AGENDA ITEM #16
TOWN OF FAIRFAX
STAFF REPORT
June 7, 2023
TO: Mayor and Town Council
FROM: Heather Abrams, Town Manager
SUBJECT: Receive Annual Report by Marin Sanitary Service for Solid Waste Services
RECOMMENDATION
Receive Annual Report by Marin Sanitary Service for Solid Waste Services
BACKGROUND
The Town of Fairfax has a franchise agreement with Marin Sanitary Service (MSS) for exclusive collection of solid waste within town limits. As part of the agreement, MSS reports at least annually on its collection activities. The report provides information on compost and recycling collection effectiveness, and on service levels generally. The report is of interest to the Town in ensuring good service to residents and businesses, as well as in ensuring progress toward compliance with statewide waste reduction and diversion goals.
This Marin franchisors’ group (City of San Rafael, City of Larkspur, the Towns of Ross, San Anselmo, and Fairfax, the Las Gallinas Valley Sanitary District, and the County of Marin) meets throughout the year to collaborate on oversight of MSS’s operations and this complements the work of the County-wide Zero Waste Marin Board. Annually in the late fall, MSS proposed rates will be reviewed by the Marin franchisors’ group shared rate review consultant, and Council will be asked to consider new rates. This annual report does not directly impact the rate review; it provides service metrics.
DISCUSSION
While there is no specific requirement that the Council review the MSS annual report, it is included here for additional transparency into the Town’s and its franchisee’s work. This report was received in March 2023, for the year 2022. Attaching it in a staff report has been delayed by other pressing items on the Council agenda.
FISCAL IMPACT
None at this time.
ATTACHMENTS
MSS’s 2022 Annual Report
FOR CALENDAR YEAR2022
FAIRFAX
ANNUAL REPORT
FAIRFAX ANNUAL REPORT
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Contents
Operational Improvement................................................................................................................................................3 Public Outreach & Education..........................................................................................................................................5 Residential Programs.....................................................................................................................................................15 Commercial and Multifamily Programs........................................................................................................................17 Mandatory Commercial Recycling and Composting Compliance ................................................................................18 Diversion, Recycling, and Global Impacts of State Mandates......................................................................................20 Green House Gas Mitigation .........................................................................................................................................24 Fairfax Recycling Rates ................................................................................................................................................28 Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) Facility Drop-off Program ................................................................................29 Customer Service Logs..................................................................................................................................................30 Contact Information.......................................................................................................................................................33 Company Information ...................................................................................................................................................33
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Operational Improvement
Marin Sanitary Service (MSS) continues to focus on ensuring all routes are optimized for efficiency.
Routes are developed by the Route Manager, and Program Development Manager using RouteSmart which is a balancing and optimizing software. Routes are later checked by the Route Auditor for efficiency, completeness, and proper subscription levels.
ROUTING UPDATES
Route Productivity
In order to meet compliance standards of SB 1383, during 2022, MSS implemented a commercial organics rout providing service two days a week in the Town and other jurisdictions. Due to the efforts of the Commercial Outreach staff this route was expanded by 365 stops as of February 1, 2023. Further expansion is expected until all commercial and multi-family customers are compliant with SB1383. There were 111 customers during 2022 who requested additional 35- or 64-gallon organics rental carts in addition to the cart included in bundled service.
Route Audits
A route auditor rides along with route drivers to verify current services within MSS billing system match what is onsite at service locations for billing purposes. They also confirm driver notes and account descriptions are correct for drivers to be able to successfully complete service. As services are verified the route auditor also verifies that each customer has appropriate service. If service levels require adjustments, recommendations are communicated to the customer via a customer service representative recommending an increase or decrease in service. Audits completed in the Town detail 43 customers were identified to have service discrepancies and 16 addresses did not have active service accounts. Customers were contacted to resolve the billing discrepancies in cart size/quantity or commodity. For those who could not be reached via telephone, a letter was mailed. Accounts that were found to not have active service were also mailed letters to initiate service. See table 1 for audit details, and table 2 for the results. Service Discrepancies: A service discrepancy occurs when there is a difference between the customer’s account in MSS’s system and the actual cart size, quantity, and commodity type at the service location.
