City Council
259 N. Wilma Avenue
Ripon, CA 95366
MEMO
To: Honorable City Council
From: James Pease, Public Works Director
Date: 05/10/2022
Subject: Organic Recycling - Residential and Commercial Options RECOMMENDED ACTION:
The State of California has mandated all cities implement organic waste recycling requirements through Senate Bill 1383, which was signed into law by Governor Brown in September 2016.
After evaluating various options to determine the most cost-effective option to comply with the State mandated requirements of Senate Bill 1383, staff is recommending the City Council adopt the attached resolution to move forward with providing and utilizing a green can to collect all organic waste for each residential customer. Additionally, approve and authorize the Mayor to sign the quote for 1,250 new green cans from Toter in the amount of $88,981.55 so green cans can be provided to those residential customers currently without. (funding source: Garbage Enterprise Capital Fund).
BACKGROUND:
The City of Ripon along with all jurisdictions in California, are subject to several California solid waste laws. The most recent piece of legislation State Senate Bill 1383, which was signed into law by Governor Brown in 2016, required jurisdictions to adopt enforceable ordinances that are consistent with the requirements of the Organic Waste Diversion regulations to mandate compliance from organic waste generators, haulers and other entities. The law establishes methane emissions reduction targets in a statewide effort to reduce emissions of short-lived climate pollutants in various sectors of California's economy and establishes a target of a 50 percent organics disposal reduction by 2020 and a 75 percent reduction by 2025 using 2014 as the baseline. The law also grants CalRecycle the regulatory authority required to achieve the organic waste disposal reduction targets and establishes an additional target that not less than 20 percent of currently disposed edible food is recovered for human consumption by 2025.
The City Council approved Ordinance 912 at the February 8, 2022 council meeting that amended Chapter 8.12 “Garbage Collection and Disposal” of the Ripon Municipal Code to meet the requirements set forth by the State. The ordinance has several references to the CalRecycle Organic Waste Reduction regulations, which are enforced through the California Code of Regulations Title 14-Natural Resources, Division-7 Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery.
The regulations of the senate bill are very restrictive and include most sectors such as residential, commercial businesses, commercial food generators, schools, industrial and government entities.
Each resident and business must subscribe to an organic waste collection service that either source separates the waste (separate bins) or transports all unsegregated waste to a facility that recovers 75 percent of the organic content collected from the system.
DISCUSSION/ANALYSIS:
A workshop held on April 25, 2022 provided the Council details of certain requirements within the bill that will have the largest impacts on residential/commercial rates, capital expenses, procurement obligations and operational challenges. Staff evaluated a number of options to determine the most cost-effective approach toward achieving compliance with the State mandated organic recycling requirements.
Since there are a number of unknowns regarding facilities to process waste and the associated tipping fees, staff is recommending the City move forward with a phased approach to achieve compliance. The first phase of this would be to implement a two-container system using the green cans for both yard waste and organic waste (i.e., all organic waste). Once there is a better understanding of the facilities available to sort and process trash and organic waste along with the associated tipping fees, staff will bring back a recommendation for future phases to implement the State mandated requirements of Senate Bill 1383 in the most cost-effective manner.
The following summarizes the first phase of this approach recommended by staff:
Provide green organic waste cans to all residential customers; Residential customers receiving a green can will be charged the current rate of $3.00/month per can and then follow the City approved rate structure moving forward; Adjust City garbage operations to dump and haul additional green cans; Continue utilizing existing disposal facilities with current tipping fees; and Continue evaluating cost effectiveness as new disposal facilities become available.
The following is a more detailed evaluation of the options to comply with State mandated Senate Bill 1383:
The first priority for the City is to ensure the collection services provided to all residents and businesses provide for the recovery and recycling of all organic waste including green waste and food waste.
The City currently operates a one black trash container system with an optional organic green waste container that is available at an added cost. The State specifically outlines three options that cities and counties are limited to for residential/commercial curbside collection services.
These service options are outlined below and note specific advantages and challenges related to the current City collection system operation.
Three Container “source separated” Collection Service
One green container for organic waste, one blue container for recyclables and one black container for trash.
Allows trash to be hauled to current disposal facility. Allows organic waste to be hauled to our current disposal facility. Requires capital purchase and operational implementation of approximately 1,250 organic waste green cans.
Requires capital purchase and operational implementation of approximately 5,000 recyclable blue cans to be hauled to a new separate facility.
Projected 20-year life-cycle cost based on estimated tipping fees $10,479,000.
Projected rate increase 19%.
Two Container Collection Service
One green container for organic waste and one black container for mixed recyclables and trash.
Allows organic waste to be hauled to our current disposal facility Requires capital purchase and operational implementation of approximately 1,250 organic waste green cans.
Requires mixed recyclables and trash be hauled to a new separate disposal facility that can demonstrate the State organic waste recovery thresholds are met, resulting in increased tipping fees. Projected 20-year life-cycle cost based on estimated tipping fees $15,316,000.
Projected rate increase 27%.
One Container Collection Service
One black container for collection of mixed organic waste, recyclables and trash.
