POLICY REPORT
ENVIRONMENTAL
Date: July 15, 1996
Dept. File No.
TO: Standing Committee on Planning and Environment
FROM: General Manager of Engineering Services
SUBJECT: Apartment Recycling Program
RECOMMENDATION
A. THAT council authorize the General Manager of Engineering Services
to add an additional 250 apartment buildings to Stage 2 (the
Apartment Recycling Pilot Program). Further that Council approve
funding the additional Stage 2 annual operating costs of $170,000
from the Solid Waste Capital Reserve until a cost-recovery
mechanism is operational.
B. THAT Council approve the implementation of Stage 3 of the
Apartment Recycling Program with annual operating costs of
$2,050,000 ($1.3 million in 1997) and capital costs of $4,620,000
to be funded from the Solid Waste Capital Reserve.
C. THAT, subject to the formation of the Solid Waste Utility,
mandatory Apartment Recycling User-Fees be billed annually to all
apartment buildings on the basis of a uniform charge per dwelling
unit of approximately $28 per year, effective the first day
recycling services are provided.
D. THAT Council approve the establishment of one Assistant
Superintendent, one Subforeman, two temporary Clerks, and two
temporary Engineering Assistants during the implementation of
Stage 3 of the Apartment Recycling Program, subject to job
evaluation by the General Manager of Human Resource Services.
E. THAT Council instruct the General Manager of Engineering Services
to report back to Council with an update of Stage 3 prior to
Council approving the implementation of and funding for Stage 4 of
the Apartment Recycling Program.
F. THAT Council authorize the General Manager of Engineering Services
to apply for Provincial funding assistance under the
Multi-Material Recycling Financial Assistance Program for up to
one quarter of the capital costs, initial promotional costs, and
educational costs of Stages 3 and 4 of the Apartment Recycling
Program.
CONSIDERATION
G. THAT the General Manager of Engineering Services report back on an
option to contract out a portion of the Apartment Recycling
Program.
GENERAL MANAGERS' COMMENTS
The General Manager of Engineering Services comments that, with respect
to Consideration G, if Council wishes to examine contracting out a
portion of the apartment recycling program, now is the best time to
make this decision. Operating an elaborate program such as apartment
recycling requires a significant investment in both equipment and
labour. Hence, prior to purchasing recycling trucks and hiring new
staff, it is imperative that Council considers this item at this time.
The General Manager of Engineering Services does not recommend
Consideration G. Operations of the Apartment Recycling and Blue Box
Programs are expected to overlap (i.e., some apartment buildings will
be serviced by Blue Box trucks, and vice-versa). Therefore,
Consideration G may result in a loss of coordination between recycling
programs leading to some inefficiencies in equipment and personnel
utilization, processing and marketing of materials, public education,
etc. Consideration G may also result in a loss of program flexibility
(e.g., a non-City controlled approach may require re-tendering of
collection contracts prior to adding additional recyclable materials to
the program). In addition, projections based on the Apartment
Recycling Pilot Project indicate that a City run program will achieve
competitive prices while providing quality services.
The General Manager of Corporate Services comments that the
recommendations of this report commit the City to on-going operating
costs of $2 million for Stage 3 plus an additional $1.4 million for
Stage 4, and upfront capital costs of $8.1 million. The expectation is
that the operating costs will be recovered through an annual charge per
suite of $28, but this billing is dependent on the Provincial
Government passing legislation to enable user fees for Solid Waste. In
the meantime, the proposal is that these costs be funded from the
profits of commercial disposals (which accrue to the Solid Waste
Capital Reserve), which is also funding the current Blue Box program.
The risk is that if the Province does not approve the legislation,
consideration would have to be given to funding the apartment recycling
costs through property taxes.
COUNCIL POLICY
On February 1, 1989, Council established a goal of reducing the City's
solid waste stream by 50%.
On January 13, 1993, Council approved, in principle, Stages 3 and 4 of
the Apartment Recycling Program subject to the establishment of a cost
recovery system (i.e., Solid Waste Utility).
On May 3, 1994, Council agreed to support the Greater Vancouver
Regional Solid Waste Management Plan, which includes mandatory
apartment recycling programs.
On September 12, 1995, Council agreed to implement a user-fee,
cost-recovery system (i.e., Solid Waste Utility) for all solid waste
management programs, except street cleaning, litter collection, and
abandoned garbage collection, effective January 1, 1996.
On February 8, 1996, the Standing Committee of Council on City Services
& Budgets approved the deferral of the Solid Waste Utility until the
City secures the appropriate Charter amendments from the Provincial
Government.
