SSRC takes bottle refund update to residents

The SSRC is working with several organizations to add noncarbonated drink containers to the State’s deposit/refund system.   Executive Director Claire Sullivan has been invited by some local groups to explain why it’s important to municipalities that the 27 year old Mass. Bottle Bill is brought into the 21^st century.

The North & South River Watershed Association and Mass. Audubon invited Sullivan and SEMASS’ Patti Howard to “talk trash” at its popular Water Watch series, held at the South Shore Natural Science Center.  With Sullivan playing it straight to Howard’s engaging humor, the pair explained what happens to area discards after they leave town, and how an expansion of the bottle and can redemption system would save towns money and reduce litter and disposal of valuable materials.  The host organizations are also enthusiastic supporters of the measure.

Sullivan also appeared with Dan Brielman, founder of Saving Abington with Green Energy (SAGE), at a well-attended Council on Aging luncheon.  Brielman, a professional videographer, taped it for local cable.  She then joined a panel following a screening of the Oscar nominee “Garbage Dreams”, hosted by MassRecycle and the Quincy Environmental Network.  Quincy Recycling Manager John Sullivan and Eagle Recycling’s Tony Basile also participated. 

A Boston Area Sustainability Group presentation at House of Blues is on the agenda next week.

The latest invitation came from Bob Broker of the Responsible Energy Action Alternatives of Hingham, (REACH).  Sullivan will appear with Ms. Howard again at Glastonbury Abbey on May18.

 The SSRC Board voted unanimously to direct its legislators to support H3515, which updates the Massachusetts Beverage Container Law.  In addition, chief elected officials in Abington, Cohasset, Duxbury, Hanson, Hingham, Hull, Kingston, Norwell, Plymouth, Scituate, Whitman, and about 120 other municipalities have signed a resolution supporting this measure. 

The Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy Committee, which has held similar bills for over 12 years, just requested an extension of the March 17 deadline to report the bill out. The new deadline is July 14, two weeks before the end of the legislative session.  Chaired by the South Shore’s own Senator Morrissey, the TUE held a hearing last October which was packed with supporters. At that time, Chairman Morrissey promised that this time there would be a vote.  A favorable report would allow the bill to continue its journey through the legislative process.

Noncarbonated drinks now account for about a third of beverages sold.  Adding their containers to the redemption system would triple their recycling rate, currently around 25%, providing the needed incentive for people to divert half a billion containers each year from ball fields, roadsides and trash into new products.

MassDEP recently posted a study entitled “Benefits of an Expanded Bottle Bill on Municipal Refuse & Recycling Costs & Revenues”.  It concludes that net costs to Mass. municipalities to manage non-deposit beverage containers are $4.3 million to $7 million/ year. Another recent DEP field study found that containers without a deposit are nine times as likely to be littered as those with deposits.

Other supporters of the update include the MassRecycle, MassDEP, Mass. Municipal Association, Mass. League of Women Voters, Mass. Sierra Club, MassPIRG, the Environmental League of Mass., and the Cities of Boston, Cambridge, Springfield and Worcester.     back to top

MEETING NOTES

PSC wins FY11-12 HHW contract

The SSRC’s request for proposals resulted in a new vendor being awarded its Household Hazardous Waste contract for FY11-12.  Like our longtime service provider Clean Harbors, PSC Environmental had good references, sufficient resources, and qualified to be on the State Contract, which is no small feat.  Clean Ventures also submitted a proposal.

Lower rates than we are paying now, plus a dedicated contract/site manager and tent coverage in bad weather won PSC the 2 year SSRC contract, with three-1 year options to extend.  PSC is based in Providence, RI; the contract/site manager, John MacDonald, works out of Rockland. He will visit all our sites ahead of time, and can be reached at 781-879-4435, jmacdonald@pscnow.com. 

The contract format will be almost the same as in the past, with the added option of small quantity pricing, for vehicles bringing less than 5 gallons or 10 lbs of materials.  Cost for one household equivalent will drop from the current $45.10 to $43.  Cars bringing “Small quantities” cost $23.

PSC is one of largest environmental compa-nies in North America, with 4000 employees.  Mr. MacDonald has managed the contracts for the Minuteman Regional HHW facility in Lexington, and the regional facility in Barnstable County. 

PSC has new roll-offs, and would like to bid that service against private haulers; the rate may be lower than the $800 in the bid.  PSC also picks up paint from sheds (separately). Pricing is on the State Contract, FAC53.