No impact to our current operation.
Requires mixed organic waste, recyclables and trash be hauled to a new separate disposal facility that can demonstrate the State organic waste recovery thresholds are met, resulting in increased tipping fees. Projected 20-year life-cycle cost based on estimated tipping fees $18,176,000.
Projected rate increase 32%.
The largest difference between the above services are that the one- and two- container systems require disposal of material at facilities that can demonstrate separation and recovery of 50 percent of organic material in 2022 and 75 percent by 2025. One of the major challenges we are facing at this time is that there are no CalRecycle approved facilities in our immediate area meeting these thresholds. One facility in the area is currently working toward this goal although is not anticipated to be approved by CalRecycle until sometime in 2023 and the preliminary tipping fee estimates are a considerable increase above our current fees. The unknown costs that will directly impact the garbage rates for our residents make it challenging to fully commit to any one of the options at this time.
At this time, staff is recommending the City provide and require green organic waste cans for all residential customers. This will result in the City purchasing and providing green cans to approximately 1,250 residents who are currently only supplied with a black trash can on their account. The City will continue to utilize the existing disposal facilities for organic waste and trash keeping our current tipping fees unchanged at this time. The approach is a two-container hybrid system that will achieve the residential organic recycling program requirements while limiting the capital investment. Although the black trash can material will not be disposed of at a facility that meets the organic waste recycling thresholds due to availability, all of the system options remain available moving forward as facilities come online and disposal/recycling tipping fees are established. The green can will be added to the resident’s service and they will be charged the current fee, which is set at $3.00/month per can. All residents will be asked to place acceptable organic waste material in the green can once implementation begins. Detailed information regarding the acceptable and non-acceptable materials will be forthcoming as staff works with our organic waste disposal facility and a large educational and outreach effort will begin in the coming months. The accompanying resolution provides the City the authority to implement the mandatory green can for all residents currently without, as well as new residents applying for service, in order to comply with Chapter 8.12 Garbage Collection and Disposal of the Ripon Municipal Code and State Senate Bill 1383.
Staff is also working with our organic waste disposal facility on providing the organic recycling services to businesses with garbage services provided by the City, more information will be presented to the Council as those efforts move forward. Additionally staff is working with the private permitted haulers providing garbage services to businesses within the City to ensure they meet the compliance requirements set forth by the State.
The City will need to purchase 1,250 green cans in order to begin the implementation process for our residential customers. Staff solicited quotes from multiple companies and the lowest quote received was from Toter for an amount of $88,981.55 with an anticipated delivery of approximately 12-14 weeks.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The immediate fiscal impacts for the first phase of the organic waste program implementation consists of the capital purchase of 1,250 green cans and the anticipated operational increase due to the additional services provided. The attached proposal from Toter for the purchase of the green cans is for an amount of $88,981.55 to be paid for through the Garbage Enterprise Capital Fund. The anticipated operational increase to provide the additional services is approximately $85,000 annually and will be paid for through the Garbage Enterprise Operating Fund.
As the continued implementation of State Senate Bill 1383 mandated regulations move forward there will be a significant increase in the City’s Garbage Enterprise Fund operating expenses.
These expenses will result mainly from increased tipping fees at the disposal and composting facilities used by the City, changes to the City’s collection routes, and staff time to complete all public outreach and reporting that is required to be in compliance with the regulations. In addition to the annual review, garbage rate impacts will be evaluated by staff during each new phase of implementation and presented to the Council.
Attachments:
1. Toter Quote - 96G - 2 TL Green Carts
RESOLUTION NO. 22-15
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF
RIPON APPROVING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF A
MANDATORY ORGANIC WASTE GREEN CONTAINER BE
PROVIDED TO ALL RESIDENTIAL CUSTOMERS
RECEIVING GARBAGE SERVICES FROM THE CITY OF
RIPON.
WHEREAS, previous hereto the City of Ripon has provided an option to residential customers receiving garbage services from the City to use a green organic waste container; and WHEREAS the State of California Senate Bill 1383 mandates organic recycling for all residential households; and
WHEREAS, in order to implement SB 1383, the City Council adopted Chapter 8.12 of the Ripon Municipal Code, and has thereby determined that all residential customers receiving garbage services from the City of Ripon must receive and utilize an organic waste green container for recycling certain organic waste at their residence.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the fee for obtaining an organic waste green container will be charged to each residential customer according to the current garbage rate structure approved by the City Council, all as provided in Chapter 8.12 of the Ripon Municipal Code.
PASSED AND ADOPTED at a regular meeting of the City Council of the City of Ripon this 10th day of May, 2022, by the following vote:
RESULT: ADOPTED [UNANIMOUS]
MOVER: Leo Zuber, Council Member
SECONDER:Gary Barton, Council Member
AYES: Uecker, Restuccia, Zuber, de Graaf, Barton
THE CITY OF RIPON,
A Municipal Corporation
By ________________________________
DEAN UECKER, Mayor
ATTEST:
By: ___________________________
LISA ROOS, City Clerk