Recycling and Waste Reduction
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OFFICE OF THE LEGISLATIVE AUDITOR O L A STATE OF MINNESOTA EVALUATION REPORT Recycling and Waste Reduction FEBRUARY 2015 PROGRAM EVALUATION DIVISION Centennial Building – Suite 140 658 Cedar Street – St. Paul, MN 55155 Telephone: 651-296-4708 ● Fax: 651-296-4712 E-mail: [email protected] ● Website: www.auditor.leg.state.mn.us Through Minnesota Relay: 1-800-627-3529 or 7-1-1 Program Evaluation Division Evaluation Staff The Program Evaluation Division was created James Nobles, Legislative Auditor within the Office of the Legislative Auditor (OLA) in 1975. The division’s mission, as set forth in law, Joel Alter is to determine the degree to which state agencies Caitlin Badger and programs are accomplishing their goals and Valerie Bombach objectives and utilizing resources efficiently. Sarah Delacueva Jody Hauer Topics for evaluations are approved by the David Kirchner Legislative Audit Commission (LAC), which has Laura Logsdon equal representation from the House and Senate Carrie Meyerhoff and the two major political parties. However, Ryan Moltz evaluations by the office are independently Judy Randall researched by the Legislative Auditor’s professional Catherine Reed staff, and reports are issued without prior review by Jodi Munson Rodriguez the commission or any other legislators. Findings, Laura Schwartz conclusions, and recommendations do not KJ Starr necessarily reflect the views of the LAC or any of Jo Vos its members. To obtain reports in electronic ASCII text, Braille, OLA also has a Financial Audit Division that large print, or audio, call 651-296-4708. People with annually audits the financial statements of the State hearing or speech disabilities may call through of Minnesota and, on a rotating schedule, audits Minnesota Relay by dialing 7-1-1 or 1-800-627-3529. state agencies and various other entities. Financial audits of local units of government are the To offer comments about our work or suggest an responsibility of the State Auditor, an elected office audit, investigation, or evaluation, call 651-296-4708 established in the Minnesota Constitution. or e-mail [email protected]. OLA also conducts special reviews in response to allegations and other concerns brought to the Printed on Recycled Paper attention of the Legislative Auditor. The Legislative Auditor conducts a preliminary assessment in response to each request for a special review and decides what additional action will be taken by OLA. For more information about OLA and to access its reports, go to: www.auditor.leg.state.mn.us. OFFICE OF THE LEGISLATIVE AUDITOR O L A STATE OF MINNESOTA • James Nobles, Legislative Auditor February 2015 Members of the Legislative Audit Commission: Minnesota law establishes a “waste management hierarchy,” which identifies a preference order for waste management activities. Waste reduction and reuse are at the top of the hierarchy, followed by recycling and incineration with energy recovery. Landfill disposal is at the bottom of the hierarchy. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) works with counties to implement and oversee waste management programs. This report contains our assessment of the state’s waste management efforts. We make recommendations for improvement to MPCA and present policy options for the Legislature to consider. Our evaluation was conducted by Judy Randall (project manager), Caitlin Badger, and Sarah Delacueva. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency cooperated with our evaluation, and we thank them for their assistance. Sincerely, James Nobles Legislative Auditor Room 140 Centennial Building, 658 Cedar Street, St. Paul, Minnesota 55155-1603 • Phone: 651-296-4708 • Fax: 651-296-4712 E-mail: [email protected] • Website: www.auditor.leg.state.mn.us • Minnesota Relay: 1-800-627-3529 or 7-1-1 Table of Contents Page SUMMARY ix INTRODUCTION 1 1. BACKGROUND 3 Waste Management Overview 3 Governance 10 Funding 12 Expenditures 21 2. RECYCLING PROGRAMS 25 Residential Recycling 25 Commercial Recycling 42 3. MEASURING RECYCLING 47 Recycling Goals 47 Recycling Performance 49 Measurement Problems 54 Alternative Waste Management Technology 63 4. STATE ROLE 67 Recycling by State Agencies 67 Market Development 74 Restrictions on Disposal 77 Incentives 80 LIST OF RECOMMENDATIONS 91 APPENDIX: Case Studies 93 Methodology 93 General Conclusions 95 Abington Township, Pennsylvania 98 Austin, Texas 100 Boulder, Colorado 102 Burlington, Vermont 104 Concord, Massachusetts 106 Davidson County, Tennessee 108 Dorchester County, South Carolina 110 Fairfax County, Virginia 112 Guntersville, Alabama 114 Mackinac Island, Michigan 116 Madison, Wisconsin 118 Onondaga County, New York 120 Orange County, North Carolina 122 Perrysburg, Ohio 124 vi