Summary of Results
Characterization of Residential Curbside Collected
Recyclables
September – October 2022
Department of Environmental Services
200 E. Santa Clara Street, 10th Floor
San Jose, CA 95113
Attention: Peggy Horning
[email protected]
408-975-2527
7041 Koll Center Pkwy, # 135
Pleasanton, CA 94566
Attention: Stacey Demers
[email protected]
703-471-6150 x2246
01219221.11 | December 20, 2022
Attachment
Characterization of Residential Curbside Collected Recyclables www.scsengineers.com Summary of Results 2022
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Table of Contents
Section Page
1 Overview of Study ............................................................................................................................ 1 2 Characterization Methods ............................................................................................................... 2 Description of Existing System .......................................................................................................... 2 Sampling Process ............................................................................................................................... 2 Food Contamination ................................................................................................................. 4 Fines ...................................................................................................................................... 4 Bagged Materials ..................................................................................................................... 5 Weighing ................................................................................................................................... 5 3 Summary of Results ........................................................................................................................ 6 Citywide ............................................................................................................................................... 6 By Collection District .......................................................................................................................... 8 By Collection Day ............................................................................................................................. 10 4 Comparison to 2020 Study .......................................................................................................... 16 Citywide ............................................................................................................................................ 16 COllection District A ......................................................................................................................... 18 COllection District B ........................................................................................................................ 20 COllection District C ........................................................................................................................ 22 5 Assessment of MSW Collection Pilot Program............................................................................. 24 Exhibits
Exhibit 1. Recycling Collection Districts ................................................................................................. 2 Exhibit 2. Number of Samples by Collection District ............................................................................. 3 Exhibit 3. Plan View Showing “Cells” of Pile .......................................................................................... 3 Exhibit 4. Residential Recyclables For Studies (RRFS) ......................................................................... 3 Exhibit 5. Summary of Residential Curbside Collected Recyclables - Citywide ................................... 6 Exhibit 6. Characterization of Residential Curbside Collected Recyclables - Citywide ....................... 7 Exhibit 7. Proportion of RRFS Materials by Sample .............................................................................. 8 Exhibit 8. Summary of Residential Curbside Collected Recyclables by Collection District ................. 9 Exhibit 9. Proportion of Major RRFS Classifications and Non RRFS Materials by Collection District .................................................................................................................................. 10 Exhibit 10. Summary of Residential Curbside Collected Recyclables by Collection Day: Collection District A ............................................................................................................................... 11 Exhibit 11. Summary of Residential Curbside Collected Recyclables by Collection Day Collection District B ............................................................................................................................... 12 Exhibit 12. Summary of Residential Curbside Collected Recyclables by Collection Day Collection District C ............................................................................................................................... 13 Exhibit 13. Proportion of Major RRFS Classifications and Non-RRFS Materials by Collection Day for Collection District A .............................................................................................................. 14 Characterization of Residential Curbside Collected Recyclables www.scsengineers.com Summary of Results 2022
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Exhibit 14. Proportion of Major RRFS Classifications and Non-RRFS Materials by Collection Day for Collection District B ............................................................................................................. 14 Exhibit 15. Proportion of Major RRFS Classifications and Non-RRFS Materials by Collection Day for Collection District C .............................................................................................................. 15 Exhibit 16. Citywide 2022 vs 2020 ....................................................................................................... 16 Exhibit 17. Comparison of Citywide Residential Curbside Collected Recyclables .............................. 17 Exhibit 18. Collection District A 2022 vs 2020 .................................................................................... 18 Exhibit 19. Comparison of Collection District A Residential Curbside Collected Recyclables .......... 19 Exhibit 20. Collection District B 2022 vs 2020 .................................................................................... 20 Exhibit 21. Comparison of Collection District B Residential Curbside Collected Recyclables ........... 21 Exhibit 22. Collection District C 2022 vs 2020 .................................................................................... 22 Exhibit 23. Comparison of Collection District C Residential Curbside Collected Recyclables ........... 23 Exhibit 24. Composition of Pilot Program Route Samples ................................................................... 24 Exhibit 25. Summary Composition of Pilot Program Route Samples .................................................. 25 Exhibit 26. Comparison of Pilot Program Routes to 2020 Results, and 2022 Collection District and Collection Day Averages ...................................................................................................... 26 Exhibit 27. Summary of RRFS Portion Comparison by Facility and Route .......................................... 27 Exhibit 28. Summary of All Collection Route Improvements ............................................................... 28
Appendix A – Proportion of RRFS Materials by Sample
Appendix B – Definition of Material Types
Appendix C – Sample Forms
Characterization of Residential Curbside Collected Recyclables www.scsengineers.com Summary of Results
1 1 OVERVIEW OF STUDY
The City of San José (City) contracts with two haulers for the collection and processing of sourceseparated recyclable materials from residential properties. California Waste Solutions (CWS) transports collected single-family dwelling (SFD) recyclable materials from Districts A and C to their Material Recovery Facility (MRF) for processing. GreenTeam transports collected SFD recyclable materials from District B to the GreenWaste MRF for processing.
The City contracted with SCS Engineers (SCS) to provide material characterization of curbside recyclable materials. The overall objective of the service is to determine the percentage by weight of ‘Program Materials’, which is referred to in this study as Residential Recyclables for Studies (RRFS), collected by the City’s contracted recycling haulers. The City will use this information to compensate its two recycling haulers for processing the collected recyclable material according to the percentage of Program Materials (RRFS) and non-Program Materials (Non-RRFS) per their Agreements. This document describes the field procedures for characterizing inbound residential curbside collected recyclables from SFD residences in the City and presents a summary of results.
SCS conducted this curbside audit as required by San José’s residential recycling Agreements. Per the hauler Agreements, and the City’s 2019 Agreement with SCS for consultant services, this study was scheduled to occur in 2022, over two years into a global pandemic. San José’s residential program continues to experience impacts related to the pandemic such as increases in their SFD garbage waste stream, their SFD recycling waste stream, and their SFD recycling residue tonnage.
The increase in Non-RRFS could possibly be due to more residents working/learning from home and generating more garbage.
Characterization of Residential Curbside Collected Recyclables www.scsengineers.com Summary of Results
2 2 CHARACTERIZATION METHODS
DESCRIPTION OF EXISTING SYSTEM
The City of San José provides garbage and recycling services to 216,000 SFDs and 115,000 multifamily dwellings (3,400 complexes). Residential recycling services are divided between two haulers in three Collection Districts A, B, C shown in Exhibit 1.
Recycling Collection Districts
CWS collects and processes recyclables from 75 percent of the City’s SFDs in Districts A and C.
GreenTeam collects recyclables from 25 percent of the City’s SFDs in District B as well as all of the City’s multi-family dwellings and delivers the material to the GreenWaste MRF for processing. The CWS MRF is dedicated exclusively to San José residential material. The GreenWaste MRF processes recyclables from the City as well as other materials delivered from multiple jurisdictions in the region.
SAMPLING PROCESS
The study period consisted of five weeks of field sampling in a seven-week period between Monday, September 12, 2022 and Friday, October 28, 2022. The number of samples corresponded to the proportion of recyclables collected by collection District and the number of collection routes.
Exhibit 2 details the number of residential curbside recycling collection routes per day for each of the collection Districts. SCS planned to acquire one 150-pound sample from each of the 47 daily (Monday through Friday) SFD collection routes (235 total samples) in Districts A, B, and C. Exhibit 2 presents the planned and actual number of samples acquired and sorted for this study. SCS was able to collect 238 samples, three additional samples that exceeded the plan, during the field effort.
Characterization of Residential Curbside Collected Recyclables www.scsengineers.com Summary of Results
3 Number of Samples by Collection District
District
Average
Number of
Routes per Day
Number of Samples Percent of
Routes
Sampled Planned Actual
A 22 110 111A 101%
B 9 45 47B 104%
C 16 80 80 100%
Total 47 235 238 101%
Note: A – Route 102 was sampled twice
B – Wednesday routes 4 and 6 were sampled twice
SCS worked with each MRF to acquire a random sample from each of the 47 daily recycling collection routes. Each targeted load was visually separated into approximately eight subsections seen in Exhibit 3 below. SCS staff directed a loader (operated by MRF personnel) to grab a sample from a randomly selected subsection and deliver it to the sorting crew. Samples were weighed before sorting activities to confirm an appropriate sample size of approximately 150 pounds.
Plan View Showing “Cells” of Pile
MANUAL SORTING PROCESS
Each sample was placed on a sorting table and separated by hand into the material types in Exhibit
4. Separated materials were accumulated in containers dedicated to individual material types.
Materials less than three inches (in all dimensions) were classified as Other.
Residential Recyclables For Studies (RRFS)
Material
Type RRFS Materials Non-RRFS
Paper
Clean Newspaper
Contaminated Paper &
Remainder/Composite Paper
Clean OCC
Clean Mixed Paper
Clean Aseptic & Poly-coated
Packaging
NOTE: Clean recyclable paper is
defined as material not soiled or
contaminated that could reasonably
be expected to be recycled without
special processing or cleaning.
Characterization of Residential Curbside Collected Recyclables www.scsengineers.com Summary of Results
4 Material
Type RRFS Materials Non-RRFS
Plastic
#1 PET Bottles & Containers
Remainder/Composite Plastic
(includes opaque plastic film)
#2 HDPE Bottles & Containers
#3, #4, #5, #7 Bottles & Containers
Clear/Clean Plastic Bags & Other Film
Durable Plastic Items
Metal
Aluminum Beverage Cans
Remainder/Composite Metal
Aluminum Foil
Steel (Tin) Cans
Other Scrap Metal
Glass Recyclable Glass Remainder/Composite Glass
Textiles NA Bagged and Loose Textiles
Organic NA Organics
Medical NA
Medical
(includes sharps & personal hygiene
products)
Electroni
c
NA Electronics
HHW &
Special
Waste
NA
HHW & Special Waste
(includes chemicals, motor oil, oil filters,
mercury lamps, batteries, tanks)
Other NA Other Materials including polystyrene
Food Contamination
Recyclable materials with significant food contamination, i.e., where the weight of the contamination is greater than the weight of the recyclable material itself, were placed in the “Other” NonResidential Recyclables for Study (Non-RRFS) classification. For example, a #1 PET Container that had significant food, such as peanut butter or mayonnaise inside it, was categorized as “Other”.