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Table 1: Results from Service Discrepancy Found in Route Audit Categories Totals
Service Discrepancy - Commodity Cart Type/Quantity Error 19 Service Discrepancy - Less Service than pays for - smaller cart size 8 Service Discrepancy - More Service than covered for in service - larger cart size 16
Grand Total 43
Table 2: Results from Service Discrepancy Found in Route Audit Categories Totals
Account was closed 1
Corrected Service Line 2
Customer Called Changed Cart 1
Customer Called Changed Rate 1
Customer Did Not Respond Corrected Rate 1
Customer has the correct cart 1
Requested picture of cart 1
Verifying Cart with Driver 5
Waiting for Customer's response 6
Work Order to Exchange Cart for Correct Cart 17
Work Order to Exchange Cart for Correct Cart; off waitlist 6 Grand Total 42
Landfill Cart Potential Audits/Visual Audits
In 2022, MSS completed visual waste audits. A visual waste audit is when a driver checks the landfill cart for material that potentially could be recycled. Visual waste audits are part of the monitoring process and help to identify waste types and volumes of divertible material in the landfill waste stream. Drivers perform visual waste audits of landfill containers for all commercial and multifamily dwelling customers to determine the percentage of divertible material. Drivers reported that out of all the commercial customers serviced in the Town approximately 90% have material that should be in the landfill carts, the other 10% have material that could be diverted from the landfill.
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Scheduled Curbside Clean-up Program
Scheduled curbside clean-up offers residential customers an opportunity to set out additional recycling, yard waste and landfill waste twice per year. Overall, in 2022, participation in the program declined by 30%. During the Spring of 2022, an estimated 1,548 residential customers participated compared to 1,557 in 2021. Participation decreased in the Fall of 2022 to 865 residential customers from 1,910 in 2021. This program is advertised with each customer receiving an insert in their bill alerting them to their scheduled clean-up dates for spring and fall.
It is also located on our website under the “Residential Clean-Ups” tab. Customers with notifications receive a notification as well. This program runs ten consecutive weeks, MondayFriday in the spring and fall each year.
Public Outreach & Education
OUTREACH AND EDUCATION SERVICES
At MSS, the company is committed to community involvement and education to support the goal of conservation. MSS employs 5 full time Recycling Program Coordinators and a full time Household Hazardous Waste Coordinator.
Table 3: Outreach Contacts by Specialty
OUTREACH DEPARTMENT STAFF
Name Title Email Phone
Carlos Hernandez Recycling Program
Coordinator [email protected] 415-485-5539 Peggy Clark Recycling Program
Coordinator [email protected]
415-755-9560
Rebecca VanHorn Recycling Program
Coordinator [email protected]
415-526
6623
Ruben Hernandez
Government Affairs
& Recycling
Program Coordinator
[email protected] 415-526-6622
Kathy Wall * Hazardous Waste
Program Coordinator [email protected] 415-485-5549 Jennifer Grenier
Selvig Outreach Manager [email protected] 415-458-5542 *Position funded through the JPA
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4R PLANET SCHOOL PROGRAM AND TOURS
MSS led a facility tour for 25 homeschooled Fairfax students ages 2-12, on February 11, 2022, and for 36 students and adult chaperones from the Fairfax- San Anselmo Children’s Center on June 28, 2022. In addition to in person tours and training, MSS offers online resources for schools.
OUTREACH MATERIALS AND COMMUNITY EVENTS
MSS participated in the Fairfax Take Back Day on April 30th, 2022. This year’s event had about 50 customers, gave away 10 reusable bags, and shredded 2,100 pounds of paper documents.
MSS participated in the Fairfax Festival and Parade on June 11th and 12th, 2022. Eight MSS staff performed in the parade with green carts which was well received. MSS had a table for both days, reached at least 125 people, and gave out 43 reusable bags.
Customer Appreciation Day at MSS was held September 29
th
. For Customer Appreciation Day, MSS
provided a tour of the facility, a compost class, a free compost give-away and a give-away of a free kitchen compost pail and a drop-off of textiles for recycling. Out of the 400 plus customers that attended 7% were from Fairfax. MSS mailed newsletters to residential customers notifying them of the Customer Appreciation Day event.
Fairfax Festival June 11th & 12th 2022 – Diversion Weights Material Quantity
(Tons)
Quantity
(lbs.)
CARDBOARD Recycling 0.04 80
RECYCLING (Bottles & Cans) 0.47 939
COMPOST 0.55 1,097
59% Diverted from Commercial Sort Bin 0.42 840
41% Garbage (Landfill) 0.3 600
Total 1.778336634 3,556
Total Diverted 1.478336634 2,956
Diversion Percentage 83% 83%
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See photo: MSS table Fairfax event.
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See photo: Customer Appreciation Day; Compost Give-Away Table 4: Public Outreach in the Town by Type (not including Schools or Mandatory Commercial Recycling) Outreach Type Total
Billing Insert 5
Cart Hanger 3
Individual Outreach Activities with
Commercial Customers
200
Community Event 2
Newsletter 2
Another important customer communication piece is the cart hanger notice. Drivers leave cart hangers on containers to notify customers of any issues they noticed. This data is analyzed and used for future newsletter articles and bill insert messages to customers. A total of three cart hangers were left for customers in 2022. All were for customers with contaminated containers. All customers received a phone call from customer service to educate them on proper sorting practices.
