Recycling Campaign West Hartford

1. Recycling Campaign West Hartford

2. Four Perspectives • Economic Implications – now and in the future • Regulatory background • Engineering comparison of alternatives • Tactics

3. Background and goals • Current program • 33% diversion rate • Single Stream Recycling – collection cost $91,000 per month • Town Receives approx. $12 per ton • If WH Doubles diversion rate it would cover about 90% of the recycling program ($12 of income - $57 dollars of avoided fees) • Current goal is to increase diversion rate from 33% to 37% in 2015

4. Regulation • Since January 99 – Connecticut requires certain items to be recycled. • Certain items forbidden to be disposed of in trash • Connecticut “aspirational goal” – 58% diversion by 2024 • Federal “aspirational goal” – 50% diversion by 2015

5. Regulatory Hierarchy of Waste Management

6. Engineering Perspective • Recycling is better than Energy Recovery and Landfilling from 4 vantage points: • Energy Use • Solid Waste Produced • Air Emissions • Water Emission

7. Energy Use Recycling Saves 3x the energy that WTE produces

8. Tactics • Revamp town website • Education – media and schools • Focus on key generators – e.g. sporting events • Peer pressure – “Blue Ribbon” barrels • Feedback – monthly public review of diversion rate.

9. SAQs • Seldom asked questions: • Is recycling mandated by law? • Is our current level of waste output sustainable? • Will education and coercion be enough?

10. Managing Residential Hazardous Waste – The New Maginot Line • Discuss the goals and approach of the Hazardous Waste collection program • “Deep Dive” on a typical lawn product and the nature of its pesticide: • Behavior in the Soil/Water • Toxicity to Bees and Fish • Toxicity to Humans • Recommendations

11. The Program • Comprehensive list of materials to be handled by hazardous waste pickups • 2x per year collection • Guidance on where to recycle materials not listed • Guidance on proper mixing and use of chemicals • Guidance on alternatives to hazardous chemicals • Recycling opportunities for electronics

12. An “Innocent” Product Scotts® Turf Builder® With SummerGuard

13. Bifenthrin • Bifenthrin is a Type I pyrethroid that affects the central and peripheral nervous system by interfering with sodium channel gating. • Bifenthrin is included in the draft list of initial chemicals for screening under the U.S. EPA Endocrine Disruptor Screening Program (EDSP). • The U.S. EPA classified bifenthrin as a Category C, possible human carcinogen • Bifenthrin is very highly toxic to fish with 96-hour LD50 values of 0.10 and 0.18 ppb for rainbow trout and bluegill sunfish. • Bifenthrin is highly toxic to bees with and oral LD50 of .1 ug/bee.

14. Good News / Bad News • Bifenthrin is not nearly so toxic as its predecessor pesticides. • It is only moderately persistent • Once in the soil it binds to the soil and doesen’t migrate. • However if it is washed off and into waterways it is problematic and bio accumulate in the aquatic life • It can reach children through direct contact and exposure to pets. • It will kill bees if they are exposed.

15. The Maginot Line - • The hazardous waste program is a formidable barrier to improper disposal of hazardous waste. • But we ought not feel secure given that many of the chemicals will get to us through “proper” use. • Bifenthrin is one of hundreds of “invaders”

16. Recommendation • Rank order “legitimate” chemical use in the town based on a combination of toxicity (to humans and other life) and amount of usage (i.e. if highly toxic, or heavily used rank it higher) • Test children – waterways – and birds for levels of these chemicals.