HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda - 03-18-2014-13 (2)INFORMATION ITEM
M emorandum
To: Barry Jacobs, Chair - Board of County Commissioners
Michael Talbert, County Manager
From: Gayle Wilson, Director, Solid Waste Management
&abject: Description of Meetingswith Waste Zero and Green Stream
Date: March 3, 2014
On January 2, 2014, Grange County Board Chair Barry Jacobs, Vice Chair Earl McKee and Board member
Bernadette Polissier, Manager Michael Talbert, Sblid Waste Director Gayle Wilson and Solid Waste
Ranner Blair Pollock hosted a meetingwith the company Waste Zero represented in North Carolina by
Greg Poverall, salesdirector and Ninaglosberg- Landis, customer relationship liaison. Waste Zero
presented their concept of implementing a turn -key Pay As You Throw (PAYT) residential" trash
metering" program designed to reduce solid waste through charging by the bag.
While the company's southeastern base is North Carolina, they have no operating programs in the state.
Most of their fee -based programs operate in Massachusetts and Maine where landfill costs are typically
higher. Almost all known Waste Zero programs are for curbside based municipal waste collection
programs, while Orange County operates only convenience centers for drop -off of residential waste.
Waste Zero does provide custom made trash bags for some counties' PAYT programs at their
convenience centers. Orange County staff noted that its residential waste generation per household is
already at or below the 1,200 lbs. per household that Waste Zero considers a benchmark for success of
PAYT programs
Afollow up meeting between Waste Zero and County staff is scheduled for July 15 following further
research by Waste Zero on how their program might work at Sblid Waste Convenience Centers and
other opportunities for incorporating PAYT strategies into overall County waste management.
On February 18, 2014 County Board Chair Jacobs, Board member Polissier, Solid Waste Director Wilson
and Solid Waste Ranner Pollock hosted a meeting with a group calling itself Green Stream consisting of
Sjbil Tate, Lyle Estill founder of Redmont Biofuels, Amy Brooks of Brooks Contractor, the County's food
waste collection company and Leif Forer, a free -lance organics researcher. The purpose of the meeting
wasfor Green Stream to present information on creating an anaerobic digestion systems and collection
infrastructure to manage organicwastes from Orange County and perhaps other nearby j urisdict ions.
The pro -forma Green Stream presented from the "Zero Waste Energy company uses a design called
Smart Ferm that presumes delivery of 20,000 tons of organic material, half yard waste and half food
waste, to a centrally located anaerobic digester to produce methane gas and a compost -like product
generally known as `digestate' left after the methane gas is produced from the incoming organics.
Green Stream presented itself as a `public - private partnership' but is at this point, only aworking group,
not aformal corporation or organization. Their stated intent isto..'implement organicwaste diversion
programs using anaerobic digestion, weighing technology and rewards programming.' They stated the
next steps in their program are to `find a local government partner, conduct a feasibility study for
approximately $35,000 and if the feasibility study shows promise, use it to raise a projected $9 million
dollars in start -up costs to build the anaerobic digester. Asimilar one operates in San Jose CA.
Orange County is the first local government they have contacted. After presentation, some discussion
ensued about the current state of organics management in the County, potential for reaching 20,000
tons, where a fad lity might be located and what other sources of organics might be tapped. County
Commissioners mentioned possible use of one of the economic development districts as a location.
Commissioners also mentioned possible partnerships with UNC City of Durham and Triangle JCouncil of
Governments. Green Stream intends to return after further research for more discussion of financing
and conducting the feasibility study with perhaps an additional partner.
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