Agenda Index City of Vancouver

ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT

TO:

Standing Committee on City Services and Budgets

FROM:

General Manager of Engineering Services

SUBJECT:

Yard Waste Collection Program

 

RECOMMENDATION

CONSIDERATION

GENERAL MANAGER’S COMMENTS

COUNCIL POLICY

Council has established a goal of reducing the solid waste stream by 50%.

On December 3, 1998, Council approved a reduction in the refuse “can limit” to 2 cans per Basic Customer Unit and requested a report on opportunities to provide yard waste collection to residents.

All expenditures from the Solid Waste Capital Reserve require Council approval.

SUMMARY

This report presents information on residential yard waste collection as per Council’s request on December 3, 1998. It is estimated that up to 12,000 tonnes per year of yard waste continue to be disposed of in the residential refuse stream. The City currently composts approximately 22,000 tonnes of yard waste each year.

The City’s current yard waste recycling initiatives meet the requirements of the Regional Solid Waste Management Plan. Yard waste can be dropped-off at the Vancouver South Transfer Station (VSTS) and the Vancouver Landfill (VLF) at reduced rates. In addition, residents can purchase a subsidized backyard composter or garbage stickers to meet their needs.

There are many unknowns that need to be resolved prior to implementing an effective yard waste collection program; how well the existing programs will cope with the newly implemented two can limit remains unclear. It is recommended that promotional funding for existing programs be increased by $20,000 in 1999, to be funded from the Solid Waste Utility. This will allow for a more thorough analysis of the options available with the results presented to Council in the fall of 1999.

In addition, it is recommended that $175,000 be approved to make improvements to the Transfer Station to relocate the yard waste drop-off and reduce problematic queues that extend well onto West Kent Avenue from the Transfer Station.

Two sample yard waste collection programs are presented for information and consideration. Periodic collection (once every five weeks) would cost approximately $810,000 per year, or about $9.50 per house. Weekly collection would cost approximately $1,750,000 per year, or about $20.60 per house.

Providing a yard waste program at City cost moves away from the user pay system. Further, a number of options are currently available for the recycling and disposal of yard waste material. In light of this and the difficulty in organizing an effective program this year, the implementation of a yard waste collection program is not recommended.

PURPOSE

During discussion of the December 3, 1998 decision to reduce the Basic Customer Unit for refuse collection to 2 cans, Council requested a report back on options for residential Yard Waste collection. In response, this report summarizes Vancouver’s existing yard waste alternatives and presents information on yard waste collection programs for Council’s consideration.

BACKGROUND

Removal and composting of yard waste is an integral component of the City’s waste reduction efforts and of the Regional Solid Waste Management Plan. In response, the City has introduced a number of programs to reduce the amount of yard waste material in the waste stream. The results of these programs are summarized in Table 1 below:

yard waste received at Transfer Station

16,000 tonnes/year

yard waste received at Landfill

12,000 tonnes/year (6,000 T from Vancouver)

Backyard Composters Sold

Over 25,000 to date

Table 1

These programs result in approximately 22,000 tonnes of Vancouver yard waste being composted annually. In addition, it is estimated that approximately 6,000 tonnes per year of yard waste has been removed from the waste stream through the use of the backyard composters.

In December, 1998, Council approved the reduction in the can limit for a Basic Customer Unit from three cans to two. Some residents feel they will be unable to remain within the two can limit every week due to their need to dispose of yard waste. The existing options for those residents are:

· Purchase a sticker for extra bags
· Transport the yard waste to the Transfer Station or Landfill for composting
· Compost some or all of the yard waste in a backyard composter

The City of Vancouver is now one of the few municipalities in the GVRD that does not offer some level of curbside collection of yard waste through the growing season although we do offer alternatives such as the drop-off at VSTS and fall leaf collection.