SUMMARY
This report presents the proposed city-wide Apartment Recycling
Program, which is designed to provide a similar level of recycling
service to residents of apartment buildings as the Blue Box Program
provides to residents of single-family and duplex households. The
Apartment Recycling Program, which is divided into two stages, will be
phased in over a three-year period. The proposed program is designed
in accordance with the recommendations of the Regional Solid Waste
Management Plan and consists of the following principal components:
- recycling service shall be provided to every apartment building
within the City;
- all types of City apartment buildings will be required to
participate (i.e., strata, co-op, and rental);
- all apartment buildings will be levied a mandatory annual
Apartment Recycling User-Fee on the basis of a uniform charge per
dwelling unit (subject to the formation of the Solid Waste
Utility). The Apartment Recycling User-Fee is estimated to be
$28/dwelling unit/year, which includes $27 for apartment recycling
plus $1 for other recycling programs/events;
- three types of collection containers will be utilized, depending
on the number of dwelling units and available space at each
building: blue boxes, wheeled carts, and dumpsters;
- a total of 29 recycling trucks will be required (including
spares);
- annual operating costs, including the amortization of capital,
will be recovered through Apartment Recycling User-Fees (subject
to the formation of the Solid Waste Utility);
- the City will provide weekly collection of recyclable materials to
each apartment building;
- initially, three recyclable commodities will be collected: old
newspapers, mixed paper products, and mixed containers, which are
the same materials collected in the Blue Box Program;
- the creation of permanent staff positions will be required for an
Assistant Superintendent, a foreman, a sub-foreman, and drivers
and swampers;
- an expansion of the office space at the recycling depot will be
required to provide offices for Apartment Recycling staff; and,
- if the Solid Waste Utility is delayed further, interim funding
will be provided from the Solid Waste Capital Reserve.
The estimated total cost of the Apartment Recycling Program includes
$8,140,000 for capital costs (which may be eligible for a one-quarter
grant from the Province) and $3,400,000 for annual operating costs.
The capital costs will be funded from the Solid Waste Capital Reserve,
whereas the annual operating costs will be recovered through Apartment
Recycling User-Fees that are subject to the formation of the Solid
Waste Utility.
As the procurement of recycling trucks for the first stage of the
Program is expected to take twelve months, apartment buildings will not
be brought on-line until July 1, 1997. Consequently, an interim
measure to expand the Apartment Recycling Pilot Project for up to an
additional 250 buildings has also been proposed.
PURPOSE
The purpose of this report is twofold:
1. to update Council of the results of Stage 1 (the mini-depot
program) and Stage 2 (the Apartment Recycling Pilot Program); and,
2. to resubmit and update recommendations for the implementation of
and funding for Stage 3 (bringing on-line 50% of apartment
buildings) and Stage 4 (bringing on-line the remaining 50% of
apartment buildings) of the Apartment Recycling Program
(hereinafter designated as ARP).
BACKGROUND
The City's current residential waste reduction programs (which include
the blue box program, the recycling depot program, the backyard
composter and worm bin distribution programs, the fall leaf collection
program, the yard waste drop-off program, and the Christmas tree
collection program) divert nearly 17% of the City's total residential
solid waste stream from landfills. Unfortunately, however, these
programs mainly service one and two-family residences, which represent
only sixty percent of the City's total residential population.
Consequently, a report was submitted to Council on April 14, 1992 that
recommended implementing a city-wide ARP which is expected to increase
the above noted diversion rate to over 25%.
Originally reported to Council in 1992, the ARP was designed to be
implemented in four Stages:
Stage 1 - upgrade the main recycling depot at Manitoba Yards and
install six mini-depots throughout the City;
Stage 2 - implement an apartment recycling pilot project to provide
recycling services to up to 150 apartment buildings;
Stage 3 - provide apartment recycling to up to 50% of apartment
buildings; and,
Stage 4 - provide apartment recycling to the remaining 50% of apartment
buildings.
To date, Stages 1 and 2 have been successfully implemented. Stage 1
was implemented to provide interim recycling facilities for apartment
residents until Stages 3 and 4 are implemented. Stage 2 was
implemented to provide Engineering Staff an opportunity to test various
apartment recycling operating techniques, such that the most effective
and efficient city-wide Program could be implemented.
The following chronology displays significant events that have
transpired since the apartment recycling report was originally
submitted to Council on April 14, 1992:
April 14, 1992
- Council authorized the City Engineer to implement Stages 1 and 2,
with full capital and operating costs to be funded from the Solid
Waste Capital Reserve.
- Council deferred the implementation of Stages 3 and 4 pending a
public workshop on solid waste and recycling.
- Implementation of Stage 2 was delayed until Provincial funding
assistance was established.
October 10, 1992
- A public workshop on solid waste and recycling was held.
January 13, 1993
- A report was submitted to Council to summarize the workshop and
resubmit the recommendations to implement Stages 3 and 4 of the
ARP as originally submitted on April 14, 1992.
- Council approved, in principle, Stage 3 of the ARP with specific
implementation details to be approved following a report back on a
cost-recovery funding mechanism.
December, 1993
- The Province deferred funding assistance for Stages 1 and 2 until
GVRD staff advise the Province that the ARP is designed in
accordance to the requirements of the Regional Solid Waste
Management Plan.
May 17, 1994
- Due to the lack of Provincial funding assistance, a report was
submitted to Council to recommend delaying the implementation of
Stage 2 until Provincial funding assistance was approved.
- Council instructed staff to begin Stage 2 implementation and
continue to seek Provincial funding assistance.
June 8, 1994
- The GVRD advised the Province that the ARP is in accordance with
the requirements of the Regional Solid Waste Management Plan.
January 25, 1995
- The City received approval for Provincial funding assistance of
Stages 1 and 2.
May, 1995
- The implementation of Stage 2 began.
