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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda - 09-04-2014-13 (5)INFORMATION ITEM Memorandum To: Bonnie Hammersley, County Manager From: Gayle Wilson, Solid Waste Management Director Subject: Implementation of Rural Area Recycling Roll Carts— Information Report Date: August 18, 2014 This memo outlines the planned approach and projected timeline to deploy 95- gallon roll carts in the current rural curbside recycling service area. Deployment of over 18,000 95- gallon roll carts for the urban recycling program, which occurred in June and July of this year, is now complete and operational modifications to the program to ensure efficiencies are ongoing. Once the urban program implementation was complete, staff had scheduled to begin the planning process for deploying roll carts in the rural recycling service area. As part of the FY 2014 -15 capital budget, the Board authorized funding for the purchase of up to 7,000 roll carts for use in the unincorporated (rural) area curbside recycling program ($378,000 - $303,000 to finance minus a $75,000 reimbursable grant from NCDENR). With approximately 13,700 residences now eligible for this program and based on route audits and other feedback, the estimate of 7,000 carts is based on approximately 50% of eligible residents possibly having interest in converting from use of the current 18 gallon orange bins to 95 gallon roll carts. Of course not all residents recycle and many use convenience centers at least periodically. Per BOCC direction, residents at their discretion will be given the option to convert from bins to carts or continue use of their bins. The recycling division will provide carts where they are desired and collect recyclables from residences utilizing both those carts and the existing bins in the current recycling collection service area at the current points of collection. Near term future expansion of areas identified previously of approximately 1,600 residences that can be serviced with existing resources will also be included later in the year contingent on responses received from the current service area and available resources. In order for the Solid Waste Department to determine how many carts to order and where they are to be deployed, the department plans a series of queries in the service area, followed by compilation of the data to determine how many carts to order. Following the order, production and delivery is estimated by the manufacturer at six to eight weeks. The Department will then deploy the carts to those residences that requested them. This is projected to commence in early January. If cart demand from the existing service area approaches the 7,000 carts budgeted, then all carts will be used only in the current service area and an additional budget appropriation will be requested at a later time to purchase carts for the proposed expansion area. If cart demand is significantly below the budgeted amount (at least 1,000 carts under the budgeted amount) then the Department will make an additional query in the proposed recycling expansion areas to determine if the residences in the new service areas may desire carts instead of bins. The timing of providing roadside recycling in the proposed expansion areas would depend on when carts could be made available to those areas. A preferential price would be available if all carts are ordered at once rather than making two separate orders. It may either be later this fiscal year, following cart deployment in the current service area or delayed until next fiscal year if funds for additional cats are required. A preliminary implementation schedule follows and the sequence is reasonably fixed, but precise dates are not. Implementation Schedule for Rural Roadside Recycling Roll Carts Week of September 1: Mailing with postage paid, mail -back form and other outreach to solicit interest in receiving a 95- gallon roll cart from residences in the current service area. Other outreach tools would include, but not limited to, an electronic survey form (like "Survey Monkey ") which would be distributed through the Departmental website, electronic newsletter, and Sheriff's community watch list serv. News articles, radio shows, and web -based communications will also be used to solicit interest in carts among those eligible for recycling service. Residents may respond by returning the mail back form, phone, e-mail or electronic survey to register for a roll cart. Week of September 29: Follow up mailing to residents in current service area who have not responded to the first mailing offering the non - respondents an additional opportunity to determine their interest in receiving a cart. October 15: Compilation of all information on cart demand for purchase authorization. November 6: Request BOCC authorization to procure carts at scheduled meeting. Week of January 1: Begin delivery of carts to Orange County residents that requested one. Throughout January /February: Cart deployment within existing service area. Residents will be able to use their roll carts immediately upon deployment due to use of two new curbside recycling trucks purchased last fiscal year that have both manual and automated cart collection capability. K Concurrent with cart deployment: Solicitation of interest in use of carts in proposed expansion areas using a targeted mailing and other similar methods to initial cart solicitation, but targeted to only residents located in the previously identified expansion areas. Throughout February: Compilation of data on cart demand from expansion area. Throughout March: If sufficient carts were purchased for expansion area, cart deployment) If all 7,000 carts are used in the existing recycling area, then a separate cart purchase for the expansion area will be required and thus route expansions will be delayed. In either case stated above, expansion of the recycling service areas in the current fiscal year or next fiscal year, a comprehensive re- routing will be required and proposed to begin on July 1, 2015. Please feel free to contact solid waste staff with questions or suggestions.