1. Downtown Recycling: Consensus Building & Behavior Change
Case study of innovative program focusing on main themes for today:
-upstream, downstream, & consumption---recycling, food waste recycling, and waste reduction
-developing a zero waste plan---informal way to reach 0 waste
-incentives;---more of disincentive
-began in April 2008, before very tough economic times hit---able to continue with this because of the careful planning involved
-measuring success---data gathering and reporting
Rachael Budowle
Community Programs Coordinator
Office of Waste Reduction & Recycling
Virginia Recycling Association Conference
May 6, 2009

2. Blacksburg Southwest Virginia Virginia Tech
Curbside collection for single family homes
MRSWA
-size, population
-college town, effective partnerships with Virginia Tech and particular departments/centers for programs
-curbside collection for refuse & recycling, once a week, for all single family homes
-embedded recycling fee, flat rate user fee
-don’t have own fleet, currently contract with WM—manual recycling, auto trash
-all materials go to MRSWA…very effective partnership, recently began accepting dual stream recycling including mixed paper

3. Community Programs Schools Apartments Fluorescent Lamps Reusable Bags
Organics Recycling
Businesses
Downtown Recycling
Intro that beyond that residential program (only way to reach zero waste), other programs are focused on outreach and doing very things that are highlighted here (convincing senior management and others---decision makers), measuring and reporting on programs, incentives, education, upstream and downstream programs
Run through each briefly with emphasis on Downtown Recycling as focus of talk

4. Sustainable Blacksburg
Community Partnership
Sustainability Week
Focused projects
Downtown Recycling & Refuse Program
-SB catalyst behind DTR
-click link (notice full recommendations online)
-formed with EPA grant, now non-profit organization---involvement of VT, Town, business, and citizens
-main focus has been Sustainability Week
-now as a non-profit, beginning to take on focused projects in community---first is Downtown Recycling & Refuse Program

5. Downtown Recycling & Refuse Plan
Sustainable Blacksburg led initiative
Study group formed
SB members, solid waste professionals, citizens, merchants
Core group
Steps to recommendation:
Map
Survey
Interviews with solid waste professionals in similar communities
-though we are involved in the project, this was something SB proposed and initiated. First task was to form a Downtown Recycling Study group consisting of SB members, town solid was professionals, citizens, and most importantly---merchants in the downtown. This is very helpful when convincing senior management (another focus of this workshop)—merchants association and town council---buy in is largely already there.
-from the very beginning, all relevant stakeholders were at the table, and no set plan was devised---everyone discussed problems and potential for an organized recycling program downtown
-small core group of SB & town employees working on nuts and bolts in between larger group meetings---this model is already being used to address other sustainability issues!
-low cost way to address an issue that we have wanted to address for a long time

6. Field audit of all businesses---categorized by type to determine what kind of waste materials generated
Helped us conceptualize locations for potential planning of a hauling route

7. Survey & Interviews
Effective partnership with Center for Applied Behavior Systems at Virginia Tech
~100 businesses approached, 68 responded
Very few recycling; 25% or less for most materials, though significantly more for cardboard
Variety of methods for refuse management
47% offered recommendations for recycling downtown; 91% of those supportive of a uniform, Town-managed program
Interviewed Charlottesville, Roanoke, Raleigh, & Orange Co., NC
-in person survey, students were well-trained research assistants---important for us to do accurate data gathering, first step in successful measure and reporting of the program (other volunteers helped with this, so it is possible to do these kinds of surveys without the university partnership)
-describe survey: methods of recycling/refuse management, haulers, receptacles used, cost, frequency, indoor and outdoor space available
-cardboard 57%
Thoughts confirmed that recycling is minimal, refuse management disorganized, and that merchants were eager to address---need data! Don’t make assumptions and report---confirm assumptions
-only include one line here, but interviews with solid waste professionals in other similar communities were incredibly important! So thanks to any of you here who were a part of that. In depth questions about how programs are managed (fee structure, manual vs. automatic pickup, receptacle type, frequency and time of collection, feedback, etc.)
-other are making this work/have advice—don’t reinvent the wheel! Could pick and choose what from these might work well in Blacksburg

8. Reporting: Recommendations
Establish mandatory, uniform recycling and refuse program for all downtown businesses
Town-managed
Curbside (front or back door/alley collection)
Pay As You Throw for refuse
Supplemental recommendations
Pedestrian recycling receptacles
Food waste diversion
Later expansion to all businesses
Reported to:
Downtown Recycling Study Group
Sustainable Blacksburg
Downtown Merchants of Blacksburg
Blacksburg Town Council
PAYT one of the most important aspects of the plan
Approved across the board! Encouragement from town council to recommend specific operational components of plan

9. Pay As You Throw + - Disincentive for refuse Weight vs. Volume
Refer to EPA’s website as resource
-not actually an incentive, but ERB based on consequences---disincentive for trash disposal (indirect incentive to recycle)
-will address reduction in next slide + -
Decreased refuse tonnage
Increased recycling tonnage/diversion
rate
Economic sustainability
Equity
If properly structured, can encourage source reduction as well
Reflects “true” costs of refuse
Can be politically unpopular
Encourages illegal dumping
May not encourage source reduction
Weight technology costly

10. Implementation Plan Material & container type
Collection and storage location
Collection frequency
Collection time
PAYT fee structure integral to plan
Volume
Plan that simultaneously encourages increased recycling and waste reduction (diversion rate)
-put everything to work that we’ve learned—value of measurement and reporting
-MP, Commingles, Organics
-things that are amenable to businesses and pedestrians alike, well organized to manage
-why volume instead of weight
-review plan A, B, C (C is most common)
-fee structure to support source reduction

11. Thank You! Rachael Budowle
(540)
-put everything to work that we’ve learned—value of measurement and reporting
-MP, Commingles, Organics
-things that are amenable to businesses and pedestrians alike, well organized to manage
-why volume instead of weight
-review plan A, B, C (C is most common) -
Why volume as opposed to weight