September 12, 1995
- Council approved the recommendation to create a Solid Waste
Utility to recover the operating costs of all Solid Waste
Management Programs, except for street cleaning, litter
collection, and abandoned garbage collection.
February, 1996
- Council deferred the implementation of the Solid Waste Utility
pending the appropriate amendment(s) to the Vancouver Charter,
which was expected to be in place by January 1, 1997.
DISCUSSION
The design of Stages 3 and 4, as presented in this report, has been
slightly modified from its original, 1992 design. Briefly, these
modifications have produced the following results:
1. due to a restructured processing and marketing contract, the
annual operating costs of Stages 3 and 4 are estimated to be
considerably lower than originally anticipated; and
2. the ARP's truck fleet will consist primarily of multi-material
collection trucks rather than single-material collection trucks.
Results of Stages 1 and 2
As detailed in Appendix "A", the results of Stages 1 and 2 suggest that
a city-wide apartment recycling system would be much more effective in
reducing Vancouver's apartment waste stream than a drop-off system.
Furthermore, the results of Stage 2 suggest that a city-wide ARP would
recover roughly 12,000 tonnes of recyclable materials per year, which
represents roughly 20% of the total apartment waste stream.
Design of Stages 3 and 4
The implementation of the city-wide ARP is divided into two parts:
Stage 3 provides collection services to 50% of the apartment buildings,
and Stage 4 provides collection services to the remaining 50%.
The design of the proposed city-wide Program is in accordance with the
recommendations of the Regional Solid Waste Management Plan.
Additionally, the program will provide a similar level of recycling
services to apartment buildings as the Blue Box Program currently
provides to one and two-family households. In particular, Stages 3 and
4 will consist of the following design parameters: - 2 -
- the program shall service every apartment building within the City
(i.e., all residential apartment buildings that do not currently
receive the City's blue box recycling service);
- all apartment buildings will be levied a mandatory annual
Apartment Recycling Use-Fee that is based on the total number of
dwelling units within the building (subject to the establishment
of the Solid Waste Utility);
- all City apartment buildings will be required to participate
(i.e., strata, co-op, and rental);
- additional fees will be levied against any building that requests
roll-out service for wheeled carts or dumpsters (i.e., similar to
garbage container system);
- blue boxes, wheeled carts, and dumpsters will initially be
supplied by the City, however, the City may have to charge
buildings for replacement carts in the future;
- annual operating costs, including the amortization of capital,
will be recovered through Apartment Recycling User Fees;
- City forces will provide weekly collection of recyclable materials
to each building;
- initially, three recyclable commodities will be collected: old
newspapers (ONP), mixed paper products (MPP), and mixed containers
(MCO), which are the same materials collected in the Blue Box
Program;
- the truck fleet will consist of 25 multi-material, side-loading
trucks (which includes five spare trucks ) and four
single-material, front-loading trucks (which includes one spare
truck);
- depending on the number of dwelling units at a particular
building, each building will be provided with one type of
container system: blue boxes, wheeled carts, or dumpsters; and,
- excluding those dwelling units utilizing the blue box collection
system, each dwelling unit will be provided with an in-suite
recycling bag to transport recyclable materials to their
building's wheeled cart or dumpster container system.
Further details of the design of Stages 3 and 4 are provided in
Appendix "B".
Implementation of Stages 3 and 4
As detailed later in this report, the implementation of Stages 3 and 4
is expected to take roughly three years to complete. This period
reflects the time required to procure equipment, visit and customize
service to each apartment building, and troubleshoot collection
efficiency problems.
As the procurement of the collection trucks (i.e., tender, purchase,
and delivery) is expected to take roughly twelve months, additional
buildings are not expected to be brought on-line until July 1, 1997.
Consequently, in the interim, the General Manager of Engineering
Services recommends adding up to another 250 apartment buildings to
Stage 2, which would bring the total number of serviced apartment
buildings to 400. As at least one spare collection truck can be made
available, these additional buildings may begin to be brought on-line
starting immediately. If we are able to free up additional equipment,
we will speed up the implementation process.
Implementation Risks of Stages 3 and 4
Although there were few risks associated with the implementation of
Stages 1 and 2, there are substantial risks associated with the
implementation of Stages 3 and 4. These risks are noted as follows:
- Estimates of the number of apartment buildings and apartment
dwelling units are based on information from the City's 1994
tax-roll database and the Canada Post delivery database. Some
property addresses did not reveal the specific number of dwelling
units located at that particular site and had to be estimated.
Therefore, the estimates of 7,100 apartment buildings and 125,000
dwelling units are not expected to be precise. However, they are
expected to be within plus or minus ten percent. As a result of
this uncertainty, the estimated number of required recycling
trucks and staff positions (and hence the estimated capital and
operating costs of the Program) have been conservatively projected
on the high-side. The program will be adjusted to reflect actual
experience and as a result costs will vary somewhat.
- The participation rates, recovery rates, and truck requirements
used in the design of the program are based upon information
obtained from the Pilot Project. These results may or may not be
representative of the buildings that are yet to be serviced
(hence, design modifications may be required).