Clean Harbors will conduct the spring collections on the current contract, and fall dates have been set with PSC.  The schedule is:

SPRING 2010

4/10     Weymouth DPW

4/24     Hanover RTS (residents only)

5/1       Duxbury Middle School, w/Kingston

5/8       Plymouth DPW (residents only)

5/15     Hingham, Plymouth River School

6/5       Scituate Hwy. Garage, w/Cohasset

FALL 2010

9/18     Whitman DPW, w/Abington

10/2     Hanson, Plymouth County Hospital

10/16   Plymouth DPW

10/23   Weymouth DPW

10/30   Hanover Transfer Station, w/Rockland and Norwell    back to top

 

Grinding and screening contracts re-bid

Nine companies responded to an invitation for yard waste management bids, which were opened on March 1.  Up to four contracts may be awarded, for horizontal and tub grinding, and star and trommel compost screening.

Bids were very competitive.  The Executive Director has checked references, and the Board will vote on the award(s) at our March 25 meeting.  The term is Calendar Year 2010, with three-1 year options to extend.    back to top

Steve Beck, who founded nonprofit electronics collector The CREW, is now the Executive Director of Big Brother Big Sister Foundation (BBBSF). He told our Board about plans to merge the organizations at our November meeting, which has since come to fruition.

BBBSF collects clothing and household goods to fund its mentoring program, Big Brother Big Sister.  It costs about $1,000 to match a volunteer to a child, which usually last 2-7 years.  10,000 volunteers in Greater Boston commit 4 hours/week to an at-risk child aged 7-15.

Last year, BBBSF processed 8,000 tons of clothes and 3,000 tons of household goods. Vehicle donations are also accepted. They dispose 5 tons of unusable materials/week.  Discards were mostly furniture; they have since stopped accepting it.

BBBSF sells clothing by the pound.  Unsalable clothing is  made into insulation.

The Foundation operates in 300 towns in Mass. It is working with realty companies to clean out foreclosed homes, and Mr. Beck is planning to open retail outlets, starting in Medford. BBBSF communicates with 1.3M people each year via postcards, etc, and is approaching the $1M/year mark in funding. 

In partnership with Horizon House (Individuals in Recovery), BBBSF staffs containers at Lowe’s and Stop & Shop.  They check 42 bins daily, including some at municipal facilities (i.e. the Duxbury Transfer Station).

BBBSF has also incorporated the electronic waste that had been collected by Beck’s The Crew into its program.  Last year the CREW ran 32 e-waste fundraisers, raising $2.6M for local HS bands and music programs from Amherst, MA to Manchester NH.  He employs college students to staff events and door to door collections.

Learning that there had been issues with a one-day toy collection in Scituate, Steve assured us that he is working on donor relations training for drivers and warehouse staff. 

Another Board member reported good results with BBBSF during the downsize of his home.

Mr. Beck can provide posters for swap shops.  Contact him at 774-776-7200; info@bbbsfoundation.org   back to top

WM Avon Tour

The SSRC hosted a tour of the Waste Management Recycle America material recovery facility in January, at the request of Treasurer Joanne Dirk and the Norwell Recycling Committee. We were joined by other Board representatives as well.  A few of our member towns send their recyclables to the facility.

Pat Milmoe, WM’s Avon Account Manager, explained the single and dual sort systems, showed us a short video and led us through the maze of conveyor belts, trammel screens, magnets, sort lines, hoppers and balers to show us how the mix is broken down into its component commodities. 

Lower sortation leads to more contamination and “outthrows”, both at the Avon facility and the end markets, but that is offset by the greater overall recovery due to added convenience.  Certain levels of unwanted materials in the bales are tolerable to the end markets, the amount which varies with supply and demand.

Mr. Milmoe was peppered with questions about acceptable recyclables. Since WM upgraded its equipment to sort single stream recycling, they have found markets for most non-bottle plastic containers numbered 1-7, milk and juice cartons.

The company, and most of its competitors, still does not recycle expanded polystyrene, aka “Styrofoam” (which is mostly air). 

The biggest challenge it faces in the residential recycling stream is plastic bags, which jam up equipment.  Full plastic bags are treated as if they contain hazardous trash, for safety reasons, and are discarded.  The sort lines move too fast to open and evaluate the contents.

Municipalities can help keep recycling costs down by educating their residents to bring all their clean plastic bags to the grocery store and keep them out of their recycling setouts.

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Secure-A Lot

At our December meeting, Marc Landman and Bruce Schulman did a Power Point Presentation about their Secure-A-Lot (SAL) vehicular access control systems.  Their systems operate at all 3 Plymouth transfer stations, enabling a “sticker-less” permit system.  Residents can buy their permits online or in person.  All SAL needs is an electronic list of permitted vehicle license plates, eliminating the need to mail or distribute stickers.

