Polk County Innovative Grant Municipal Solid Waste Reduction and Reuse Measurement Guide Reduce Recycle Reuse Ana Wood Polk County Solid Waste Director 2002 Pollution Prevention and Environmental Essentials Conference August 1, 2002

Presentation Overview Background Purpose of this project Methodology Selected Waste Reduction Programs Preliminary results Future Work End Products

U.S. EPA’s Solid Waste Management Hierarchy Background U.S. EPA’s Solid Waste Management Hierarchy Reduce & Reuse Recycle & Compost Combust Landfill Current Florida Goal System: Recycling Goal only No incentive for waste reduction! Other states goal processes give credit for waste reduction. This slide is used to express that while recycling is focused on, the preferred step in the waste management hierarchy, waste reduction, is overlooked. Currently, there are no incentives to reduce waste in Florida. This project is seen as the first step toward encouraging waste reduction.

Purpose of This Project Document benefits of optimal waste reduction programs in Florida Investigate possible options for incorporating waste reduction credits into State’s goal process

Methodology Market research to determine the current level of reduction activities in the County Implement programs to spur participation and determine the amount of waste reduced Calculate county-wide waste reduction credits based on number of units participating and waste reduced per unit This is the general methodology that is being used for all five waste streams.

Selection Criteria Developed “Panel of Experts” from within and outside of Florida to spur creative ideas Waste reduction techniques were selected by the following criteria: Affects a major component of the waste stream High potential for waste reduction Able to measure results

Selected Waste Reduction Programs Commercial office paper reduction Home composting Residential junk mail reduction Business equipment reuse Construction and demolition debris reuse

Timeline 2002 2003 A M J S O N D F Surveys Pilot Projects Summarize Results This is the project timeline. The surveys are already completed. We are currently in our second month of conducting the pilot projects.

Office Paper Survey Results In the surveys, we wanted to determine if waste reduction methods were already in place. Duplex copying/printing is one of the ways to reduce the paper usage and waste in the office. Thus, we asked the offices if they have the technical capability to duplex and, if they do, whether they use that capability. *Survey of 450 businesses

Office Paper Survey Results Scrap paper reuse is also a way to reduce office paper waste. *Survey of 450 businesses

Office Paper Survey Results *Survey of 450 businesses

Residential Junk Mail Survey Results In the junk mail survey, we wanted to determine if people want to stop the junk mail they receive and… *Survey of 370 residents

Residential Junk Mail Survey Results …if they have ever done anything to stop their junk mail. This slide lets us know how much effort has taken place in reducing junk mail waste without any promotional campaign. *Percentage of the 232 respondents who want to stop their junk mail

Preliminary Junk Mail Pilot Study Results Average of 41 lbs per household This slide shows the amount of junk mail that is generated at each volunteer’s household per year. These figures were determined by first determining the total amount of junk mail generated at each household for one month. Volunteers sent their junk mail to us to be weighed for one month. Due to the fact that we have not received all of the mail for all of the volunteers, this graph only shows the results from 24 households. In total, there are 40 volunteers.

Home Composting Survey Results This graph lets us know how much composting is happening without any promotional campaign. It also lets us know if an educational campaign about composting needs to be instituted. In this case, it does. Twenty-three percent of the survey respondents have not heard of home composting and/or do not know what compost is. *Survey of 350 residents

Home Composting Survey Results This slide shows that only 21% of those non-composters would consider composting. However, we believe that this number would be dramatically larger if the public had a greater understanding about what composting is and how to compost. Many people believe that it will cause a pest or odor problem, which it does not. Other people believe it would take too much work. If an attempt was made to educate the public, these common perceptions about composting would be changed. Due to lack of understanding of what home composting entails *Survey of 350 residents

Home Composting Survey Results Many of these reasons are based on a lack of understanding of what composting entails! Many people answer “Not Interested” during phone calls because they believe that every call is a sales call, even if the surveyor states that he/she is not selling anything at the beginning of the call. People who still do not understand what composting entails also will state that they are not interested. “Not Allowed” is used when the respondent stated that they do not think that his/her subdivision or the owner of the home (if they are renting) will allow them to compost.

Business Equipment Reuse Business Equipment Reuse Center (BERC) Palm Beach County SWA Equipment is donated by businesses and provided to schools and non-profit groups 116 tons diverted since its inception Project Team is currently Monitoring the inventory Tons of equipment that comes in to the facility Tons of equipment that is given away Studying why businesses do or do not take equipment to the reuse facility Studying why non-profit groups do or do not get their equipment at the re-use facilities This is the business equipment reuse facility that we are studying as a case study. Please see Susan Lancianese-Chapman’s presentation for more details.

C&D Debris Reuse Used Stuff, Sarasota, FL Privately owned facility Accepts usable C&D debris and resells it Project team is currently: Monitoring inventory Tons of material that comes into the facility Tons of material that is sold Studying why contractors will or will not donate/purchase from Used Stuff Used Stuff is the facility that we are studying as a C&D debris resuse facility case study.

Future Work Completion of the pilot projects Determining the amount of waste that is reduced through a waste reduction program Summarize and Analyze Results Create Reduction and Reuse Guide Discuss options for waste reduction credits with FDEP

End Products Reduction and Reuse Guide Summary of project results “How To” for other communities interested in implementing waste reduction programs White Paper to FDEP on recommendations to encourage implementation of waste reduction programs Discussion of other state programs Recommended alternative

How Will This Project Help You? Takes the dialogue one step closer to action Provides ideas and tools Provides hard data for state agencies to make policy decisions

How You Can Help Let us know about the successes/failures of your local waste reduction programs Give us your ideas for a Florida waste reduction credit system

Questions?