- As recycling revenues are based on fluctuating material prices
(recycling revenues are used to offset some of the operating cost
of the Program), annual net operating costs will vary from year to
year.
- Some apartment buildings already have recycling contracts with
private companies (which is estimated to be less than five percent
of apartment buildings). These contracts and the companies
providing such service will have to be dealt with as fairly as
possible but still result in a City controlled program for all
buildings.
Recognizing these risks, we have divided the implementation of the
city-wide Program into two stages, which allows for and requires
interim review.
FUNDING
Recommended Addition to Stage 2
No additional capital costs will be associated with the addition of 250
apartment buildings to Stage 2, as a spare collection truck is
available and the recycling containers/bags are included with the Stage
3 capital costs. However, annual operating costs of $170,000 will be
incurred and, therefore, require a funding source. The General Manager
of Engineering Services recommends that these operating costs be funded
from the Solid Waste Capital Reserve until the Solid Waste Utility is
operational.
Stages 3 and 4
The capital and operating costs for Stages 3 and 4 are significant.
These costs are summarized below.
CAPITAL (One-Time)
STAGE 3 $4,620,000
STAGE 4 $3,520,000
TOTAL $8,140,000
The above capital costs include the following components: container
costs (e.g., wheeled carts, blue boxes, apartment blue bags, and
dumpsters); truck costs; Manitoba Works Yard office expansion costs;
computer hardware/software costs; and initial promotion costs.
The capital costs will be funded from the Solid Waste Capital Reserve,
although the City is eligible for Provincial funding assistance of up
to one-quarter of these costs (i.e., $2,035,000). However, Council
should note that the actual amount of Provincial funding assistance
that has been approved in the past has been significantly less. For
example, in 1993 the City applied to the Province for funding
assistance for the Yard Waste Composting Program, for which the City
was eligible for funding assistance of up to $710,000. Unfortunately,
due to budget constraints, the Province approved funding assistance for
less than forty percent of the original request (i.e., $275,000).
Consequently, although the General Manager of Engineering Services
recommends applying to the Province for funding assistance, the
financial projections in this report have been prepared excluding
funding assistance.
The above capital funding is not expected to draw the Solid Waste
Capital Reserve below Council's established $10 million minimum balance
(in 1993$).
ANNUAL OPERATING (includes amortization of capital)
STAGE 3 $2,050,000
STAGE 4 $1,350,000
TOTAL CITY-WIDE
(i.e., Stages 3 and 4 complete) $3,400,000
The above operating costs include the following components: collection
and supervisory staff costs; management and administration costs;
container maintenance and replacement costs; truck maintenance, fuel,
and amortization costs; promotional and advertising costs.
The estimated Stage 3 annual operating costs can be broken down as
follows:
Jan. - July 1997 Pre-implementation operating costs of $200,000 for
miscellaneous administration, preparing of
collection schedules and beats, contacting building
representatives, etc.
July - Dec. 1997 Stage 3 operating costs of $1,050,000.
Jan. - Dec. 1998 Stage 3 operating costs of $2,050,000.
The $200,000 pre-implementation costs will be funded from the Solid
Waste Capital Reserve. However, the Stage 3 and 4 annual operating
costs will be funded through the collection of Apartment Recycling
User-Fees as part of the Solid Waste Utility (see the following section
on Cost Recovery). Since the city-wide Program is expected to recover
12,000 tonnes per year of recyclable materials from roughly 125,000
dwelling units, the annual operating costs of the ARP are expected to
be $283/tonne, or $27/dwelling unit/year. By comparison, the annual
operating costs of the Blue Box Program are $185/tonne, or
$35/household/year. These costs reflect current market conditions for
processing and marketing recyclable materials (i.e., a processing and
marketing contract, if tendered today, would neither generate net
revenues nor produce net costs).
In addition, a two-year temporary provision to lease parking space for
the new apartment recycling trucks has been included in the operating
costs of Stage 3. This space is required due to the current lack of
available parking at Manitoba Yards. However, we anticipate that
adequate parking space will be available at Manitoba Yards within two
to three years, when the new Works Yard is fully developed.
Cost Recovery Via the Solid Waste Utility
As mentioned above, the operating costs of Stages 3 and 4 will be
recovered through user-fees, as part of the Solid Waste Utility. The
Apartment Recycling User-Fees will be billed annually to each apartment
building on per-dwelling unit basis. The user-fees will reflect the
costs of all apartment recycling programs (i.e., ARP, Christmas tree
chipping events, worm composting distribution events, etc.).
Therefore, in total, the annual costs of these programs is estimated to
be $3,470,000, which results in an annual Apartment Recycling User-Fee
of $28/dwelling unit/year. The Blue Box User-Fee (which includes costs
for all applicable recycling programs) is currently estimated to be
$37/household/year.
During the implementation of Stages 3 and 4, Apartment Recycling
User-Fees will be billed on a pro-rated basis over a 365-day calendar
year. For example, if an apartment building comes on-line July 1,
1997, an Apartment Recycling User-Fee of $14.12/dwelling unit (i.e.,
184/365 x $28/dwelling unit/year) would be levied for 1997.