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Virtual Outreach
With social media, email communication and the website, MSS is now able to track who is reading company messaging and allows the company to engage more effectively with customers in many new ways.
MSS posts regular social media posts and messages influenced by questions and concerns relevant to current needs.
MOBILE APP –Where Does it Go Joe Stats
The company’s online and mobile application continues to grow. 3,231 notifications were sent to customers in 2022. Reasons included streets blocked or areas the drivers were unable to receive service for other reasons. This allows for timely communication to the community. During the year, 1,426 new mobile apps were downloaded by customers throughout our entire service area (Figure 1)
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Figure 1: Mobile App Stats
In 2021, the Company launched the calendaring feature with the website and mobile tool. It provides customers with a reminder of their weekly service. This tool also reminds the customer of their twice annual clean-up day. An additional 3,181 MSS customers signed up to receive weekly reminders in 2022 for a total of 16,406 customers receiving weekly reminders across the MSS service area.
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Just a friendly reminder for 142 Bolinas Rd, Fairfax
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MOBILE APP –Where Does it Go Joe Stats
“Where Does It Go Joe?” mobile app is a search function to find out if an item belongs in the organics, recycling or landfill cart. In 2022 over 8,000 new visitors tried out Where Does it Go, Joe? In total there were 11,024 sessions with over 28,915 different materials viewed. This is down from last year but still shows a strong utilization of this customer education tool. Each viewing tells the customer where the material should go and provides a brief explanation as to why it goes there. This tool has been well received and continues to not only inform customers, but inform MSS on the items that are searched the most. This informs future campaigns and messaging.
Table 5: Top Materials Searched:
Material Total
Plastic tubs & lids 2501
Plastic "clam shell"
container
2325
Plastic take-out container 2027
Plastic soap bottle 1714
#5 Plastic 400
Clover renewable milk
carton
372
Plastic bag 331
Styrofoam 317
Gable top carton 300
Paper take-out food
container
299
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Below, Figure 2 shows the breakdown of usage for the online and mobile versions of the Where Does It Go, Joe? feature.
Figure 2: Where Does it go Joe?
Website
There were 910 residents from Fairfax visit who visited the www.marinsanitary.com website in 2022. This represents just over 2% of total visitors to the website. After the homepage, Fairfax visitors number one page viewed was the Support/Pay My Bill page followed by the residential information page.
Social Media
The company maintains a strong social media presence primarily on Facebook and Instagram. There are currently 1,200 followers to the company’s Instagram account with 4% coming from Fairfax. □ Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/marinsanitary)
□ Twitter (@mssrecycles)
□ Instagram (@mssrecycles)
□ You Tube Channel(https://www.youtube.com/user/MSSoutreach)
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Residential Programs
RESIDENTIAL SERVICE LEVELS
There are 2,525 Residential customers currently subscribing for service with MSS in Fairfax. Residential customers include single, duplex and triplex units; for this reason, cart subscription numbers do not match customer counts. All residential customers are offered three services as part of the bundled “resource hauling” rate. This includes a gray “landfill” (garbage) cart, a dual sort split body recycling cart and two green organics carts. The bundled rate is based on the size of the landfill cart. Below (Table 6) are the residential cart subscription levels for year-end 2022compared to year-end 2021 and 2020.
Table 6: Residential Landfill Cart Subscriptions & Residential Recycling & Organics Cast Subscriptions Residential Weekly Landfill Service
Cart Size 2020 2021 2022 % Change % of Total
20 gallon 663 655 667 1.80% 26%
32 gallon 1,688 1,632 1,612 -1.24% 63%
64 gallon 180 253 252 -0.40% 10%
96 gallon 14 14 15 6.67% 1%
Total 30,660 2,554 2,546 -0.31%
Residential Weekly Dual Sort Recycling Service
Number of Carts
CART size 2020 2021 2022 % Change % of Total
5 gallon bucket* 42 43 27 -59% 1%
32 gallon 0 1 1 0% 0%
64 gallon 2,397 2,304 2,238 -3% 88%
96 gallon 110 239 290 18% 11%
Total 31,088 2,587 2,556 -1.21%
Residential Weekly Green Waste Service
Number of Carts
CART size 2020 2021 2022 % Change % of Total
35 gallon 164 206 227 9% 7%
64 gallon 2,454 3,232 3,219 0% 93%
96 gallon 29 29 27 -7% 1%
Total 31,185 3,467 3,473 0.17%
*No longer offered
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COMMUNITY COMPOST AVAILABILITY
Per the agreement with the Town, MSS delivers up to a total of 60 cubic yards of compost material to a designated bunker for distribution to the citizens of the town. During 2022, 15 cubic yards were requested and delivered to the Town.
CURBSIDE CLEAN-UP PROGRAMS
In 2016, the Town added 2 new curbside clean-up programs for residents (Table 7). Participation in the program and tonnage collected and diverted decreased in 2022. (Table 8).
