1. City of Fort Collins Department of Natural Resources The Role of Solid Waste Reduction Programs in Climate Protection Plans Annual Conference of Colorado SWANA Rocky Ford, Colorado October 4, 2007 Annual Conference of Colorado SWANA Rocky Ford, Colorado October 4, 2007

2. City of Fort Collins Department of Natural Resources Outline Municipal programs & background; why Fort Collins is looking at climate protection planning and waste diversion Measuring greenhouse gas emissions Achieving multiple objectives with new waste initiatives

3. City of Fort Collins Department of Natural Resources Background Fort Collins’ population ~140,000 Privatized trash and recycling collection Licensing requirements for haulers Must bundle residential curbside recycling in trash bills Must apply PAYT rate structure Current waste diversion about 27% City is part-owner of Larimer County landfill

4. City of Fort Collins Department of Natural Resources Effects of Traditional Programs Participation in curbside recycling consistently 85-95% Trash volumes decreasing: 224,700 tons in 2006 (2004: 230,400 tons) Recycling volumes increasing: 60,250 tons in 2006 (2004: 58,000 tons) Diversion rate: 21% + 6% [PAYT] = 27%

5. City of Fort Collins Department of Natural Resources Two Drivers – Fort Collins’ Adopted Policies 1. “…to reduce local greenhouse gas emissions by at least 30 percent below predicted 2010 levels while achieving cost effectiveness in each program.” City of Fort Collins Resolution 97-137 2. 1999 Resolution adopted to divert 50 percent of the community’s solid waste from landfill disposal by 2010

6. City of Fort Collins Department of Natural Resources Terminology Unit of measurement is CO 2 “equivalent” (CO 2 e) Greenhouse gases include: carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) greenhouse warming potential = 1 Methane (CH 4 ) greenhouse warming potential = 23 Others: N 2 O GWP = 296 CFC-11 GWP = 4,600 HCFC-23 GWP = 12,000

7. City of Fort Collins Department of Natural Resources Solid Waste and Carbon Emissions A Life Cycle Perspective Emitted CH 4 Georgia Department of Resources EPA

8. City of Fort Collins Department of Natural Resources Recycling and Carbon Emissions A Life Cycle Perspective Upstream non-energy aspects (production, manufacturing) Seth Jansen Kid Wind

9. City of Fort Collins Department of Natural Resources GHG Reductions by Material MaterialGHG reduction (tons CO2e / ton of material) Organics-0.22 Corrugated cardboard-2.86 Office paper-3.36 Glass-0.31 Aluminum-16.58 Commingled containers-3.32 Municipal solid waste+1.5

10. City of Fort Collins Department of Natural Resources Fort Collins GHG Inventory

11. City of Fort Collins Department of Natural Resources Fort Collins’ GHG Emissions

12. City of Fort Collins Department of Natural Resources Fort Collins GHG Reductions

13. City of Fort Collins Department of Natural Resources 2006 Recommendations for 50% Waste Diversion – New Strategies Worked with community stakeholders, including haulers Developed 20 new measures for consideration, including: Enhanced pay-as-you-throw program Include commercial customers in PAYT (embed recycling fee in rates; charge volume-based pricing) Changes to curbside recycling program, i.e., single-stream system, more designated materials, standard options for larger recycling containers, etc. Require curbside yard waste collection; ban yardwaste from trash City-sponsored drop-off site for C&D waste Modeled the costs and new diversion tonnages with assistance from SERA (Skumatz Economic Research Associates) consulting

14. City of Fort Collins Department of Natural Resources Achieving Multiple Objectives with New Waste Initiatives Using volumes attributed to new measures for 50% waste diversion, in 2007, Fort Collins quantified potential new emissions reductions Assisted by local consulting firm, the Brendle Group to also examine possible opportunities for carbon offset markets Increasingly, waste reduction & recycling are integral parts of climate protection plans

15. City of Fort Collins Department of Natural Resources Results 201049,798 tons 2015145,610 tons 2020171,389 tons New diversion totals CO 2 e reduction totals 2010118,723 tons 2015313,866 tons 2020368,332 tons Approximately equivalent to eliminating 1.5 million roundtrip vehicle trips between Fort Collins and Denver Meet 50% diversion target between 2010 and 2015

16. City of Fort Collins Department of Natural Resources Potential new diversion by material 2010 2015 2020 C&D, organics, and cardboard = ~60% of total new diversion in 2015 / 2020

17. City of Fort Collins Department of Natural Resources Potential new GHG reductions by material 2010 2015 2020 C&D, cardboard, news, aluminum source of significant reductions by 2015 / 2020

18. City of Fort Collins Department of Natural Resources Benefits of New Waste Reduction Measures Lower greenhouse gas emissions Longer landfill life New jobs Recycling estimated to create 6-7 times as many jobs as landfilling Lower / deferred municipal and user costs Possible new carbon offset credits / markets

19. City of Fort Collins Department of Natural Resources

20. City of Fort Collins Department of Natural Resources More information Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) www.ipcc.ch Climate Change – EPA www.epa.gov/climatechange International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI) – Cities for Climate Protection (CCP) www.iclei.org/index.php?id=800 EPA Waste Reduction Model (WARM) www.epa.gov/climatechange/wycd/waste/calculators/Warm_home.html

21. City of Fort Collins Department of Natural Resources Contact Information Susie Gordon Sr. Environmental Planner (970) 221-6265 sgordon@fcgov.com sgordon@fcgov.com www.fcgov.com/recycling/reports.php John Armstrong Environmental Planner (970) 416-2230 jarmstrong@fcgov.com Seth Jansen Engineer The Brendle Group Consulting (970) 207-0058 sjansen@brendlegroup.com