NOLA Recycles 2010

Mayoral Candidate Statement on Recycling

I pledge that my administration will develop a comprehensive waste management program that minimizes the health and environmental impacts of waste disposal, as well as taps the value of waste materials to build a local recycling economy.

I support the recommendations of NOLA Recycles 2010, and I pledge to take the following actions to better manage our waste during my administration.

  1. Resume curbside recycling
    My administration will commence a pilot study or issue a Request for Proposals (RFP) for curbside recycling services within six months, with the goal of returning curbside recycling within one year of taking office. Residential collection of yard waste for composting will be considered in the study or included as an alternate in the RFP.
  1. Prevent illegal dumping
    Illegal dumping continues spoil the quality of life in many neighborhoods, particularly in New Orleans East and the Lower Ninth ward. My administration will work closely with the Department of Environmental Quality to continue existing programs and to implement new solutions to this long-standing problem. I will be a visible and vocal advocate against illegal dumping and provide city staff with the support and resources they need to implement effective programs.
  1. Provide safe disposal options for household hazardous waste
    Under my administration, the Department of Sanitation will provide an educational program about household hazardous waste and a program for safe collection of household chemicals.
  1. Require the recycling of construction and demolition waste in city projects
    To build local capacity for construction and demolition debris recycling, all City of New Orleans new construction and major renovations will achieve at least 50% recycling of non-hazardous demolition and construction waste, as defined by the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED New Construction and Major Renovation standard.
  1. Charge the Department of Sanitation with the promotion and expansion of recycling
    The responsibilities of the Department of Sanitation must be broadened from the supervision of garbage collection to include the development of programs that will reduce waste and expand recycling in New Orleans. Under my administration, the evaluation the Director of the Department of Sanitation will consider how he or she has worked with residents, businesses and institutions to increase our city’s overall rate of recycling.
  1. Begin a recycling program and recycled products purchasing policy in City Hall

Under my administration, recycling will be available in city hall offices and guidance will be developed to encourage city offices to purchase products made with recycled materials, such as recycled paper.

NOLA Recycles 2010

Background on Mayoral Statement

  1. Resume curbside recycling in New Orleans

With the opening of a materials recovery facility (MRF) by Republic Services/Allied Waste in September 2009, “single stream” recycling is now available in the New Orleans area. All household recyclables--paper, cardboard, plastic bottles and metal cans—are collected together. Recyclables are collected using the rolling carts, dumpsters, and trucks used for collecting garbage, but they are delivered to the MRF instead of a landfill, where they are sorted, baled and sold, largely to manufacturing facilities in our region. With the simplicity of single stream and effective education programs, the tonnage of recyclables collected can rival garbage collection. The value remaining in these materials will support local jobs in processing and transportation.

Prices for recycled materials are shaped by the overall economy and particularly fuel prices. Prices were extremely low in early 2009, as manufacturing dropped with the poor economy. However, prices are recovering and will be highest in times of high fuel prices. Contracts must be structured carefully so that the city will at a minimum save landfill tipping fees and share in profits from the sale of recovered materials when prices are high. A request for proposals for recycling services should not exclude companies from submitting proposals, but rather invite a broad range of companies and encourage innovation in reducing waste and increasing recycling in New Orleans.

Recycling yard waste has perhaps the greatest environmental “bang for your buck.” Over a third of the city’s waste could be composted. Waste figures from neighboring Texas show that yard waste comprises about 20% of household trash, food waste 9%, and wood waste 6%. When landfilled, yard waste and other organics, such as paper and cardboard, are sources of methane, a potent greenhouse gas. When composted, yard waste and other organics are converted to a locally-produced, marketable material. Baton Rouge and Lafayette both have residential yard waste collection for composting. In Houston, the Clinton Climate Initiative is developing a pilot privately-based composting system. With the intense affection for green space and gardening in New Orleans, a city-contracted yard waste recycling program would be positively received.

