Cooperation in Rural Solid Waste Management

1. Cooperation in Rural Solid Waste Management Why and How to do it; Where to find guidance Laura M. Dellinger Midwest Assistance Program September 12, 2003 for Colorado chapter of SWANA

2. The Cooperative model is… • A tradition of coalition building • A strategy used to reach specific goals through the collaborative efforts of often disparate entities

3. “Disparate entities” • Traditionally, solid waste operators and recyclers have been considered, or considered themselves, as competitors • Experience and anecdotal evidence is demonstrating that their activities are symbiotic

4. It’s a natural! • The concept of cooperation (co-ops) is a long-standing tradition in agricultural communities • Can be most useful in creating diversion program options beyond the “basics” of MSW collection and disposal • Composting • Recycling • Hazardous waste • Large items & white goods

5. Diversion benefits • Beneficial to solid waste operators who are interested in being in business for the longest possible time. Landfill capacity, even in rural facilities with low daily disposal amounts, is finite • Beneficial to communities • Gives them access to a nearby facility for a longer time • Prolongs the time before which they have to go through the daunting task of finding or establishing a replacement disposal facility • Beneficial to individual citizens: it can keep their fees lower

6. Create win-win solutions by… • Identifying common needs • Opening channels of communication • Pooling resources • ‘Piggy-backing’ on available programs of a larger community or one already well-established and functioning • Smaller/newer community can offer new services while larger/veteran program can obtain additional income or resources, plus greater volume that improves their market position or amount of final product

7. Advantages & Opportunities • Economies of scale • Sharing vs solitary shouldering of costs • Grant monies can go farther • Expanding program features offered • Opportunities for diversion • The arrangement can be loosely or formally structured; short, medium or long-term

8. Loosely-based cooperation • Usually begins with informal arrangements • Usually involves casual agreements to act jointly to meet a need or solve a problem • Are what most structured coalitions or cooperative organizations evolved from • Decisions based on practicality and a minimal amount of structure are most effective when enacted in an atmosphere of cooperation and equity • Can become difficult to maintain since agreements are not legally binding, and their success depends solely upon the good will and philosophical consensus of the participants • Agreements can crumble under the economics of profit and loss or shifting political alliances

9. Structured cooperation • Involves formal incorporation or organization by member groups • Involves selection of a democratic body to make decisions and possibly the hiring of staff • Administrative oversight becomes more necessary as revenues are generated, increased and spent; equipment or land is purchased and contractual relationships are established

10. Has it Worked Somewhere Before? • Coalitions have succeeded by forging alliances between individuals and groups whose history may be one of conflict, opposition or competition, but whose common bond is the desire to solve an agreed‑upon problem • Yankton Sioux Tribe, surrounding communities in SD & northern Nebraska • Wind River Reservation and its Wyoming county • Multiple communities in Nebraska and Wisconsin

11. Sources of More Information,Opportunities to Network • National & State Solid Waste / Recycling Associations • U.S. EPA • U.S. Dept. of Ag., Rural Utility Service & Rural Development • Rural Community Action Programs (RCAPs) • Colleges and Universities • Environmental / Solid Waste departments of other states, counties, etc. • Google and the Internet

12. Special thanks … • to those involved in creation of the Cooperative Marketing Toolkit • Regions V and VIII of the United States Environmental Protection Agency • *Deb Barton - SD Solid Waste Management Association & Mid Continent Recycling Association (MCRA) • *Steve Danahy - NE DEQ • *Dale Ekart - University of Nebraska ‑ Lincoln • *Jim Hart - Perry Co. Recycling & Litter Prevention • *Kathleen Jackson - Headwaters Co‑op Recycling Project • *Mickey Mills - Bluegrass Regional Recycling • Kay Stevens - Nebraska State Recycling Association (NSRA) • *Sandy Sturm - Creative Conservation • *Susan Waughtal - SEMREX • *Jeff Weaver - Mower Col. Recycling * The above may presently be in different positions or with different entities