The annual Apartment Recycling User-Fee is expected to fluctuate on a
yearly basis. This yearly fluctuation can be attributed to two main
factors: (1) inflation (i.e., changing labour and equipment rates),
and (2) changing market prices for recyclable materials (i.e., the
processing and marketing revenues/costs vary monthly). However, this
fluctuation will be minimized through a multi-year rate stabilization
fund within the Solid Waste Utility.
What if the Solid Waste Utility is not available?
On February 8, 1996, the Standing Committee of Council on City Services
& Budgets approved:
THAT the implementation of the operational elements of the Solid
Waste Utility, previously approved for start up on January 1,
1996, be deferred until the City is able to secure the appropriate
Charter amendments from the Provincial Government. The revised
implementation date will likely be January 1, 1997.
At the time of writing, the Charter amendments have not been secured.
Therefore, recognizing that the Charter amendments may not be secured
by July 1, 1997 (the time that Stage 3 buildings are expected to be
brought on-line), the General manager of Engineering Services
recommends funding the annual operating costs of Stage 3 from the Solid
Waste Capital Reserve until the Solid Waste Utility is operational
(i.e., $1.3 million in 1997 and $2 million thereafter). As the
implementation of Stage 3 and 4 is expected to be a three year process,
this recommendation is crucial to achieving the City's 50% waste
reduction goal by the year 2000. If this recommendation is not
approved by Council, the implementation of Stage 3 will have to be
delayed indefinitely, until the appropriate Charter amendments are
secured and the Solid Waste Utility is operational.
The Solid Waste Capital Reserve is capable of funding the above
operating costs without dropping below Council's established $10
million minimum balance.
ALTERNATIVES/OPTIONS
Who will operate the proposed Program?
When the ARP was originally presented to Council in 1992, several
different approaches were identified. In particular, Council
considered who should operate the proposed Program (i.e., City
collection versus Private collection). At that time, Council decided
that the Program would be operated by the City, which is similar to the
operations of the City's blue box and garbage collection programs.
Council should note that a quick review of recycling costs in Vancouver
and other municipalities indicates that our costs are competitive.
Furthermore, a City-run approach is expected to provide the City with
significant advantages. For example, by controlling the collection
operations of the Program, the City can make ongoing adjustments to
meet or exceed the City's mandated waste reduction goals without the
constraint of re-negotiating the terms and conditions of a collection
contract. Additionally, by making apartment collections compatible
with blue box collections, and combining truck fleets and labour, both
program will benefit through increased flexibility and economies of
scale (i.e., one truck can collect both blue boxes and apartment
containers). These are important benefits, particularly if both the
Blue Box and Apartment Recycling Programs are expected to grow and
change together over time. Therefore, we continue to support Council's
original decision to maintain control over the operations of the ARP.
However, if Council wishes to reconsider this, Engineering staff can
perform a more detailed analysis of municipal versus private collection
costs and services.
Please note that the ARP would result in a loss in refuse collection
business for private waste haulers in proportion to the amount of
recyclables that are generated by the program.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPLICATIONS
The ARP represents one of the many programs that are required to
achieve the Regional Solid Waste Management Plan's 50% waste reduction
goal. Specifically, the ARP is expected to divert roughly 12,000
tonnes, or 20%, of the City's total apartment waste stream from
landfills. Consequently, as the majority of these materials are
currently being landfilled, the ARP is expected to have a positive
environmental impact.
SOCIAL IMPLICATIONS
Recycling Programs such as the Blue Box Program and the proposed ARP
provide Vancouver residents an opportunity to directly contribute to
the enhancement of their environment. Additionally, City staff have
received strong support from Vancouver apartment residents who feel
that they are currently left-out of the recycling loop; consequently,
they support the implementation of a city-wide ARP. Hence, we believe
the ARP will provide positive social implications, particularly for
apartment residents.
PERSONNEL IMPLICATIONS - 3 -
As detailed in Appendix "C", the implementation of Stages 3 and 4 will
require the creation of several new staff positions which will overlap
and interact with the existing Blue Box staff. As a result, the
addition of the ARP will require the creation of a new Assistant
Superintendent position to manage the operations of these two large
programs and future recycling programs. (Note that no new Assistant
Superintendent position was created when the Blue Box Program, or any
other recycling program, was added; hence, existing supervisory staff
are unable to absorb another large program). In addition, the
implementation of the ARP will require the creation of the following
new positions, some of which were already approved in 1992 though have
not been filled: two temporary assistant technicians; one foreman; one
subforeman; two temporary clerks; twenty three truck drivers; three
swampers; and one labourer/driver.
IMPLEMENTATION PLAN
The successful implementation of Stages 3 and 4 requires an detailed
plan to ensure that equipment is timely procured and apartment
managers/owners are adequately notified of the upcoming service.
Therefore, an implementation plan has been prepared and consists of the
following components (see Appendix "D" for further details):
Addition to Stage 2
August-96 Begin bringing on-line up to an additional 250 apartment
buildings to the Pilot Project (5 months).
Stage 3
August-96 Prepare tenders for the supply and delivery of trucks
and containers (three months).
November-96 Award truck and container tenders and purchase 60% of
the required truck fleet and 50% of the required
containers (ten months).
April/May-97 Trucks delivered to Works Yard and outfitted by Garage
(one month).
