Solid Waste Task Force — Portland, ME
Date: 2010-04-22

Report to the Solid Waste Task Force
3/25/2010
Department of Public Services
Michael Bobinsky, Director
Troy Moon, Solid Waste Manager
 See 38 MRSA, Chapter 13 ‐‐ Declaration of
 Policy (1989):
  Establish statewide waste reduction, recycling
 and management program
  Establish waste management hierarchy
  Notes economic benefits of recycling
  Notes the need for State action to assist
 municipalities in managing solid waste
1. Reduce waste (both amount and toxicity)
2. Reuse
3. Recycle
4. Compost
5. Reduce l
 d volume (Waste to Energy)
6. Landfill
 Recycle 50% of the waste generated in the
 State of Maine by 2009
  Goal established in 1989
  Recycling rate is currently about 35%
  Municipalities not required to achieve 50% but
 must demonstrate progress
 MRSA Title 38, Chapter 24, Subchapter 3:

 Businesses with 15 or more employees in a
 l
 single location are required to recycle office
 paper and db
 cardboard
•M  anufacturers help manage and pay for recycling
 f
 of products
• Maine is the national leader in promoting
 producer responsibility
• Laws cover fluorescent bulbs, electronic waste,
 thermostats, mercury switches, batteries
 The law has been very effective for TVs and
  CRTs – the DEP estimates that 50% are now
  being recycled.
 Decreases costs to municipalities so they can
  offer recycling to their residents
 The State is exploring expanding PR to other
  difficult to manage products.
 Climate Goals
  Reduce GHG emissions to 10% below 1990 levels
 by 2020
  Will calculate GHG impact of current efforts with
 EPA’s Waste R deduction Model (WaRM) f software
 for future meeting
Landfills (Commercial):
 Crossroads, Norridgewock
 Juniper Ridge, Old Town
 Pine Tree, Hampden (now closed)

Major Landfills (Municipal)
 Bath
 Brunswick
 Hatch Hill (Augusta)
 Tri‐Community (Fort Fairfield)
 Presque Isle
 Lewiston

WTE: ecomaine, Portland (170K tpy)
 ME Energy, Biddeford (310K tpy)
 MMWAC, Auburn (70K tpy)
 PERC, Orrington (304K tpy)

 WTE handles 32% of Maine’s waste
 Plan‐It, Gorham
 Troiano, South Portland
 BBI, Old Orchard Beach
 Oceanside, Wells
 The State has banned development of new
  disposal facilities
 The State owns Carpenter d Ridge near Lincoln
  that will become the site of a future landfill
  when needed
 h
 Existing disposal capacity sufficient for now
  with dd
 additional capacity to be permitted.
21 Owner Communities
7 Associate Member
 Communities
10 Contract Communities

ecomaine serves a population
of more than 250,000 people
• Waste to Energy
• Single Stream
  MRF
• Landfill / Ashfill
 Owned by City
 Managed by CPRC
 Used by:
  City crews
  Portland residents
  Businesses
 R i
 egional
 Up to 60,000 tons per year
 50% is C&D/Mix to landfill
 50% recycled:
   Wood (demo and clean)
   Metals
   Drywall
   Asphalt Shingles
   Yard waste
   Electronics
   Mercury containing items
   Brick, block, concrete, soils
   Glass
150 trash barrels emptied at least 1 x daily
X Year round X Summer only 150 downtown
• Somerset Street location has 8 “Silver Bullets”
• Open 24/7, gate lclosed in h
 the evening to prevent hivehicular access
• Available for use by anyone, used by small businesses with limited options
• Very heavily used
• Need to find permanent location for them
• Riverside Recycling has 1 “Silver Bullet” for use during open hours
 State Planning Office prepares reports on waste
  generation and disposal capacity as well as progress
  toward goals.
 State data that follows derives from these documents.
 http://www state me
 .state.me.us/spo/recycle/publications.htm
State Planning Office
 Tons

