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Opportunities for Sustainable Materials Management and Zero Waste in Detroit

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Opportunities for Sustainable Materials Management and Zero Waste in Detroit Report No. CSS17-09 April 18, 2017 OPPORTUNITIES FOR SUSTAINABLE MATERIALS MANAGEMENT AND ZERO WASTE IN DETROIT Reema Abi-Akar, Gabriel Jones, and Yi Tang Opportunities for Sustainable Materials Management and Zero Waste in Detroit By: Reema Abi-Akar Gabriel Jones Yi Tang A project submitted in partial fulfillment of requirements for the degree of Master of Science (Natural Resources and Environment) University of Michigan Ann Arbor April 18, 2017 Faculty Advisors: Professor Gregory A. Keoleian Associate Professor Tony G. Reames A report of the Center for Sustainable Systems Report No. CSS17-09 Document Description OPPORTUNITIES FOR SUSTAINABLE MATERIALS MANAGEMENT AND ZERO WASTE IN DETROIT Reema Abi-Akar, Gabriel Jones, and Yi Tang Center for Sustainable Systems, Report No. CSS17-09 University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan April 18, 2017 138 pp., 14 tables, 27 figures, 6 appendices This document is available online at: http://css.snre.umich.edu Center for Sustainable Systems School of Natural Resources and Environment University of Michigan 440 Church Street, Dana Building Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1041 Phone: 734-764-1412 Fax: 734-647-5841 Email: [email protected] Web: http://css.snre.umich.edu © Copyright 2017 by the Regents of the University of Michigan Opportunities for Sustainable Materials Management and Zero Waste in Detroit By Gabriel Jones, Reema Abi-Akar, and Yi Tang Client: East Michigan Environmental Action Council (EMEAC) Partner Client: Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA) Advisors: Dr. Gregory A. Keoleian, Professor Dr. Tony G. Reames, Assistant Professor Date: April 18, 2017 University of Michigan School of Natural Resources and Environment (SNRE) Abstract Zero waste and sustainable materials management (SMM) are two ways of reframing the process of waste management, by envisioning waste as potentially useful material. Detroit has taken a step towards SMM, implementing a city-wide curbside recycling program in 2014. While only 6.6% of the city’s waste is currently recycled or composted, the other 93.4% is combusted in Detroit’s waste-to-energy facility (WTEF) or sent to landfills. Like other post-industrial cities with long-standing WTEFs, Detroit’s WTEF is located in a predominately non-white and low- income community, and the facility has faced alleged odor and emissions violations. For Detroit to move forward with sustainable and just waste reduction and diversion strategies, it is necessary to understand its successes and challenges within waste management. This report for the East Michigan Environmental Action Council and the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives characterized Detroit’s waste management system using stakeholder interviews, policy review, Sankey diagrams, and environmental justice spatial analysis to analyze opportunities for enhancing SMM in the city. We selected two case study cities that also have a WTEF, Baltimore and Minneapolis, to benchmark their progress with advancing SMM and provide best practices for Detroit. Interview participants mentioned several political, social, economic, procedural/technical, and environmental factors that can support or impede efforts to advance SMM. Based on these findings, in addition to the results of our Sankey diagrams and spatial analysis, we proposed a set of eight recommendations for Detroit to consider when adopting an SMM framework in the future. Ultimately, our project recommends the following actions for Detroit: (1) Collect more data on the city’s waste stream; (2) continue community engagement efforts; (3) market waste as a material resource; (4) encourage the State of Michigan to enact more SMM legislation; (5) create a method of addressing continued air emissions violations in waste management facilities; (6) centralize sustainability efforts in Detroit’s new Office of Sustainability; (7) conduct a feasibility study regarding a differentiated waste management pricing structure; and (8) sustain long-term planning for SMM in Detroit. Despite our focus on Detroit, our findings also have policy implications and practical recommendations for other cities like Detroit that are struggling to advance a more sustainable and just waste management system. i Acknowledgements This project could not have been possible without the contributions of multiple stakeholders in Ann Arbor, Detroit, Minneapolis, and Baltimore. First and foremost, we would like to thank our advisors, Dr. Gregory Keoleian, and Dr. Tony Reames, and our client and partner client contacts, William Copeland (EMEAC) and Ahmina Maxey (GAIA), for their continued collaboration, communication, and patience throughout the project. We