The system uses cameras with zoom lenses located in the guard shacks or wherever they are best utilized.  The SAL software “reads” the license plates, stores the photos, and compares the plate numbers to database of permitted vehicles, eliminating bottlenecks at the gate for permit verification and enforcement.  If the plate number doesn’t match, it is sent to DPW staff to confirm that the vehicle is not permitted.  If DPW determines that it is unauthorized, the Police run the plates to identify owner's name and address.  The DPW then mails a violation notice with a $50 fine.  Since the evidence is permanent, there is no need for on-site enforcement.

The system costs $500 - $1500/month, depending on the level of service.  SAL owns and maintains system.

It reduces labor costs for permit sales and enforcement, and also disposal costs, since it is a deterrent to violators.  The savings on disposal, staff time and additional permit purchases covers more than the cost of the system.  Collection of fines is an added bonus.

Plymouth found that 8% of visitors had no permit. The Town has citation authority, so if a violator doesn’t pay, they receive a hearing notice to appear in court.  If they don’t show, the RMV is notified and won’t renew the vehicle’s registration until the fine is paid. 

The DPW’s Arthur Douylliez sent 950 citations at $50 the first year, and 900 in the first month of FY10.  As a result, more permits were sold.  The savings are permanent, as scofflaws usually won’t offend again after fine.  Towns may enforce as each sees fit.

The system can be used for beach parking lots and other applications too, freeing up staff and eliminating cash issues.

If the town doesn't already have a database of sticker owners, then data entry is required at the start.  After implementation, there is permanent photo storage on site, a data trail, and enforcement becomes a part-time clerical office task.

Contact Secure-a-Lot at 800-585-2577, sales@secure-a-lot.com.  back to top

Casella Recycling update

Lisa McMenemy and Steve Wenzel updated the Board about Casella Recycling (formerly FCR) and its Rochester transfer facility at our February meeting. Ms. McMenemy has years of field experience, and is the new Municipal Development Rep. Mr. Wenzel runs the Rochester Division.

Casella operates Zero Sort (aka single stream, SS) processing facilities in Charlestown and Auburn, MA, and offers competitive pricing on both SS, dual stream and cardboard brought to Rochester.  Pricing depends on several factors, including curbside/ dropoff, operational constraints and sortation level.

Casella also offers hauling to Rochester.  The consolidated material is trucked to their sorting facilities. Charlestown is doing another retrofit, and will be open for tours in May.

The Rochester facility also accepts C&D, where they “kick sort” out the non-recyclable and material.  They accept mattresses with C&D at no extra charge, and put many to use for cleanup.  Cohasset brings C&D and bulky to Casella, and is pleased with the service.

The Rochester facility is permitted to transfer municipal solid waste (MSW), but needs contracted volume before it is constructed. Casella has landfills in Mass., and a waste to energy facility in Maine.

The company can provide compactors and containers with 3 year contracts. It is paying based on Average Commodity Revenue, which is updated monthly (in-house). They are currently paying an average of $3.50/ton for SS. More separation nets a higher rebate due to lower processing cost.  Casella can also take big rigid plastics.

Plastic bags jam equipment.   Sorters empty some clear plastic bags if possible. Expanded Polystyrene (EPS #6, “Styrofoam”) is light, and not economical to accept. Steve can make recommendations to maximize efficiency at municipal transfer sites.

Contact Ms. McMenemy at (508) 294-3979, or lisa.mcmenemy@casella.com, Mr. Wenzel at 508-291-1500, or stephen.wenzel@casella.com.

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Abington trash under budget gun

Facing a budget deficit of over $1M, Abington’s Acting Town Manager Dori Jameison enlisted the help of SSRC Executive Director Claire Sullivan.  Sullivan presented the Board of Selectmen with options for shifting trash costs from the General Fund last month, followed by a meeting with the Board of Health. 

Options include a flat fee based system, a volume based fee system, and no municipal collection at all.

A major sticking point is that trash and recycling collection and disposal are funded by two separate overrides, one which was just passed last year. 

If that obstacle can be removed, Sullivan will work with town officials to implement whatever plan the Boards decide on.  She has already developed a budget for the startup costs.

SSRC advises Kingston

With large disposal cost increases looming and inadequate recycling capacity at the town’s Transfer Station, Kingston Superintendent Paul Basler is brainstorming with the SSRC and the Board of Selectmen on the direction of facility improvements. 