Similarly, a tin can with significant quantities of food like tuna, where the weight of the tuna was more than the weight of the empty tin can, was also categorized as “Other”. Containers with liquid such as a #1 PET bottle half filled with soda, where the weight of the liquid exceeds the weight of the bottle, were placed in the “Other” classification without emptying the liquid.
Fiber that was wet, soiled or so dirty that it could not be included in a commodity bale was placed in the “Contaminated & Remainder/Composite Paper” Non-RRFS classification.
Fines
Materials three inches or less (in all dimensions) were placed into the “Other” Non-RRFS classification. This included commingled materials all under three inches that are mixed together such as, for example, plastic bottle caps, broken glass, and paper clips.
Characterization of Residential Curbside Collected Recyclables www.scsengineers.com Summary of Results
5 Bagged Materials
Bagged materials were emptied and the contents sorted into the appropriate material classification types, with the exception of bagged shredded paper. Bagged shredded paper was not unbagged before being placed into the Clean Mixed Paper category.
Weighing
For each sample, the Sorting Supervisor reviewed the sorted material for homogeneity and quality control before the containers were weighed using a pre-calibrated scale, and recorded the weight for each sorted material category on a sampling form.
After the entire sample had been sorted, weighed, and recorded, the sorted materials were aggregated for disposal by CWS or GreenWaste and the sorting area swept clean.
Characterization of Residential Curbside Collected Recyclables www.scsengineers.com Summary of Results
6 3 SUMMARY OF RESULTS
CITYWIDE
The study period consisted of five weeks of field sampling in a seven-week period between Monday, September 12, 2022 and Friday, October 28, 2022. On average, the proportion of RRFS materials in residential curbside collected recyclables is 43.2 percent, as shown below in Exhibit 5. Paper represents the greatest portion of RRFS materials at 23.1 percent, with Clean OCC (Cardboard) comprising just over half of fiber at 11.7 percent. Clean Mixed Paper comprised the second largest component of RRFS at 0.1 percent. Aluminum Foil and Clean/Clear Plastic Bags and Other Film comprised the least amount of RRFS at 0.0 and 0.7 percent, respectively.
Summary of Residential Curbside Collected Recyclables - Citywide Exhibit 6 presents the average composition of residential curbside collected recyclables collected citywide graphically.
Material Type Mean Composition
Clean Newspaper 1.6%
Clean OCC (Cardboard) 11.7%
Clean Mixed Paper 9.1%
Clean Aseptic & Poly-Coated Packaging 0.8%
#1 PET Bottles and Containers 3.4%
#2 HDPE Bottles and Containers 2.0%
#3, #4, #5, #7 Bottles and Containers 1.4%
Clean/Clear Plastic Bags and Other Film 0.7%
Durable Plastic Items 2.0%
Aluminum Beverage Cans 0.8%
Aluminum Foil 0.0%
Steel (Tin) Cans 1.2%
Other Scrap Metal 1.8%
Glass Recyclable Glass 6.7% 6.7%
Contaminated Paper & Remainder / Composite Paper 21.9% 21.9% Remainder / Composite Plastic 0.9% 0.9%
Remainder/Composite Metal 1.2% 1.2%
Remainder/Composite Glass 0.3% 0.3%
Textiles 2.4% 2.4%
Organics 4.5% 4.5%
Medical Waste 0.9% 0.9%
Electronics 1.6% 1.6%
HHW & Special Waste 0.7% 0.7%
Other Materials 22.5% 22.5%
Total 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%
Note: Composition based on 238 samples. NON- Residential Recyclables For Studies (NON RRFS)
56.8%
Residential Recyclables For Studies (RRFS)
Paper
23.1%
43.2%
Plastic
9.5%
Metal
3.9%
Characterization of Residential Curbside Collected Recyclables www.scsengineers.com Summary of Results 7
Characterization of Residential Curbside Collected Recyclables - Citywide Characterization of Residential Curbside Collected Recyclables www.scsengineers.com Summary of Results
8 Exhibit 7 presents the proportion of RRFS materials for each of the 238 samples acquired during the study. The samples are in sequential order. The portion of RRFS in the 238 samples ranged from a minimum of 10.9 percent (CWS Route 214, sampled 10/11/2022) to a maximum of 79.0 percent (GT Thursday Route 8, sampled 9/15/2022).
Proportion of RRFS Materials by Sample
BY COLLECTION DISTRICT
Exhibit 8 presents the composition of residential curbside collected recyclables by collection District.
The proportion of major RRFS classifications and Non-RRFS materials are presented by collection District graphically in Exhibit 9. Collection District C had the lowest proportion of all major recyclable classifications (recyclable paper, recyclable plastic, recyclable metal, and recyclable glass) and the highest proportion of Non-RRFS materials at 57.2 percent.
Citywide RRFS Average
Characterization of Residential Curbside Collected Recyclables www.scsengineers.com Summary of Results
9 Summary of Residential Curbside Collected Recyclables by Collection District Citywide and by Collection District
Material Type Citywide Collection District A Collection District B Collection District C Clean Newspaper 1.6% 1.7% 2.2% 1.5%Clean OCC (Cardboard) 11.7% 11.6% 13.4% 12.6%Clean Mixed Paper 9.1% 9.0% 11.4% 9.3%Clean Aseptic & Poly-Coated Packaging 0.8% 0.8% 1.0% 0.7%#1 PET Bottles and Containers 3.4% 3.6% 4.7% 3.3%#2 HDPE Bottles and Containers 2.0% 1.9% 2.1% 1.7%#3, #4, #5, #7 Bottles and Containers 1.4% 1.4% 1.8% 1.2%Clean/Clear Plastic Bags and Other Film 0.7% 0.7% 0.8% 0.7%Durable Plastic Items 2.0% 2.2% 1.8% 2.3%Aluminum Beverage Cans 0.8% 0.9% 1.3% 0.9%Aluminum Foil 0.0% 0.1% 0.1% 0.0%Steel (Tin) Cans 1.2% 1.2% 1.2% 1.2%Other Scrap Metal 1.8% 1.8% 1.7% 1.8% Glass Recyclable Glass 6.7% 6.7% 6.9% 6.9% 9.3% 9.3% 5.5% 5.5% Contaminated Paper & Remainder / Composite Paper 21.9% 21.9% 21.6% 21.6% 17.9% 17.9% 22.6% 22.6% Remainder / Composite Plastic 0.9% 0.9% 1.1% 1.1% 0.9% 0.9% 0.7% 0.7%Remainder/Composite Metal 1.2% 1.2% 1.2% 1.2% 0.3% 0.3% 1.2% 1.2%Remainder/Composite Glass 0.3% 0.3% 0.3% 0.3% 0.2% 0.2% 0.2% 0.2%Textiles 2.4% 2.4% 2.5% 2.5% 1.9% 1.9% 2.6% 2.6%Organics 4.5% 4.5% 4.6% 4.6% 4.8% 4.8% 3.5% 3.5%Medical Waste 0.9% 0.9% 0.8% 0.8% 0.8% 0.8% 0.7% 0.7%Electronics 1.6% 1.6% 1.6% 1.6% 1.3% 1.3% 1.6% 1.6%HHW & Special Waste 0.7% 0.7% 0.9% 0.9% 0.4% 0.4% 0.7% 0.7%Other Materials 22.5% 22.5% 21.7% 21.7% 18.7% 18.7% 23.4% 23.4% Total 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% Based on 238 samples Based on 111 samples Based on 47 samples Based on 80 samples NON- Residential Recyclables
For Studies (NON RRFS) 56.8%
Metal 3.9%Plastic 9.5%
Residential Recyclables For Studies (RRFS)
Paper 23.1%
43.2%
24.2%
9.2%3.9%
57.2%42.8%
23.1%
43.8%
9.9%3.9%
56.2%
28.0%
52.8%
11.2%
4.2%
47.2%
Characterization of Residential Curbside Collected Recyclables www.scsengineers.com Summary of Results
10 Proportion of Major RRFS Classifications and Non RRFS Materials by Collection District
BY COLLECTION DAY
Exhibits 10, 11, and 12 present the composition of residential curbside collected recyclables by collection District and by collection day. Collection Districts A and C have higher portions of NonRRFS materials than Collection District B (56.2 and 57.2 percent in Collection District A and C versus
47.2 percent in Collection District B).
In Collection District A, Tuesday and Thursday routes have higher portions of Non-RRFS materials (68.3 and 65.8 percent for Tuesday and Thursday versus 57.6, 52.5, and 49.2 percent for Monday, Wednesday, and Friday). In Collection District C, Wednesday routes had much higher portions of Non-RRFS materials than the remaining days of the week (65.3 percent on Wednesday versus between 47.4 and 58.8 percent for the remaining days).
For Collection District B, Tuesday and Thursday routes have higher portions of Non-RRFS materials (60.8 and 59.7 percent on Tuesday and Thursday, versus 53.5 percent on Monday and Friday and
55.7 percent on Wednesday).