  1. Prevent illegal dumping

Illegal dumping continues to spoil the quality of life in many neighborhoods, particularly in New Orleans East and the Lower Nine. Illegal dumping is hazardous to health and the environment if these materials contain fuels or chemicals. Since Hurricane Katrina, the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality has launched two major enforcement efforts, ordinances and penalties have been strengthened, and a city Illegal Dumping Task Force was initiated. These efforts and collaborations must be continued and strengthened under the next administration. High-level attention to illegal dumping by the Mayor is necessary to finally bring an end to this problem.

The city can increase patrols by sanitation officials and police, and coordinate community education programs. The city should also explore policies that have been implemented in other cities to hold waste generators and haulers to proper disposal practices. For example, in Foster City, California, contractors are required to pay a bond when receiving a building permit that will not be refunded unless they can prove that they properly handled the waste. This gives the contractors a financial incentive and cuts down on illegal dumping. Additionally, providing recycling and proper disposal opportunities for materials such as concrete, cardboard, sheetrock, and chemicals could help give haulers a less expensive option for disposal, decreasing the incentive to dump materials in neighborhoods, roadsides and wetlands.

  1. Provide safe disposal options for household hazardous waste

After Katrina, the presence of many pesticides, paints and chemicals stored in homes added to health concerns as the flood waters receded. When placed in a landfill, they will eventually contaminate local soil and waters. While the EPA collected these materials from hurricane debris for safe disposal, the city has not since provided safe disposal options or even information about proper handling of these materials. Household Hazardous Waste collection days, one type of program that could be offered, were held in New Orleans before Hurricane Katrina. A potential source of funding is available through the Louisiana DEQ, which launched a program supporting household hazardous waste collection projects in 2007. A safe disposal program should also be developed for household electronics, which often contain hazardous heavy metals.

  1. Require the recycling of construction and demolition waste in city projects

Landfills for construction and demolition waste are subject to less stringent requirements than landfills for municipal solid waste. Construction and demolition (C & D)landfills have threatened community health in the past and in the present. The Agriculture Street landfill, reopened in 1965 for waste from Hurricane Betsy, became a Superfund site. After Hurricane Katrina, two landfills in eastern New Orleans were opened to C&D waste, posing a threat to nearby communities.

The participation of the City of New Orleans in construction and demolition recycling will build our local capacity to reuse, repair, remanufacture, and process construction materials. The U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED Green Building standard provides guidelines for documenting construction and demolition recycling rates. A number of local large construction projects have achieved recycling rates over 50%. If included in construction bid documents, this standard can be achieved with little additional cost or city effort.

  1. Charge the Department of Sanitation with the promotion and expansion of recycling.

To ensure community health and environmental protection, the responsibilities of the Department of Sanitation must be broadened from the supervision of garbage collection and recycling contracts to actively working to reduce waste and expand recycling in New Orleans. The Department of Sanitation should ensure that there is effective education about proper waste disposal and how to recycle. The Department should ensure that a trained staff is available to answer questions about the program by telephone and internet. The Department of Sanitation should also work with businesses, schools and non-profits to develop commercial and school recycling programs. The Director of Sanitation should be evaluated in part by the success of these efforts, including the city’s recycling diversion rate--the percentage of all waste that is diverted to recycling citywide.

  1. Begin a recycling program and recycled products purchasing policy in City Hall.

Offices, institutions and businesses produce large quantities of waste that can be recycled, such as paper and cardboard. A recycling program in City Hall will reduce waste and give city employees experience with recycling systems and local recycling providers.

Recycling keeps materials out of landfills. It also help move us towards a more energy-efficient, less polluting economy, as manufacturing that relies on recovered materials uses less energy than manufacturing that relies on raw materials. City purchasing can help provide markets for recycled materials by choosing products with recycled content, such as paper. The U.S. Green Building Council LEED for Existing Building program provides guidelines for developing a sustainable purchasing policy for city offices.

NOLA Recycles 2010

Join a partnership of concerned citizens who will work together to make recycling a reality in New Orleans in 2010. Our goal is to influence the mayoral race and elect a mayor who will develop a comprehensive waste management program that minimizes the health and environmental impact of waste disposal, as well as taps the value of waste materials to build a local recycling economy.

Join us and get involved!

Follow Us:

Fan Us:

Call us: Sierra Club New Orleans Office 504-861-4836