Executive Director Claire Sullivan did an analysis and made recommend-dations to the Selectmen in December, including the installation of compactors for recycling, contracting for recycling service and higher staffing levels.   She also identified construction and demolition (C&D) waste as a major source of unrecovered costs, recom-mendding a restructuring of fees, or elimination of the service altogether.

The town had anticipated an infusion of capital funds for transfer station upgrades from a planned 40R housing complex, but years of court battles with abutters killed that project, and the funding that went with it. 

Once the bulky cardboard, bottles and cans can be compacted, the staff will be able to enforce recycling rules, which will reduce trash tonnage.

Basler is negotiating with recycling processors that can provide hauling and containers. 

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Norwell examines MSW

The Norwell Advisory Board directed Town departments to cut costs for FY11.  To develop a plan, the Board of Health called in SSRC’s Claire Sullivan, MassDEP’s Edith DeMello and curbside hauler Mike and Angela Del Prete to provide direction at a February meeting.  Sullivan provided information on several options, including setout limits, waste ban enforcement, single stream and a fee system that includes a volume based component (PAYT). 

DeMello, who is working with the Town through a MassDEP In-Kind Technical Assistance Grant, went into depth   went into depth on various PAYT options, recommending bags rather than stickers, and the establishment of an enterprise fund. 

Del Prete explained the collection efficiency of single stream recycling, and has purchased a new packer truck for that purpose.  Norwell is negotiating with Del Prete & Sons to extend its contract for curbside collection.

The Board will further investigate implementing single stream recycling collection in July, and some form of PAYT for September.

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Plymouth may take SEMASS’ offer

Plymouth may continue to enjoy the lowest disposal tip fee in the region even after 2014, the current end date for their SEMASS contract.  Signing on as one of the first SEMASS contract communities before the facility was built, Plymouth continues to pay the 1988 tip fee plus change in law costs, now at $22.53/ton. 

Twenty-nine “Tier One” municipalities signed with SEMASS early, locking in now-enviable disposal rates now in the $20-35/ton range through 2014. With the end in sight, Covanta SEMASS proposed a 15 year contract extension, with a 5 year “ramp up” beginning this year to a below market rate. Using the current tip fee as a starting point, Plymouth would land at $62.53/ton in 2014, with CPI escalators thereafter. 

The Selectmen are recom-mending that the extension be signed, which will mean tip fee increases would begin this year.  The agreement must be approved by Town Meeting vote.

Hanson, Kingston and Norwell are also Tier One towns, with tip fees in the $35/ton range.  The SSRC towns were included in a study conducted by Camp Dresser McKee, funded and organized by the Cape Cod Commission to evaluate long term disposal options. 

The Executive Director has also been working with the towns to mitigate their costs in other ways.  Those towns are still considering whether to accept SEMASS’ proposal or ride out the current contract.  The Director has encouraged them to aggregate their waste tonnage with other towns whose contracts expire at that time and do a regional bid.

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Ply. County Selectmen focus on trash

 Kingston hosted the January meeting of Plymouth County Selectboards, at which the topic was near and dear – managing trash.   Your Execu-tive Director was one of the speakers, along with MassDEP’s Brooke Nash and former Plymouth County Administrator Troy Clarkson.  Clarkson has since become Bridgewater’s Town Administrator.

 Ms. Nash spoke eloquently about trends in municipal waste management (PAYT, waste ban enforcement, single stream, …), the direction of the new Solid Waste Master Plan, and the Electronic Waste Producer Responsibility bill pending in the Rules Committee.  She pointed out that MassDEP encourages regional coopera-tion in collection and disposal contracting, citing cost savings, program benefits and upcoming grant opportunities, pointing to the SSRC as a great example of intermunicipal collaboration.

After thanking many of those present for signing the resolution supporting the expansion of the State’s Bottle Bill, SSRC’s Claire Sullivan delivered a primer about how the SSRC helps its member towns with hazardous and yard waste management contrac-ting, technical support, information sharing and outreach.   Giving examples of successful waste reduction strategies and regional contracts, she offered help in facilitating program improve-ments and regional disposal, recycling and curbside collection contracts.

It’s encouraging to see that Chief Elected Officials from different towns are mirroring the example of the SSRC and learning from each other.

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Curby the Recycling Robot debuts in Weymouth

Capitol Waste provides outreach to Tri Towns

By Rosemary Nolan

With dimini-shing budgets in recent years, the Tri Towns (Brain-tree, Quincy and Weymouth) were concerned about their ability to continue outreach to residents.  As we have seen, once outreach decreases so does recycling.  Disposal costs rise with more recyclables wasted in the trash. 

