The Strategy Of Sustainable Waste Management: Landfill Management, Recycling, Reduction, And Pollution Prevention

Project Report on Pollution Prevention and Waste Management Submitted in partial completion of requirement for the Municipal Internship Program City of Winterville, Public Works Suzanne Rodgers Project Report on Pollution Prevention and Waste Management

Project Background The city of Winterville desired to improve its programs to encourage residents and businesses to recycle. However, the city was faced with two financial issues that would impact the solid waste program for the Solid Waste Management Planning Area (SWMPA) defined within Kiowa County. These issues needed to be resolved before public education programs, beyond the current programs, are implemented. Incentives to Change Winterville is working to reduce landfilled solid waste and meet the state diversion goal of 50 percent. The current diversion rate is 41 percent for waste taken to the Winterville SLF. By reaching the goal of 50 percent, the city will extend the life of the landfill, increase recycling and reduce fees paid to the State Department of Natural Resources (DNR). The first financial issue that affects the Landfill Fund, which is a self-supporting (enterprise) fund for the city are the new rules adopted by the State Environmental Protection Commission (EPC) and now in effect through the Department of Natural Resources. Municipal solid waste landfills are required to meet new specifications for their closure and post closure accounts. The new rule affects the Winterville SLF by requiring the city to place specified funds in a separate account for the estimated cost of closing the Winterville SLF at anytime during the life of the facility. This means a substantial increase in budget for the landfill that could not be funded with current income levels. The city considered a tipping fee increase of $3/ton bringing the general tipping fee to $37/ton. However this increase will only protect the Landfill Fund from running a deficit for three years. The option considered for protecting the fund is to institute a special fee for other communities that use the Winterville Sanitary Landfill. In addition, this plan would increase the tipping fee again in subsequent years.

The second financial issue regards solid waste expenses and revenue in the city's general fund. Currently, trash collection for Winterville residents is funded by property taxes levied for the general fund of the city. Residents are charged for recyclables collection on their water bills. When analyzing the related expenses and revenues for solid waste for Winterville residents, expenses are exceeding revenue (including funds from property taxes) by approximately $38 per household or a total of over $212,000 a year. This indicates that property tax funds from commercial property owners in Winterville are helping to fund residential solid-waste collection and the associated landfill costs. Also, since the city is currently at its $8.10 maximum levy for the city's general fund, the budget for city services covered by the general fund cannot be increased. These two financial quandaries present an opportunity for the city to encourage recycling. Research by the EPA has shown that the higher the cost of waste disposal, the more attractive reuse, recycling and composting become. Thus the recommendations to equalize these two city budgets also lead to the overall objective of increasing recycling. Results After identifying the residential waste tonnage and population of the communities within the solid waste planning area for the Winterville Sanitary Landfill, it appears a per capita fee to balance the landfill budget does not have the greatest benefits. Increasing charges to the other communities would increase their residents waste management costs and does not encourage recycling. It also represents another fee for residents, even though commercial waste is a larger part of the waste stream. Higher tipping fees at the landfill would help fund the closure/post-closure fund and encourage recycling especially among businesses. Potential savings by reducing tonnage to the landfill through recycling would be $13,266 a year. For Winterville's solid waste expenses to the general fund, the recommendation is to institute a Pay As You Throw program. When residents are required to pay for their garbage collection and disposal based upon the amount they "put on the curb" each week, an incentive for less garbage and more recycling is presented. The option of a Pay-As-You-Throw fee system has the potential to reduce 1,264 tons/year of residential waste going to the landfill. This represents a 27 percent reduction, based on EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) estimates, and could save the city $46,783 directly in landfill tipping fees. Other costs could be saved in hauling, and the life of the landfill is extended. BACKGROUND Due to new rules adopted by the State Department of Natural Resources (DNR), the city of Winterville is now required to fund a new account for closure and post-closure costs associated with the Winterville Sanitary Landfill (SLF). This substantial budget increase will greatly affect the Landfill Fund of the city of Winterville and require additional fees to avert a financial deficit. Options for additional fees that could be adopted are a new per capita fee on cities, which have 28E agreements for solid waste disposal with Winterville or an increase in tipping fees at the landfill. Winterville is also examining its budget to determine how services currently being funded through property taxes are affecting the general fund. Presently, the city of Winterville subsidizes the collection of residential garbage and associated tipping fees at the landfill through property taxes. However, the current amount dedicated from residential property taxes is not adequate to fund all costs associated with solid waste management for the city. Certain income streams for solid waste, such as curbside recycling collection and additional garbage bag tags, are not making up the difference in overall solid waste expenses. Through property taxes, the city has levied the maximum amount allowable for the general fund - $8.10 per $1,000 valuation. Thus the budget for the basic services of solid waste, police, fire, etc. cannot be increased. Under the current system of collection and payment for garbage collection, residents are not aware of their solid waste costs, and thus are less encouraged to recycle as a financial incentive. They are, however, billed for collection of recyclables. The recommendation for budgetary purposes and to encourage recycling is to relieve the city of levying property taxes for solid waste collection and to institute fees per amount of garbage generated.

