C&D Recycling Programs that Drive Zero Waste: the San Jose Experience

1. C&D Recycling Programs that Drive Zero Waste: the San Jose Experience 2009 CRRA Conference August 3, 2009

2. San Jose’s Green Vision Achieve these goals by 2022: • 25,000 Clean tech jobs • 50% Reduction energy use per capita • 100% Renewable electrical power • 50 million ft2 new or retrofitted green buildings • Divert 100% of waste from landfill • 100% of wastewater beneficially re-used • Sustainability in General Plan • 100% alternative fuel City vehicles • 100,000 new trees planted • 100 miles of interconnected trails

3. Construction & Demolition Diversion Deposit Program(CDDD - “Seed”) • Deposit program created in 2001 • Financial incentive to encourage recovery of C&D debris • Building permit applicant pays diversion deposit • Deposit refunded with verification of 50% diversion

4. City-Certified C&D Facilities • Voluntary certification • Criteria unchanged since 2001 • Two classifications • Administrative certification • Full certification • Mixed C&D facilities must achieve 50% diversion rate • Beneficial reuse OK, ADC does not count

5. City-Certified C&D Facilities • Wide range of facilities and operations • Multiple facility types • Transfer stations • Landfills w/C&D processing • C&D-only operations • Quarries, asphalt plants • Reuse/specialty Legend Green = mixed C&D processing facility Blue = landfill w/C&D processing Yellow = transfer station Red = source separated/other

6. Challenges • Lots of variation in capabilities and practices among mixed C&D facilities • Landfills • Transfer stations • Control over incoming streams

7. Incoming tons vs Diverted tons January 2008 – December 2008

8. Recoverability of C&D Facility Residue November 2008

9. CDDD Program Enhancements Evaluation of key elements of CDDD Program • Facility certification • Reporting requirements • Financial controls

10. Program Revision Goals • Encourage new diversion activities • Ensure facilities are credited for “real” diversion • Encourage highest and best use of recovered materials

11. Enhanced Certification Requirements Source separated C&D facilities • Streamline application and approval process • 90% diversion rate Mixed C&D facilities • Separate diversion of inerts and Mixed C&D • More stringent processing standards • Different requirements for different facility types

12. Mixed C&D Diversion Standards • Proposed diversion rates • Jan 1, 2010 – 55% • Jan 1, 2011 – 60% • Jan 1, 2012 – 65% • Jan 1, 2013 – 70% • Beneficial reuse counts towards maximum of ½ of diversion rate • Source separated materials do not count toward diversion rate for mixed C&D

13. Facility Impacts Facility X (landfill) • Diversion rate (all material through gate) = 85% • Diversion rate (mixed C&D only) = 57% • Diversion rate (mixed C&D, beneficial reuse cap) = 48%

14. Mixed C&D Processing Standards Minimum capabilities • Physical separation • Hand pickers, floor-sorters, etc. • Heavy equipment separation • Font-end loaders, skip loaders, grapplers, etc.

15. Mixed C&D Processing Standards Site-specific requirements • Landfills – must have dedicated processing area, separate from working face • Processing facilities - must have dedicated processing area, separate from transfer operation • Transfer-only facilities – must have dedicated storage area for C&D loads; no commingling with non-C&D loads

16. Other Requirements • Landfills and Processing facilities must process ALL C&D material • Transfer facilities must ship ALL C&D material to a City-Certified processing facility • Facilities must comply with enhanced reporting requirements

17. Next Steps • Outreach to stakeholders • Certification under new standards “Provisional” certification • Regional certification effort?

18. Questions? Clay ReigelCDDD Program ManagerCity of San Jose408-975-2574clay.reigel@sanjoseca.gov