PURPOSE

To provide an update on the status of the City of Burbank�s solid waste diversion efforts and plans for increasing recycling rates in the future.

BACKGROUND

Over the past 23 years, the City of Burbank has demonstrated its strong commitment to the environment by implementing and sustaining a variety of solid waste diversion programs.  In 1982, the City initiated one of the first curbside collection programs in the State and combined it with a buyback/drop off facility on Lake Street.  In 1989, the City piloted a backyard composting program that now includes 4,500 participating households.  In 1992, the City built the Burbank Recycle Center (BRC) on Flower Street, which was one of the first municipally-owned recycling centers in the State to combine buyback/drop off, a learning center, and a materials recovery facility (MRF) on one campus.  Less than one year later, the City launched one of California�s first automated curbside collection programs that was such a success, recycling rates jumped.  With State acclaim, Burbank was one of the first cities to meet California�s waste diversion goal of 50 percent, years ahead of schedule. 

Burbank�s waste diversion programs were created consistent with Assembly Bill 939 (AB 939), which was passed in 1989 and required all cities and counties to reduce 50% of their waste by the year 2000.  AB 939 set out the following hierarchy of priorities to achieve the greatest reductions and public benefits:

1. Reduce unnecessary waste in upstream design and everyday actions.

2. Reuse all materials to the end of their serviceable life.

3. Recycle materials that no longer have a serviceable life.

4. Compost organics that can be safely returned to the soil.

5. Transform waste materials into energy or fuels.

6. Landfill materials with no other use or energy value.

As required by AB 939, Burbank submitted a Source Reduction and Recycling Element (SRRE) to the California Integrated Waste Management Board (CIWMB) in 1990.  The SRRE included plans for increasing the City�s waste diversion through source reduction, recycling, composting, public education, and special waste programs. By implementing these various programs, the City�s solid waste diversion rates have been consistently maintained above the mandatory 50% rate.  Table 1 shows the history of Burbank�s waste diversion rates from 1995 through 2003, the most recent year for which an official diversion rate has been approved by the State.

                    Table 1 � City of Burbank Waste Diversion Rates

While these results reflect the City�s long history of meeting and exceeding the State mandate, the ups and downs in Burbank�s recycling rates indicate that maintaining and increasing waste diversion rates presents numerous challenges.  Programs must be reviewed and revised to respond to fluctuations in the economy, demographics, population, markets for recyclables, legislation, methods of waste diversion reporting and more.  

Analysis

Burbank�s historical successes were built on a combination of waste diversion programs, including:

• Curbside residential recycling and green waste collection.

• Backyard composting.

• Commercial recycling.

• School recycling.

• Material-specific programs (e.g. electronic waste, sneakers, etc.).

• Public education and outreach.

The impact of each of these programs is discussed below, followed by a discussion of what the future holds for Burbank�s waste diversion programs.

Curbside Residential Recycling and Green Waste Collection: Burbank�s recycling rates increased dramatically after the City�s rollout of automated curbside collection in 1993.  At the end of the first full year of automation, the City had almost tripled the amount of material it recycled at the curb.  The increase was attributed to the ease of a one bin/no separation blue cart, the addition of green waste pickup, and the delivery of carts to every single family home (residents previously picked up containers voluntarily at the Lake Street Recycle Center).

Each month an average Burbank household discards 166.5 pounds of refuse, 113.5 pounds of green waste and 56.5 pounds of recyclables.  Annually, each household disposes about 1 ton of refuse, 1,362 pounds of green waste and 678 pounds of recyclables.  Citywide, about 49% of the residential curbside collection tonnage is from refuse, 34% is green waste, and 17% is recyclable material. In the last three years the average amount of green waste, recycling and refuse from Burbank households has remained virtually the same.

Backyard Composting:  The City began a home composting program in December 1989, in which residents were offered free backyard composters and instruction.  The program has continued to strike a positive note with Burbank residents.  To date, there are approximately 4,500 households with backyard composters, and staff estimates over 1,700 tons of yard clippings and food scraps are composted in backyards annually (approximately 8.5 percent of total green waste produced by residents).   

