350 likes | 355 Views
Curbside Recycling: Home. Work. Play. Kate Bailey, June 2016. Where are we going today?. One of first 20 communities with curbside recycling. Who is Eco-Cycle?. Boulder, CO since 1976 65 employees 55,000 tons/year “Zero Waste Social Enterprise”.
E N D
Curbside Recycling: Home. Work. Play. Kate Bailey, June 2016
Who is Eco-Cycle? Boulder, CO since 1976 65 employees 55,000 tons/year “Zero Waste Social Enterprise”
Why Recycling. Why Now. Start with Why www.startwithwhy.com
Current economic impact of recycling in NE • 1600 recycling jobs • $74.5 million direct wages • $274 million economic impact • $10 million in state, local taxes “Enhancing Recycling Services in Nebraska,” 2010 www.recyclenebraska.org
Lost economic opportunities “Nebraska Recycling Study,” 2014 www.recyclenebraska.org/
Extend your landfill life Graphic courtesy of Stop Hwy 6 Landfill
#1 thing you can do for the environment “Although it sounds simple, when you see those recycling bins...think of it as a home-grown jobs program, and an environmental program and an energy program and a water program all in one.” Lisa Jackson, EPA Administrator, 2012
People want it Carton Council Survey, 2016 www.cartonopportunities.org/survey
Household barriers to more recycling in NE Center for Applied Rural Innovation, 2012 http://ruralpoll.unl.edu/pdf/12resources.pdf
Free market doesn’t deliver. • Private subscription service • Low participation rate • Unwilling to pay more • Unaccounted costs of trash • Pollution, health risks: $10 per ton • Future costs • Public benefits • $120/ton in environmental benefits • Jobs • Public satisfaction
Hands-on approach: City-run trucks • One charge for service package, recycling automatically included • Typically household and/or apartments
Success story: Danvers, MA • Population: 26,000 • No recycling out, no trash pickup • Apartments and homes • $43,000 saved in first year
Implementation: City contract • Public-private partnership • Homes and/or apartments • Economies of scale • Define terms of services
Success in Nebraska: Murray • Population: 500 • New trash/recycling contract with private hauler • Lower costs: $17/HH to $12/HH • Better services: curbside recycling for all residents
Implementation: Municipal ordinance • Any hauler offering trash must also provide recycling • Great for businesses, apartments • Freedom to choose hauler
Success story: Aspen, CO • Population: 7000 • Apartments, homes & businesses • Recycling embedded in costs of services • Hauler licensing requirement
Infrastructure needs • DEQ map on equipment, infrastructure and services • Regional partnerships • Hub and spoke model
Does single-stream recycling make sense? • Higher value in dual stream • Higher participation in single-stream • Balance sorting costs • 65% single-stream programs (2010)
Current challenges • Global economic factors • Strong U.S. dollar • Low export markets • Low oil prices • Changing material stream • Less paper • More plastic • Contamination challenges Recycling is not going anywhere! Get latest industry projections: Moore Recycling Associates
Lessons learned & true economics • Evaluate over 20 – 30 years, including landfill expansions • Plan for bad years, not good • Full cost accounting • +$10/ton in landfill “costs” • -$120/ton in recycling “benefits”
Funding options • NDEQ: www.deq.state.ne.us • NET: www.environmentaltrust.org • NE State Recycling Association: www.recyclenebraska.org • USDA Rural Development Solid Waste Management Grant:www.rurdev.usda.gov/uwp-solidwastemanagement.htm
Best practices, resources and more ecocyclesolutionshub.org
Stay with us on the road to Zero Waste Kate Bailey, Program Manager kate@ecocycle.org 303.444.6634 ecocyclesolutionshub.org