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Recyclers Primer on Climate Change: The Resource Plan. CRRA 2008 John Davis Mojave Desert and Mountain Recycling Authority. Community Resource Plans. Recover valuable resources New economic activity Reduce greenhouse gas emissions Achievable Enhanced collection strategies
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Recyclers Primer on Climate Change:The Resource Plan CRRA 2008 John Davis Mojave Desert and Mountain Recycling Authority
Community Resource Plans • Recover valuable resources • New economic activity • Reduce greenhouse gas emissions • Achievable • Enhanced collection strategies • Improved recovery processing • Continued market development
Waste As Resource • CIWMB updated statewide waste characterization in 2004 • Identifies disposed materials, by over 40 categories • San Bernardino countywide disposal was 2,307,928 tons in 2006 • Resources = material % X disposal
Recoverable ResourcesCurrently Wasted (Landfill) • 355,421 tons of paper • 53,103 tons of glass • 120,019 tons of metal • 27,695 tons of electronics • 168,479 tons of plastic • 600,061 tons of organics • 415,496 tons of construction and demolition
Valuable Resources • Gross value of recycled paper, plastic, metal, glass is over $300/ton • Pacific Rim demand continues to grow • $180,000,000 in current gross value for San Bernardino County resources now landfilled • Landfilling costs another $88,000,000 • “Waste is a misplaced resource”
WARM • U. S. Environmental Protection Agency developed the WAste Reduction Model (WARM) • WARM calculates Greenhouse Gas emissions associated with reduction, recycling, composting, landfilling and waste to energy
Greenhouse Gases • Greenhouse Gases trap heat in the atmosphere • Man-made sources upset natural balance resulting in climate change • Man-made GHG emissions result from fossil fuel combustion (especially energy and transportation) • GHG expressed as Carbon Dioxide – Metric Tons Carbon Equivalent (MTCE)
Greenhouse Gas Reduction • GHG reduction derives from alternative practices: • Increased landfill methane or energy recovery; • Energy avoidance through reduction and recycling (eliminate/reduce raw materials extraction, processing, transport) • Carbon sequestration through composting
Resource GHG Reduction • Capturing San Bernardino County landfilled materials as resources would reduce Greenhouse Gas emissions by 872,110 metric tons of carbon equivalent (MTCE) annually • This is the same reduction as removing 692,151 automobiles from the roads every year
MTCE Value of Landfilled Materials in SB County • Adjusted value is $149,635,149 • Avoided landfill is $87,701,264 • Gross fiscal impact is $227,336,413 • GHG reduction is 872,110 MTCE • Value of MTCE is $272.14 gross • Adjusted value is approximately $171.58/MTCE