 Residential Recycling
 y
 24676 6029
  37176
 Commercial Recycling

 Residential Waste

 65564 ecomaine Commercial Waste
61844

 Out of Area Waste
• Original y
 g recycling plant p
 opened in 99
 1991 and y
 recycled less than 5,000 tons per year
• Portland adopts curbside recycling in 1999
• Single Stream MRF opened in 2007, enabling several towns including Scarborough
and Falmouth adopt curbside recycling
• In FY09 ecomaine recycled more than 30,000 tons of recyclables
Newspaper Cardboard NATURAL COLORED
PET #3‐7PLASTIC STEEL CANS ALUMINUM
GLASS LOOSE METAL Mixed Paper Residue


 1% 1%
 1% 0%
 2% 4%
 1% 4%
 1%
 1%




 23%

 61%
25000
 Tons MSW
 Tons Recycle
20000



15000



10000



 5000



 0
 FY97 FY98 FY99 FY00 FY01 FY02 FY03 FY04 FY06 FY07 FY08 FY09
 Single Family Homes: 11,081
 Apts with 2‐ 4 units: 2,571
 Apts i
 with 5 – 10 units: 370
 Apts with 11 – 20 units: 26
 Condos: 983
 Misc. units: 123

About 15,000 buildings served weekly
 Who Provides Service?
  City serves residential properties
 ▪ Single family homes
 ▪ Apartment buildings with up to 9 units
 ▪ Condominiums who opt in and sign a release
 ▪ Apartment building with up to 19 units who opt in
  Private haulers serve commercial properties
 ▪ Most condos
 ▪ Large apartment buildings,
 ▪ Businesses & industry
 Annual leaf and yard waste collection
   Last week in October – Thanksgiving
   C b
 urbside ipick up of bagged leaves
   No limit on amount of bags at curb
   750 tons collected annually
 Curbside collection of trash and recycling
  provided weekly on Peaks, GDI, LDI and Cliff
 3 “Silver Bullets” located at the Peaks Island
  transfer station
 Annual HHW collection for all islands
 Bulky item collection on GDI, LDI & Cliff
 Peaks Island residents bring bulky items to
  transfer station
 Regional Service
 Comparison

 2010 Greater Portland Area
 2010 Greater Portland Waste Disposal Programs Comparison


 Construction Universal Multi‐family
 Bulky Waste Yard Waste Brush HHW Pay per bag?
 Debris Waste allowance
 Purchase permit
 Purchase permit sticker $5,
 Purchase permit Purchase permit sticker Purchase permit sticker $5,
 Falmouth Bring to RRF, pay $10 per pick‐up load at 33gal & 20gal
 sticker $5, $5 sticker $5, Oil Paint accepted none
 posted fee transfer station. Free curbside $2.08 / $1.46 ea
 $5‐$10 each item $10 per pick‐up load $5 ‐ $10 per item free, other items to
 collection spring and fall
 RRF, pay fee
 Bring to RRF or Free drop of for
 Windham Bring to RRF or Plan‐ Free drop of for homeowners, Bring to RRF, pay 30gal & 13gal
 Plan‐It, pay posted
 l homeowners, 3 weeks Bring to RRF, pay fee none
 It, pay posted fee 3 weeks in spring & fall fee $2.50 / $1.25 ea
 fee in spring & fall
 Bring to RRF or Bring to RRF or
 Household quantities Bring to RRF or Bring to RRF or 3 Annual collection
 Community Community
Scarborough Recycling, pay Recycling, pay
 accepted free at Community Community Recycling, Pine Tree Waste, events in conjunction none no
 Recycling pay posted fee pay fee with Biddeford & Saco
 posted fee posted fee
 up to 3 cubic yards up to 3 cubic yards free up to 3 cubic yards 3 Annual collection 3 cy first unit, 1 cy
 Saco of bulky and/or of bulky and/or ‐ events in conjunction per additional unit
 free with permit Fee per item no
 debris free annually debris free annually $6 per additional cy with Biddeford & up to 10 cy of bulky
 with permit with permit with permit Scarborough items per year
 Burnables only ‐$5 ‐
 Free drop of for
 $10 each at curb, all Motor oil accepted
 Gorham Bring to RRF or Plan‐ Free drop of for homeowners, homeowners, 2 Bring to RRF or 30gal & 15gal
 other items to RRF free. Other items none
 It, pay posted fee April ‐ November Saturdays each spring & Plan‐It, pay fee $2.50 / $1.25 ea
 or Plan‐It for posted bring to RRF, pay fee
 fall
 fee
 Bring to landfill, pay
 1 Annual HHW drop
 $60 ‐ $80/ton,
 Brunswick Bring to landfill, pay $5 dump permit $5 dump permit $5 dump permit off (usually Oct) 33gal & 15gal
 other material bring none
 $80/ton Free from homes with permit Free from homes permit Accepted for free otherwise to $1.00 / $0.50 ea
 to RRF for posted
 Lewiston, pay fee
 fee