RECYCLING AND WASTE REDUCTION Page Portland, Oregon 126 San Francisco, California 128 Seattle, Washington 130 Bibliography 132 AGENCIES’ RESPONSES 133 Minnesota Pollution Control Agency 133 Association of Minnesota Counties 137 RECENT PROGRAM EVALUATIONS 139 List of Exhibits Page 1. BACKGROUND 1.1 Key Waste Management Terms 4 1.2 Waste Management Lifecycle 6 1.3 Minnesota’s Waste Management Hierarchy 7 1.4 Common Recyclable Materials 9 1.5 Minnesota Pollution Control Agency Key Recycling and Waste Reduction Responsibilities 10 1.6 Key County Recycling Responsibilities 11 1.7 County Recycling Funding by Source, Calendar Years 2004 to 2013 13 1.8 County Recycling Funding by Source, Metropolitan and Outstate Counties, Calendar Year 2013 14 1.9 State Funding for Recycling (SCORE), Fiscal Years 1991 to 2017 17 1.10 Allowable Uses of State Waste Reduction and Recycling (SCORE) Funding 18 1.11 County Recycling Spending, Metropolitan and Outstate Counties, Calendar Year 2013 24 2. RECYCLING PROGRAMS 2.1 Requirements for Residential Recycling Service Provision 26 2.2 Sample County Residential Recycling Ordinances 27 2.3 Residential Waste Collection Service Arrangements for Select Cities and Counties, 2014 30 2.4 City of Hutchinson Curbside Collection of Compostable Material 35 2.5 County Recycling Education Methods 38 2.6 Winona County Curbside Recycling 39 2.7 Sample County Commercial Recycling Ordinances 43 2.8 Ramsey and Washington Counties Commercial Recycling Education Program 44 3. MEASURING RECYCLING 3.1 Recycling Goals, by Year and Region 48 3.2 Recycling-Rate Calculation, 2014 49 3.3 Percentage of Counties Meeting State Recycling Goals, Calendar Years 2004 to 2013 51 3.4 Tons of Materials Recycled by Material Type, Calendar Years 2004 to 2013 52 3.5 Alternative Waste Management Technologies and Placement on Minnesota’s Waste Management Hierarchy 65 viii RECYCLING AND WASTE REDUCTION Page 4. STATE ROLE 4.1 Recycling Rates for Minnesota Cabinet-Level State Agencies, 2012 69 4.2 Recycling in St. Louis Park Buildings—Effective Containers and Signs 71 4.3 Recycling in Washington County Buildings—Effective Containers and Signs 72 4.4 Recycling in the Centennial Office Building—Inadequate Container and Sign 73 4.5 Select Minnesota Businesses that Use Recycled Material 75 4.6 Minnesota Landfills and Waste Processing Facilities that Receive Waste from the Twin Cities Metropolitan Region 78 4.7 Possible Methods to Encourage Preferred Waste Management Activities 84 4.8 Select Materials Banned from Landfill Disposal in Minnesota 88 APPENDIX: Case Studies A.1 Selected Cities and Counties 94 Summary Key Facts and Findings: • MPCA devotes few resources to developing markets for recyclable materials. (pp. 76-77) • Minnesota statutes establish a “waste management hierarchy,” • MPCA has not ensured that waste which prioritizes waste reduction, in the metropolitan area is reuse, and recycling above landfill “processed” (to recover recyclable disposal. (pp. 5-7) material or incinerate it for ene rgy) before being disposed of in a • By law, counties must ensure that landfill. (pp. 79-80) residents have an opportunity to recycle. But programs vary across • Landfill disposal—which is the the state, ranging from curbside least preferred waste management collection of a number of recyclable method—is often the cheapest materials to drop-off sites for only a waste-disposal option. (p. 81) few types of materials. (pp. 25-31) Minnesota’s • Counties rely on state and county Key Recommendations: approach to money to fund recycling activities. managing waste State funding was stable at about • MPCA should continue its efforts to focuses too $14 million until the Legislature improve measurement of recycling narrowly on increased it to $18.25 million for outcomes. (p. 60) fiscal year 2015, and $17.25 million recycling, rather for each year thereafter. (pp. 12-17) • The Legislature should establish than on the full goals for all tiers of the waste range of waste • According to Minnesota Pollution management hierarchy, including management Control Agency (MPCA) data, landfill disposal, and require activities. Minnesota recycled almost counties and MPCA to track 47 percent of the total solid waste progress toward these goals. generated in 2013, an increase from (pp. 62-63) 41 percent in 2004. (pp. 49-51) • The Legislature should identify • However, as a result of a flawed MPCA as the agency responsible measurement system, the true for overseeing state agency percentage of waste that is recycled recycling activities. (p. 70) is unknown. (pp. 55-59) • MPCA should consider increasing • Some waste management measures, resources to develop markets that such as the amount of waste use recyclable materials. (p. 77) disposed of in landfills, are more reliable than current recycling-rate