2019 King County Waste Characterization and Customer Survey Report
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2019 King County Waste Characterization and Customer Survey Report King County Waste Monitoring Program June 2020 June 2020 Acknowledgments This study would not have been possible without the support of the King County Solid Waste Division and the cooperation and assistance of the management and operators of the County’s solid waste management facilities. Studies of this nature take time and facility space, and staff cooperation is greatly appreciated. Cascadia Consulting Group gratefully acknowledges the management and staff of the following disposal facilities who allowed our team into their sites and enabled us to conduct the fieldwork that made this study possible. Algona Transfer Station Bow Lake Recycling & Transfer Station Cedar Falls Drop Box Enumclaw Recycling & Transfer Station Factoria Recycling & Transfer Station Houghton Recycling & Transfer Station Renton Recycling & Transfer Station Shoreline Recycling & Transfer Station Skykomish Drop Box Vashon Recycling & Transfer Station Support for this study was provided in part by the Washington State Department of Ecology. King County Waste Monitoring Program i Waste Characterization 2019 and Customer Survey Report June 2020 Table of Contents Executive Summary ................................................................................................................. 1 1. Project Purpose and Background ....................................................................................... 6 King County’s Waste Monitoring Program ............................................................................................. 6 Waste Management in King County ....................................................................................................... 9 2. Summary of Methodology ............................................................................................... 11 Develop Sampling Plan ......................................................................................................................... 11 Survey Incoming Vehicles ..................................................................................................................... 12 Collect and Sort Samples ...................................................................................................................... 13 Analyze Data and Prepare Reports ....................................................................................................... 15 Changes in Methodology from Previous Studies ................................................................................. 16 3. Waste Characterization Findings ...................................................................................... 17 Interpreting the Results ........................................................................................................................ 17 Material Recoverability Groups ............................................................................................................ 18 Composition and Recoverability of Waste ........................................................................................... 19 Waste Characterization Changes Over Time ........................................................................................ 29 4. Transfer Station Customer Survey Findings ...................................................................... 34 Hauler Type .......................................................................................................................................... 34 Vehicle Type ......................................................................................................................................... 34 Waste Type ........................................................................................................................................... 35 Generator Type .................................................................................................................................... 36 Curbside Garbage Service ..................................................................................................................... 38 Trip Frequency ...................................................................................................................................... 39 Reasons for Self-haul ............................................................................................................................ 42 Load Origin ........................................................................................................................................... 43 5. Appendices ...................................................................................................................... 50 Appendix A. Sample and Survey Methodology .................................................................................... 50 Appendix B. Material Definitions ......................................................................................................... 58 Appendix C. Waste Composition Calculation ....................................................................................... 66 Appendix D. Detailed Waste Composition Results ............................................................................... 70 Appendix E. Detailed Customer Survey Results ................................................................................... 84 Appendix F. Waste Composition Comparisons to Previous Studies .................................................... 91 Appendix G. Quality Control Plan ....................................................................................................... 100 Appendix H. Health and Safety Plan ................................................................................................... 102 Appendix I. Example Field Forms ....................................................................................................... 106 Appendix J. Estimated Changes in Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Diversion ................................. 113 King County Waste Monitoring Program ii Waste Characterization 2019 and Customer Survey Report June 2020 Tables and Figures Table 1. MSW Tonnage by Substream, 2019 ................................................................................................................. 2 Figure 1. Disposed Waste Recoverability, Overall, 2019 ............................................................................................... 3 Figure 2. Composition by Material Class, Overall, 2019 ................................................................................................ 3 Table 2. Materials Contributing More than 5% of Disposed Waste by Substream, 2019 ............................................. 3 Table 3. Waste Composition Changes and Trends, 2015 vs. 2019 ................................................................................ 4 Table 4. Number of Samples by Study Year ................................................................................................................... 7 Table 5. Definitions of Disposed Waste Streams and Substreams ................................................................................ 7 Table 6. Number of Surveys by Study Year .................................................................................................................... 8 Table 7. Annual Tons by Facility, 2019 ........................................................................................................................... 9 Table 8. Annual Transactions by Facility, 2019 .............................................................................................................. 9 Figure 3. Waste Tonnage by Substream, 2019 ............................................................................................................ 10 Figure 4. Map of Transfer Station Locations ................................................................................................................ 11 Figure 5. Vehicle Surveyor at Renton Transfer Station ................................................................................................ 12 Table 9. Surveys Completed by Facility and Month, 2019 ........................................................................................... 12 Table 10. Planned and Actual Samples by Facility and Month, 2019 .......................................................................... 13 Figure 6. Sample Collection and Sorting Procedures ................................................................................................... 14 Figure 7. Data Entry Electronic Form ........................................................................................................................... 15 Table 11. Number of Samples Collected by Facility, 2019 ........................................................................................... 16 Table 12. Number of Surveys Completed by Facility, 2019 ......................................................................................... 16 Table 13. Recoverability Groups and Material Types .................................................................................................. 18 Figure 8. Disposed Waste Recoverability, Overall, 2019 ........................................................................................... 19 Figure 9. Disposed Waste Composition, Overall, 2019 .............................................................................................. 19 Table 14. Ten Most Prevalent Disposed Materials, Overall, 2019