Characterization of Residential Curbside Collected Recyclables www.scsengineers.com Summary of Results
11 Summary of Residential Curbside Collected Recyclables by Collection Day:
Collection District A
Collection District A
Material Type Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
Clean Newspaper 1.7% 0.7% 1.7% 1.2% 1.5%Clean OCC (Cardboard) 11.6% 9.0% 14.1% 6.6% 10.3%Clean Mixed Paper 9.5% 5.4% 10.5% 5.5% 8.5%Clean Aseptic & Poly-Coated Packaging 0.6% 0.4% 1.0% 0.5% 0.9%#1 PET Bottles and Containers 2.9% 2.4% 3.6% 2.5% 3.3%#2 HDPE Bottles and Containers 1.8% 2.1% 2.1% 2.4% 2.1%#3, #4, #5, #7 Bottles and Containers 1.5% 1.1% 1.3% 1.4% 1.4%Clean/Clear Plastic Bags and Other Film 0.6% 0.6% 0.7% 0.5% 0.8%Durable Plastic Items 1.7% 2.0% 2.3% 2.2% 1.6%Aluminum Beverage Cans 0.9% 0.4% 0.7% 0.6% 0.5%Aluminum Foil 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.1%Steel (Tin) Cans 0.9% 1.4% 0.9% 1.2% 1.4%Other Scrap Metal 1.5% 1.8% 1.2% 2.1% 2.9% Glass Recyclable Glass 7.2% 7.2% 4.4% 4.4% 7.4% 7.4% 7.5% 7.5% 5.4% 5.4% Contaminated Paper & Remainder / Composite Paper 23.3% 23.3% 24.4% 24.4% 20.6% 20.6% 21.9% 21.9% 25.1% 25.1% Remainder / Composite Plastic 1.0% 1.0% 1.6% 1.6% 1.0% 1.0% 1.0% 1.0% 0.5% 0.5%Remainder/Composite Metal 1.6% 1.6% 1.6% 1.6% 1.0% 1.0% 2.1% 2.1% 1.2% 1.2%Remainder/Composite Glass 0.4% 0.4% 0.8% 0.8% 0.4% 0.4% 0.5% 0.5% 0.3% 0.3%Textiles 1.6% 1.6% 2.3% 2.3% 2.5% 2.5% 4.1% 4.1% 2.2% 2.2%Organics 4.8% 4.8% 5.6% 5.6% 4.1% 4.1% 6.8% 6.8% 4.4% 4.4%Medical Waste 1.1% 1.1% 1.2% 1.2% 0.3% 0.3% 1.9% 1.9% 0.7% 0.7%Electronics 1.1% 1.1% 2.8% 2.8% 1.2% 1.2% 1.7% 1.7% 1.9% 1.9%HHW & Special Waste 0.4% 0.4% 1.7% 1.7% 0.4% 0.4% 0.3% 0.3% 0.8% 0.8%Other Materials 22.3% 22.3% 26.2% 26.2% 21.0% 21.0% 25.5% 25.5% 22.0% 22.0% Total 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% Based on 23 samples Based on 22 samples Based on 22 samples Based on 22 samples Based on 22 samples Plastic 40.8% 8.5% 8.2% 10.0% 9.0% 9.2%Metal Paper 23.3% 42.4% 15.6% 31.7% 27.3% 47.5% 13.8% 3.4% 3.6% 2.8% 3.9% 4.9% NON- Residential Recyclables
For Studies (NON RRFS) 57.6% 68.3% 52.5% 65.8%
34.2%
21.3%
Residential Recyclables For Studies (RRFS)
59.2%
Characterization of Residential Curbside Collected Recyclables www.scsengineers.com Summary of Results
12 Summary of Residential Curbside Collected Recyclables by Collection Day Collection District B
Collection District B
Material Type Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
Clean Newspaper 1.8% 1.2% 1.6% 1.4% 1.8%Clean OCC (Cardboard) 12.6% 10.6% 11.9% 10.7% 12.6%Clean Mixed Paper 10.7% 7.5% 9.6% 7.2% 10.7%Clean Aseptic & Poly-Coated Packaging 0.8% 0.7% 0.9% 0.6% 0.8%#1 PET Bottles and Containers 3.6% 3.3% 3.5% 3.1% 3.6%#2 HDPE Bottles and Containers 1.9% 1.9% 2.0% 2.1% 1.9%#3, #4, #5, #7 Bottles and Containers 1.5% 1.2% 1.4% 1.3% 1.5%Clean/Clear Plastic Bags and Other Film 0.6% 0.6% 0.8% 0.6% 0.6%Durable Plastic Items 1.6% 2.6% 2.1% 2.2% 1.6%Aluminum Beverage Cans 1.0% 0.8% 0.8% 0.8% 1.0%Aluminum Foil 0.1% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.1%Steel (Tin) Cans 1.0% 1.3% 1.2% 1.2% 1.0%Other Scrap Metal 1.8% 1.9% 1.4% 1.7% 1.8% Glass Recyclable Glass 7.4% 7.4% 5.6% 5.6% 7.2% 7.2% 7.3% 7.3% 7.4% 7.4% Contaminated Paper & Remainder / Composite Paper 21.3% 21.3% 22.6% 22.6% 21.0% 21.0% 21.1% 21.1% 21.3% 21.3% Remainder / Composite Plastic 1.0% 1.0% 1.1% 1.1% 1.0% 1.0% 0.9% 0.9% 1.0% 1.0%Remainder/Composite Metal 1.5% 1.5% 1.4% 1.4% 1.0% 1.0% 1.2% 1.2% 1.5% 1.5%Remainder/Composite Glass 0.2% 0.2% 0.5% 0.5% 0.3% 0.3% 0.4% 0.4% 0.2% 0.2%Textiles 2.1% 2.1% 2.3% 2.3% 2.9% 2.9% 3.0% 3.0% 2.1% 2.1%Organics 3.9% 3.9% 4.4% 4.4% 4.4% 4.4% 6.5% 6.5% 3.9% 3.9%Medical Waste 0.6% 0.6% 0.8% 0.8% 0.9% 0.9% 1.3% 1.3% 0.6% 0.6%Electronics 1.1% 1.1% 2.1% 2.1% 1.1% 1.1% 1.8% 1.8% 1.1% 1.1%HHW & Special Waste 0.5% 0.5% 1.5% 1.5% 0.4% 0.4% 0.4% 0.4% 0.5% 0.5%Other Materials 21.4% 21.4% 24.2% 24.2% 22.7% 22.7% 23.1% 23.1% 21.4% 21.4% Total 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% Based on 9 samples Based on 9 samples Based on 11 samples Based on 9 samples Based on 9 samples Residential Recyclables For Studies (RRFS)
Paper 25.9%
46.5%
19.9%
39.2%
23.9%
44.3%
20.0%
53.5%
3.9% 4.0% 3.4% 3.8% 3.9%
NON- Residential Recyclables
For Studies (NON RRFS) 53.5% 60.8% 55.7% 59.7%
40.3%
25.9%
Plastic 46.5% 9.3% 9.7% 9.8% 9.3% 9.3%Metal
Characterization of Residential Curbside Collected Recyclables www.scsengineers.com Summary of Results
13 Summary of Residential Curbside Collected Recyclables by Collection Day Collection District C
Collection District C
Material Type Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
Clean Newspaper 1.6% 1.5% 0.7% 1.1% 2.8%Clean OCC (Cardboard) 10.9% 12.3% 9.4% 14.4% 16.3%Clean Mixed Paper 9.5% 7.8% 7.1% 8.3% 14.0%Clean Aseptic & Poly-Coated Packaging 0.7% 0.8% 0.6% 0.7% 0.8%#1 PET Bottles and Containers 3.5% 3.2% 3.0% 3.2% 3.6%#2 HDPE Bottles and Containers 1.7% 1.5% 1.8% 1.6% 1.8%#3, #4, #5, #7 Bottles and Containers 1.2% 1.1% 1.3% 1.0% 1.3%Clean/Clear Plastic Bags and Other Film 0.4% 0.6% 0.9% 0.7% 0.8%Durable Plastic Items 1.5% 4.1% 2.3% 2.1% 1.4%Aluminum Beverage Cans 1.0% 0.9% 0.6% 1.0% 0.8%Aluminum Foil 0.1% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%Steel (Tin) Cans 1.0% 1.0% 1.4% 1.2% 1.3%Other Scrap Metal 2.3% 2.2% 1.4% 1.5% 1.6% Glass Recyclable Glass 6.2% 6.2% 4.1% 4.1% 4.2% 4.2% 7.0% 7.0% 6.0% 6.0% Contaminated Paper & Remainder / Composite Paper 24.1% 24.1% 24.0% 24.0% 23.0% 23.0% 21.0% 21.0% 20.7% 20.7% Remainder / Composite Plastic 0.8% 0.8% 0.5% 0.5% 1.0% 1.0% 1.1% 1.1% 0.3% 0.3%Remainder/Composite Metal 1.7% 1.7% 1.6% 1.6% 1.5% 1.5% 0.7% 0.7% 0.6% 0.6%Remainder/Composite Glass 0.1% 0.1% 0.1% 0.1% 0.3% 0.3% 0.3% 0.3% 0.1% 0.1%Textiles 3.0% 3.0% 1.9% 1.9% 4.9% 4.9% 1.6% 1.6% 1.5% 1.5%Organics 2.7% 2.7% 3.1% 3.1% 4.2% 4.2% 5.6% 5.6% 1.8% 1.8%Medical Waste 0.1% 0.1% 0.4% 0.4% 1.3% 1.3% 1.0% 1.0% 0.6% 0.6%Electronics 1.0% 1.0% 1.2% 1.2% 1.0% 1.0% 2.3% 2.3% 2.7% 2.7%HHW & Special Waste 0.8% 0.8% 1.7% 1.7% 0.4% 0.4% 0.6% 0.6% 0.1% 0.1%Other Materials 24.1% 24.1% 24.3% 24.3% 27.7% 27.7% 21.7% 21.7% 19.1% 19.1% Total 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% Based on 16 samples Based on 16 samples Based on 16 samples Based on 16 samples Based on 16 samples Plastic 52.6% 8.4% 10.6% 9.3% 8.7% 9.0%Metal Paper 22.6% 41.6% 22.4% 41.2% 17.8% 34.7% 24.6% 4.4% 4.2% 3.4% 3.7% 3.8% NON- Residential Recyclables
For Studies (NON RRFS) 58.4% 58.8% 65.3% 56.0%
44.0%
33.8%
Residential Recyclables For Studies (RRFS)
47.4%
Characterization of Residential Curbside Collected Recyclables www.scsengineers.com Summary of Results
14 Proportion of Major RRFS Classifications and Non-RRFS Materials by Collection Day for Collection District A
Proportion of Major RRFS Classifications and Non-RRFS Materials by Collection Day for Collection District B
Characterization of Residential Curbside Collected Recyclables www.scsengineers.com Summary of Results
15 Proportion of Major RRFS Classifications and Non-RRFS Materials by Collection Day for Collection District C
A summary of individual sample weights, the weight of RRFS materials in each sample, and the proportion of RRFS materials in each sample is provided in Appendix A.
