2017-048 Waste DiversionDate: July 28, 2017 Report No. 2017-048
INFORMAL STAFF REPORT
TO MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
SUBJECT:
Overview of Solid Waste Diversion
BACKGROUND:
During the Solid Waste departmental budget presentation on June 6th, the City Council requested
an update regarding recycling and waste diversion rates. The below report provides a brief
overview of the Solid Waste Department’s diversion practices, customer adoption, and the
financial benefits of waste diversion.
DISCUSSION:
Waste Diversion Practices
Solid Waste customers are encouraged to contribute to the City’s waste diversion efforts by
separating their recyclable materials and placing it in their blue recycling containers. For
customers residing in single family homes, recycling service is bundled together with their
weekly curbside collection service. Recycling containers are optional for non-residential
customers and approximately 20% of these customers maintain recycling containers on-site.
Additional curbside diversion options include Solid Waste’s home chemical collection service
and the weekly collection of yard waste. Solid Waste also offers collection services for source
separated construction and demolition materials. Onsite diversion efforts include the Building
Materials Recovery (BMR) and Dyno Dirt composting operations.
Diversion Rates
Over the past five fiscal years, the annual amount of waste accepted by the Solid Waste landfill
has grown by 58.1%. During that
time, the amount of waste diverted
has increased from 71,655 tons to
122,914 tons, a 71.5% increase.
The pie chart presented as Exhibit
1 illustrates the proportion of waste
diverted during FY 15/16 through
each of Solid Waste’s various
diversion operations.
Through the first eight months of
FY 16/17, Solid Waste has
diverted 125,435 tons of waste, already exceeding the total waste diverted in all of FY 15/16. A
major factor in this increase is the uptick in concrete diversion resulting from area construction
projects.
15.02%2.58%
48.91%
26.32%
4.92%2.26%
Exhibit 1: Waste Diversion by Method
Residential
Non-Residential
Building Materials
Yardwaste
Chemical Collection
Other
Date: July 28, 2017 Report No. 2017-048
A review of waste diverted through
customer efforts (i.e. curbside
collection) reveals that residential
customers tend to recycle and
divert far more waste than their
non-residential counterparts.
Despite 20% of non-residential
customers having on-site
containers, the volume of waste
diverted to total waste generated
has ranged from 5.3% to 6.0% over
the last five years. Over that same
time period, residential waste diversion rates have increased from 35.2% to 39.5% (Exhibit 2).
Staff believes customer behavior and business characteristics are key contributors to the
difference in customer waste diversion rates. The seasonal collection of yard waste (brush, grass,
leaves) is a significant contributor to diversion rates for both customer classes. For FY 16/17,
yard waste accounted for 49% of waste diverted for residential and 16% for non-residential.
Financial Impact
By diverting waste away from the landfill, Solid Waste reduces the consumption of landfill
airspace and increases the life of the facility. Because the landfill generates revenue through the
disposal of waste, a monetary value can be assigned to a unit of space at the facility. Typically a
cubic yard of airspace allows for the disposal of 1,300 pounds of waste. By converting the
average disposal fee from tonnage to cubic yards, staff estimates that a cubic yard of airspace is
worth approximately $16. Using this logic, the 122,914 tons of waste diverted in FY 2015-16
prevented the use of approximately $3.03 million in airspace. Through the first eight months of
FY 16-17, the City has already diverted 125,435 tons of waste and has saved approximately
$3.09 million in airspace.
The financial benefits of recycling and waste diversion can also be recognized through
commodity sales. Materials such as concrete, soil, yard waste, and paper can be converted into
and sold as a usable product (i.e. compost) or sold directly as a commodity. Over the last five
fiscal years, the Solid Waste Department has realized approximately $3.8 million in sales
revenue, almost $760,000 per year, as a result of these efforts.
STAFF CONTACT:
Ethan Cox
Director of Solid Waste
Ethan.Cox@cityofdenton.com
(940) 349-7421
35.2%37.6%37.8%38.1%37.4%39.5%
5.7%5.3%5.3%6.0%5.9%5.7%
0.0%
10.0%
20.0%
30.0%
40.0%
50.0%
Exhibit 2: Recycling Rate Per Ton
Residential Non-Residential