Table 7: Clean-Up Programs
Program Name Details 2022 Dates
Scheduled
Curbside
Clean-up
Curbside collection of up to 14, 32-gallon
bags or cans of additional garbage,
recyclables, or yard waste at the curb in
the fall and the spring.
SAVE THE DATES:
Spring Clean-up: March 6-10
Fall Clean-up: August 21-25
On-Call Bulky
Item Collection
Curbside collection of up to two (2) bulky
items twice per year
At customer request
Table 8: Clean-Up Data 2020 through 2022
Tons Collected Tons Diverted
2020 2021 2022 2020 2021 2022
41.22 49.23 39.75 24.73 28.55 23.8
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Commercial and Multifamily Programs
COMMERCIAL SERVICE OFFERINGS
Commercial accounts are offered recycling services as part of a “bundled rate”. MSS also offers 2 organics programs to all commercial customers for a fee that is ~30% less than landfill service for comparable service levels. Commercial customers are offered the following containers types and service for landfill (garbage) materials.
□ 32, 64, and 96-gallon MSS tipper carts. 20-gallon carts are offered on a case-by-case basis only after a successful recycling and composting program has been established □ 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 cubic yard bins
□ 10, 18, 20, 25 cubic yard roll-off boxes. Larger sizes are available uponrequest □ Compactors: sizes range from 3 cubic yards to 40 cubic yards Recycling and Organics Services are primarily offered for collection in carts. Cardboard and Organic materials may be collected in bins. The following container types and sizes are available for commercial customers.
□ 32, 64, and 96 gallon blue carts for paper recycling
□ 32, 64, and 96 gallon brown carts for containers recycling (plastic, glass, metal bottles & cans) □ 32 and 64 gallon organics green cartsfor composting
□ 32 and 64 gallon food waste dark green carts for food to energy □ 1, 2, and 3 cubic yard bins for cardboard recycling
□ 1 and 2 cubic yard bins for food waste for food to energy
MULTIFAMILY SERVICE OFFERINGS
Multifamily Dwellings (MFDs) are offered recycling services as part of a “bundled rate”. Organics service is offered to tenants in apartment buildings with up to 4, 64-gallon carts of organic service included as part of the bundled rate. Additional carts beyond 4 can be rented for a nominal monthly fee. MFD tenants may also receive kitchen pails after attending a workshop for the collection of compostable materials.
Multifamily Dwelling customers are offered the following containers types and service for landfill (garbage) materials.
□ 32, 64, and 96 gallon MSS tipper carts. 20 gallon carts are offered only after a successful recycling and composting program has been established
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□ 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 cubic yard bins
□ 10, 18, 20, 25 cubic yard roll-off boxes - larger sizes are available upon request □ Compactors: sizes range from 3 cubic yards to 40 cubic yards Recycling and Organics Services are primarily offered for collection in carts. Cardboard and Organic materials may be collected in bins. The following container types and sizes are available for MFD customers
□ 32, 64, and 96 gallon blue carts for paper recycling
□ 32, 64, and 96 gallon brown carts for containers recycling (plastic, glass, metal bottles & cans) □ 32 and 64 gallon organics green cartsfor composting
□ 1, 2, and 3 cubic yard bins for cardboard recycling
□ 2 and 3 cubic yard organics bins for composting
Mandatory Commercial Recycling and Composting Compliance Educating businesses about waste reduction and proper recycling is an ongoing process. MSS has 5 fulltime commercial recycling coordinators working with businesses and apartment complexes to improve or implement organics and recycling programs. New businesses and their employees are educated regarding recycling requirements and opportunities. Existing businesses and their employees are monitored and encouraged to divert even more resources from the landfill.
MSS works to implement recycling and/or organic recycling services at all Commercial and Multifamily Dwellings (MFDs) per the Town's Mandatory Commercial Recycling Ordinance, 8.08.130. Table 9 shows the number of commercial and multifamily dwellings who are compliant with the Town's recycling ordinance. All commercial businesses and apartments are currently recycling.
Table 10 shows the number of MFD and commercial accounts receiving organics recycling service. Of 81 commercial accounts, 61 are currently compliant by subscribing to an organic recycling program, sharing services, or self-hauling.
There are now 49 businesses, up from 38 last year, who are enrolled in the Commercial Compost program. 10 restaurants, 1 market and 1 senior rehabilitation center are enrolled in the Food to Energy (F2E) program. All 27 multifamily dwellings (apartments with four or more units) now subscribe
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to organics composting service. 14 commercial customers are non-compliant with the Town's ordinance, but produce less than 5 gallons of organic material in a week as they only subscribe to a 32 or 64 gallon landfill cart. MSS issued and verified 6, SB 1383 waivers as these businesses produce a de minimis amount of organics per week.
