Download Moving Forward: Results of Gap Analysis and Project Plan

The Role of Solid Waste Reduction
Programs in Climate Protection
Plans
Annual Conference of Colorado SWANA
Rocky Ford, Colorado
October 4, 2007
City of Fort Collins
Department of Natural Resources
Outline
 Municipal programs & background; why Fort
Collins is looking at climate protection planning
and waste diversion
 Measuring greenhouse gas emissions
 Achieving multiple objectives with new waste
initiatives
City of Fort Collins
Department of Natural Resources
Background
Fort Collins’ population ~140,000
Privatized trash and recycling
collection
Licensing requirements for haulers
 Must bundle residential curbside
recycling in trash bills
 Must apply PAYT rate structure
Current waste diversion about 27%
City is part-owner of Larimer County
landfill
City of Fort Collins
Department of Natural Resources
Effects of Traditional Programs
 Participation in curbside recycling consistently 85-95%
 Trash volumes decreasing: 224,700 tons in 2006
(2004: 230,400 tons)
 Recycling volumes increasing: 60,250 tons in 2006
(2004: 58,000 tons)
 Diversion rate: 21% + 6% [PAYT] = 27%
City of Fort Collins
Department of Natural Resources
Two Drivers – Fort Collins’
Adopted Policies
1. “…to reduce local greenhouse gas emissions by at least
30 percent below predicted 2010 levels while achieving
cost effectiveness in each program.” City of Fort Collins
Resolution 97-137
2. 1999 Resolution adopted to divert 50 percent of the
community’s solid waste from landfill disposal by 2010
City of Fort Collins
Department of Natural Resources
Terminology
 Unit of measurement is CO2 “equivalent” (CO2e)
 Greenhouse gases include:
 carbon dioxide (CO2) greenhouse warming potential
=1
 Methane (CH4) greenhouse warming potential =
23
 Others:
 N2O
GWP = 296
 CFC-11
GWP = 4,600
 HCFC-23
GWP = 12,000
City of Fort Collins
Department of Natural Resources
Solid Waste and Carbon Emissions
A Life Cycle Perspective
Emitted CH4
EPA
Georgia Department of Resources
City of Fort Collins
Department of Natural Resources
Recycling and Carbon Emissions
A Life Cycle Perspective
Kid Wind
Seth Jansen
City of Fort Collins
Department of Natural Resources
Upstream
non-energy aspects
(production, manufacturing)
GHG Reductions by Material
Material
GHG reduction (tons
CO2e / ton of material)
Organics
-0.22
Corrugated cardboard
-2.86
Office paper
-3.36
Glass
-0.31
Aluminum
-16.58
Commingled containers
-3.32
Municipal solid waste
+1.5
City of Fort Collins
Department of Natural Resources
Fort Collins GHG Inventory
City of Fort Collins
Department of Natural Resources
Fort Collins’ GHG Emissions
Fort Collins GHG Emissions and Reductions
4.000
Predicted 2010 Emissions
Million Tons CO2e
3.500
3.000
2.500
Actual Emissions
2010
Goal
2.000
1.500
1.000
0.500
0.000
2010
2008
2006
City of Fort Collins
Department of Natural Resources
2004
2002
2000
1998
1996
1994
1992
1990
Years
Emissions Without
Any Reductions
Fort Collins GHG Reductions
City of Fort Collins
Department of Natural Resources
2006 Recommendations for 50% Waste
Diversion – New Strategies


Worked with community stakeholders, including haulers
Developed 20 new measures for consideration, including:






Enhanced pay-as-you-throw program
Include commercial customers in PAYT (embed recycling fee in
rates; charge volume-based pricing)
Changes to curbside recycling program, i.e., single-stream
system, more designated materials, standard options for larger
recycling containers, etc.
Require curbside yard waste collection; ban yardwaste from
trash
City-sponsored drop-off site for C&D waste
Modeled the costs and new diversion tonnages with assistance
from SERA (Skumatz Economic Research Associates)
consulting
City of Fort Collins
Department of Natural Resources
Achieving Multiple Objectives with
New Waste Initiatives
 Using volumes attributed to new measures for 50% waste
diversion, in 2007, Fort Collins quantified potential new
emissions reductions
 Assisted by local consulting firm, the Brendle Group
to also examine possible opportunities for carbon
offset markets
 Increasingly, waste reduction & recycling are integral parts
of climate protection plans
City of Fort Collins
Department of Natural Resources
Results
New diversion totals
2010
49,798 tons
2015
145,610 tons
2020
171,389 tons
Meet 50% diversion target
between 2010 and 2015
CO2e reduction totals
2010
118,723 tons
2015
313,866 tons
2020
368,332 tons
City of Fort Collins
Department of Natural Resources
Approximately equivalent
to eliminating 1.5 million
roundtrip vehicle trips
between Fort Collins and
Denver
Modeled New Diversion Tons by Material Type
Other plastics
Potential new
diversion by
material
2010
2015
2020
Films
Ferrous containers
Aluminum
Currently recycled 1&2
plastics
Electronics
Phonebooks/magazines
2010
2015
2020
Other ferrous materials
Food
Glass
Office pack
C&D, organics, and
cardboard =
~60% of total new
diversion in 2015 / 2020
Mixed paper
Old newspaper
Cardboard
Organics
C&D
0
City of Fort Collins
Department of Natural Resources
10,000
20,000
30,000
40,000
tons of new diversion/year
50,000
CO2e Reductions by Material Type
Other plastics
Potential new
GHG
reductions by
material
2010
2015
2020
Films
Food
Glass
Ferrous containers
Currently recycled 1&2
plastics
Organics
2010
2015
2020
Other ferrous materials
Electronics
Phonebooks/magazines
Office pack
C&D, cardboard, news,
aluminum source of
significant reductions by
2015 / 2020
Mixed paper
Aluminum
Old Newspaper
Cardboard
C&D
0
City of Fort Collins
Department of Natural Resources
20,000
40,000
60,000
80,000
tons of CO2e reduction/year
100,000
Benefits of New Waste Reduction
Measures
 Lower greenhouse gas emissions
 Longer landfill life
 New jobs
 Recycling estimated to create 6-7 times as many jobs as
landfilling
 Lower / deferred municipal and user costs
 Possible new carbon offset credits / markets
City of Fort Collins
Department of Natural Resources
City of Fort Collins
Department of Natural Resources
More information
 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
www.ipcc.ch
 Climate Change – EPA www.epa.gov/climatechange
 International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives
(ICLEI) – Cities for Climate Protection (CCP)
www.iclei.org/index.php?id=800
 EPA Waste Reduction Model (WARM)
www.epa.gov/climatechange/wycd/waste/calculators/Warm_home.html
City of Fort Collins
Department of Natural Resources
Contact Information
Susie Gordon
Sr. Environmental Planner
(970) 221-6265
[email protected]
www.fcgov.com/recycling/reports.php
John Armstrong
Environmental Planner
(970) 416-2230
[email protected]
Seth Jansen
Engineer
The Brendle Group Consulting
(970) 207-0058
[email protected]
City of Fort Collins
Department of Natural Resources