Characterization of Residential Curbside Collected Recyclables www.scsengineers.com Summary of Results
16 4 COMPARISON TO 2020 STUDY
CITYWIDE
Exhibits 16 and 17 present a comparison of the citywide residential curbside inbound recycling composition between 2022 and 2020. Comparing results of the 2020 study to the current 2022 study, found:
Significantly less RRFS (from 49.0 percent in 2020 to 43.2 percent in 2022), mainly due to:
o Significantly less Clean OCC (from 15.9 percent in 2020 to 11.7 percent in 2022) o Significantly less Clean Mixed Paper (from 10.7 percent in 2020 to 9.1 percent in 2020)
o Significantly less Recyclable Glass (from 9.0 percent in 2020 to 6.7 percent in 2020)
Significantly more Non-RRFS (from 51.0 percent in 2020 to 56.8 percent in 2020), mainly from:
o Significantly More Contaminated Paper (from 13.2 percent in 2020 to 21.9 percent in 2020)
Citywide 2022 vs 2020
Characterization of Residential Curbside Collected Recyclables www.scsengineers.com Summary of Results
17 Comparison of Citywide Residential Curbside Collected Recyclables Citywide - All Collection Districts
Mean Composition
2022 (Current) Study 2020 Study
Clean Newspaper 1.6% 1.8%
Clean OCC (Cardboard) 11.7% 15.9%
Clean Mixed Paper 9.1% 10.7%
Clean Aseptic & Poly-Coated Packaging 0.8% 0.7%
#1 PET Bottles and Containers 3.4% 2.9%
#2 HDPE Bottles and Containers 2.0% 1.9%
#3, #4, #5, #7 Bottles and Containers 1.4% 1.2%
Clean/Clear Plastic Bags and Other Film 0.7% 0.2%
Durable Plastic Items 2.0% 1.1%
Aluminum Beverage Cans 0.8% 0.7%
Aluminum Foil 0.0% 0.1%
Steel (Tin) Cans 1.2% 1.2%
Other Scrap Metal 1.8% 1.6%
Glass Recyclable Glass 6.7% 6.7% 9.0% 9.0%
Contaminated Paper & Remainder / Composite Paper 21.9% 21.9% 13.2% 13.2% Remainder / Composite Plastic 0.9% 0.9% 1.5% 1.5%
Remainder/Composite Metal 1.2% 1.2% 2.3% 2.3%
Remainder/Composite Glass 0.3% 0.3% 0.3% 0.3%
Textiles 2.4% 2.4% 1.8% 1.8%
Organics 4.5% 4.5% 5.5% 5.5%
Medical Waste 0.9% 0.9% 0.9% 0.9%
Electronics 1.6% 1.6% 0.9% 0.9%
HHW & Special Waste 0.7% 0.7% 0.8% 0.8%
Other Materials 22.5% 22.5% 23.9% 23.9%
Total 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%
Note: Composition based on: 238 samples in 2022 216 samples in 2020
51.0%
Material Type
29.2%
49.0%
7.3%
3.5%
NON- Residential Recyclables
For Studies (NON RRFS)
56.8%
Residential Recyclables For Studies (RRFS)
Paper
23.1%
43.2%
Plastic
9.5%
Metal
3.9%
Characterization of Residential Curbside Collected Recyclables www.scsengineers.com Summary of Results
18 COLLECTION DISTRICT A
Exhibits 18 and 19 present a comparison of the Collection District A residential curbside inbound recycling composition between 2022 and 2020. Comparing results of the 2020 study to the current 2022 study, found:
Less RRFS (from 44.5 percent in 2020 to 42.8 percent in 2022), mainly due to:
o Less Clean OCC (from 15.6 percent in 2020 to 11.6 percent in 2022) More Non-RRFS (from 55.5 percent in 2020 to 56.2 percent in 2020), mainly from:
o More Contaminated Paper (from 13.6 percent in 2020 to 21.6 percent in 2020) Collection District A 2022 vs 2020
Characterization of Residential Curbside Collected Recyclables www.scsengineers.com Summary of Results
19 Comparison of Collection District A
Residential Curbside Collected Recyclables
CWS MRF - Collection District A
Mean Composition
2022 (Current) Study 2020 Study
Clean Newspaper 1.7% 1.3%
Clean OCC (Cardboard) 11.6% 15.6%
Clean Mixed Paper 9.0% 9.6%
Clean Aseptic & Poly-Coated Packaging 0.8% 0.7%
#1 PET Bottles and Containers 3.6% 2.5%
#2 HDPE Bottles and Containers 1.9% 1.9%
#3, #4, #5, #7 Bottles and Containers 1.4% 1.1%
Clean/Clear Plastic Bags and Other Film 0.7% 0.2%
Durable Plastic Items 2.2% 1.0%
Aluminum Beverage Cans 0.9% 0.5%
Aluminum Foil 0.1% 0.1%
Steel (Tin) Cans 1.2% 1.1%
Other Scrap Metal 1.8% 1.4%
Glass Recyclable Glass 6.9% 6.9% 7.3% 7.3%
Contaminated Paper & Remainder / Composite Paper 21.6% 21.6% 13.6% 13.6% Remainder / Composite Plastic 1.1% 1.1% 1.8% 1.8%
Remainder/Composite Metal 1.2% 1.2% 2.9% 2.9%
Remainder/Composite Glass 0.3% 0.3% 0.1% 0.1%
Textiles 2.5% 2.5% 1.6% 1.6%
Organics 4.6% 4.6% 6.3% 6.3%
Medical Waste 0.8% 0.8% 1.0% 1.0%
Electronics 1.6% 1.6% 0.8% 0.8%
HHW & Special Waste 0.9% 0.9% 0.5% 0.5%
Other Materials 21.7% 21.7% 26.9% 26.9%
Total 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%
Note: Composition based on: 111 samples in 2022 102 samples in 2020 Material Type NON- Residential Recyclables For Studies (NON RRFS)
56.2%
Residential Recyclables For Studies (RRFS)
Paper
23.1%
43.8%
Plastic
9.9%
Metal
3.9%
27.2%
44.5%
6.8%
3.1%
55.5%
Characterization of Residential Curbside Collected Recyclables www.scsengineers.com Summary of Results
20 COLLECTION DISTRICT B
Exhibits 20 and 21 present a comparison of the Collection District B residential curbside inbound recycling composition between 2022 and 2020. Comparing results of the 2020 study to the current 2022 study, found:
Less RRFS (from 55.5 percent in 2020 to 52.8 percent in 2022), mainly due to:
o Less Clean OCC (from 15.1 percent in 2020 to 13.4 percent in 2022) More Non-RRFS (from 55.5 percent in 2020 to 56.2 percent in 2020), mainly from:
o More Contaminated Paper (from 13.6 percent in 2020 to 21.6 percent in 2020) Collection District B 2022 vs 2020
Characterization of Residential Curbside Collected Recyclables www.scsengineers.com Summary of Results
21 Comparison of Collection District B
Residential Curbside Collected Recyclables
Greenwaste MRF - Collection District B
Mean Composition
2022 (Current) Study 2020 Study
Clean Newspaper 2.2% 2.6%
Clean OCC (Cardboard) 13.4% 15.1%
Clean Mixed Paper 11.4% 11.3%
Clean Aseptic & Poly-Coated Packaging 1.0% 1.0%
#1 PET Bottles and Containers 4.7% 3.3%
#2 HDPE Bottles and Containers 2.1% 2.0%
#3, #4, #5, #7 Bottles and Containers 1.8% 1.4%
Clean/Clear Plastic Bags and Other Film 0.8% 0.3%
Durable Plastic Items 1.8% 1.2%
Aluminum Beverage Cans 1.3% 0.9%
Aluminum Foil 0.1% 0.1%
Steel (Tin) Cans 1.2% 1.4%
Other Scrap Metal 1.7% 1.9%
Glass Recyclable Glass 9.3% 9.3% 13.2% 13.2%
Contaminated Paper & Remainder / Composite Paper 17.9% 17.9% 12.9% 12.9% Remainder / Composite Plastic 0.9% 0.9% 0.7% 0.7%
Remainder/Composite Metal 0.3% 0.3% 2.0% 2.0%
Remainder/Composite Glass 0.2% 0.2% 0.3% 0.3%
Textiles 1.9% 1.9% 2.0% 2.0%
Organics 4.8% 4.8% 4.7% 4.7%
Medical Waste 0.8% 0.8% 1.1% 1.1%
Electronics 1.3% 1.3% 0.8% 0.8%
HHW & Special Waste 0.4% 0.4% 1.9% 1.9%
Other Materials 18.7% 18.7% 18.1% 18.1%
Total 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%
Note: Composition based on: 47 samples in 2022 46 samples in 2020
52.8%
Plastic
11.2%
Metal
4.2%
Residential Recyclables For Studies (RRFS)
Paper
28.0%
Material Type
29.9%
55.5%
8.2%
4.2%
44.5%
NON- Residential Recyclables
For Studies (NON RRFS)
47.2%
Characterization of Residential Curbside Collected Recyclables www.scsengineers.com Summary of Results
22 COLLECTION DISTRICT C
Exhibits 22 and 23 present a comparison of the Collection District C residential curbside inbound recycling composition between 2022 and 2020. Comparing results of the 2020 study to the current 2022 study, found:
Significantly less RRFS (from 51.3 percent in 2020 to 42.8 percent in 2022), mainly due to:
o Significantly less Clean OCC (from 17.1 percent in 2020 to 12.6 percent in 2022) o Significantly less Clean Mixed Paper (from 12.0 percent in 2020 to 9.3 percent in 2020)
o Significantly less Recyclable Glass (from 8.7 percent in 2020 to 5.5 percent in 2020)
Significantly more Non-RRFS (from 48.7 percent in 2020 to 57.2 percent in 2020), mainly from:
o Significantly more Contaminated Paper (from 12.8 percent in 2020 to 22.6 percent in 2020)
Collection District C 2022 vs 2020
Characterization of Residential Curbside Collected Recyclables www.scsengineers.com Summary of Results
23 Comparison of Collection District C
Residential Curbside Collected Recyclables
CWS MRF - Collection District C
Mean Composition
2022 (Current) Study 2020 Study
Clean Newspaper 1.5% 2.0%
Clean OCC (Cardboard) 12.6% 17.1%
Clean Mixed Paper 9.3% 12.0%
Clean Aseptic & Poly-Coated Packaging 0.7% 0.7%
#1 PET Bottles and Containers 3.3% 3.3%
#2 HDPE Bottles and Containers 1.7% 1.7%
#3, #4, #5, #7 Bottles and Containers 1.2% 1.2%
Clean/Clear Plastic Bags and Other Film 0.7% 0.3%
Durable Plastic Items 2.3% 1.0%
Aluminum Beverage Cans 0.9% 0.8%
Aluminum Foil 0.0% 0.1%
Steel (Tin) Cans 1.2% 1.1%
Other Scrap Metal 1.8% 1.5%
Glass Recyclable Glass 5.5% 5.5% 8.7% 8.7%
Contaminated Paper & Remainder / Composite Paper 22.6% 22.6% 12.8% 12.8% Remainder / Composite Plastic 0.7% 0.7% 1.5% 1.5%
Remainder/Composite Metal 1.2% 1.2% 1.5% 1.5%
Remainder/Composite Glass 0.2% 0.2% 0.7% 0.7%
Textiles 2.6% 2.6% 1.9% 1.9%
Organics 3.5% 3.5% 4.7% 4.7%
Medical Waste 0.7% 0.7% 0.5% 0.5%
Electronics 1.6% 1.6% 1.1% 1.1%
HHW & Special Waste 0.7% 0.7% 0.6% 0.6%
Other Materials 23.4% 23.4% 23.5% 23.5%
Total 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%
Note: Composition based on: 80 samples in 2022 68 samples in 2020
48.7%
NON- Residential Recyclables
For Studies (NON RRFS)
57.2%
31.7%
51.3%
7.4%
3.5%
Material Type Residential Recyclables For Studies (RRFS) Paper
24.2%
42.8%
Plastic
9.2%
Metal
3.9%
Characterization of Residential Curbside Collected Recyclables www.scsengineers.com Summary of Results
24 5 ASSESSMENT OF MSW COLLECTION PILOT PROGRAM
The San José Environmental Services Department is conducting a pilot program to assess improvements in recycling quality (reduced contamination) when residents have greater disposal capacity without additional cost or fees. The pilot program is targeting just over 4,600 single-family homes along five collection routes.