The benefits of backyard composting are shared by both the City and the resident. The City gains by reducing the number of stops on collection routes, air emissions, fuel costs and green waste processing fees. Residents get improved soil, water savings, reduced landscape toxics and greater understanding of natural nutrient systems.  Staff estimates that if a resident did backyard composting for 3 � years, the avoided cost of collecting and municipally processing this material would pay for the compost bin. 

The BRC staff continues to hold at least six composting workshops a year.   By popular demand, worm composting and bins have also been available at the workshops since 1991.  Schools have also adopted worm bins and compost bins as part of the garden education programs.

Commercial Recycling:  Since 1992 businesses that pay a Burbank utility bill are entitled to recycling at no additional charge.  The smallest businesses are given blue carts and weekly pickup similar to residential accounts. Larger businesses are given 2- to 6-cubic yard white bins, which may be collected from one to five days a week.  Commercial recycling is offered to all businesses including multi-family buildings of more than four units.  In 2003, Public Works included an increase in commercial recycling on its work program and has increased the tonnage of materials collected from about 141 tons per month in 2003, to 163 tons per month in 2005, representing about a 14% increase over 3 years. 

School Recycling: School recycling has been on the front burner since 2003 when the Burbank Unified School District (BUSD) became one of eight school districts in the state to enter into the Environmental Ambassador Pilot program.  Teachers and district administrators helped establish new models linking environmental education, service learning, State standards and curricula to waste reduction goals.  Although BUSD schools have been recycling for almost 10 years with an average diversion rate of 25%, staff believes additional diversion could be achieved.

This school year, City staff is working toward maximizing and institutionalizing school recycling.   In September, City staff invited school representatives to attend two planning workshops for improving the recycling programs in Burbank schools�no easy task since each plan and follow-through must be tailored to a particular school site.  Now with a history of case studies, better analysis of the district�s wastes, and a larger network of partners (including the Los Angeles Conservation Corp, Boys & Girls Club, the California Department of Conservation, BUSD�s Resource Conservation Manager, and CIWMB), school recycling is gaining momentum. Through the 2005-06 year, schools will be developing site recycling plans and monitoring the ratios of refuse to recycling picked up at each site.

All five middle and high schools will also be collecting cans and bottles as a fundraising activity.  Last year both Muir Middle School and Burroughs High School collected over $2,500 worth of beverage containers.

Material-Specific Programs:  Waste diversion involves more than just bottles, cans, paper and cardboard.  Innovations in processing, costs and availability of virgin materials, and expanding global economies are creating new markets for recycled materials in the U.S. and abroad.  At the same time, hazardous wastes are being more closely regulated and banned from landfills. These changing conditions have opened the door for expanded collection programs and at the same time increased the demands on staff for managing hazardous materials and educating the public about their proper disposal. Burbank has responded to these changes by developing programs focused on electronic and universal waste; used motor oil; scrap plastic; videos, CDs, movie film; scrap metal; sneakers; toner and inkjet cartridges; and construction and demolition waste.

Electronic waste and universal waste.  Over the last four years, the fastest growing area of recycling has been in the electronic waste (e-waste) and universal waste (u-waste) categories.  These wastes are classified as hazardous because of heavy metals, fire retardants and other compounds.   Although the BRC is not a certified household hazardous waste (HHW) facility, it recycles numerous e- and u-wastes in compliance with state laws.

In July 2001, the City began recycling e-waste in response to daily inquiries from Burbank residents and businesses. Charities and thrift stores could no longer handle the liabilities and growing numbers of obsolete machines.  The state did not allow e-waste with cathode ray tubes (monitors and TVs, for example) in municipal landfills.  This combination of factors gave birth to the e-waste drop-off program at the BRC, which accepts computers, monitors and related equipment including TVs, cell phones, VCRs, stereos, vacuum cleaners, copiers and more.  The City�s bulky item pickup program continues the curbside collection of computers and TVs, as it has done for years.

In the first year of the e-waste drop-off program, the BRC recycled about a half-ton a month of e-waste.  Four years later, the BRC is recycling between 11 and 15 tons of electronics a month, an estimated 650 pieces a month�or over 22 times as much as was collected four years ago.  In August 2005, the BRC recycled more than 18 tons of e-waste, an all-time high. 

