Waste Diversion Enhancement & Recommendation
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Waste Diversion Enhancement & Recommendation Report City of Ames Ames, Iowa Presented to: 110 Center Avenue Ames, Iowa 50010 Presented by: SCS ENGINEERS 8450 Hickman Road, Suite 20 Clive, Iowa 50325 (515) 631-6160 December 2018 File No. 27217245.00 Offices Nationwide www.scsengineers.com Waste Diversion Enhancement and Recommendation Report Waste Diversion Enhancement and Recommendation Report City of Ames Ames, Iowa Presented to: 110 Center Avenue Ames, Iowa 50010 Presented by: SCS ENGINEERS 8450 Hickman Road, Suite 20 Clive, Iowa 50325 (515) 631-6160 December 2018 File No. 27217245.00 This report was prepared with the support of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources Agreement Number 16-G550-07FL. However, any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the IDNR. TABLE OF CONTENTS 1.0 Executive Summary .......................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Waste Management Background ............................................................................................. 1 1.2 Waste Diversion Enhancement and Recommendation Results .............................................. 2 2.0 RRP Suitable Materials Identification ............................................................................... 4 2.1 Assumptions ................................................................................................................................... 4 2.2 Model ............................................................................................................................................. 5 2.3 Results ............................................................................................................................................. 6 3.0 Recycling and Composting Opportunity Assessment ...................................................... 9 3.1 Organics ........................................................................................................................................ 9 3.2 Bulky Items .................................................................................................................................. 12 3.2.1 Furniture ........................................................................................................................... 12 3.2.2 Mattresses ........................................................................................................................ 13 3.2.3 Cursory Economic Evaluation ........................................................................................ 13 3.3 Textiles ........................................................................................................................................ 15 3.4 Undesirable Others .................................................................................................................. 16 3.5 Metals ......................................................................................................................................... 16 3.6 Grit .............................................................................................................................................. 16 3.7 Glass ........................................................................................................................................... 17 3.8 Existing Alternatives Summary ................................................................................................ 17 4.0 Community Engagement ................................................................................................ 18 4.1 Business Community EngagemenT Through Survey ............................................................. 18 4.1.1Survey Preparation ......................................................................................................... 18 4.1.2 Survey Implementation .................................................................................................. 18 4.1.3 Survey Results ................................................................................................................. 19 4.2 Business Community Engagement Through Interviews ........................................................ 20 4.3 RESIDENTIAL COMMUNITY INTEREST ................................................................................... 21 4.3.1 Glass, Deposit Cans/Bottles, Paper, Cardboard ..................................................... 21 4.3.2 Organics .......................................................................................................................... 21 4.3.3 Bulky Items ....................................................................................................................... 22 4.3.4 Other Handling Methods .............................................................................................. 22 4.3.5 Interest in Additional Recycling ................................................................................... 22 5.0 Program/Services Audit ................................................................................................. 23 6.0 Recommendations .......................................................................................................... 27 6.1 Opportunities For Enhancement .............................................................................................. 27 6.1.1 Mechanical Changes to the Processing System ........................................................ 27 6.1.2 Education/Outreach Materials .................................................................................... 30 6.1.3 Business Recycling........................................................................................................... 30 6.1.4 Last Chance Re-Use Center .......................................................................................... 31 6.1.5 Mattress Recycling ......................................................................................................... 32 6.1.6 Expand Glass Collection Points ................................................................................... 32 6.1.7 Community-Driven Diversion ......................................................................................... 33 6.1.8 Complete Pilot Project for Food Waste Collection from Restaurants .................. 33 i 6.1.9 Offer Food Waste Collection from Residents........................................................... 34 6.1.10 Evaluate Anaerobic Digestion in Conjunction with the Wastewater Treatment Plant ............................................................................................................................................ 34 6.1.11 Continue Rummage RAMPage .................................................................................. 34 6.1.12 Support Food Rescue Programs ................................................................................ 34 7.0 Summary and Next Steps ............................................................................................... 36 APPENDICES Appendix A RRP Material Handling Effect Model Appendix B Business Survey Questionnaire Appendix C Summary of Business Survey Results Appendix D Evaluation of Cost Savings Potential from Decreasing Rejects Appendix E Ames Pay it Forward Database Information Sample ii Waste Diversion Enhancement and Recommendation Report 1.0 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The purpose of the Waste Diversion Enhancement and Recommendation Report was to provide the City of Ames (COA) and COA Resource Recovery Plant (RRP) staff with information regarding suitable and unsuitable materials received at the RRP, to evaluate the perceived value and interest in additional services within the Story County business community, and to evaluate the programs and services other similar communities have. The results of these initial tasks were then aggregated with the 2016 Ames Resident and Story County Resident Satisfaction Surveys to develop recommendations to both enhance existing programs and to potentially initiate new solid waste management programs. The goal of these activities is to improve the efficiencies and economics of the RRP operations. 1.1 WASTE MANAGEMENT BACKGROUND Waste management is necessary for all populations. Various forms of management have evolved over time and exist today. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) developed a Non-Hazardous Materials and Waste Management Hierarchy as shown in Figure 1. It is important to note the EPA recognizes that there is not a single waste management approach suitable for managing all materials and waste streams in all circumstances. This hierarchy provides a ranking from top down of the most to least Figure 1 – EPA Waste Management Hierarchy environmentally friendly methods for handling materials. While most facilities within the State of Iowa utilize landfilling for their last option for solid waste, Story County does have a unique solution available with the RRP and the ability to provide Refuse-Derived Fuel (RDF), Energy Recovery on the Waste Management Hierarchy above, to the Ames Municipal Electric Services (AMES) power plant. The COA opened the first municipally owned and operated waste-to-energy (WTE) facility in the nation in 1975. This facility takes municipal solid waste (MSW) from the COA and surrounding communities within Story County. Waste materials are processed, and burnable materials are sorted into RDF, which is then pneumatically piped to the AMES power plant.