Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments Recycling Subcommittee Meeting January 15, 2009

1. Tenth Annual Report of Solid Waste Services in Washington Metropolitan Region: Highlights and Challenges Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments Recycling Subcommittee Meeting January 15, 2009 Debbie Spiliotopoulos, Senior Environmental Planner

3. Overview • Background • Highlights of the 2008 Report • Performance Measures: Recycling Rates and Challenges to Data Quality Summary and Report are available electronically www.novaregion.org/wastereport

4. Waste Report Background-History • Produced since 1989. Smaller cities and towns added in 2004. • Original and primary use: a tool by and for waste managers. • The executive summary produced for public. • 2007-2008 NVRC redesigned the report and streamlined data collection.

5. Waste Report Background • Data determined by and for local waste managers, no statutory basis. • NVRC collects the information and generates report. • For 2008, data request coincided with Virginia recycling report deadlines. • This year, 15 jurisdictions contributed data: City of Alexandria, Arlington County, District of Columbia, City of Falls Church, City of Fairfax, Fairfax County, Town of Herndon, Town of Leesburg, Loudoun County, City of Manassas Park, City of Manassas, Montgomery County, Prince Georges County, Prince William County, Town of Vienna. • Reporting includes calendar year and fiscal year (July to June). • Data collected from May into late fall… • Report focuses on municipal services and programs for single family households. Little information collected on private, commercial, and multifamily data.

6. 2008 Waste Report Highlights • Findings • Waste Programs • Services • Outreach • Collection • Disposal • Special Services

7. Findings • Reduced growth of households publicly served. • Increase in nuisance cleanups from foreclosures. • Electronics recovery increased by 30%, commingled waste increased by 65%, recycling rates increased. • Regionally, 55 percent of 3.11 million tons of waste disposed generates electricity in WTE plants. Most of Virginia WTE disposal occurs in Northern Virginia (65%). Overall, Northern Virginia represents 28 % of statewide disposal (1.67 million tons). • Region faces continued challenges of commercial, school multifamily data and compliance, CDD waste, data quality.

8. Waste Programs • All jurisdictions offer extensive recycling opportunities and disposal services. • Fourteen of 15 jurisdictions offer residents HHW and electronics recycling. • Funding Structures: 7 jurisdictions rely on general fund, 5 have user fees, 3 use a combination of fees and general fund. • Eight jurisdictions have hauler certifications. • Ten jurisdictions have mandatory recycling for commercial buildings, eleven require recycling for multifamily residences.

9. Collection • Eight jurisdictions reported no change in households served, two reported lower numbers for 2007. • Overall, smaller growth rate for local collection services in the region from 2007: from 2.18 to 1.53 percent increase in recycling, 1.13 to 0.8 percent for solid waste services. • Eight of the thirteen jurisdictions use public collection for refuse, and 6 operate public collection for recycling. Six jurisdictions rely on contract services for refuse, 8 for recycling. Prince William County and Loudoun County do not provide collection. • Single stream: jurisdictions reported continued switch to public single stream collection: 8 jurisdictions reported single stream collection in the region. Switch to single stream could be reflected in jump in commingled tonnage.

10. Collection (continued)

11. Disposal • Data collected from individual reports, Virginia DEQ, Maryland DEP, and U.S. EPA reports. • Four jurisdictions dispose of waste outside of the region. • Six jurisdictions receive most of the waste. • 56% waste WTE generating electricity, 65 percent of NV waste is WTE. Total Virginia waste to WTE: 11 percent. • Tip fees: range from 45-79.95/ton, average $57/ton, 7 percent increase. Four jurisdictions no change from last year. • Contracts: the report notes contract conditions as of May/June 2008. The report lists conditions, rates, contract periods, and whether the contracts have riders for fellow MWCOG members.

12. Solid Waste Generated and Diverted

13. Tip Fees 2003 to 2008

14. Special Waste Services • Brush and yard waste: collected in 12 jurisdictions. Prince William, Montgomery, and Prince George’s counties operate public composting facilities. • Supplemental materials: electronics jumped by 30%. Greater public opportunity to recycle electronics from 2007. • CDD: Nine jurisdictions reported that CDD entering the MSW stream remains a problem. There are few CDD facilities, and little legal oversight of this waste stream. Four jurisdictions have local regulatory authority, and four jurisdictions track CDD issues. • CESQG: Loudoun County, Montgomery County, and Fairfax County offer CESQG events for resident businesses.

15. Special Waste Services: HHW • Household Hazardous Waste (HHW): all jurisdictions offer some kind of HHW disposal opportunity. Nine provide permanent HHW collection sites, 10 hold special events. • Jurisdictions have dedicated budgets for HHW, with 12 providing specific outreach and education. HHW costs range from 25-65K per year. Fairfax reported an annual cost of $600,000 for HHW managed at the transfer station and WTE plant. • Latex Paint, a nonhazardous byproduct often brought to HHW events, accounts for up to 92 percent of paint brought in as HHW. Loudoun collected 43 tons of latex paint, and Fairfax collected 513 tons.

16. Performance Measure: Regional Recycling Rate • Recycling Rates. NVRC publishes self-reported rates for individual jurisdictions. NVRC calculated the regional recycling rate for 2007 and 2008 by using a total diversion of reported waste and recycling tonnages. • Recycled tons = primary + supplemental materials recycled • Recycling rate = recycled tons/ (recycled tons + disposed tons)

17. Performance Measures: Data Quality • Challenges to report’s data quality: • different definitions, • different reporting criteria, • access to data in useful format.

18. Performance Measures: Specific Data Limitations Waste Report • Different timelines: Maryland and VA report differently using fiscal and calendar year data. • Definitions related to: funding structures, service descriptions, public/private, waste definitions (commingled). • Access to Data: commercial, private tonnages by jurisdiction, population figures for per capita evaluations…who and how collected. • Perceptions of data by broader audience: This report represents public services. Great interest in how this relates to the whole spectrum of MSW: commercial, multifamily, HOAs etc. • Data unverified, including duplications and omissions. • Programs difficult to compare, yet they invite comparison.

19. The 2009 Waste Report • Data collection begins in May 2009: NVRC goal for report final by September, 2009. • Clarify definitions, request some information less frequently to reduce reporting burden (metal, yard waste programs), eliminate information? • Add MRF map, improve yard waste/disposal maps. • Reorganize, clarify contract table. • Coordinate with MWCOG to generate broader analysis of MSW in the region.

20. The Tenth Annual Report of Public Solid Waste Services in the Washington Metropolitan Area Summary and Report are available electronically www.novaregion.org/wastereport Debbie Spiliotopoulos, NVRC 3060 Willliams Drive, Suite 510 Fairfax, VA 22031 dspilio@novaregion.org 703-642-4631