CCCSWA BOARD OF DIRECTORS ASHLEY LOUISIANA, ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT

Transcription

1 Agenda Report TO: FROM: CCCSWA BOARD OF DIRECTORS ASHLEY LOUISIANA, ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT DATE: MAY 28, 2015 SUBJECT: SUMMARY 2014 HOME COMPOSTING FOR BUSY PEOPLE PROGRAM ANNUAL REPORT The Home Composting for Busy People! Program has served Central Contra Costa County communities with home composting instruction and assistance since 1995 (partial pilot year in 1994). The program promotes backyard composting and other yard and food waste reduction and reuse practices. Additionally, the program assists local communities to meet State-mandated AB 939 waste reduction goals, and reduces greenhouse gas emissions at local landfills. The program serves an additional important function; it is a true source-reduction program (activities designed to reduce the volume of waste generated or the reuse of resources). The organic material stays at the source, not having to be hauled away for processing. Source reduction is considered the highest tier in the waste reduction hierarchy and most preferable approach. For this reason, the program is especially critical during annual reporting to CalRecycle. This report describes how the Home Composting for Busy People! Program performed in 2014 to expand small-scale home composting in the RecycleSmart service area. Program Participation in residents participated in 19 home composting workshops. 127 Soilsaver backyard compost bins were purchased. 1,485 residents are a Certified Home Composter. 1,163 tons of organic material potentially diverted from local landfills (see pg. 4-5). RECOMMENDED ACTION 1. Receive report and approve $60,000 program budget to be included in the Fiscal Year 2016 Diversion Incentive Fund Budget. Page 1 of 5

2 DISCUSSION 2015 marks the 20 th Year Anniversary that the Home Composting for Busy People! Program has operated successfully to provide residents with composting resources. The program consists of five components: 1. Composting information hotline 2. Free and low-cost workshops 3. Low-cost compost bins 4. Home Composter Certification, with accompanying rate reduction through Republic Services 5. Outreach The program operates so that all components work together to provide a balanced menu of instruction, support services and incentives for residents to expand the practice of home composting and increase diversion of organic material from going to local landfills. Composting Information Hotline x306 RecycleSmart provides residents with support through the Composting Information Hotline. The information line is available during office hours and is dedicated to the program. Participants at home composting workshops are encouraged to use the hotline as a resource when questions arise at home. The hotline is advertised through workshops, community events, the RecycleSmart website, social media and other online and print venues. Workshop Participation In 2014, 331 residents attended 19 home composting workshops. Since 2007, RecycleSmart has contracted with two individuals to instruct the home composting workshops. In 2014, staff opened those contracts to the public requesting qualified applicants. As of March 6, 2015, RecycleSmart now contracts with three individuals; Billi Haug, Lorraine Frey and Marian Woodard. All contractors are Contra Costa County Certified Master Gardeners with decades of experience in several public speaking, composting, gardening and sustainable living practices. RecycleSmart continues to partner with local community gardens including, the Contra Costa Master Gardeners Our Garden in Walnut Creek (where participation is estimated at 100 residents per workshop), the Lafayette Community Garden, Moraga Gardens Farm and the Bounty Garden in Danville. Being on-site at a community garden with an active composting system provides a better workshop experience, and these groups provide sustainable promotion of their programs. Home composting workshops are also hosted at public buildings, such as; community centers and libraries. RecycleSmart is now offering neighborhood workshops, where an instructor will go into a backyard within the service area, by request from a resident, if there are 10+ residents participating. Staff has the ability to reach more of the community by providing scheduled workshops and a cometo-you approach. Page 2 of 5

