banned the disposal of gypsum at all their landfill sites in Compared with all other waste types, gypsum drywall typically represents about 1% of the total waste stream. This means that landfills within the Regional District collectively receive roughly 750 tonnes of recyclable gypsum drywall each year. 3

4 The Gypsum Recycling Process The process separates the wallboard into gypsum powder and paper flakes. The recyclable gypsum is trucked back to drywall manufacturers, where it is mixed with virgin rock to make new wallboard. This product accounts for % of the feedstock for the mills. The recyclable paper, in the form of noodle pulp, is returned to paper companies where it is mixed with virgin pulp to make new paper products such as wallboard backing. Ferrous materials, such as screws, nails, edging and metal studs, are removed in a secondary process along with other drywall-related materials. These materials are recycled to metal dealers where possible. Gypsum Drywall Recycling Costs The cost to recycle gypsum drywall is not cheap. In the Okanagan, these costs are expected to be in the order of $130 to $150/tonne ($0.13 to $0.15/kg). This cost can be roughly be broken down as follows: $75 per tonne tipping fee at New West Gypsum (current price) $25 to $35 per tonne transportation to New West Gypsum $30 to $40 per tonne handling and administration costs at the landfill site For example, the City of Kelowna currently charges $145/tonne for recyclable gypsum drywall. In contrast, the City of Vancouver currently charges $100/tonne. However, the City of Vancouver s transportation costs are much lower, as they are located within close proximity of the New West Gypsum Recycling plant. Gypsum Drywall Recycling Pilot Project The following gypsum drywall materials will be considered acceptable for recycling in the pilot project. Acceptable new board old board drywall screws drywall nails Unacceptable mixed loads vinyl board lead based paint any contamination (corner bead, wire, electrical outlets, etc.) Unacceptable, or unrecyclable, gypsum drywall will continue to be deposited in the landfill. The gate attendant and landfill contractor will be responsible for determining whether or not gypsum drywall is recyclable or unrecyclable. 4

5 Additional details of the pilot project include: educating all landfill customers to separate recyclable gypsum from other refuse materials diverting all recyclable gypsum to a separate storage container for gypsum only implementing a base tipping fee of $43/tonne ($0.043/kg) for separated gypsum and a mixed load tipping fee of $86/tonne ($0.086/kg) (Note: the base and mixed load disposal fees will have to increase to roughly $150/tonne ($0.15/kg) and $225/tonne ($0.225.kg), respectively, once a gypsum recycling program is fully implemented at the Campbell Mountain Landfill.) transporting all recyclable gypsum to Alpine Disposal in Kelowna for bulk transport to New West Gypsum Recycling. advising various stakeholders (e.g., Canadian Home Builders Association) of the pilot project and future gypsum disposal ban advising the Town of Osoyoos, District of Summerland, and the Town of Princeton of the pilot project and any opportunities to co-operatively divert gypsum from our landfill sites Public Education and Financial Incentives Many jurisdictions have taken various approaches to encourage recycling of various materials. Successful approaches include public education and financial incentives. The Campbell Mountain Landfill gypsum drywall recycling pilot project will include an education program and financial incentives to separate recyclable gypsum drywall. Participation at other Landfills Due to the high cost of recycling gypsum drywall, the success of a long-term program to recycle gypsum drywall at the Campbell Mountain landfill will be dependent on whether or not neighbouring landfills implement similar gypsum drywall recycling programs. Otherwise, recyclable gypsum drywall will be diverted to those landfill sites that still accept recyclable gypsum drywall for disposal at lesser charge. For example, if the District of Summerland does not ban gypsum drywall from its landfill, much of the gypsum drywall that is generated in the Campbell Mountain landfill service area will likely be diverted to the Summerland landfill. David Duckworth Public Works Manager DRSD/sje 5