DISCUSSION

GVRD literature indicates that approximately 20%-25% of Household Waste consists of yard waste such as grass and tree clippings, etc. There is a noticeable increase in the quantity of residential refuse collected during the nine month growing and yard clean up season (see Appendix 1). Much of this increase can be accounted for by the presence of yard waste in the residential refuse stream. Based on this increased collection amount in the growing season, a maximum of 12,000 tonnes per year of yard waste could be removed from the existing waste stream through a residential collection program.

The City’s current yard waste program, which meets the objectives of the Solid Waste Management Plan, is already removing a significant amount of waste from the refuse stream; however, more could be done. What remains unclear is what method of reducing yard waste disposal will provide the best value. We do not know to what level our existing programs fall short of meeting our customers’ needs, or to what degree people are aware of our programs. Nor do we know what type of service will provide best value to residents, be it universal collection or a type of user pay system.

As a result of this lack of information and the commitment of staff resources to implementation of the Apartment Recycling program, increased promotion of our existing program is recommended for 1999. This will allow staff the opportunity to fully investigate and analyse the options available as well as the anticipated results, and present them to Council this fall prior to committing to a yard waste collection program.

One of the less desirable results of a City wide yard waste collection program is that it discourages back yard composting, grass mulching and other activities that have residents manage their yard waste on site. A utility based program is somewhat contrary to the user pay policy we are striving to achieve by having those who self manage their yard waste subsidize the collection of others.

Other Issues

There currently exists a traffic conflict in Vancouver’s transfer station between the yard waste drop-off and commercial size disposal operators. This conflict is a major contributor to the traffic queues that extend on to West Kent Avenue North for much of the year, and urgently needs to be addressed.

Alterations to the Transfer Station operations and lands are required in order to improve the Transfer Station efficiency and eliminate the queues that currently form well onto West Kent Avenue. The change would consist of using land next to the Transfer Station currently utilized by Central Stores, as a yard waste drop-off area. This will require some physical alterations to the premises, including constructing a ramp, at an estimated cost of $175,000. If a yard waste collection program were to be implemented, preliminary analysis indicates that moving the yard waste drop-off to a new site away from the Transfer Station would be recommended for the long term. Given the time required to develop a new facility, and the fact that approximately $50,000 in traffic control will be spent this year and likely next year, without changes to our existing facilities, it is recommended that we implement the $175,000 in Capital alterations to accommodate existing needs. Should yard waste collection be implemented this year, or in the future, this improvement will be required to assist in the transition to a new, stand alone, receiving facility.

Yard Waste Collection Alternatives for Information and Consideration

There may be a desire to implement a yard waste collection program in 1999. As a result, the following section provides information on the estimated annual cost as well as implementation issues of two yard waste collection program alternatives.

There are three main components to a yard waste collection program: collection, transfer (getting the waste from Vancouver to the compost facility in a cost effective manner) and composting. For a long term, cost effective program, there are many variables within each of these components that require more thorough analysis. The options presented are best estimates based on the limited resources available for this analysis to date.

Yard waste in Vancouver is generated at a fairly steady pace for almost nine months of the year (see Appendix 1). As a result the yard waste programs presented are based on service for about 9 months. In addition, it is assumed that each of the alternatives would incorporate the current leaf collection program which runs from mid October through early December.

It is further assumed that each program would use clear plastic bags as the “yard waste” container. These bags are inexpensive and easy to obtain. They allow collection crews to quickly distinguish between yard waste and garbage. In addition, tied and bundled yard waste would also be accepted. To ensure that the program is equitable, and manageable, quantity limits are proposed for each of the alternatives.

These alternatives assume that City forces would do the collection.

Option 1 provides the property owner with free collection of five bags of yard waste every five weeks. Option 2 provides free collection of three bags of yard waste weekly.

COLLECTION OPTION 1. every 5 weeks

This basic system consists of free collection of five bags of yard waste every five weeks.

This system assumes that each of the City’s five collection zones would receive collection services in succession. The refuse calendar would be adjusted to indicate each zones’s collection week. This is the simplest multi-week collection alternative available as customers would reference the garbage collection calendar to determine when pick-up would occur.