Table 9: Recycling Compliance: businesses and multifamily dwellings Customer Type NOT compliant Compliant Total
Multifamily Dwelling 0 27 27
Commercial Business 0 81 81
Total 0 108 108
Table 10: Organics Compliance: businesses and multifamily dwellings Customer Type NOT compliant Compliant Total
Multifamily Dwelling 0 27 27
Commercial Business 14* 67 81
Total 14 94 108
* 14 Commercial accounts subscribe to 64gallons or less garbage per week. It is presumed that these 14 are exempt but are not yet officially exempted by the Town.
COMMERCIAL AND MULTIFAMILY OUTREACH, EDUCATION AND MONITORING Recycling coordinators at MSS work with all commercial customers to assess their waste stream and tailor a waste management program that best suits their specific business. The operations and outreach staff use this data to create a comprehensive diversion plan. Once recycling and organics services are established, teams work to "right size" the landfill service which often results in a decrease in their overall cost.
Coordinators also train staff and provide customized posters if requested.
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Table 11: Commercial/MFD Outreach by Type January - December, 2022 Diversion, Recycling, and Global Impacts of State Mandates
DIVERSION RATES
Jurisdictional diversion rates are calculated based on a disposal-based indicator which is a per capita disposal rate expressed as pounds per person per day (PPD). This disposal rate uses two factors: a jurisdiction's population and its disposal tonnage, as reported by disposal facilities. Table 12 details the State diversion goals and activities that contribute to it.
Table 12: State Diversion Goal: AB 939 (1989)
AB 939 State Goal: 50 Percent Diversion from the Landfill (Jurisdictional Mandate) Activities that Count Toward Goal Diversion:
Source Reduction
Composting
Recycling
ADC
AIC
Other Beneficial Reuse
Transformation Credit
Activities that Do Not Count Toward Goal Disposal:
Landfill (Including Exports)
Some Transformation
EngineeredMunicipalSolidWaste(EMSW)
Green Waste ADC (Beginning in 2020)
Baseline Waste Generation and Base Years in
pounds per person per day (ppd)
12.6 ppd (2003-2006)
Statewide Disposal Target
in pounds per person per day (ppd)
6.3 ppd
Non-Compliance
& General
calls/emails
Non-Compliance
letters
Waiver
Verifications
Onsite education,
training & delivery of
outreach materials
Site visit to assess &
monitor
164 12 6 10 14
Total: 206
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Tonnage reported from residential and commercial self-hauling, construction & demolition debris box rentals, and a host of other non-franchised programs within the County and Town are reflected in the Jurisdictional diversion rate that is reported by MSS to the Marin Hazardous and Solid Waste Joint Powers Authority (JPA), who in turn reports this tonnage information to the State of California.
RECYCLING RATES
AB 341 (Chesbro), established a goal of a 75 percent recycling rate by 2020. This goal was not achieved, with the most recent recycling rate reported being 40 percent. This rate is a decrease from the 2020 rate of 42 percent, but is far from the goal of 75 percent. The state continues to move forward toward this ambitious rate through implementation and improvement of current programs including the Beverage Container Recycling, CARE program for recycling carpet and mattress recycling programs. Progress is monitored by CalRecycle and continues to be supported through research and reporting.
In 2020, CalRecycle began collecting data through the Recycling and Disposal Reporting System (RDRS). This provides data direct to CalRecycle from various parties including haulers and recycling facilities.
California Statewide Recycling Rate since 2010. Source State of Disposal and Recycling in California for Calendar Year 2021 report
(https://calrecycle.ca.gov/reports/stateof/)
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Summary of MSS Recycling efforts
In 2022 recycling markets performed well. Shipping continues to be a factor, but has improved over previous year’s disruptions due to the pandemic. Cardboard and some plastics remained valuable and have helped ensure solid markets for recyclables overall.
Table 14 shows the percent of materials recycled in MSS jurisdictions as well as specifically in Fairfax. Total volumes were down in 2022. MSS will continue to monitor recycling activity in 2023. Diversion numbers are also impacted by organic material recycling. Although tons decreased in 2022, total tons recycled decreased only slightly. This may have been the result of an economic slowdown during the latter half of 2022.
Table 14: Historical Recycling Rates
Year
State of
California
MSS Rate
Regulated
Fairfax
Regulated
2012 50% 45% 57%
2013 50% 53% 59%
2014 50% 50% 57%
2015 47% 50% 58%
2016 44% 52% 59%
2017 42% 53% 58%
2018 41% 51% 60%
2019 37% 54% 60%
2020 42% 54% 61%
2021 Not Available 51% 58%
2022 Not Available 50% 60%
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Table 15: Commodity Price Changes 2020-2022 Average Price Per Ton In addition to the impacts on the markets, recycling continues to be impacted by contamination from wishful recycling. Recyclable material loads are filled with contamination primarily due to plastic items that are not recoverable and that do not belong in the recyclables stream. Figure 3 shows the trends in contamination at the Marin Recycling Center (MRC) from 2012 through 2022.