Recycling contamination worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic, as San José residents spent more time at home and generated more waste. While the amount of garbage increased during this time, the City did not see an increase in residents’ requests for larger garbage carts, which means some residents likely placed extra garbage in their recycling carts. Even though the City’s Environmental Services Department encourages residents to upsize to a larger garbage cart when needed (or purchase Extra Garbage Stickers for occasional use when they have more garbage than their cart can handle), it is believed that service costs for larger carts and stickers may deter residents from utilizing these services. Hence, excess garbage gets placed where capacity exists in the recycling cart.
During the last week of the inbound residential curbside recycling characterization study, SCS targeted the pilot program routes for sampling. Exhibit 24 presents the composition of the sampled pilot program routes graphically. Exhibit 25 presents a summary of sample results Composition of Pilot Program Route Samples
Note: 1. RRFS represented by Teal shades; Non-RRFS represented by Rust shades
2. Remainder Non-RRFS materials include Textiles, Medical Waste, Remainder/Composite Glass, Electronics, Remainder/Composite Plastic, Remainder/Composite Metal, and HHW & Special Waste Characterization of Residential Curbside Collected Recyclables www.scsengineers.com Summary of Results
25 Summary Composition of Pilot Program Route Samples
Pilot Program Routes
Material Type
Monday
Route 102
District A
Monday
Route 102
District A
Tuesday
Route 208
District A
Wednesday
Route 346
District C
Thursday
Route 413
District A
Friday
Route 543
District C
Clean Newspaper 2.5% 2.8% 0.4% 0.5% 0.6% 0.9%Clean OCC (Cardboard) 16.2% 10.3% 13.2% 9.9% 10.6% 17.2%Clean Mixed Paper 14.6% 9.0% 7.3% 8.1% 7.1% 7.8%Clean Aseptic & Poly-Coated Packaging 0.2% 0.6% 0.2% 0.5% 0.4% 1.1%#1 PET Bottles and Containers 2.6% 3.3% 1.2% 3.6% 1.8% 3.2%#2 HDPE Bottles and Containers 0.5% 2.0% 1.2% 3.6% 2.3% 2.9%#3, #4, #5, #7 Bottles and Containers 0.6% 1.8% 0.5% 1.3% 1.0% 1.2%Clean/Clear Plastic Bags and Other Film 0.5% 0.3% 0.5% 0.9% 1.1% 0.9%Durable Plastic Items 0.5% 2.1% 1.3% 1.4% 8.7% 1.0%Aluminum Beverage Cans 1.3% 0.6% 0.1% 0.3% 0.4% 0.8%Aluminum Foil 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.1% 0.0%Steel (Tin) Cans 0.6% 1.2% 1.1% 1.9% 1.2% 2.4%Other Scrap Metal 1.1% 1.5% 0.6% 2.5% 3.9% 0.3% Glass Recyclable Glass 7.5% 7.5% 2.3% 2.3% 5.1% 5.1% 5.9% 5.9% 7.0% 7.0% 2.5% 2.5% Contaminated Paper & Remainder / Composite Paper 25.9% 25.9% 22.4% 22.4% 31.1% 31.1% 28.4% 28.4% 16.4% 16.4% 27.5% 27.5% Remainder / Composite Plastic 0.8% 0.8% 0.2% 0.2% 0.3% 0.3% 0.1% 0.1% 0.2% 0.2% 0.5% 0.5%Remainder/Composite Metal 0.0% 0.0% 0.3% 0.3% 0.0% 0.0% 0.2% 0.2% 1.2% 1.2% 0.1% 0.1%Remainder/Composite Glass 0.7% 0.7% 0.0% 0.0% 8.3% 8.3% 0.3% 0.3% 0.1% 0.1% 0.0% 0.0%Textiles 1.4% 1.4% 2.3% 2.3% 1.4% 1.4% 3.7% 3.7% 2.1% 2.1% 0.5% 0.5%Organics 2.5% 2.5% 2.1% 2.1% 2.2% 2.2% 5.5% 5.5% 6.4% 6.4% 4.6% 4.6%Medical Waste 0.2% 0.2% 0.5% 0.5% 0.9% 0.9% 3.1% 3.1% 0.3% 0.3% 6.0% 6.0%Electronics 0.0% 0.0% 0.2% 0.2% 0.6% 0.6% 0.0% 0.0% 5.6% 5.6% 0.1% 0.1%HHW & Special Waste 0.0% 0.0% 0.2% 0.2% 0.3% 0.3% 0.0% 0.0% 0.6% 0.6% 0.0% 0.0%Other Materials 19.7% 19.7% 34.0% 34.0% 22.0% 22.0% 18.3% 18.3% 20.8% 20.8% 18.4% 18.4% Total 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%
Sampled 9/19/22 Sampled 10/24/22 Sampled 10/25/22 Sampled 10/26/22 Sampled 10/27/22 Sampled 10/28/22
57.7%
3.0% 1.9% 4.7% 5.5% 3.5%
NON- Residential Recyclables
For Studies (NON RRFS) 51.2% 67.2% 59.6% 53.9%
46.1%
27.0%
Plastic 42.3% 4.7% 4.7% 10.7% 14.9% 9.3%Metal
Residential Recyclables For Studies (RRFS)
Paper 33.5%
48.8%
21.1%
32.8%
19.1%
40.4%
18.7%
62.2%
9.5%
22.7%
37.8%
3.3%
Characterization of Residential Curbside Collected Recyclables www.scsengineers.com Summary of Results
26 When comparing results of the pilot program routes to the average of all residential curbside routes, there are a variety of outcomes:
Route 102 (sampled 9/19/2022) and Route 413 are have significantly higher portions of RRFS (48.8 and 46.1 percent, respectively) than the average citywide portion of RRFS (43.2 percent)
Routes 102 (sampled 10/24/2022), 208, and 346 have significantly lower portions of RRFS (37.8, 32.8, and 40.4 percent, respectively) than the average citywide portion of RRFS (43.2 percent)
Route 543 has slightly higher portions of RRFS than citywide, but not significantly (42.3 percent versus 43.2 percent).
However, even though the composition of the pilot program routes do not wholly show higher portions of RRFS than citywide results, they do consistently show higher portions of RRFS when compared to results of the same route in 2020. Additionally, they show higher portions of RRFS when compared to other routes collected in the same collection district and the same collection day.
The portion of RRFS in each of the pilot program routes from the 2022 study was compared to its corresponding portion of RRFS from the 2022 study. The difference between the 2022 result and the 2020 result was called the “Improvement”. A negative “Improvement” means a decline in RRFS in 2022. Exhibit 26 presents a comparison of pilot program routes to corresponding 2020 routes and a comparison to average collection district and collection day RRFS from 2022.
Comparison of Pilot Program Routes to 2020 Results, and 2022 Collection District and Collection Day Averages
2020 Study
102 A Monday 911 36.5% 43.3% * 6.8%
All District A Monday Routes 1,002 51.3% 42.4% -8.9%
All District A Routes 947 44.5% 43.8% -0.7%
208 A Tuesday 852 26.9% 32.8% 5.9%
All District A Tuesday Routes 913 33.6% 31.7% -1.8%
All District A Routes 947 44.5% 43.8% -0.7%
346 C Wednesday 1,065 17.8% 40.4% 22.7%
All District C Wednesday Routes 838 43.6% 34.7% -8.9%
All District C Routes 882 51.3% 42.8% -8.5%
413 A Thursday 927 31.1% 46.1% 15.1%
All District A Thursday Routes 943 42.0% 34.2% -7.8%
All District A Routes 947 44.5% 43.8% -0.7%
543 C Friday 878 12.7% 42.3% 29.6%
All District C Friday Routes 867 57.2% 52.6% -4.7%
All District C Routes 882 51.3% 42.8% -8.5%
* 2022 results for Route 102 collected on 9/19/2022 and 10/24/2022 are averaged.