July-97 Contact apartment building representatives for buildings
that will be included in Stage 3 and perform individual
site meetings to deliver containers, recycling
brochures, and provide miscellaneous information (twelve
months).
Stage 4
April-98 Report back to Council regarding the results of Stage 3.
April-98 Purchase remaining trucks and containers (ten months).
July-98 Contact apartment building representatives for all
remaining buildings and perform individual site meetings
to deliver containers, recycling brochures, and provide
miscellaneous information (twelve months).
July-99 Discontinue the mini-depot system (note: Main Recycling
Depot will continue).
Stage 3 is planned to begin in the West End and will expand to other
apartment neighbourhoods having the greatest density of buildings and
population (i.e., Fairview Slopes and Kitsilano). Additionally,
slightly more than half of the trucks are scheduled to purchased in
Stage 3. This will allow for the continued expansion of the Stage 4,
as ten months will be required to procure the remaining truck fleet.
COMMUNICATIONS PLAN
The ARP is designed to service all residential buildings that do not
currently receive the City's Blue Box service. Therefore, each
apartment building/dwelling owner must be contacted and informed of
this new and upcoming program.
As this program shall service an estimated 7,100 apartment buildings
(est. 125,000 apartment dwellings), contacting each and every building
will not be a simple and straightforward task. Consequently, a
communications plan has been established to ensure that each apartment
building/dwelling is notified and brought on-line. The communications
plan consists of the following procedures:
1. Make initial contact(s) through miscellaneous media and
personalized letters.
2. Arrange and perform individual site meetings at each building.
Each apartment will be provided with apartment recycling
instructions, brochures, recycling bags or boxes, etc.
3. Provide follow-up service to apartment residents through the
City's Recycling Hotline.
In order to set up a site meeting, City staff must make contact with
the appropriate representative for each building. The building
representative may be the owner, site manager, property manager, strata
council member or interested tenant. The most important initial
contact will probably be the building's property management company,
and our plan concentrates on these companies by using the following
contact mechanisms:
- ads in property management magazines
- letters to property management companies
- ads in community newspapers
- miscellaneous City media (i.e., Faxback, City of Vancouver Home
Page on the Internet, and the City's tax newsletter)
For the ads and letters, the current working area will be shown and
building representatives in that area will be asked to call a number to
set up a site meeting. The notice in the City's tax newsletter will
provide more general information about the Program, which will be
important in reaching the large number of individual strata owners.
This process will be a major undertaking for City staff and the
communications strategy will likely be modified as experience is gained
in Stage 3. If the strategies above are not successful for all the
buildings, it may be necessary to either contact the site manager in
person or send an informative letter directly to the building's tax
address.
CONCLUSION
Recognizing that waste reduction is the principal goal of recycling
programs, the General Manager of Engineering Services expects the
implementation of Stages 3 and 4 to bring the City closer to achieving
its 50% waste reduction goal. the ARP, which is expected to divert
more than 12,000 tonnes of recyclable materials from landfill sites, is
designed in accordance with the recommendations of the Regional Solid
Waste Management Plan. Upon full implementation, the Program will
provide a similar level of recycling services to apartment residents as
the Blue Box Program currently provides to the City's one and
two-family residents.
* * * * *
APPENDIX A
RESULTS OF STAGES 1 AND 2
Stage 1
The implementation of Stage 1 resulted in the establishment of six-mini
depots (located throughout the City) and the refurbishment of the Main
Recycling Depot at Manitoba Yards.
Currently, the mini-depots primarily provide recycling opportunities to
Vancouver s residents that don t have access to the City s Blue Box
Program. Each mini-depot location provides facilities for residents to
drop-off recyclable materials. The recyclable materials that may be
dropped off are identical to the materials that are collected through
the Blue Box Program: old newspapers; mixed paper products; and mixed
containers (#1 and #2 plastics, tin, and glass bottles and jars).
In 1995, the mini-depots recovered roughly 500 tonnes of recyclable
materials (in comparison to the 16,000 tonnes of recyclable materials
recovered through the Blue Box Program). This result suggests that the
mini-depots are being utilized by only a small portion of apartment
dwellers and, therefore, are not as effective as a comprehensive,
city-wide recycling program such as the ARP. Consequently, the
mini-depot system will be discontinued upon the completion of Stages 3
and 4.
The Main Recycling Depot at Manitoba Yards provides recycling
facilities for the public to drop-off many recyclable materials: old
newspapers; mixed paper products; plastic containers (which includes
#1, #2, #4, and #5 plastics); ferrous metals; lead acid batteries;
aluminum; glass bottles and jars; old magazines; and mixed paper
products. As this depot provides recycling facilities for many
different types and quantities of recyclable materials, it is being
utilized by many different segments of the public (i.e., existing Blue
Box participants, apartment dwellers, businesses, non-Vancouver
residents). In 1995, the main recycling depot recovered approximately
3,500 tonnes of recyclable materials.
As noted above, the Main Recycling Depot provides facilities for the
recovery of many different types and quantities of recyclable
materials; therefore, this depot will continue to operate after Stages
3 and 4 have been implemented.