Figure 3: Historical Contamination Rates
Commodity 2020 2021 2022 % Change
Cardboard $ 131.69 $ 184.09 $ 142.33 -23%
Newspaper $ 85.23 $ 139.90 $ 167.87 20%
Office Paper $ 172.55 $ 211.72 $ 278.58 32%
Mixed Paper $ 41.67 $ 94.00 $ 109.23 16%
Aluminum Cans $ 812.00 $1,329.00 $1,628.48 23%
Glass $ 27.00 $ 29.55 $ 40.00 35%
HDPE # 2 Natural (Jugs) $ 893.00 $1,375.00 $ 937.65 -32% HDPE # 2 Colors (Jugs) $ 154.00 $ 683.00 $ 288.52 -58%
PET # 1 (Bottles) $ 104.00 $ 361.00 $ 383.98 6%
Mixed Rigid Plastics (#3-7) $ 39.00 $ 60.00 $ - -100%
0.00%
2.00%
4.00%
6.00%
8.00%
10.00%
12.00%
14.00%
16.00%
18.00%
2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
Marin Recycling Center Residual (Contamination)
Rates
2011-2021
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Green House Gas Mitigation
GREEN HOUSE GAS MITIGATION
MSS has been annually tracking operational emissions since 2006 and avoided emissions since 2009. This reporting has shown MSS has fully offset its direct emissions on average 18 times. This is well beyond NetZero. The majority of emissions continues to be from direct mobile combustions including on and off-road vehicles. MSS continues to monitor operational emissions, but is working on updated figures for 2020 through 2022.
Figure 4: Emissions Reporting
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Table 16: Reduced Emissions
Operational Vs. Avoided Emissions
Zero Emission Vehicles
The state continues to move toward zero emission vehicles through regulations instituted by the California Air Resources Board (CARB). MSS has been compliant with all current emissions requirements and is monitoring and preparing for the zero emission vehicle requirements. CARB is the process of finalizing its Advanced Clean Fleets requirements that will require large fleet operators to begin purchasing zero emission vehicles. This continues to be a challenge for the waste industry as electric trucks are not sufficient to do the work required of the waste industry. Currently, hydrogen vehicles are still in development phase.
MSS is currently working on the company’s deployment plan for zero emission vehicles. It is anticipated that the company will begin purchasing electric support vehicles in 2024. Currently the company is working with PG&E on infrastructure needs to charge an electric fleet. The company is researching electric collection vehicles, but the costs are almost double that of current vehicle costs and based on other company’s experiences in the region, the trucks are not a one-to-one replacement of current collection vehicles.
The company is working through these challenges as it prepares to meet the state’s Advanced Clean Fleets requirements.
Annual Total Fuel: 443,400 Gallons Annual Total Fuel: 443,400 Gallons Conversion: 127,500 Btu/gallon Conversion: 127,500 Btu/gallon Total Energy: 56,533,500,000 btus Total Energy: 56,533,500,000 btus Conversion: 0.00105587 MJ/btu Conversion: 0.00105587 MJ/btu Total Energy: 59,692,027 MJ Total Energy: 59,692,027 MJ Carbon Intensity 100.45 g CO2e/MJ Carbon Intensity 30.00 g CO2e/MJ MTCO2e 5,996 MTCO2e 1,791
Diesel LCFS Renewable Diesel (at 30 Cl)
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F2E program impacts on GHG
At MSS it is understood that reducing Short-Lived Climate Super Pollutants like methane derived from organic waste in the landfill will have significant impact on the climate crisis. Continued partnerships with Waste Management’s Redwood Landfill for composting MSS organic waste at their WM Earth Care composting facility and with Central Marin Sanitation Agency for MSS commercial food waste to generate renewable energy has allowed the company to remain at the forefront of organic waste diversion. Fairfax has remained ahead of the curve in implementing organics recycling requirements and programs. These efforts have also helped Fairfax to prepare for and comply with the States organics recycling mandates in AB 1826 and most recently SB 1383.