were grateful to have the financial support of the University of Michigan School of Natural Resources and Environment, enabling us to travel and connect in person with our colleagues in Detroit and Minneapolis-St. Paul. Thanks also to the Doris Duke Conservation Scholars, Marvin Bell and Giovanni Santiago who helped us during the summer of 2016. Thanks to individuals from Wayne County who helped us acquire Detroit waste data, and to members of Detroit’s Zero Waste Subcommittee for support throughout this project. Many thanks especially to the 14 individuals who allowed us to interview them and publish their words in this report. To those with whom we spoke but did not interview, we sincerely appreciate your help with locating data, reaching out to interviewees, answering questions, and in general serving as a supportive network during our project. ii Table of Contents Abstract i Acknowledgements ii List of Figures ix List of Tables xi List of Acronyms & Abbreviations xii Terminology xiv Executive Summary xviii Project Context xviii Methods xix Case Study Findings xix Waste Management Flow xxi Spatial Analysis xxiv Results: Interview Themes xxv Recommendations xxvi Introduction 1 Purpose of Study and Significance 1 Rationale for Detroit 2 Goals & Objectives 3 General Purpose Statement 3 Objectives 3 Clients 3 Background 4 Studies Comparing Waste Disposal Methods 5 Waste Management History in the United States 6 Zero Waste 8 Barriers to Zero Waste 10 Overview on Waste-to-Energy (WTE) 11 Energy from Waste: The Basic Mechanics 11 Waste-to-Energy Environmental & Public Health Effects 12 Environmental Justice (EJ) 13 iii Debates over “People vs. Pollution” and Implications of Regional Variations 13 Anti-Incineration Campaigns in the U.S. 15 Current U.S. Federal Policies 16 The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act: RCRA Subtitle D 16 Code of Federal Regulations: 40 CFR Part 239 through 258 16 U.S. Clean Power Plan 18 Waste-to-Energy Terminology & Policy 18 U.S. Federal Waste-to-Energy Policies 19 Variation in State-level U.S. Waste-to-Energy Policy 20 European Union Policies & Discussion 23 Methodology 26 City Selection Process 26 Interview process 27 Interview Guide 27 Institutional Review Board (IRB) Application Process 28 Finding, Contacting, & Interviewing Stakeholders 28 Interviewee Biographies 29 Qualitative Analysis: Coding Process 30 Existing Research on Qualitative Analysis 30 Step-by-Step Process 31 Spatial Analysis Process 32 Sankey Diagram Process 33 Case Studies 35 Detroit 38 History of Waste Management: Timeline 38 Incineration & Waste Collection 38 Recycling 39 Community & Environmental Context 40 Current Waste Management Strategy 42 Sankey Diagram 44 Spatial Analysis 45 iv Policies & Goals 51 State Policies & Regulations 51 Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act (Act 451 of 1994): Part 115 – Solid Waste Management 51 Michigan Solid Waste Policy 51 Michigan Beverage Container Deposit Law (Initiated Law of 1976) 52 Joint Garbage and Rubbish Disposal Act (Act 179 of 1947) 52 Michigan’s Residential Recycling Plan 52 County Policies & Regulations 52 Wayne County Solid Waste Management Plan 52 Wayne County Solid Waste Ordinance 53 City Policies & Regulations 53 Charter of the City of Detroit 53 Resolution to Adopt a New Business Model for Solid Waste in the City of Detroit and Change the GDRRA Mission and Purpose 54 Opportunities & Challenges Addressed by Interviewees 54 Opportunities 54 Challenges 55 Baltimore 56 History of Waste Management: Timeline 56 Community & Environmental Context 56 Current Waste Management Strategy 57 Sankey Diagram 59 Spatial Analysis 60 Policies & Goals 66 State Policies & Regulations 66 The Environment Article 66 Code of Maryland Regulations (COMAR) 66 Maryland’s Zero Waste Plan 67 City Policies & Regulations 67 City of Baltimore Municipal Code, Article 23: Sanitation 67 v City of Baltimore Ten Year Solid Waste Management Plan for 2013-2023 68 Opportunities & Challenges Addressed by Interviewees 70 Opportunities 70 Challenges 71 Minneapolis 72 History of Waste Management: Timeline 72 Community & Environmental Context 73 Current Waste Management Strategy 73 Sankey Diagram 75 Spatial Analysis 76 Policies & Goals 82 State Policies & Regulations 82 State of Minnesota Statutes §115A (Waste Management Act of 1980) 82 Metropolitan Solid Waste Management Policy Plan 2016-2036 83 County Policies & Regulations 84 Hennepin County Solid Waste Management Plan 84 Hennepin County Residential Recycling Funding Policy 84 Hennepin County Ordinance 15: Solid Waste Management Fee 84 Hennepin County Ordinance 18: County Collected Solid Waste Fee for Solid Waste Management Services 85 City Policies & Regulations 85 City of Minneapolis Climate Action Plan 85 Resolution by the City of Minneapolis: Establishing recycling and composting goals for the City of Minneapolis 86 Environmentally Acceptable Packaging Ordinance
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