Pilot Route
2022 Study
RRFS Percent Improvement
(2020 to 2022)
Average
Number of
Setouts
(2022)
Collection
Day District
Characterization of Residential Curbside Collected Recyclables www.scsengineers.com Summary of Results
27 The RRFS portion in all of the sampled pilot program route samples in 2022 exceeded the RRFS portion in the corresponding route in 2020. In contrast, comparing average RRFS percent by collection district and collection day, there is consistently a decrease in RRFS portions in 2022 when compared to 2020. Hence, the pilot program routes show an improvement in 2022 even though corresponding comparisons by collection district and collection day show a decline in RRFS.
The “improvement” was calculated for each collection route by comparing the 2022 RRFS portion to the corresponding 2020 RRFS portion for each of the 212 routes measured in 2020 (note that all 235 routes were sampled in 2022 but 90 percent of routes were sampled in 2020). As presented in Exhibit 27, 37 percent of collection routes improved in 2022 (had higher portions of RRFS in 2022), but 63 percent of collection routes declined (had lower portions of RRFS in 2022).
Summary of RRFS Portion Comparison by Facility and Route MRF
Number of
Routes per
Week
Number of Samples
With HIGHER
RRFS in 2022
With LOWER
RRFS in 2022 Total
CWS 190 59 109 168
GreenWaste 45 19 25 44
Total 235 78
36.8%
134
63.2% 212
Note: The 2020 study sampled 90% of the 235 routes (212 routes)
Each route comparison was tabulated and ordered from least improvement (greatest decline) to highest improvement. Exhibit 28 graphically presents the improvement of all 212 collection routes in 2022. While only 78 out of 212 collection routes improved (had greater portions of RRFS in 2022), all five of the pilot program routes showed improvement. The pilot program route improvements are highlighted in pink in Exhibit 28.
Characterization of Residential Curbside Collected Recyclables www.scsengineers.com Summary of Results
28 Summary of All Collection Route Improvements
Characterization of Residential Curbside Collected Recyclables www.scsengineers.com Summary of Results
A-1
Appendix A
Weight and Proportion of RRFS Materials per Sample
Hauler Sample
Number Route Collection Day
Date
Acquired
Time
Acquired
Total Sample
Weight (lbs)
RRFS Portion
(lbs)
Non-RRFS
Portion (lbs) %RRFS
GW 1 1 Mon 9/12/2022 9:35 252.42 109.32 143.10 43.3%
GW 2 2 Mon 9/12/2022 9:40 229.82 163.14 66.68 71.0%
GW 3 4 Mon 9/12/2022 9:55 196.08 130.78 65.30 66.7%
GW 4 1 Mon 9/12/2022 9:50 154.48 90.90 63.58 58.8%
GW 5 7 Mon 9/12/2022 10:20 193.88 142.04 51.84 73.3%
GW 6 5 Mon 9/12/2022 10:50 214.60 143.86 70.74 67.0%
GW 7 condo Mon 9/12/2022 11:10 159.16 117.12 42.04 73.6% GW 8 3 Mon 9/12/2022 13:50 217.06 136.02 81.04 62.7%
GW 9 8 Mon 9/12/2022 14:20 153.10 112.24 40.86 73.3%
GW 10 2 Tue 9/13/2022 9:19 184.24 98.24 86.00 53.3%
GW 11 6 Tue 9/13/2022 9:50 181.82 120.00 61.82 66.0%
GW 12 7 Tue 9/13/2022 9:53 157.74 76.16 81.58 48.3%
GW 13 1 Tue 9/13/2022 10:07 169.22 105.78 63.44 62.5%
GW 14 3 Tue 9/13/2022 10:19 196.55 133.67 62.88 68.0%
GW 15 5 Tue 9/13/2022 10:47 183.47 139.34 44.13 75.9%
GW 16 4 Tue 9/13/2022 11:17 197.94 100.42 97.52 50.7%
GW 17 8 Tue 9/13/2022 11:30 161.38 34.42 126.96 21.3%
GW 18 condo Tue 9/13/2022 12:00 217.04 86.36 130.68 39.8% GW 19 6 Wed 9/14/2022 9:13 170.18 107.26 62.92 63.0%
GW 20 1 Wed 9/14/2022 9:40 183.94 69.68 114.26 37.9%
GW 21 2 Wed 9/14/2022 10:12 193.03 97.54 95.49 50.5%
GW 22 3 Wed 9/14/2022 10:15 209.10 83.86 125.24 40.1%
GW 23 7 Wed 9/14/2022 10:27 184.44 82.50 101.94 44.7%
GW 24 4 Wed 9/14/2022 10:43 152.69 70.33 82.36 46.1%
GW 25 8 Wed 9/14/2022 11:09 197.56 105.24 92.32 53.3%
GW 26 5 Wed 9/14/2022 12:40 202.62 121.22 81.40 59.8%
GW 27 condo Wed 9/14/2022 12:50 197.14 88.54 108.60 44.9% GW 28 6 Wed 9/14/2022 1:00 175.46 114.74 60.72 65.4%
GW 29 4 Wed 9/14/2022 3:40 183.22 118.92 64.30 64.9%
GW 30 2 Thu 9/15/2022 8:46 192.60 83.18 109.42 43.2%
GW 31 6 Thu 9/15/2022 9:17 162.94 76.58 86.36 47.0%
GW 32 3 Thu 9/15/2022 9:46 173.69 117.44 56.25 67.6%
GW 33 1 Thu 9/15/2022 10:06 164.00 96.00 68.00 58.5%
GW 34 7 Thu 9/15/2022 10:08 174.56 94.92 79.64 54.4%
GW 35 5 Thu 9/15/2022 10:24 193.16 26.32 166.84 13.6%
GW 36 8 Thu 9/15/2022 10:55 172.88 136.66 36.22 79.0%
GW 37 4 Thu 9/15/2022 11:16 166.16 83.76 82.40 50.4%
GW 38 condo Thu 9/15/2022 0:48 157.87 38.19 119.68 24.2% GW 39 2 Fri 9/16/2022 9:34 205.82 79.60 126.22 38.7%
GW 40 1 Fri 9/16/2022 9:50 167.64 59.64 108.00 35.6%
GW 41 3 Fri 9/16/2022 9:58 189.42 78.04 111.38 41.2%
GW 42 5 Fri 9/16/2022 10:33 173.58 86.18 87.40 49.6%
GW 43 condo Fri 9/16/2022 10:42 166.71 60.36 106.35 36.2% GW 44 8 Fri 9/16/2022 10:50 189.00 116.12 72.88 61.4%
GW 45 4 Fri 9/16/2022 11:02 172.46 107.02 65.44 62.1%
GW 46 6 Fri 9/16/2022 11:48 175.18 51.08 124.10 29.2%
GW 47 7 Fri 9/16/2022 12:19 190.62 81.48 109.14 42.7%
CWS 1 501 Fri 9/16/2022 181.20 48.36 132.84 26.7%
CWS 2 545 Fri 9/16/2022 221.82 105.32 116.50 47.5%
CWS 3 508 Fri 9/16/2022 175.40 81.38 94.02 46.4%
Characterization of Residential Curbside Collected Recyclables www.scsengineers.com Summary of Results
A-2
Hauler Sample
Number Route Collection
Day
Date
Acquired
Time
Acquired
Total Sample
Weight (lbs)
RRFS Portion
(lbs)
Non-RRFS
Portion (lbs) %RRFS
CWS 4 146 Mon 9/19/2022 168.86 59.08 109.78 35.0%
CWS 5 120 Mon 9/19/2022 193.44 48.70 144.74 25.2%
CWS 6 112 Mon 9/19/2022 174.96 47.58 127.38 27.2%
CWS 7 103 Mon 9/19/2022 231.58 126.02 105.56 54.4%
CWS 8 102 Mon 9/19/2022 181.30 88.48 92.82 48.8%
CWS 9 140 Mon 9/19/2022 242.59 91.13 151.46 37.6%
CWS 10 109 Mon 9/19/2022 176.26 43.10 133.16 24.5%
CWS 11 144 Mon 9/19/2022 162.54 49.94 112.60 30.7%
CWS 12 104 Mon 9/19/2022 183.04 69.72 113.32 38.1%
CWS 13 212 Tue 9/20/2022 7:40 187.99 72.93 115.06 38.8% CWS 14 205 Tue 9/20/2022 9:02 172.04 84.06 87.98 48.9%
CWS 15 210 Tue 9/20/2022 9:52 178.84 54.28 124.56 30.4% CWS 16 213 Tue 9/20/2022 10:15 182.92 57.22 125.70 31.3% CWS 17 232 Tue 9/20/2022 10:20 169.52 70.66 98.86 41.7% CWS 18 204 Tue 9/20/2022 10:45 167.29 38.76 128.53 23.2% CWS 19 217 Tue 9/20/2022 12:09 184.32 95.76 88.56 52.0% CWS 20 234 Tue 9/20/2022 12:31 161.46 31.82 129.64 19.7% CWS 21 218 Tue 9/20/2022 13:09 178.72 65.68 113.04 36.8% CWS 22 244 Tue 9/20/2022 14:30 187.39 61.85 125.54 33.0% CWS 23 211 Tue 9/20/2022 7:12 183.42 59.42 124.00 32.4% CWS 24 320 Wed 9/21/2022 8:31 186.09 114.57 71.52 61.6% CWS 25 343 Wed 9/21/2022 10:00 197.40 55.16 142.24 27.9% CWS 26 331 Wed 9/21/2022 10:23 205.98 101.58 104.40 49.3% CWS 27 340 Wed 9/21/2022 10:30 177.90 58.28 119.62 32.8% CWS 28 345 Wed 9/21/2022 11:02 157.22 39.66 117.56 25.2% CWS 29 344 Wed 9/21/2022 11:18 194.14 87.86 106.28 45.3% CWS 30 316 Wed 9/21/2022 11:28 191.32 97.48 93.84 51.0% CWS 31 302 Wed 9/21/2022 11:49 164.40 64.28 100.12 39.1% CWS 32 313 Wed 9/21/2022 12:06 173.82 33.72 140.10 19.4% CWS 33 307 Wed 9/21/2022 12:51 177.78 81.32 96.46 45.7% CWS 34 304 Wed 9/21/2022 13:27 169.12 63.40 105.72 37.5% CWS 35 412 Thu 9/22/2022 8:49 190.78 37.61 153.17 19.7% CWS 36 406 Thu 9/22/2022 9:25 206.82 56.44 150.38 27.3% CWS 37 403 Thu 9/22/2022 9:46 187.78 68.30 119.48 36.4% CWS 38 433 Thu 9/22/2022 10:21 149.00 94.18 54.82 63.2% CWS 39 435 Thu 9/22/2022 11:00 186.03 82.94 103.09 44.6% CWS 40 437 Thu 9/29/2022 10:53 186.05 117.15 68.90 63.0% CWS 41 405 Thu 9/29/2022 12:20 177.66 49.42 128.24 27.8% CWS 42 443 Thu 9/29/2022 12:50 176.24 44.82 131.42 25.4% CWS 43 404 Thu 9/29/2022 14:10 176.83 41.43 135.40 23.4% CWS 44 422 Thu 9/29/2022 15:32 175.18 69.28 105.90 39.5% CWS 45 517 Fri 9/30/2022 10:04 198.88 48.96 149.92 24.6% CWS 46 502 Fri 9/30/2022 10:15 191.12 38.60 152.52 20.2% CWS 47 538 Fri 9/30/2022 10:33 184.40 65.38 119.02 35.5% CWS 48 519 Fri 9/30/2022 10:51 181.70 46.84 134.86 25.8% CWS 49 539 Fri 9/30/2022 11:05 176.87 103.85 73.02 58.7% CWS 50 509 Fri 9/30/2022 11:22 189.78 110.48 79.30 58.2% CWS 51 505 Fri 9/30/2022 12:15 178.73 78.85 99.88 44.1% CWS 52 544 Fri 9/30/2022 12:28 174.20 95.90 78.30 55.1% Characterization of Residential Curbside Collected Recyclables www.scsengineers.com Summary of Results