Both financial quandaries present an opportunity for the city to encourage recycling, especially when considering the notion that the higher the cost of waste disposal, the more attractive reuse, recycling and composting become. Higher tipping fees at the landfill would help fund the closure/post closure fund and encourage recycling especially among businesses. And when residents are required to pay for their garbage collection and disposal based upon the amount they "put on the curb" each week, an incentive for less garbage and more recycling is presented. Thus the option of a pay-asyou-throw fee system is recommended. Another program was proposed to encourage Winterville residents to reduce kitchen and yard waste through backyard composting. If funding could be received to provide composting units to households, a small amount of waste could be diverted from the Winterville SLF and a public education campaign to complement this program could also launch a larger initiative on recycling throughout the city and planning area. Funding will not be received from the State DNR Solid Waste Alternatives Program, as proposed for this initiative. However, the program could still be implemented with residents encouraged to pay for the backyard composting bins, rather than have them subsidized by the city (or by the grant funds as proposed). Composting education, which was to be offered in kind, could still take place without grant funds. The Winterville SLF is above average in its waste diversion rate as calculated by a formula created by the DNR and compared to other solid waste planning areas in the state. However, an additional effort to recycle could allow Winterville to meet the 50 percent diversion goal (over five years) set by the State and reduce additional fees paid to the DNR annually. The amount of potential savings for proposed projects is reflected in Table 1. The table does not represent the equilibrium in City funds attainable through changes in the fee structures. Key People Suzanne Rodgers completed this analysis under the direction of Joe Miller, Winterville Public Works Director and Joyce White, Winterville City Administrator. A variety of people provided the information needed to make a thorough analysis and provide recommendations. Those individuals included the Winterville landfill supervisor, Winterville assistant city administrator, Winterville's contracted solid waste hauler and a variety of staff members and consultants for the State Department of Natural Resources (DNR). City Description The city of Winterville is located on Interstate 80, 35 miles east of the largest city in the state. It is the commercial hub for communities located in the region known as the East Central I-80 Corridor and the corporate home of a Fortune 500 company that was founded in 1890.

The population of Kiowa County is 37,213. The city of Winterville owns, operates, and manages the Winterville SLF for the comprehensive plan area of Kiowa County, which includes 12 incorporated communities, as well as unincorporated areas. Each of the cities has executed a 28E agreement with the city of Winterville that requires participating municipalities to deliver all municipal solid waste to the Winterville SLF. The city of Winterville is the only municipality in the state that operates a landfill for a comprehensive planning area. Thus, the city operates two budgets for solid waste?the landfill fund (an enterprise fund) and the general fund from which solid waste collection and disposal for Winterville residents is funded. This gives Winterville a unique position in the control of an integrated solid waste plan. Incentives for Change The city of Winterville requested assistance in reducing landfilled solid waste through coordinated recycling efforts, recommendations to the city Administration and city council, and other public education opportunities. The planning area has achieved a diversion rate of approximately 41 percent for waste taken to the Winterville SLF. By reaching the state's goal of 50 percent diversion, a reduction in fees to DNR is attainable. Under new rules adopted by the state's Environmental Protection Commission and now in effect through the DNR, municipal solid waste landfills are required to meet new specifications for their closure and post-closure accounts. The new rule affects the Winterville SLF by requiring the city to place specified funds in a separate account for the estimated cost of closing the Winterville SLF at anytime during the life of the facility. The fund is set up in yearly deposits, the first of which will be due in two years in the amount of $375,405. The second payment is $60,274 and subsequent years' payments will be $59,825. This payment schedule is based upon the assumption that recently acquired land adjacent to the current landfill will be permitted to the DNR. The city needs to analyze its current incentives for recycling, as well as its funding of the landfill, to determine the opportunities for increased recycling and landfill-fund balancing. Process Description Currently, trash collection for Winterville residents is funded by property taxes levied for the general fund of the city. Residents are charged for recyclables collection on their water bills. When analyzing the related expenses and revenues for solid waste for Winterville residents, expenses are exceeding revenue (including property tax budgeted) by approximately $38 per household or a total of over $212,000 a year. This indicates that property tax funds from commercial property are helping to fund residential solid waste collection and the associated landfill costs. Also, since the city is currently at its $8.10 maximum levy for the city's general fund, the budget for city services covered by the general fund cannot be increased. The city's expenses and revenue for solid waste management is presented in Table 2. The Landfill Fund is an enterprise or self-supporting fund for the city. Tipping fees are the primary source of income for the landfill. Operating costs comprise 55 percent of the Winterville SLF tipping fee with expansion and closure/postclosure costs comprising the balance. The general tipping fee was increased from $34/ton to $37/ton in August of the