Stage 2
As many obstacles and concerns of a city-wide ARP were identified early
in the development of the Blue Box Program, the Apartment Recycling
Pilot Project was implemented to provide a small-scale model of a
city-wide Program. The Pilot Project also provided City Staff the
opportunity to test various operating techniques so that the most
effective and efficient city-wide program would be established.
The Pilot Project buildings were selected such that a representative
mix of Vancouver s apartment buildings were included. Currently, the
Apartment Recycling Pilot Project provides recycling services to over
150 buildings, which account for roughly 5,000 dwelling units. In
aggregate, these buildings generate roughly 350 tonnes of recyclable
materials per year.
What We ve Learned from Stage 2
Apartment Recycling Programs are significantly different than curbside
Blue Box programs, requiring different equipment and collection
systems. As each building varies in regard to its physical condition,
property management, ownership, number of tenants, tenant demographics,
etc., an Apartment Recycling Program must be designed to accommodate
each building s particular needs. As a result, an Apartment Recycling
Program is more complex to design and implement than a curbside Blue
Box program.
Due to the complexity of designing the ARP, the Apartment Recycling
Pilot Project was implemented so that Engineering Staff could
experiment with various operating techniques and equipment to establish
the most efficient and flexible Program for Vancouver. The following
list represents the most significant observations and lessons learned
from the Pilot Project:
1. For buildings utilizing the wheeled-cart container system,
the multi-material, side-loading collection trucks are much
more efficient that the single-material, front-loading
collection trucks; consequently, as most buildings serviced
by the ARP will utilize the wheeled-cart system, the proposed
truck fleet, as originally proposed in the 1992 report, has
been modified to include mostly multi-material, side-loading
collection trucks.
2. Due to limited space at some buildings, recycling collection
bins are sometimes difficult to site; although, based on the
results of the Pilot Project, this problem is expected to
occur for only one percent of buildings. Therefore, two
options are available to ensure that these buildings receive
recycling service:
i. Where possible, locate the collection bins within City
lanes (e.g., similar to some of the buildings that
receive City refuse container service).
-OR-
ii. Set up a system such that the recycling containers of a
neighbouring building can be used.
3. Apartment recycling contamination, while slightly worse than
blue box recycling contamination, is not as severe as
originally expected and is generally limited to plastic
grocery bags.
4. Most building managers prefer a weekly, three-material
collection schedule as opposed to a weekly, rotating
one-material collection schedule.
5. Several buildings have reported significant waste diversion
rates, which correspond to lower garbage disposal costs.
6. Some buildings are hard to service with multi-material,
side-loading trucks due to space constraints at the
collection location (i.e., within a narrow lane bounded by
cars on one or both sides).
7. For buildings that utilize the wheeled-cart system, the
majority of building tenants do not find the task of
having to take their recyclables to the carts too
tedious; rather, they typically take both their refuse
and recyclables to their respective locations
simultaneously.
8. Based on the results of a Pilot Project questionnaire,
roughly 90% of building tenants questioned indicated
that they participate in the program at least once a
month.
9. Despite continued urging from Engineering staff, some
buildings do not participate properly (i.e., consistent
high levels of contamination). Consequently, service
may have to discontinued until these problems are
assured to be corrected. However, mandatory recycling
user fees will still be required.
APPENDIX B
STAGES 3 AND 4: DESIGN DETAILS
The implementation of the city-wide ARP is divided into two
parts: Stage 3 to provide recycling services to 50% of the
apartment buildings in the City, and Stage 4 to provide recycling
service to the remaining 50%.
The proposed truck fleet is comprised of two types of collection
trucks: 25 multi-material, side-loading trucks (similar to the
existing Blue Box trucks) capable of servicing wheeled carts and
blue boxes, and 4 single-material, front-loading trucks capable
of servicing wheeled carts and dumpsters.