A-3
Hauler Sample
Number Route Collection Day
Date
Acquired
Time
Acquired
Total Sample
Weight (lbs)
RRFS Portion
(lbs)
Non-RRFS
Portion (lbs) %RRFS
CWS 53 522 Fri 9/30/2022 12:47 173.56 60.48 113.08 34.8% CWS 54 520 Fri 9/30/2022 13:27 174.64 59.22 115.42 33.9% CWS 55 511 Fri 9/30/2022 13:47 185.24 56.24 129.00 30.4% CWS 56 101 Mon 10/3/2022 9:10 176.98 80.06 96.92 45.2%
CWS 57 107 Mon 10/3/2022 9:59 181.88 53.40 128.48 29.4% CWS 58 138 Mon 10/3/2022 10:07 198.22 66.54 131.68 33.6% CWS 59 110 Mon 10/3/2022 10:32 183.66 53.48 130.18 29.1% CWS 60 113 Mon 10/3/2022 10:49 177.12 26.16 150.96 14.8% CWS 61 143 Mon 10/3/2022 11:03 197.53 88.60 108.93 44.9% CWS 62 118 Mon 10/3/2022 11:34 165.42 64.94 100.48 39.3% CWS 63 108 Mon 10/3/2022 12:54 177.05 109.78 67.27 62.0% CWS 64 106 Mon 10/3/2022 13:49 162.78 103.60 59.18 63.6% CWS 65 111 Mon 10/3/2022 13:53 155.47 93.97 61.50 60.4% CWS 66 202 Tue 10/4/2022 7:43 194.68 59.24 135.44 30.4% CWS 67 220 Tue 10/4/2022 9:06 171.88 43.44 128.44 25.3% CWS 68 201 Tue 10/4/2022 9:24 166.42 46.08 120.34 27.7% CWS 69 246 Tue 10/4/2022 9:54 177.86 67.84 110.02 38.1% CWS 70 219 Tue 10/4/2022 10:34 181.83 66.17 115.66 36.4% CWS 71 215 Tue 10/4/2022 10:41 209.20 56.74 152.46 27.1% CWS 72 243 Tue 10/4/2022 10:51 182.80 79.56 103.24 43.5% CWS 73 216 Tue 10/4/2022 10:58 177.57 52.62 124.95 29.6% CWS 74 237 Tue 10/4/2022 11:19 235.84 96.26 139.58 40.8% CWS 75 221 Tue 10/4/2022 12:18 174.66 62.34 112.32 35.7% CWS 76 245 Tue 10/4/2022 12:58 162.40 56.50 105.90 34.8% CWS 77 339 Wed 10/5/2022 9:46 172.25 101.12 71.13 58.7% CWS 78 321 Wed 10/5/2022 10:06 172.09 82.79 89.30 48.1% CWS 79 338 Wed 10/5/2022 10:18 176.56 51.50 125.06 29.2% CWS 80 341 Wed 10/5/2022 10:40 154.88 32.26 122.62 20.8% CWS 81 342 Wed 10/5/2022 10:57 151.30 47.00 104.30 31.1% CWS 82 319 Wed 10/5/2022 11:52 181.04 80.90 100.14 44.7% CWS 83 337 Wed 10/5/2022 12:06 176.53 89.93 86.60 50.9% CWS 84 322 Wed 10/5/2022 12:17 178.32 93.36 84.96 52.4% CWS 85 305 Wed 10/5/2022 12:41 189.88 74.14 115.74 39.0% CWS 86 336 Wed 10/5/2022 13:00 180.02 57.34 122.68 31.9% CWS 87 311 Wed 10/5/2022 14:29 184.57 105.52 79.05 57.2% CWS 88 420 Thu 10/6/2022 8:57 205.19 80.63 124.56 39.3% CWS 89 408 Thu 10/6/2022 9:29 170.68 79.00 91.68 46.3%
CWS 90 409 Thu 10/6/2022 9:56 196.66 47.12 149.54 24.0% CWS 91 439 Thu 10/6/2022 10:24 179.09 49.73 129.36 27.8% CWS 92 416 Thu 10/6/2022 10:44 181.93 74.20 107.73 40.8% CWS 93 410 Thu 10/6/2022 10:58 202.61 71.49 131.12 35.3% CWS 94 415 Thu 10/6/2022 23:52 191.53 45.32 146.21 23.7% CWS 95 442 Thu 10/6/2022 12:00 196.30 54.16 142.14 27.6% CWS 96 434 Thu 10/6/2022 13:03 186.47 89.32 97.15 47.9% CWS 97 436 Thu 10/6/2022 13:16 171.66 65.48 106.18 38.1% CWS 98 421 Thu 10/6/2022 14:20 199.06 80.46 118.60 40.4% CWS 99 512 Fri 10/7/2022 9:49 191.91 63.48 128.43 33.1% CWS 100 507 Fri 10/7/2022 10:35 157.94 48.34 109.60 30.6% CWS 101 540 Fri 10/7/2022 10:55 190.94 104.12 86.82 54.5% CWS 102 504 Fri 10/7/2022 11:11 188.56 105.68 82.88 56.0% CWS 103 534 Fri 10/7/2022 11:26 198.42 75.02 123.40 37.8% Characterization of Residential Curbside Collected Recyclables www.scsengineers.com Summary of Results
A-4
Hauler Sample
Number Route Collection Day
Date
Acquired
Time
Acquired
Total Sample
Weight (lbs)
RRFS Portion
(lbs)
Non-RRFS
Portion (lbs) %RRFS
CWS 104 532 Fri 10/7/2022 11:42 189.92 113.68 76.24 59.9% CWS 105 535 Fri 10/7/2022 12:15 188.42 107.02 81.40 56.8% CWS 106 546 Fri 10/7/2022 12:56 174.64 108.34 66.30 62.0% CWS 107 536 Fri 10/7/2022 14:00 173.84 94.54 79.30 54.4% CWS 108 515 Fri 10/7/2022 14:18 168.43 98.21 70.22 58.3% CWS 109 514 Fri 10/7/2022 2:42 174.30 94.02 80.28 53.9% CWS 110 117 Mon 10/10/2022 8:32 173.94 85.06 88.88 48.9% CWS 111 139 Mon 10/10/2022 9:27 199.67 137.63 62.04 68.9% CWS 112 131 Mon 10/10/2022 10:59 174.38 84.56 89.82 48.5% CWS 113 119 Mon 10/10/2022 11:08 191.74 106.62 85.12 55.6% CWS 114 141 Mon 10/10/2022 11:23 203.08 106.04 97.04 52.2% CWS 115 137 Mon 10/10/2022 11:42 191.62 63.24 128.38 33.0% CWS 116 114 Mon 10/10/2022 11:53 195.78 82.80 112.98 42.3% CWS 117 116 Mon 10/10/2022 12:08 185.46 66.40 119.06 35.8% CWS 118 121 Mon 10/10/2022 12:30 189.64 56.46 133.18 29.8% CWS 119 133 Mon 10/10/2022 12:39 174.59 71.53 103.06 41.0% CWS 120 136 Mon 10/10/2022 13:03 184.57 44.40 140.17 24.1% CWS 121 207 Tue 10/11/2022 9:28 183.22 54.78 128.44 29.9% CWS 122 231 Tue 10/11/2022 10:10 175.72 77.04 98.68 43.8% CWS 123 238 Tue 10/11/2022 10:16 197.58 61.62 135.96 31.2% CWS 124 239 Tue 10/11/2022 10:26 189.83 36.29 153.54 19.1% CWS 125 203 Tue 10/11/2022 10:27 193.41 56.87 136.54 29.4% CWS 126 209 Tue 10/11/2022 10:54 184.94 70.60 114.34 38.2% CWS 127 214 Tue 10/11/2022 11:20 188.38 20.56 167.82 10.9% CWS 128 233 Tue 10/11/2022 11:23 174.75 65.87 108.88 37.7% CWS 129 240 Tue 10/11/2022 11:52 184.04 113.24 70.80 61.5% CWS 130 236 Tue 10/11/2022 13:30 185.46 56.90 128.56 30.7% CWS 131 334 Wed 10/12/2022 9:18 186.19 52.44 133.75 28.2% CWS 132 312 Wed 10/12/2022 10:08 188.68 106.98 81.70 56.7% CWS 133 310 Wed 10/12/2022 10:43 202.03 97.51 104.52 48.3% CWS 134 317 Wed 10/12/2022 10:50 179.20 118.24 60.96 66.0% CWS 135 335 Wed 10/12/2022 11:02 184.46 38.90 145.56 21.1% CWS 136 332 Wed 10/12/2022 11:16 198.12 59.84 138.28 30.2% CWS 137 306 Wed 10/12/2022 11:33 174.14 29.70 144.44 17.1% CWS 138 301 Wed 10/12/2022 11:53 197.16 85.00 112.16 43.1% CWS 139 318 Wed 10/12/2022 12:51 187.30 124.86 62.44 66.7% CWS 140 314 Wed 10/12/2022 14:42 193.94 74.42 119.52 38.4% CWS 141 445 Thu 10/13/2022 8:47 176.48 124.40 52.08 70.5% CWS 142 438 Thu 10/13/2022 9:51 197.28 100.64 96.64 51.0% CWS 143 417 Thu 10/13/2022 9:58 195.46 72.74 122.72 37.2% CWS 144 418 Thu 10/13/2022 9:58 184.06 83.80 100.26 45.5% CWS 145 419 Thu 10/13/2022 10:45 191.98 83.90 108.08 43.7% CWS 146 407 Thu 10/13/2022 10:48 183.50 32.02 151.48 17.4% CWS 147 440 Thu 10/13/2022 11:13 191.54 64.58 126.96 33.7% CWS 148 432 Thu 10/13/2022 11:38 181.90 80.52 101.38 44.3% CWS 149 510 Fri 10/14/2022 9:27 201.54 54.80 146.74 27.2% CWS 150 513 Fri 10/14/2022 10:15 197.16 92.76 104.40 47.0% CWS 151 503 Fri 10/14/2022 10:44 211.28 73.78 137.50 34.9% CWS 152 541 Fri 10/14/2022 11:02 192.58 77.44 115.14 40.2% CWS 153 531 Fri 10/21/2022 180.10 93.68 86.42 52.0%
Characterization of Residential Curbside Collected Recyclables www.scsengineers.com Summary of Results
A-5
Hauler Sample
Number Route Collection Day
Date
Acquired
Time
Acquired
Total Sample
Weight (lbs)
RRFS Portion
(lbs)
Non-RRFS
Portion (lbs) %RRFS
CWS 154 518 Fri 10/21/2022 190.94 93.52 97.42 49.0%
