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HomeMy WebLinkAbout12.2.21 Staff ReportJEFFERSON COUNTY, WA SOLID WASTE ADVISORY COMMITTEE 12/2/2021 STAFF REPORT Recycling Contract Skookum Contract Services has agreed to all substantive elements of the agreement with some fine tuning of the method and means of directing revenue form commodity sales to the County still pending. The term of the contract is 5 years with a 5-year option with a total value of $2,977,715 in the first term. This makes the recycling program the third largest cost area behind disposal and operations. The contract provides for 2,080 hrs. of Skookum staff time for product education at drop off sites; accepted plastic materials limited to bottles and jugs, and; provisions are included for ensuring Basel Convention Amendment compliance. Food Waste Diversion Staff spoke with Olympic Organics about a potential collection program for food waste. It was suggested that Olympic Organics could haul roll-off containers from the Quilcene and Transfer Station facilities at a rate of between $65-$70 ton. A pad with a sump tank would need to be constructed to place the containers on and to collect leachate and a cover provided to divert stormwater. The leachate would need to be pumped regularly and disposed of at a facility that would accept it. Regional facilities of this type are currently at capacity and disposal of septage is an issue that local health jurisdictions are struggling to address. Neither the transfer station site or the Quilcene rural drop box facility can accommodate a collection site for food waste at this time due to space limitations and congestion. Putting aside the lack of room for a collection site and a receiving facility for leachate, a rough estimate waste was made of the annual user fee for the service or increase to the tipping fee at a target 5% diversion rate with the following assumptions: • Capital expenditure of $100K for both facilities (does not include staff time for contracting, permitting, project management) • At 17.6% of total MSW and based on 2020 tonnages, food waste = 3,840 tons/annum • A 5% diversion rate = 192 tons • 192 tons = 1,610 users (192 tons divided by per capita annual food waste tonnage of .12) • Capital costs amortized over 20 years + hauling fees + operations and maintenance + lost revenue at current per ton fee = annual cost of $70,338 If the service was provided on a subscription basis the annual user fee would be $43.70 assuming 1,610 subscribers. If the service costs were covered with an increase to the tipping fee the fee would need to be increased by an additional $3.22/ton. Staff also inputted the above tonnages into the EPA’s WARM calculator for greenhouse gas emission reduction and found a net annual reduction of 118 metric tons of CO2 emissions (MTCO2E) compared to landfilling. The cost per MTCO2E reduction would be $598. For comparison, the highest cost per MTCO2E reduction in the current mix of recyclables is $436 for glass, as seen in the table below. These estimates should be compared to the food waste diversion project undertaken in 2009/2010 with funds provided through a grant from the Department of Ecology. This project involved engagement with community gardens and the provision of composting bins and training on methods of composting. The table below shows the results of these investments in tons of food waste diverted and the cost per ton of CO2 reduced. Note that the estimated annual household diversion rate is the per capita generation rate so likely lower than actuals. If the program costs for the above type of program were covered with an increase to the tipping fee the fee would need to be increased by an additional $.42/ton. Staff’s conclusion is that the Olympic Organics proposal is infeasible at this time due to site limitations and does not appear to yield nearly the benefit of a decentralized model as used in the past. The recommendation is to continue to investigate centralized facility development as part of the Capital facility replacement planning process. C.R.O.P. A second draft CROP was submitted for review by Ecology and staff then incorporated this feedback into a third draft for the SWAC subcommittee’s review and comment. The CROP document distributed to Material Cost per MTCO2 E Reduced Corrugated Containers 55$ Mixed Paper (primarily residential)48$ Mixed Paper (primarily from offices)18$ Mixed Plastics 186$ Aluminum Cans 20$ Steel Cans 97$ Glass 436$ Number of Thermophilic composting sites 25 Number of Vermicomposting sites 60 Est. number of participating households 310 Annual per household food waste rate (tons)0.12 Est. total tons diverted 37.20 Program cost 15,000$ Ammortized Value (Five Years)3,000$ MTCO 2E reduction 22.81 Cost per MTCO2E 131.52$ 2010 Food Waste Diversion Estimate the full SWAC for their review on December 2, 2021 has incorporated the subcommittee’s feedback and comes with the subcommittee’s recommendation for approval. EPA Report The Environmental Protection Agency is producing a report on closed landfill gas management and will include the work that Public Works, Aspect Consulting and the Conservation District has done to be the first landfill in Washington State to install a passive collection and scrubbing system using biofilters. The results of the biofilter system and nearly 30 years of groundwater testing data put us on track to gaining Ecology’s approval to discontinue the monitoring program within two years. I/DD Employment Program Request for Proposal One proposal was received from Cascade Community Connections. Public Works staff was assisted in reviewing the proposal by Commissioner Eisenhour, Carl Hansen – Chair of the Developmental Disabilities Advisory Board, Cherish Cronmiller – OlyCAP Executive Director, and Anna McEnery – Public Health, Developmental Disability Program Coordinator. The review committee found the proposal responsive and Public Works staff is now developing an agreement with Cascade Community Connections with an executed contract expected in early 2023. Cascade Community Connections will work with Skookum Contract Services to transition the current clients in the I/DD employment program into the new one. Scale Replacement Project A contract with the engineering firm Sargent Engineering, Inc. was approved by the BoCC on November 15 for engineering support services for this project. This firm will develop specifications for replacement scales and plans for revisions to the structural support. Public Works will then solicit bids for the project through the Municipal Research and Services Center Small Works Roster. Port of Port Townsend Request The Port of Port Townsend Executive and Deputy Directors and Public Works staff met with the Board of County Commissioners on November 22 to discuss the Port’s request that the County vacate the Moderate Risk Waste Facility on or by June 1, 2022 to make room for additional boat projects at the Boat Haven. No decision was made by the BoCC and staff awaits direction. Environmental Center Improvements The vendor for used oil collection is unable to service the County facilities as frequently as needed to meet customer demand so we have increased capacity by adding a 500-gallon tank at the transfer station and Quilcene drop box environmental centers. Staff is also procuring a sharps collection bin at both sites so that customers who arrive at either facility have an easy means of disposal without transiting the scales and staff are at less risk of injury.