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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1.26.23 Staff ReportJEFFERSON COUNTY, WA SOLID WASTE ADVISORY COMMITTEE 1/26/2023 STAFF REPORT Transfer Station Operational Revisions Operational hours revisions were made in mid-November to process only Waste Connections loads on Monday’s with self-haul customer loads accepted Tuesday through Saturday on the regular 9 am – 4:30 pm schedule. The new operational hours have created an opportunity for flexible scheduling which has led to retention of skilled, long-term employees. We are gaining ground on required staff training and have begun to make site improvements that have been delayed for lack of staff and time. Two new Operators have been hired and the new operational hours have allowed for faster and more focused training. A new solid waste division safety committee representative has been selected among staff who brings an extensive background in safety training. That experience is now being used at “tailgate” meetings that occur every day before operations – again made possible with the new operational hours. We still have an offensive forward and leading scorer out with an injury for probably the whole busy season and we are actively recruiting a temporary replacement for this key staff person. When the target staffing level has been met and new employee skill levels are where we need them to be, the hours of operations will be extended in both the morning and evening to recapture most of the service hours for self-haul customers. Customer complaints about the new hours for self-haul customers have been minimal. Only one written complaint has been received from a business owner who does not have the required license to haul certain materials. Transfer Station Improvements Staff has been making a number of facility improvements to more efficiently manage certain materials including refrigerated appliances, mercury containing lights, and recyclable batteries. Staff has worked with the County’s IT division to make electrical upgrades to the scale facility to protect sensitive electronics when operating on emergency power during grid disruption. This will now allow for a needed upgrade to the scale software which is scheduled for early March. Staff will also begin working with City staff shortly on developing specifications for a bid for the replacement of the transfer station gate with an electronic one. This will allow for greater security and convenience of drivers transiting the facility outside of operational hours. New gate installation will likely happen in Q3 of 2023. Small Engine Equipment Diversion Staff is in discussions with a local small engine repair company about diverting lawn equipment from the rest of metals collected as part of our recycling program. This would be similar to the program that was run for a couple of years to develop the inventory of bicycle parts needed for the Recyclery start-up. There would be a small loss of revenue for metals recycling (2022 avg. was $.09 per pound) but the larger environmental and community benefit would outweigh this loss. Moderate Risk Waste Program The first business-waste only event will be held on January 20th at the Boathaven. Notice about the event was mailed to all SQG’s, posted on the solid waste webpage, and distributed to Port of Port Townsend tenants through the Port’s list serve. A residential collection event will be held the following day, January 21st, at Jefferson County Transit’s Park and Ride in Port Townsend. The remaining moderate risk waste materials at the closed facility will be removed by the end of the collection events and staff will complete the post-closure care under statutory requirements and submit the requisite documentation of facility closure to Public Health. Public Works staff is working with Port of Port Townsend staff on a third interlocal agreement that will transfer ownership of the moderate risk waste facility to the Port by joint agreement of the Board of County Commissioners and Port of Port Townsend Commissioners. Transfer Station Replacement Planning Process The second meeting of the Solid Waste Facility Task Force was held on December 15, 2022. The SWFTF provided feedback on the Team Charter and Workplan. These two guiding documents, with revisions made based on the group’s feedback, will be adopted at the next meeting likely to happen in March. The third meeting will focus on the present condition of the solid waste facilities and the needs of a new or remodeled facility based on feedback from the SWFTF and other stakeholder groups. L2020 Beyond Waste Action Group Staff met with the Beyond Waste action group of Local 2020 to discuss the Organics Management Act (ESSHB 1799), adopted by the WA State legislature in the 2022 session. The Beyond Waste group provided excellent feedback on a high-level financial impact worksheet on food waste processing using a centralized facility model that includes measure of the cost per metric ton of CO2 emission reduction, in the same way that this metric was used in developing the CROP. Climate Action Committee Staff is working with the Climate Action Committee to update the data used to measure solid waste activity greenhouse gas emissions and to compare the CO2 emissions created by curbside collection vs self-hauling. Public Works has also volunteered to use a new tool developed by the CAC to measure climate change related risks as part of the facility replacement planning process. Fee Schedule Staff has begun work on a rate study and will meet with the BoCC in February or March to recommend a new schedule of fees for the transfer station and Quilcene rural drop box. The current minimum fee is less than half of the regional average and this will need to be adjusted in order to incentivize fewer, heavier loads and to encourage residents outside of Port Townsend to subscribe for curbside service. 2023 State Legislative Session This year’s long session includes several solid waste related bills that staff are following closely. The legislature is focusing on extended producer responsibility bills and one includes a “bottle bill” that would be much like Oregon’s. The legislature appears responsive to the call from cities and counties to place more of the financial burden for end-of-life material management of single use packaging on the producers. EPR bills can have a pronounced effect on county’s recycling programs which is one reason that planning for facility replacement should create a flexible layout for material processing that can respond to large shifts in markets. Staff will keep the SWAC informed of progress on these bills as the session unfolds and may recommend that SWAC submit a letter of support to our State representatives.