3 Vermiculture (worms) and bin building workshops are now scheduled once per quarter due to their popularity. Each participant receives two hours of instruction, all bin supplies and worms for only $ The registration fee has doubled since 2012, when the first worm workshop was hosted ($10.00 to now $20.00), and the workshops still fill, normally with a waitlist. Master Composter Program: Staff is currently discussing the opportunity to partner with The Gardens at Heather Farm (Walnut Creek) and the University of California Berkeley, Cooperative Extension of Urban Agriculture, to develop a Master Composter Program within the RecycleSmart service area. Compost Bin Sales Program To encourage residents to compost, RecycleSmart provides residents with the option to purchase a compost bin at a discount of approximately 28%. RecycleSmart purchases the Soilsaver backyard compost bin in bulk, with direct shipping to residents, for a total cost to RecycleSmart of $86.00 per bin. RecycleSmart subsidizes a portion of the total cost, selling the Soilsaver to residents for $62.00 (includes tax and shipping). The average price of a Soilsaver compost bin through an online retailer ranges from $90.00-$ RecycleSmart sold 127 Soilsaver compost bins in Staff has seen a decrease in compost bin sales. One assumption based on comments from residents when attending community events and interfacing with the public, is that curbside compost service has become the normal at-home process. There are also other styles of compost bins that have become popular, for example, a tumbler or rotating style compost bin, which are more expensive, and can t be subsidized through the current program budget. Vermiculture has also become a popular composting method, as seen through the success of the Vermicomposting workshops. Through promotion and workshops, Staff makes efforts to find opportunities to promote the sale of the Soilsaver, the invaluable practice of home composting and the nutrient-rich soil amendment residents can make right at home. Home Composter Certification The Home Composter Certification is available to any resident receiving their individual bill from Republic Services. Some multi-family residents are not eligible at this time due to their HOA or Management receiving billing. The program certifies residents who actively compost, rewarding them with a $1.50 per month credit on their Republic bill, coming to a total of $4.50 each quarter. There are 1,485 Certified Home Composters in 2014 over 100 more residents compared to the 1,358 in Since April 2014, outreach has been targeted towards increasing Certifications, for example, better follow-up with residents that have attended workshops or purchased a compost bin, having the application at events staff attends, social media posts, website and more program advertisements emphasizing the Certification. The targeted outreach has been successful. Page 3 of 5

4 Promotion Home Composting for Busy People! relies on a number of different methods to promote resources. Free and low-cost advertising is used within each community to help control costs. Free advertising includes workshop announcements in newsletters, including RecycleSmart s Diversions, Walnut Creek's Nutshell, Lafayette's Vista and the Contra Costa Times. Display ads and articles are also placed in newspapers, including the Contra Costa Sun, Walnut Creek Journal, Contra Costa Times and Lamorinda Weekly. In addition to these publications, all program information is on including, annual workshop schedule and registration, compost bin information and purchasing, Vermiculture (worms), how-to instructions and the Home Composter Certification. Website visitors can also view the Home Composting It s Second Nature video and Frequently Asked Questions. Promotional brochures and handouts are available at all community events RecycleSmart attends and at the monthly composting workshops. Home composting is also a major theme on the RecycleSmart Facebook page. Through the March 2015 Franchise with Republic Services, an Annual Compost Giveaway Event is to be scheduled, where RecycleSmart residents can receive up to 3 cubic yards of compost at no cost. The first event has been scheduled for May 23, Estimate of Home Composting Diversion An estimate of organic material diverted by home composting can be developed by multiplying the 1,485 Certified Home Composters in 2014 by an estimated weight of diversion per household. The estimated diversion weight is based on several assumptions made by staff. An initial assumption is that 60% of material placed in the 64-gallon organics cart is readily compostable. Staff estimates that up to 40% of the organic material, backyard green waste specifically, may consist of woody waste material that cannot be easily composted without use of a grinder, which most residents do not have. Given this assumption, 60% of the organic material placed in the organics cart can be composted in the backyard, which equates to a volume of approximately 38 gallons. Converting this to pounds, a weight to volume conversion factor provided by Waste Management of 1.57 lbs/gallon is used to provide an average weekly reduction of approximately 60 pounds per household. A second assumption presumes that residents actively compost 6 months, or 26 weeks, during the year. This assumption is based on anecdotal information received from residents indicating that they do not compost year round due to weather, gardening season, vacation, and other reasons. Based on active composting for six months, a potential diversion of approximately 1,567 pounds per resident is possible. By applying this estimate to the 1,485 Certified Home Composters in 2014, approximately 1,163 tons (2,000 pounds per ton) of organic material was potentially diverted. Although this is only an estimate, it demonstrates the effect that home composting can have in reducing waste. Page 4 of 5

5 Program Budget Table 1 - Estimate of Potential Diversion by Certified Home Composters Year Certified Composters Diverted Weight (Tons) , , , , , , , ,185 TOTAL 10,133 TONS Home Composting for Busy People! operated on a $43,104 budget for Fiscal Year Costs include consultant services, monthly workshops, school instruction, compost bins, State taxes on the sale of compost bins, advertising and instructional aids. The FY 2015/16 budget has been increased by about $20,000 to update the Home Composting It s Second Nature! videos that are 10 years old, and to include the development of the Master Composter Program. As a demonstration of the cost effectiveness of the Home Composting for Busy People! Program, dividing the program budget ($43,104) by the total estimated diverted tonnage by Certified Composters in 2014 (1,163), results in a per ton cost of approximately $ This per ton cost is much lower than Organics Materials Processing costs in Rate Year 1 of the Franchise Agreement with Republic Services, at $63.75 per ton, and the per ton costs of other RecycleSmart programs! Page 5 of 5