As a general guideline, the 7,100 apartment buildings in
Vancouver can be grouped into four categories, each requiring a
unique combination of collection containers and trucks:
Category 1
- 3,500 apartment buildings with five or fewer dwelling
units
each dwelling unit serviced exactly the same way as
residences of the Blue Box Program
many of these buildings may already be serviced through
the blue box program
each building serviced once per week by a
multi-material, side-loading collection truck
all three material types collected on collection day
Category 2
2,300 apartment buildings with more than five and less
than forty dwelling units
each dwelling unit provided with an apartment recycling
blue bags to transport recyclables to a centralized
wheeled cart system
each building provided with three to five wheeled carts
(i.e., one cart for each material and additional carts
for high generation materials)
each building serviced once per week by a
multi-material, side-loading collection truck
all three material types collected on collection day
Category 3
1,000 apartment buildings with between forty and eighty
dwelling units
each dwelling unit provided with an apartment recycling
blue bag to transport recyclables to a centralized
wheeled cart system
each building provided with up to six wheeled carts
(i.e., two carts for each material)
each building serviced once per week by a
multi-material, side-loading collection truck
all three material types collected on collection day - B2 -
Category 4
300 apartment buildings with over eighty dwelling units
each dwelling unit provided with an apartment recycling
blue bag to transport recyclables to either a
centralized dumpster system or a centralized wheeled
cart system
each building provided with either three large
dumpsters (one for each of ONP, MPP, and MCO) or six to
nine wheeled carts (i.e., two or three carts for each
material)
each building serviced once per week
buildings utilizing the dumpster system serviced by a
single-material, front-loading collection truck
buildings utilizing the wheeled cart system serviced by
a multi-material, side-loading collection truck
buildings utilizing the dumpster collection system will
have each material type collected on a three-week cycle
(i.e., ONP in week 1, MPP in week 2, and MCO in week 3)
buildings utilizing the wheeled cart collection system
will have all three material types collected on
collection day
APPENDIX C
STAFFING REQUIREMENTS
Stages 3 and 4 of the ARP will require the creation of the
following staff positions:
Assistant Superintendent
one position to begin in Stage 3 (January, 1997)
anticipated classification as Superintendent II
responsibilities include managing the operations of the
Blue Box and Apartment Recycling Programs, main
recycling depot, and future recycling programs
Assistant Technician
two temporary positions to begin in Stage 3 (January,
1997) and end after Stage 4 is complete
anticipated classification as Engineering Assistant II
responsibilities include assisting the Recycling
Engineer and Engineering Assistant IV in implementing
Stages 3 and 4 by processing authorization forms and
container lane permit applications, retrieving
miscellaneous building information from site visits,
and answering miscellaneous questions from building
managers
Foreman
position already approved in 1992 as part of Stage 1
but not yet filled
approved position to begin in Stage 3 (January, 1997)
anticipated classification as Foreman II
responsible for managing the ARP s collection crews
Subforeman
one position to begin in Stage 3 (July, 1997)
anticipated classification as Subforeman II
responsible for assisting the ARP Foreman
Clerks
two temporary positions to begin in Stage 3 (January,
1997) and end after Stage 4 is complete
anticipated classification as Clerk II
one clerk will work in the Solid Waste Management
Branch and responsibilities will include
arranging/booking site visits, mailing applications,
and miscellaneous clerical work
one clerk will work at Manitoba Yards and
responsibilities will include miscellaneous clerical
work and answering telephone calls as part of the
City s Recycling Hotline
Multi-Material, Side-Loading Truck Drivers
ten positions to begin in Stage 3(July, 1997) and an
additional ten positions to begin in Stage 4 (July,
1998)
anticipated classification as Truck Driver III
responsibilities include providing collection service
to apartment buildings that utilize either the Blue Box
system or the Wheeled Cart system
collections consist of manual blue box and
semi-automatic wheeled cart servicing
Single-Material, Front-Loading Truck Drivers
two positions to begin in Stage 3 (July, 1997) and an
additional one position to begin in Stage 4 (July,
1998)
anticipated classification as Truck Driver III
responsibilities include providing collection service
to apartment buildings that utilize either the Wheeled
Cart system or the Dumpster system
collections consist of semi-automatic cart and dumpster
servicing
Swampers/Operators
two positions to begin in Stage 3 (July, 1997) and an
additional one position to begin in Stage 4 (July,
1998)
anticipated classification as Swamper/Operator
responsibilities include assisting the single-material,
front-loading truck driver to provide collection
service to hard-to-access apartment buildings
Labourer/Driver
one position to begin in Stage 3 (July, 1997)
will be required five days per week during
implementation stages and two days per week during
post-implementation years
anticipated classification as Truck Driver II
responsibilities include delivering recycling
containers to apartment buildings during implementation
stages and maintaining/replacing containers throughout
post-implementation years
APPENDIX D
IMPLEMENTATION PLAN
Selection of Stage 3 Buildings
The selection of buildings to be included in Stage 3 will not be
done on a voluntary basis, as was the case for Stage 2. Rather,
buildings will identified and selected on a block-by-block basis
within a particular neighbourhood. In particular, Stage 3 will
target the densest apartment neighbourhoods, namely the West End,
Fairview Slopes, Kitsilano, and the Central Business District.
The West End was chosen as the starting point for Stage 3 because
of it encompasses a relatively large area and has a high building
and population density. This should provide the most efficient
start to the Program by establishing the maximum material
diversion for the number of trucks available.
The implementation of Stage 3 will be complete when any one of
the following conditions is achieved:
the truck fleet reaches its 5-day working capacity;
fifty percent of the City's apartment buildings (i.e.,
approximately 3,500 buildings) are on-line; or,
fifty percent of the City's apartment residents (i.e.,
approximately 90,000 people) are provided apartment
recycling services.
Three months before reaching any of the above conditions,
Engineering Staff will report back to Council with regards to the
status of Stage 3 and recommend implementation of Stage 4.
Mechanics of Building Site Visits
Individual site visits at each building will be required.
Typically, this meeting will be attended by an Engineering Staff
member and a representative from the particular building. These
meetings allow City Staff to:
assess the varying site characteristics (storage areas,
truck access, fire regulations, etc.) and tailor the
service to each building.
provide the building representative with general
information about the program and answer any questions
or concerns.
specify tasks that are the responsibility of the
building such as cart set-out, promotion and material
monitoring.
Based on the results of the Pilot Program, these individual
meetings are essential to ensuring a smooth start to the Program.
The exhibit on the following page presents a graphical outline of
the implementation plan.
Attached Appendix "E" shows the approximate distribution of
apartment neighbourhoods throughout the City.