Table 2 � City of Burbank Electronic Waste Collection

In addition to the collection site at the BRC, the annual Los Angeles County HHW roundups in Burbank and Glendale have been accepting electronics from County households for the last few years.  The Sun Valley SAFE center, owned by the City of Los Angeles and supported by Los Angeles County, which in turn is supported by all 88 cities in the County, also accepts e-waste from County households at no charge three days per week and from businesses in Los Angeles County one day per month for a fee.

U-waste accepted at the BRC includes anti-freeze, car batteries, household batteries, fluorescent lights and mercury fever thermometers. 

Used motor oil. The City has been recycling used motor oil since 1982 and by 1992 was recycling 800 gallons a year. When the new BRC on Flower Street opened in October 1992, it was equipped with a 1,000-gallon underground used oil tank.  Shortly thereafter, an oil filter, anti-freeze and oily rag collection was included.  During the last few years, the public has dropped off approximately 18,000 gallons a year of used oil.  Last year, the BRC also recycled 12,100 used oil filters.   

Scrap plastic.  In April 2005, BRC�s contractor, Burbank Recycling Inc., opened the door to City collection of shrink wrap, and a few businesses are now adding shrink wrap to their collection bins.   Approximately 800 pounds per month of plastic wrap�an estimated 5 tons per year�are being collected from Trader Joe�s market in Burbank.  Since a ready market for scrap plastics has emerged, the public is encouraged to drop off mixed plastics at BRC -- plastic shopping bags, plastic wrap, containers, parts, chairs or other scrap.  Please note that mixed plastics are not accepted in City residential recycling containers without special arrangements such as were made with Trader Joe�s. 

Videos, CDs, movie film.  Nine years ago the BRC began collecting video tapes and related materials, since a few local companies had expressed a desire for these materials and a willingness to pick them up from the BRC at no charge.  If studios call with hundreds of videos to recycle, staff refers them directly to local video recyclers who sort, degauss and resell the tapes; however, many businesses and residents drop off small quantities at the BRC, where they are recycled with the mixed scrap plastics.          

Scrap metal.  Although the BRC is not a scrap metal dealer and does not pay for metals, a drop off bin is available for anyone who would like to recycle small quantities or odd pieces of metal.  Larger quantities are referred by staff to local scrap metal dealers.  The BRC receives an average of 55 tons of scrap metal a year.

Sneakers.  In November 2002, City staff volunteered to collect 5,000 pairs of athletic shoes over a six-month period for the Nike Reuse-A-Shoe program.  Nike transforms them into a material used for sports surfaces.  Because of the program�s popularity, it became permanent, and in less than three years, Burbank has collected over 21,000 pairs of sneakers�an estimated 17.4 tons.  Since Burbank was designated one of just a few Southern California cities to collect sneakers, numerous cities held sneaker drives on special occasions such as Earth Month and brought them to the BRC.  Burbank estimates that over 5 tons of the sneakers recycled came from Burbank households.                   

Toner and inkjet cartridges. Toner and inkjet cartridges are collected from City offices, the public, and businesses at the BRC.  Friends of the Library volunteers collect the cartridges from the BRC and sell them to a recycler.  The money received is used to support various library programs.

Construction and demolition waste.  In 2004, the City of Burbank adopted two new ordinances related to green building/sustainable architecture and construction and demolition (C & D) debris diversion.  These voluntary ordinances offer incentives to developers who achieve LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification in building projects.  This certification includes a solid waste diversion component through the recycling of C & D waste.  To date, the Building Division of the Community Development Department reports that it has had inquiries, but no submittals of waste diversion reports since the ordinances were adopted.

Public Education and Outreach:  A large portion of the City�s Recycle Center staff time is dedicated to public education.  Each year some 5,000 calls (and emails) come in from Burbank residents, businesses and from others with questions from outside the community.  Phone service is the most direct daily contact staff has with the public and one of the most important services offered.  A portion of the calls require research or consultation with State agencies and City staff follows through on many �stump the recycler� questions.

City recycling staff also interacts with approximately 1,500 students, residents and professionals each year through educational tours, speaking engagements, events, workshops and front counter visits.  Staff address issues including storm water protection, recycled products, backyard composting, household hazardous waste and of course the essentials of recycling paper, plastics, glass and metals. 