In the Tri Town RFP, funding for outreach was requested throughout the 9 year contract.  The  following outreach assistance  provided to each community since July 2008 would not have been possible without this provision:

·     Large cloth shopping bags with recycling message and each community’s name

·     Professional Multi-media Recycling Campaign - spots for cable TV, schools, radio messages, graphics for brochures, signs, etc.

·     Purchase of Curby the Robot (a talking trash can), which has been a hit at school and community presentations

·     Contracting of person to assist with school presentations

·     $5 coupons toward purchase of trash barrels to use as Single stream Recycling containers

·     Single Stream Recycling Stickers

·     Printing of recycling brochures

·     Rewards programs at various schools/phonebook collection

Working with a local company whose owners meet regularly with the commu-nities has created a positive partnership, resulting in a variety of benefits for the residents being served.  

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REGION AND STATE

Cuts to DEP hurt muni programs

The layoff of 67 staff people last fall, coupled with a years-long hiring freeze at MassDEP, is being felt at town halls.  With staffing at 50% of 2000 levels, municipalities are increasingly on their own when it comes to managing their solid waste.

The departures of grant managers Peggy Harlow and Regan Clover, mercury program manager Lori Segall, data analyst Marc Fournier and Municipal Assistance Coordinator Jonathan Ferris, the retirement of PAYT guru Joseph Lambert, and the layoff of our own newly hired data analyst Janine Delaney have had a noticeable impact on our programs. Three other positions in the Bureau of Waste Prevention have been vacant for 3 years.

The SSRC is filling in some of the blanks, collecting municipal recycling data and providing technical assistance to member towns that request it. Edith Demello from the DEP SERO is also stretching her workload to help out.

When the Municipal Recycling Grant program was eliminated this fiscal year, it was anticipated that it would be replaced by a new program funded by the sale of Waste to Energy Credits from the electricity generated by 6 of the State’s seven municipal waste combustors (including SEMASS).  Facilities have begun selling these credits and funding from their sale is expected to become available in early summer and fund the new Sustainable Materials Recovery Program. DEP is working to shuffle existing staff resources to develop and administer the anticipated to $5-8 million along with its more traditional technical assistance, permitting and compliance enforcement.

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The 2010-2020 Solid Waste Master Plan process is also slowed down by the staff cuts.  In December, the Patrick Administration announced its priorities for the Plan, the draft which was to be released in January. At the January Solid Waste Advisory Committee meeting, MassDEP Commissioner Laurie Burt outlined points she expects to be proposed in the Draft SWMP.  Once released, DEP will hold public hearings.

The Administration’s priorities include:

·     maintaining the 20 year old moratorium on new municipal waste combustors.  Rather than adding disposal capacity, strategies to reduce waste will be emphasized.  Anaerobic digestion and composting of organic waste will be encouraged.

·     passing producer responsibility legislation for discarded electronics

·     expanding the bottle bill to include noncarbonated beverage containers

·     providing assistance for municipal waste reduction measures such as PAYT

·     leveling the playing field by requiring all haulers to provide recycling service.

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MRCs share curbside strategies

In Mass., municipal trash programs are as varied as the cities and towns themselves.  But there are recurring themes when it comes to the best ways to reduce trash tonnage.  Successful program strategies were analyzed in detail (and good humor) at both Northeast and Southeast MassRecycle Municipal Recycling Council meetings this winter.

It was no surprise that the winning strategy was volume based pricing, aka Pay As You Throw.  But other methods and combinations are variously effective  as well: serious waste ban enforcement, single stream recycling, automated collection, and staff time dedicated to outreach, education and communicating with residents both before and after a new program starts.

DEP Municipal Assistance Coordinator Carolyn Dann is refining a spreadsheet with program details, effects on disposal and recycling tonnage, and before and after household generation.  The best approach for each community depends on many factors that make each town unique. 

For more information, contact Claire Sullivan.

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Beginning in 2011, the Mass. Operational Services Division’s STAR (Statewide Training And Resources) Exposition will be “rebranded” to a Green STAR event.  It will showcase environmentally preferable products (EPPs) and include EPP workshops.

The plan to blend the two trade shows stems from Governor Patrick’s Executive Order 515, announced at last year’s EPP Fair, which Establishes an Environmental Purchasing Policy for the state. This puts EPPs and conventional products on equal footing. The merger was the obvious next step.

As OSD plans for the Green Star trade show in 2011, the fall EPP Vendor Fair will not be held this year. Attendees may register at no charge for the STAR Expo on May 4, 2010 at the Boston Convention and Expo Center.  There will be two workshops on green purchasing and a number of EPP exhibitors. Go to www.mass.gov/star.

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