TOWN OF NAGS HEAD
Public Works Department
P.O. Box 99
NAGS HEAD, NORTH CAROLINA 27959-0099
Telephone (252) 441-1122 FAX (252) 441-3350
M E M O R A N D U M
DATE: September 20, 2001
TO: J. Webb Fuller, Town Manager
FROM: Public Works
SUBJECT: Proposed Pilot Project to Reduce the Amount of Solid Waste through Curbside Recycling
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Public Works staff is recommending that the town implement a Pilot Curbside Recycling Program, to determine if enhanced recycling will stimulate public interest in recycling, as part of an overall effort to further reduce solid waste. Recycling benefits the Town financially by reducing tipping fees. Public Works staff will set up the pilot program to commence on November 15, 2001, and end at the commencement of the Summer Schedule, 2002. At that time the overall effectiveness of the pilot program will be evaluated.
An outline of the proposed pilot program follows:
· Goal: Implement a Pilot Curbside Recycling Program in an effort to reduce the amount of solid waste and thereby lower operating costs.
· Objectives:
1. Reduce tipping fee expenditures by decreasing solid waste tonnage in the waste stream.
2. Reduce the frequency of trips to the transfer station.
3. Increase public participation in recycling by stimulating public awareness and support.
4. Gather real data on residential recycling such as pounds of recycle material generated per household per week.
· Implementation: This pilot program will only be implemented in the West Side Residential Route. The rest of the town will continue to be served by the existing permanent recycling drop-off locations. The same Sanitation Division employee will be working both the pilot program, and the existing recycling drop-off locations. The pilot program will temporarily replace the existing neighborhood recycling drop-off program. This pilot program will be publicized requesting those willing to participate to call the Public Works Department to enroll and receive a recycle material container. All recyclable materials will be placed into the single container provided to the participant. A Sanitation Division employee will visit those subdivisions in the pilot program according to the attached schedule and empty the containers into a recycling trailer the town currently owns. Each participating residence will be visited once per week. The recyclable material will then be transported to and stored in a roll-off container at Public Works. When the roll-off container is full, it will be transported to Tidewater Fiber and emptied. The recyclable material will be weighed and the weight recorded at that time. There may be a small amount of revenue generated by the sale of the recycle material to Tidewater Fiber, however, a separation fee charged by Tidewater Fiber for separating the commingled recycle materials will offset this revenue. Net revenue or loss resulting from the sale of recycle materials will be evaluated at the end of the pilot program.
Public Works staff strongly recommends that this pilot program be advertised in the newspaper, on the town’s web site, and on the government access channel. It is important that the public be informed that this is only a pilot program, and it will exist for a finite period of time with a begin date and an end date. A proposed schedule for curbside recycling has been attached at the end of this memo for review.
· How Will this Program be Funded: This pilot program will be partially funded by additional funds ($2,250.00) that were included in the current budget under the recycling line item. These funds will be used to purchase the containers that will be provided to the participants. All other materials, vehicles, and labor that will be used for this pilot program are now allocated for the town’s current residential recycling program. An analysis of the estimated fuel, maintenance, and labor cost for the pilot program are provided in a table below. The vehicles and labor listed were previously appropriated in the FY 2001-2002 Sanitation Division operating budget.
Table 1
Estimated Direct Costs for Pilot Curbside Recycling ProgramMonthly
Labor (Sanitation Employee), 3 days per week at base pay rate / $1,446.57
Vehicle (Pickup) 3 days /wk, fuel cost only. / $60.92
Vehicle (Roll-off Truck) 2 trips/mo. transport to Tidewater Fiber, fuel cost only. / $71.40
Total Monthly Direct Cost / $1,578.89
Direct Cost converted to tons at tipping fee rate of $54.11/ton / 29.18 tons per month
The direct operating cost per month for the Pilot Curbside Recycling Program is an estimated $1,578.89/month as shown in Table 1 above. Direct operating costs include a sanitation employee base salary without benefits, gasoline cost for the pickup truck used to pull the mobile trailer, and diesel fuel cost for the roll-off truck. To offset, or “break even” with the direct operating cost of the program, through tipping fee savings alone, would require collecting 29.18 tons of recycle material per month. This figure is based on the current tipping fee rate of $54.11 per ton.
· Analysis: GIS data reveals approximately 1,482 residential units are located in the pilot program area. Based upon an average figure of 11 pounds of recycle material generated per household per week 2, we are able to calculate estimated tons of recycle material generated at n percentage of participation. We have included four participation levels in Table 2 below. Please note that all data is based upon the 1,482 figure as a total of all residential units located in the pilot program. The first level is estimated tons at 100% participation, which is not a realistic number due to seasonally occupied residences. The next rate of participation listed is 82.66%, which is the participation level required to “break even” with direct operating costs. Of the last two, 56% 1 is the average rate for all local government recycling programs (curbside) and 40% is the current participation level for curbside recycling in the Town of Southern Shores. According to the NC League of Municipalities, curbside recycling has a greater participation rate than other recycling programs.
The proposed Pilot Curbside Recycling Program was developed to gather data from areas in the town that were occupied by year-around residents. Most of these areas (with the exception of South Nags Head) are located in subdivisions west of US 158. Public Works staff believes that year-around residents are the best subjects from which to obtain data about recycling. An example of pertinent data would be the actual average weight of weekly recycle material generated per household. Funds were specifically allocated in the FY 2001-2002 budget to initially purchase 300 recycle material containers to distribute to interested participants. This was mentioned above in the paragraph How Will The Program Be Funded. Based upon data presented in this memo however, 300 participants will not even come close to meeting operating costs of this pilot program. There are additional funds available in the Sanitation Division budget however that will allow the purchase of more recycle material containers, should Public Works receive a large response.