 Multi‐family
 Each cubic yard counts as 1 Each cubic yard counts Up to 10 gallons free.
 Up to 10 items free buildings get free
 Bring to RRF, pay bulky item, charge in 1/2 cubic as 1 bulky item, charged Accepted for free Collection events 1st 30gal & 15gal
 Portland annually with E‐
 posted fee yard increments ‐‐ curbside in 1/2 cubic yard with E‐card & 3rd Saturday, April ‐
 up to 10 Bulky
 $1.50 / $0.75 ea
 card items free annually
 collection for free each fall increments November
 with E‐card
 Solid Waste Task Force
 Draft Goals and Objectives – April 22, 2010

Goal: Achieve [amount – how measured: %; absolute tons?] waste diversion by 2020

 Objective steps to achieve goal:

 o Reduce – eliminate [amount] from waste stream by 2020 by “upstream” reduction

 Lead by Example (City/Schools)

 • Example: Pilot a zero waste building (City and School side) to develop BMPs

 City Programs

 Voluntary, Education and Incentives

 Rules, Regulation and Advocacy (inc. ecomaine)

 o Reuse ‐ eliminate [amount] from waste stream by 2020 by reusing materials previously recycled or waste

 Lead by Example (City/Schools)

 City Programs

 • Example: Establish swap shop / reuse center

 Voluntary, Education and Incentives

 Rules, Regulation and Advocacy (inc. ecomaine)

 o Recycle ‐ eliminate [amount] from waste stream by 2020 by recycling materials previously waste

 Lead by Example (City/Schools)

 City Programs

 • Example: Implement larger container sizes for residential program.

 • Example: Allow small business participation in City curbside program

 Voluntary, Education and Incentives

 • Example: Educate employers about state law setting minimum paper/cardboard recycling
 requirements for business of > 15 employees

 Rules, Regulation and Advocacy (inc. ecomaine)

 • Example: Promote source separation to facilitate recycling (pricing at facility and/or building
 permit requirements)

 o Compost ‐ eliminate [amount] from waste stream by 2020 by composting materials previously waste

 Lead by Example (City/Schools)
 City Programs

 • Example: Curbside food waste collection

 Voluntary, Education and Incentives

 Rules, Regulation and Advocacy (inc. ecomaine)

o HHW / Universal Waste ‐ eliminate [amount] from waste stream by 2020 using all 4 strategies above

 Lead by Example (City/Schools)

 City Programs

 Voluntary, Education and Incentives

 Rules, Regulation and Advocacy (inc. ecomaine)
 Table :2 :Reco,~el''Y Rates of Selected Recyclable Matelials
 1007
,\\7Bste 01le .Amounte:enel'ated Amolllnt I'eco,"el""ed 4ft reco,"el'ed
Paperl paperooard 571,.210 286,164­ j()4}.~

Yard waste 213.867 29S148 13.3~/~
Food scraps -. .
 118610
 ).... 214 minimal
Plastic 21t624 15.181 ,...;.
Household ).,fetal 143.415 86 936*
 2 61~"
Textilelrubberl1ealher 132,920 gAgg 71 Gl
 . III!