It is anticipated that the collection volume per household would be low. Residents would need to take care of much of their yard waste themselves, either through backyard composting or self-haul to the transfer station.

It is recommended that this option limit the number of bags or bundles that will be collected to five. This is the equivalent of one bag per week and will help ensure that the collection system does not get inundated or misused by landscaping contractors who would normally haul direct to the transfer station.

This program would require approximately $810,000 in new annual funding from the Solid Waste Utility including costs of leaf program, compost sales and crew reduction in refuse.

COLLECTION OPTION 2. every week

This alternative would see yard waste collection every week, similar to garbage and Blue Box service. The quantity of yard waste collected is expected to be about double that of Option 1, up to 14,000 tonnes. This level of service is expected to draw some yard waste from the existing VSTS drop-off waste stream (2,000 tonnes). This service would likely reduce the amount of backyard composting and yard waste self management.

It is expected that this option would have a three bag limit per week. This should help ensure that the collection system remains manageable and does not get misused by landscaping contractors. It would be possible to allow additional bags to be picked-up if a garbage sticker is attached.

This program would require approximately $1,753,000 in new annual funding from the Solid Waste Utility, including costs of leaf program, compost sales and crew reduction in refuse.

Due to the infrastructure development required for transfer and grinding, as well as the administrative effort required, which is currently committed to apartment recycling implementation, this alternative could not be recommended for implementation in 1999.

A comparison of collection Options 1 and 2 is presented in Table 2.

Collection Every Five Weeks

Weekly Collection

- Lower participation
- Confusing schedule. Five week wait.
- Up to 7,000 tonnes/year
- $810,000/year
- (approx. $9.50 /customer/year)

- Highest participation
- garbage/blue box schedule
- Up to 14,000 tonnes/year
- $1,750,000/year
- (approx. $20.60/customer/year)

Table 2

A yard waste collection program will require expansion of the compost facility. The facility needs to be made larger, to accommodate the higher number of windrows, and the facility will need added grinding capacity. The precise cost of this is unknown but is reflected in the charge per tonne for the material composted (which is included in the costs outlined above).

Staff propose that with implementation of a yard waste collection program that both collected and drop-off yard waste be ground and transferred from one facility in Vancouver. The Vancouver South Transfer Station (VSTS) is not suited to this need. A Vancouver grinding plant would maximize the efficiency of loads hauled to the landfill compost facility as well as alleviate the queueing problems at VSTS. This would require land, which is currently available at 900 East Kent Ave., some development costs, and a grinding / transfer operation. Such a transfer facility could not be operational before the year 2000. The capital costs of purchasing and developing land for such a facility are not included in the annual costs quoted above and are unknown.

FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

The $20,000 increase in promotions will come from the Solid Waste Utility.

The $175,000 required for one-time improvements to the Transfer Station is to be funded from the Solid Waste Capital Reserve.

CONCLUSION

While yard waste appears to continue to make up a significant component of the residential waste stream, how effective the City’s existing yard waste management programs are at reducing the amount of yard waste landfilled remains unclear. In addition, there are many unknowns to resolve in a more detailed design prior to implementing an efficient and successful long term yard waste collection program.

It is recommended that promotions and education of the City’s existing programs be increased and a more thorough analysis of the options be conducted with the results presented to Council in the fall of 1999. This will allow for a greater understanding of the effectiveness of our existing programs and a proposal that will most accurately reflect residents’ needs.

It is also recommended that $175,000 in capital works be immediately undertaken to address the operational needs of the Transfer Station in dealing with the existing yard waste drop-off program.

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APPENDIX I

APPENDIX 2

COST OF OPTION 1: Annual Program

COST OF OPTION 2 (year 2000 and beyond):

The costs outlined above include an allowance for collection, grinding, transfer and processing of all yard waste collected. The costs do not include acquiring and developing land for a grinding/transfer facility.

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