Table 2
Resident Participation Table Versus Pilot Program Direct CostsEstimated Count of Residential Units in Pilot Program Area (From GIS) / 1482
Monthly Tons of Recycle Materials Required to Offset Direct Costs / 29.18
Tons Recycle Material Estimated per Month at 100% Participation / 35.29
Tons Recycle Material Estimated per Month at 82.66% Participation / 29.17
Tons Recycle Material Estimated per Month at 56% Participation / 19.77
Tons Recycle Material Estimated per Month at 40% Participation / 14.12
1 The North Carolina League of Municipalities June 2000 issue of “Southern City.”
2 The Carolina Recycling Association
Table 3 below is the estimated direct operating costs per month for our current residential recycling program. The total monthly cost listed below however is the estimated monthly cost of residential recycling for the whole town. According to GIS data, there is approximately 3,516 residential units town-wide.
Table 3
Direct Operating Costs for Current Residential Recycling ProgramMonthly
Labor (Sanitation Employee), 5 days per week / $2,413.00
Vehicle Fuel (Pickup to dump recycling trailer, & move mobile trailer) / $49.32
Vehicle (Roll-off Truck) 4.5 trips/mo. To Dare Co, Transfer Station / $23.21
Total Monthly Direct Cost / $2,485.53
Direct Cost converted to tons at tipping fee rate of $54.11/ton / 45.93
Table 4 compares the estimated direct operating costs for our current residential recycling program to the estimated direct operating costs for the Pilot Curbside Recycling Program. One caveat when comparing operating costs in Table 4: The current residential recycling program includes all of Nags Head, while the proposed pilot program represents only 1,482 residences or approximately 42.15% of Nags Head residential units. If one multiplies the current recycling program costs by 42.15%, one may observe a more direct comparison of operating costs between current and proposed.
Table 4
Comparison of Estimated Monthly Direct Operating Costs / Current Residential / Proposed PilotRecycling Program / Curbside Program
Labor (Sanitation Employee), 5 days per week / $2,413.00 / $1,446.57
Vehicle Fuel (Pickup to dump recycling trailer, & move mobile trailer) / $49.32 / $60.92
Vehicle (Roll-off Truck) 4.5 trips/mo. to Dare Co, Transfer Station / $23.21 / $71.40
Total Monthly Direct Cost / $2,485.53 / $1,578.89
Direct Cost converted to tons at tipping fee rate of $54.11/ton / 45.93 / 29.18
Conclusion: Town-wide recycling does reduce tipping fees. The amount of tipping fees saved however by recycling has never been sufficient to cover the actual operating costs necessary to provide a means for recycling to our citizens.
According to Table 2, a participation rate of 82.66% would just cover the direct operating costs for curbside recycling in the pilot program area. It would be too optimistic however, to expect a participation rate of 82.66% based upon the 40% participation rate experienced by Southern Shores, and the 56% participation rate for all local government recycling programs. It is the hope of Public Works staff that this Pilot Curbside Recycling Program will generate or motivate more citizens to recycle. Success of the pilot program will be evidenced by a decrease in solid waste hauled to the landfill with a corresponding increase in collected recycle material. All written resources reviewed by Public Works staff for research purposes were unanimous in the opinion that the more you recycle the more you save. The evaluation period will allow Pubic Works staff and the Town manager to determine if curbside recycling is feasible for Nags Head.
Summary:
· This is part of an overall effort to reduce solid waste.
· There has been a strong value placed upon recycling by town citizens and board members alike.
· Historically, recycling has not been cost effective.
· Curbside recycling has a greater participation rate than other recycling.
· The Pilot Curbside Recycling Program may not collect enough material to offset operating costs.
· Our current recycling program does not collect enough material to offset operating costs.
· The participants must be informed that this is a temporary program.
· The current drop-off-recycling program will continue outside of the pilot program area.
· Although there are 1,482 residential units located in the pilot program area, the initial purchase of recycle containers will only be 300.
· More containers can be purchased if necessary.
TOWN OF NAGS HEAD
Sanitation Division
P.O. Box 99
Nags Head, North Carolina 27959-0099
Telephone (252) 449-4206, FAX (252) 441-3350
Proposed Curbside Recycling Schedule
West Residential Route Only
(All Properties West of the 158 By-pass)
November 1st through May 1st
Tuesday
From 8th Street to and including Villa Dunes Drive
Wednesday
North Ridge Subdivision to and including Southridge Subdivision
Thursday
Old Nags Head Cove to and including Pond Island
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PLEASE PLACE YOUR RECYCLE CONTAINER WITHIN FIVE(5) FEET OF THE STREET ADJACENT TO YOUR DRIVEWAY
Items that can be recycled:
1. Aluminum and Steel cans only
2. Glass; clear, brown & green(remove caps)
3. Newspaper and magazines
4. Cardboard, food boxes & paper bags
5. Plastic; PETE clear marked no. 1 & HDPE colored marked No. 2 (remove lids, flatten & rinse)
Please call Nags Head Public Works at 441-1122 for further information