Figure 5: F2E Historical Program Data MSS Service Area
-
2,000
4,000
6,000
8,000
10,000
12,000
2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
Green House Gas Impacts from Diverting Food
from the Landfill 2014-2022
Tons Collected C02 Emissions Avoided Cars off the Road
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Table 17: F2E Fairfax Participants in 2022
Food to Energy Participants Commercial Organics Recycling Participants Commercial Organics Recycling Participants BAREFOOT CAFE 7-11 STORE M & G BURGERS
CAFE LOTUS BOLINAS PARTNERS LLC MAD HANK MUSIC
CARE MERIDIAN LLC BRAD SCHWAN -Mas Masa MANA BOWLS
FAIR-ANSELM
PLAZA
BUCKELEW HOUSE MANOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
FAIRFAX CENTER
PROPERTIES CANON SWIM & TENNIS MARIN COUNTY LIBRARY
FAIRFAX IGA MARKET CHILDRENS CENTER FAIRFAX/SA MARIN MUSEUM OF BICYCLING FRADELIZIO'S CRAIG SLAYEN – Amelie MARIN STABLES
MAURO'S PASTA DAVE CERICOLA LANDSCAPE MARIN TOWN AND COUNTRY CLUB
MY THAI DAYCARING PRESCHOOL INC
MEADOWLAND OF MARIN POOL &
CLUBHOUSE
PERRY'S DELICATESSEN DEER PARK VILLA PERI'S BAR
RBL REAL ESTATE-Village
Sake
EZAZI & ASSOC-SCHOOL STREET
PLAZA
PERUVA AUTO SERVICES
SORELLA CAFE FAIRFAX CONGREGATION OF
JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES ROSS VALLEY CHARTER SCHOOL
12 Total FAIRFAX INN ROSS VALLEY CHIROPRACTIC
FAIRFAX LUMBER SPLIT ROCK TAP & WHEEL
FAIRFAX SCOOP ST. RITA'S CHURCH
FAIRFAX THEATER STILLWATER
FAIRFAX WOMEN'S CLUB THE COFFEE ROASTERY
FIRST FEDERAL SAVINGS & LOAN THE HUMMINGBIRD
FIRST FRIENDS MONTESSORI PRE-S THE LODGE
FITZPATRICK'S HEATING TOWN OF FAIRFAX - CORP YARD
FRADELIZIO U.S. POST OFFICE
GESTALT HAUS WAY STATION
GOODS WHITE HILL MIDDLE SCHOOL
KINDERBLAST PRESCHOOL WU WEI TEA TEMPLE
M & G BURGERS 48 Total
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Fairfax Recycling Rates
RECYCLING RATES BY WEIGHT AND BY VOLUME
Table 18 shows tonnage-based recycling rate. Overall, the tonnage-based recycling rate saw a slight increase year-over-year in 2022at 60%. This rise of 2% was in the organics waste stream. Possible reasons are increased outreach efforts in educating commercial customers in conjunction with incremental improvements in efficiency at the recovery center.
Table 18: Weight Based Recycling Rates by Sector (tons) 2020 2021 2022 2020 2021 2022 2020 2021 2022
Tons Collected:
Curbside Yard Waste 1,821 1,603 1,684 96 84 89 1,917 1,687 1,773 Containers Curbside Recycling 472 392 325 175 145 120 647 538 445 Paper Fiber Curbside Recycle 422 345 300 156 128 111 578 473 411 Cardboard Curbside Recycle *N/A *N/A *N/A 344 334 290 344 334 290 Transfer Station 1,532 1,515 1,407 771 736 696 2,303 2,251 2,103 Commercial Food Waste (F2E) *N/A *N/A *N/A 110 78 82 110 78 82 Commercial processed at MRRC *N/A *N/A *N/A 251 466 465 251 466 465 Total Tons Collected 4,247 3,855 3,716 1,903 1,970 1,854 6,150 5,826 5,570 2020 2021 2022 2020 2021 2022 2020 2021 2022
Tons Recycled:
Curbside Yard Waste 1,821 1,603 1,684 96 84 89 1,917 1,687 1,773 Containers Recycle 894 738 624 675 606 521 1,569 1,344 1,146 Commercial Food Waste (F2E) *N/A *N/A *N/A 110 78 82 110 78 82 Commercial recovered at MRRC *N/A *N/A *N/A 163 293 337 163 293 337 Total Tons Recycled 2,715 2,340 2,309 1,044 1,062 1,029 3,759 3,402 3,338 Recycling Rate 64% 61% 62% 55% 54% 56% 61% 58% 60%
Landfilled 1,532 1,515 1,407 858 908 825 2,391 2,423 2,232 Commercial/MF Total
Residential Commercial Total
Weight Based Recycling Rates by Sector (tons)
Residential
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Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) Facility Drop-off Program All new customers receive a Residential Services Guide that explains the drop-off facility program. The HHW website (www.marinhhw.com) has detailed information on the materials accepted, how to transport materials to the facility, and more. MSS continues to partner with Sustainable Fairfax to get the message out at community events about the use of the HHW drop-off facility. Participation for the drop off program at the Marin Household Hazardous Waste Facility averaged 136 Fairfax participants per month in 2022 (Figure 6).
In 2022, there were 1,632 combined Residential and Commercial Small Quantity Generators (SQG) participants (Table 19). The main products being collected are latex paint, e-waste, batteries, and fluorescent tubes and bulbs.
