Fairfax County Solid Waste Management Program

1. Return to Source Separated Recyclables Fairfax County Solid Waste Management Program Monday, October 26, 2015

2. Fairfax County Solid Waste Management Program Fairfax County, Virginia Large suburban county outside the Nation’s Capital 2015 population 1.1 million residents 411,963 housing units Lots of haulers – both commercial and residential Currently have two MRFs and a recycling transfer station within 20 miles of the Government Center Fairfax County runs a MSW transfer station. Covanta will take control of the WTE facility in February 2016.

3. Environmentally-Sound Disposal 20 tons of solid waste is transported and disposed of every 10 minutes (about 1,000,000 tons per year). Renewable Energy Production We generate enough power for 80,000 homes or about 90 MW of electricity. Emergency Response (Hurricanes, tornadoes, snow, flooding) Fairfax County Solid Waste Management Pollution Prevention and Community Engagement 100 community events per year Refuse Collection Collection of 10% of household waste and recyclables Recycling The countywide recycling rate is about 50%

4. Residential Collection (Trash & Recycling) 90% Private 10% Public Commercial Collection (Trash & Recycling) 100% Private Yard Waste Processing 75% Private 25% Public White Goods / Tire Recycling 100% Private Trash Disposal 100% Private Fairfax County Solid Waste Management: A Public/Private Partnership Waste Transportation 40% Private 60% Public Engineering / Consulting Services 100% Private Construction / Demolition Debris Disposal 100% Private Household Hazardous Waste / E-Waste Processing 100% Private Recyclables Processing 100% Private Fairfax County Solid Waste Management Program

5. Fairfax County Solid Waste Management Program Recyclables Processing Collect 15,000 tons of single stream recyclables from 44,000 homes annually IFB in 2013 – lack of competition in area Processing fee of $89 per ton for single stream, $60 per ton for dual stream, formula for revenue sharing Spending as much as $40.18 per ton to process single stream recycling Spending as much as $11.16 per ton to process dual stream recycling Would this be sustainable?

6. Fairfax County Solid Waste Management Program The County Agency Recycling Route Project Collect recyclables from about 225 different sites throughout the County Collect about 5,000 tons of recyclables per year Sites include rec centers, libraries, fire stations, satellite government centers, parks, and health centers Project required us to visit each site and determine their individual needs Materials came out of most buildings as dual stream Developed recycling plans for facilities by type, reconfigured collection containers, mixes, frequency Worked with site managers and janitorial contractors

7. Fairfax County Solid Waste Management Program Fire stations

8. Fairfax County Solid Waste Management Program Paper and OCC at the loading dock

9. Fairfax County Solid Waste Management Program Sorted Office Paper! Sorted Office Paper consists of baled paper, as typically generated by offices, containing primarily white and colored groundwood free paper, free of unbleached fiber. May include a small percentage of groundwood computer printout and facsimile paper. Prohibited materials may not exceed 2%, total outthrowsmay not exceed 5% Clean loads are critical if you are working with a paper broker – there is little tolerance for contaminants Generated in office buildings, courts, health centers Used books are recyclable as mixed paper – libraries receive a huge number of unusable books as a donations from residents.

10. Northeast USA / MaritimesPS 37 Sorted Office Paper Pricing History Historical pricing for SOP Fairfax County Solid Waste Management Program

11. Northeast USA / MaritimesPS 1 Soft Mixed Paper Pricing History Historical Pricing for Mixed Paper Fairfax County Solid Waste Management Program

12. Fairfax County Solid Waste Management Program Old Corrugated Cardboard

13. Northeast USA / MaritimesPS 11 Corrugated Containers Pricing History Historical Pricing for OCC Fairfax County Solid Waste Management Program

14. Fairfax County Solid Waste Management Program Old Corrugated Cardboard Generated almost everywhere – fire stations, health department, offices, anywhere with food service Issues with breaking down boxes Easily removed from the rest of the waste stream Price fluctuations, but still valuable Can be mixed with paper – reduces value, but may be necessary due to collection constraints.

15. Fairfax County Solid Waste Management Program Food and Beverage Containers Collected separately from paper and cardboard to maintain the quality of the paper Large quantities at locations with food service and places like rec centers and parks. Taken to transfer station and sent to processors in tractor-trailer with material from drop off centers

16. Fairfax County Solid Waste Management Program Fiscal Impacts of the Changes By marketing some of our recyclables ourselves, we greatly reduced the overall per ton cost for recyclables processing. Improving the quality of materials – delivering materials as dual-stream rather than single stream made a significant difference. Using the transfer station for recyclables allowed us to ship materials to markets that were further away Used existing equipment and personnel

17. Fairfax County Solid Waste Management Program Processing costs per ton

18. The take-away Start in your own backyard – what kind of recyclables does your organization generate? Keep it clean! Educate your customers about what goes into their recycling containers. Do some research – either an actual waste sort, or a survey of your collection practices and customers Look for opportunities – you don’t have to do it the way you’ve always done it! Network to find new markets and send a few test loads.

19. Fairfax County Solid Waste Management Program What’s next? Buy a baler? Find markets for hard to recycle items, especially plastics Build a MRF? Drop off sites for glass? Food waste composting?

20. Fairfax County Solid Waste Management Program Erica Carter, Recycling Coordinator 703-324-5313 Erica.carter@fairfaxcounty.gov