UToodwaste 97~941 **
Glass 92Ji95 49,520 53.4%
.. ;.!llmJ~ W]WI: i:jUUth .... IWLUlJ.:epr..UUI]S dIdlWl.i.ui.L
 Handout 2




 ecomaine Neigbborbood Recycling Year to Date Totals For
 July 1,2008 Tbrougb June 30,2009

 Town
 TOIlm Tons-Rec Town Town. Town Town
 Tons-MSW Drop olfTo Tons-Rec Tons-Rec Tota! 'lit Reo
 Town To Did., 0.11> Curb T"D<Ite Tof'"' To .,.. USW+Rec To Dille

Bridgton 1326.80 370.3~ 0.00 370.30 1702.29 22-11 ...
Cape Eliu.beth 285e.90 1146.85 0.00 1146.M 4003.75 28.64'l6
CUoCO 020.71 22424 0.00 224.24 1144.95 HI.59'l6
Cumbeli.and 17~.fl6 0.00 723.51 n3.51 243337 211.73'l6
Falmouth 2186.27 1175.37 735.14 11110.51 4006.78 46.63'l6
Freeport 1"70.46 4711.32 0.00 476.32 2440.78 19.47%
GOI"bam 21112.45 26UI3 1003.12 1354.75 3547.20 38.11l'li
Harrison 1049.11; 164.311 0.00 164.39 1213.58 13.5!i'li
Holb gal.57 1l.00 342.51; 342.51; 1304.16 26.27'l6
Limington 1005.77 73.28 0.00 73.28 20311.05 3.59'l6
Lyman 1186.11 200.94 0.00 200.Q4 1387.65 14.48'l6
Naples 1123.39 274.02 0.00 274.02 1397.41 19.fll.
No. Yannoulh 786.81 222.57 2OUI8 464.25 1271.00 38.10'l6
Ogunquit 668.60 118.55 0.00 118.55 787.15 15.06'l6
ParsonsfiRkl 1013.15 0.00 84.35 84.35 1007.50 7.6Q'l6
ParU....d 10345.04 1102.21 3822.56 5014.77 1535Q.81 32.85'1'
PO'IIIIUII 330.95 132.23 0.00 132.23 469.1Ii 28.18'l6
Saco 4959.57 179.03 1610.31 1789.34 11748.91 26.51'l6
Se.;uboro 5407.1X1 858.fI!i 2121.13 2"7;.78 8387.77 35.53'l6
S.Portland 6946.24 300.2:11 2118.42 2427.71 9373.95 25.QI)%
Sblndish 3020.87 0011.20 0.00 11811.20 3096.07 18.11%
Tri-Town 1703.73 114.85 0.00 t14.M 1818.58 6.32'l6
w_n.oro 2548.80 477.81 0.00 477.81 3026.01 15.7Il'lll
Windh.ilom 2210.50 117.77 1457.44 1575.21 3785.71 41.61'1i
v.........uth 2451;1.16 1I4tI.13 0.00 946.13 3405.211 27.78%

 61.86258 11.711.72 14.370.25 24.061.117 85.1144.55 2B..Q2'l6
Integrated Solid Waste Management vs. Zero Waste




 Integrated Solid Waste Management:

 Follows the following waste reduction hierarchy:
 source reduction, reuse, recycling, composting,
 energy recovery, landfilling.

 Waste material should be handled in the most
 environmentally friendly manner available

 This approach feels that there will be at least a
 small portion of the waste stream remaining after
 following the steps on the hierarchy.




 Zero Waste:

 Follows similar waste handling hierarchy as ISWM
 but stops at composting.

 This approach suggests that all waste can be
 eliminated by redesigning products to be reusable
 or repairable thereby eliminating the need for
 incineration or landfilling.

 This approach sees waste management as a closed
 loop system, any waste product should be the feed
 stock for another product.