Figure 6: HHW Participation 2022
Table 19: HHW Customers by Type
Customer Type Participants
Residential 1,623
SQG 9
112
125
142 144 146
137 132
156
140 134
151
113
0 20
40 60
80 100
120
140
160
180
Participants
Month
Fairfax HHW Residential & CESQG Participants
January - December 2022
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Customer Service Logs
RESIDENTIAL, MULTIFAMILY AND COMMERCIAL NEW STARTS FOR 2022 Table 20 details the number of new accounts and closed accounts by customer type. New Residential customers received the Residential Service Guide that explains MSS Curbside collection services and programs, debris box rental and document shredding; Marin Resource Recovery Center drop-off information; Marin Recycling drop-off and buy-back information; and Marin Household Hazardous Waste drop-off information as well as the HHW Curbside Collection Brochure. Commercial and Multifamily new customers received information on MSS Curbside collection services and programs, debris box rental and document shredding; Mandatory Recycling & Organics laws and ordinances; and Marin Household Hazardous Waste drop-off information.
Table 20: New Starts and Account Closures by Type
New Starts Total Closed Accounts Totals
Residential 196 Residential 192
Multifamily Dwellings 5 Multifamily Dwellings 7
Commercial Business 11 Commercial Business 6
AUTOMATIC PAYMENT SERVICES
In an effort to conserve resources, MSS encourages customers to receive their bills electronically and to pay their bills online. At the end of 2022 there were 821 Fairfax customers using MSS online bill pay programs. MSS also offers automatic payments by credit card or electronic check. This is managed by the billing department for those customers who prefer not to use a web- based service (Table 21).
Table 21: Automatic Payment Data
Online Bill Pay Totals Automatic Payments no web-based Totals Residential 821 Residential 213
Multifamily Dwellings 2 Multifamily Dwellings 5
Commercial Business 12 Commercial Business 19
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CUSTOMER SERVICE
During 2022, there was a slight increase of complaint calls from the customers in Fairfax. Missed Collections decreased from 333 to 306 and broken carts increased from 143 to 298 (Table 22). In most cases, the drivers were able to empty the missed containers on the same service day or the next business day. All broken containers were either repaired or replaced. Service complaints include calls for carts not being left in the same location, noise, or driver behavior related issues. Each complaint is reviewed by a route supervisor and resolved. Drivers are counseled individually to correct service-related issues.
In addition, MSS had 55 compliments for MSS staff from Fairfax customers. During 2022 customer service received approximately 3,985 customer inquiries via email.
Table 22: Complaint Log by Type
Missed Collections Broken Containers Service Issues Compliments 2020 2021 2022 2020 2021 2022 2020 2021 2022 2020 2021 2022 246 333 306 400 143 298 14 15 27 23 18 55
REPORTS OF INJURIES AND DAMAGE TO PROPERTY
Marin Sanitary Service has an active safety committee that includes supervisors, loss control and insurance personnel that meets monthly to review accidents and injuries. Each department has a tailored safety plan that includes ongoing training and review for new equipment, procedures and all OSHA required safety subjects. Documented employee safety meetings are held weekly, monthly and throughout the year with written agendas and handout materials in all departments.
All accidents and injuries are investigated in an interactive process with the employee to determine what factors caused the event. Details are covered in Table 23. If it is discovered that changes to equipment, procedures, or collection location could prevent a recurrence, corrective action is taken.
If refresher training is needed, it is addressed with the entire department. Any claim of damage is investigated immediately by supervisors and the safety administrator. If the Company is liable, restitution ismade to the owner/customer by eitherrepair attheCompany’s expense or payment to the owner/customer. Liable automobile damage is repaired by a reputable, local business and a rental is provided if needed, or payment is made if the owner/customer prefers.
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Table 23: Injuries, Accidents and Workers Compensation Claims in Fairfax Reportable Event Description 2020 Totals 2021 Totals 2022 Totals Preventable
Damage Event
Property or vehicle damage determined the fault of
MSS driver.
4 5 7
Non-preventable
Damage Event
Not due to driver negligence and not fault of any other party. Trees/wires snagged that are lower than allowed
or damage that driver could not have avoided,
malfunctioning
gates closing on trucks, gate blowing shut, etc.
0 2 5
Work comp
injuries
Injuries on the job defined by OSHA as work related. 3 1 0 GRAND TOTAL 7 8 12
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Contact Information
Company Information
Tel 415-456-2601
[email protected]
Tel 415-456-2601
[email protected]
Tel 415-485-5648
[email protected]
JUSTIN WILCOCK
DIRECTOR OF GENERAL
OPERATIONS
JASON RALEIGH
CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER
PATTY GARBARINO
PRESIDENT
1050 Andersen Drive, San Rafael, CA 94901
Tel 415-456-2601
www.marinsanitaryservice.com