Twice a year, the City�s recycling staff produces a Public Works Newsletter that is mailed to all Burbank residential and business addresses.  The newsletter provides recycling updates, highlights recycling heroes, scholarship winners, school programs and public works projects in the community.  In addition, each year, staff coordinates community announcements through utility bill inserts, TV6 calendar listings and programs, radio ads, cable television, news releases, local newsletters and special events (school, recognition and non-profit fundraiser) program ads.  Other outreach efforts include hosting forums on hazardous waste; attending career days at local schools; conducting school tours of recycling facilities during Public Works Week; participating in reading days at the schools; and supervising service learning, community service and youth employment students. 

FUTURE WASTE DIVERSION OPPORTUNITIES  

In November 2001, the CIWMB adopted a Strategic Plan that established as one of its goals  � �to promote a �zero-waste California�  where the public, industry and government strive to reduce, reuse or recycle all municipal solid waste back into nature or the marketplace in a manner that protects human health and the environment.�   The CIWMB urges cities to promote zero waste and encourages and assists with programs and grants that work toward that end.   The California Resource Recovery Association (CRRA), the state-wide recycling organization, also supports a zero waste goal and is asking cities to adopt zero waste plans and resolutions.      

While zero waste may not be an achievable result in Burbank today, creating and expanding programs now may help the City move closer to that goal in the future.  Some key approaches that staff is evaluating includes the following:

• Address waste proactively (before it is created) rather than reactively.

• Maintain and expand existing programs that are effectively diverting waste.

• Explore options for recovering additional materials.

Each of these concepts is discussed briefly below.

Address Waste Proactively: The concept of �down stream� or �reactive� waste diversion is reaching maturity.  Increasingly, the concepts of zero waste, cradle to cradle design, producer responsibility, and green buildings are moving from theory to implementation in businesses, regulatory agencies and local governments.  Burbank residents, businesses, and visitors should be encouraged to produce less waste through their everyday actions, and to reuse all materials to the ends of their serviceable lives. Producing and using less toxic and more sustainable products has been shown to be good for the environment, business, and enhances our quality of life.

Maintain and Expand Existing Programs: Burbank has demonstrated the ability to achieve results beyond State-mandated goals in waste diversion, and has gained experience in managing and adjusting effective programs under changing conditions.  The City has also made substantial commitments in building out a high quality recycling infrastructure.  Waste diversion capacity still remains within the current infrastructure.  Staff plans to continue to promote the successful curbside recycling and backyard composting programs for residents, and has made important improvements in commercial recycling, which is expected to grow.  School recycling programs have many opportunities for expansion, and staff is working side-by-side with BUSD staff to increase school waste diversion.  The e-waste and u-waste programs are continuing to experience growth as the ever changing electronics industry introduces new products at a remarkable pace.  Some of this e-waste and u-waste growth can be expected to be handled at a new SAFE facility that the City of Los Angeles is building near the Los Angeles/Glendale border.  C & D waste diversion could be increased by making C & D diversion mandatory, and recent legislation (AB 2176) that requires recycling at large-venue events with greater than 2,000 attendees and employees will increase recovery rates from activities such as the Starlight Bowl concerts.

Explore Options for Recovering Additional Materials:  Burbank has achieved the greatest waste diversion results from the curbside and drop-off programs.  These programs are familiar, easy to use, and provide a high-level of service to the customer.  However, there is likely still some recoverable material that is currently being landfilled. According to a February 2005 report produced by the CIWMB, a statewide waste characterization conducted in 2003 (latest available at that time) indicated that 60.6% of California�s currently disposed waste stream is recyclable, compostable, or recoverable C & D waste.  Recyclables consisted of 20.1% of the landfilled material. Burbank�s landfilled material probably contains between 10% and 15% recyclable material, based on staff�s visual observations.  To capture this material, the City�s BRC operator, Burbank Recycling, Inc., has approached the City with the concept of possibly building an additional processing/sorting line at the BRC.  Recyclable material from the curbside collection of refuse (black cans) could be pulled out on this new sorting line.  Plans for this additional line are very preliminary at this time.  Once conceptual plans have been developed, staff will return to Council with recommendations.

RECOMMENDATION: 

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