CWS 155 537 Fri 10/21/2022 156.96 94.16 62.80 60.0%
CWS 156 533 Fri 10/21/2022 167.06 100.12 66.94 59.9%
CWS 157 542 Fri 10/21/2022 184.63 118.76 65.87 64.3%
CWS 158 506 Fri 10/21/2022 188.90 105.74 83.16 56.0%
CWS 159 521 Fri 10/21/2022 187.80 76.88 110.92 40.9%
CWS 160 102 Mon 10/24/2022 10:53 168.72 63.72 105.00 37.8% CWS 161 142 Mon 10/24/2022 11:05 190.68 46.34 144.34 24.3% CWS 162 145 Mon 10/24/2022 11:18 171.82 48.78 123.04 28.4% CWS 163 135 Mon 10/24/2022 11:26 175.58 75.52 100.06 43.0% CWS 164 105 Mon 10/24/2022 11:38 189.33 55.12 134.21 29.1% CWS 165 132 Mon 10/24/2022 12:35 194.98 123.45 71.53 63.3% CWS 166 122 Mon 10/24/2022 14:31 173.19 125.49 47.70 72.5% CWS 167 134 Mon 10/24/2022 14:52 181.42 103.70 77.72 57.2% CWS 168 115 Mon 10/24/2022 15:04 174.11 108.71 65.40 62.4% CWS 169 222 Tue 10/25/2022 10:21 180.06 54.80 125.26 30.4% CWS 170 208 Tue 10/25/2022 10:41 175.63 57.60 118.03 32.8% CWS 171 235 Tue 10/25/2022 11:12 190.54 139.44 51.10 73.2% CWS 172 242 Tue 10/25/2022 11:44 157.86 111.56 46.30 70.7% CWS 173 241 Tue 10/25/2022 12:28 194.63 78.47 116.16 40.3% CWS 174 206 Tue 10/25/2022 14:33 186.89 38.99 147.90 20.9% CWS 175 346 Wed 10/26/2022 10:48 185.84 75.14 110.70 40.4% CWS 176 315 Wed 10/26/2022 11:07 195.02 69.36 125.66 35.6% CWS 177 333 Wed 10/26/2022 11:21 164.72 52.52 112.20 31.9% CWS 178 303 Wed 10/26/2022 11:44 185.64 104.42 81.22 56.2% CWS 179 309 Wed 10/26/2022 3:08 191.34 137.87 53.47 72.1% CWS 180 308 Wed 10/26/2022 3:21 182.22 88.70 93.52 48.7% CWS 181 444 Thu 10/27/2022 9:36 192.20 76.14 116.06 39.6% CWS 182 446 Thu 10/27/2022 9:49 210.23 102.72 107.51 48.9% CWS 183 401 Thu 10/27/2022 10:00 185.86 59.25 126.61 31.9% CWS 184 441 Thu 10/27/2022 10:11 201.55 87.48 114.07 43.4% CWS 185 411 Thu 10/27/2022 10:22 186.97 55.37 131.60 29.6% CWS 186 402 Thu 10/27/2022 10:42 195.76 84.16 111.60 43.0% CWS 187 431 Thu 10/27/2022 11:31 175.48 62.52 112.96 35.6% CWS 188 413 Thu 10/27/2022 14:22 180.32 83.18 97.14 46.1% CWS 189 414 Thu 10/27/2022 14:40 183.06 62.22 120.84 34.0% CWS 190 516 Fri 10/28/2022 10:22 194.10 128.92 65.18 66.4% CWS 191 543 Fri 10/28/2022 10:35 179.46 75.90 103.56 42.3% Total (sum) 43,797.80 18,907.88 24,889.92 NA
Average 43.2%
Characterization of Residential Curbside Collected Recyclables www.scsengineers.com Summary of Results
B-1
Appendix B
Definition of Material Types
Residential Recyclables For Studies (RRFS)
Paper
Clean Newspaper means paper used in newspapers. Examples include newspaper and glossy inserts, and all items made from newsprint, such as free advertising guides, election guides, plain news packing paper, stapled college schedules of classes, and tax instruction booklets. These materials are clean enough to be included in a commodity bale.
Clean OCC means unwaxed corrugated cardboard containers/boxes. This type does not include pizza boxes. These materials are clean enough to be included in a commodity bale.
Clean Mixed Paper means other types of recyclable papers. Examples include books (paperback), carbonless paper, catalogs, cereal and cracker boxes, colored paper, computer paper, construction paper, coupons, egg cartons, envelopes, gift wrap, junk mail, magazines, paper bags, shoe boxes, shopping bags, bags of shredded paper, telephone books, and white office paper. These materials are clean enough to be included in a commodity bale.
Clean Aseptic and Poly-coated Packaging means multi-layer paper packing designed to keep food and other putrescible contents fresh. Includes items like soy-milk containers, paper gable top containers, and paper soup cartons. These materials are clean enough to be included in a commodity bale.
Plastic
#1 PET Bottles and Containers means clear or colored PET containers. When marked for identification, it bears the number "1" in the center of the triangular recycling symbol and may also bear the letters "PETE" or "PET." The color is usually transparent green or clear. A PET container usually has a small dot left from the manufacturing process, not a seam. It does not turn white when bent. Examples include plastic soda, water, or juice bottles, dairy tubs, clamshell containers (both clear and non-clear), and salsa tubs.
#2 HDPE Bottles and Containers means natural and colored HDPE containers. This plastic is usually either cloudy white, allowing light to pass through it (natural) or a solid color, preventing light from passing through it (colored). When marked for identification, it bears the number "2" in the triangular recycling symbol and may also bear the letters "HDPE.” Examples include milk jugs, water jugs, detergent bottles, some hair-care bottles, empty motor oil, empty antifreeze, and other empty vehicle and equipment fluid containers marked with the number "2". #3, #4, #5 & #7 Bottles and Containers means plastic containers made of types of plastic other than HDPE, PET, or polystyrene. When marked for identification, these items may bear the number "3", "4", "5", or "7" in the triangular recycling symbol. This subtype also includes unmarked plastic bottles Characterization of Residential Curbside Collected Recyclables www.scsengineers.com Summary of Results
B-2
and containers. Examples include baby wipe containers, flower pots, food containers, household cleaner bottles, prescription bottles, and shampoo bottles.
Clear/Clean Plastic Bags and Other Film means clear flexible plastic sheeting, uncontaminated with food or garbage residue. It is made from a variety of plastic resins including HDPE and LDPE. It can be easily contoured around an object by hand pressure. Examples include dry-cleaning plastic bags intended for 1-time use, newspaper bags, produce bags, and film plastic used for large-scale packaging or transport packaging such as shrink- wrap, mattress bags, furniture wrap, and film bubble wrap. This type does not include garbage bags.
Durable Plastic Items means products made entirely of plastic meant for multiple use. Examples include toys, toothbrushes, vinyl hose, milk crates, plastic pallets, eating utensils, plastic lawn furniture, fiberglass products, and foam carpet padding.
Metal
Aluminum Beverage Cans means any food or beverage container that is made mainly of aluminum.
Examples include most aluminum soda or beer cans.
Aluminum Foil means any thin non-ferrous metal item that is formable using hand pressure.
Steel (Tin) Cans means rigid containers made mainly of steel. These items will stick to a magnet and may be tin-coated. This subtype is used to store food, beverages, paint, and a variety of other household and consumer products. Examples include canned food and beverage containers, pet food cans, empty metal paint cans, empty spray paint and other aerosol containers, and bimetal containers with steel sides and aluminum ends.
Other Scrap Metal includes ferrous, non-ferrous, and mixed metal items, other than items described previously. These items may be made of aluminum, copper, brass, bronze, lead, zinc, iron, other metals, or a combination of metals. Examples include aluminum pie pans, aluminum furniture, appliances, small metal cast iron pans, doorknobs, metal lids and caps, pots and pans, metal. The "rule of thumb" for classifying an object in this type is that it must not fit in the recyclable metal categories described above, and metals must account for at least 80% of the object’s weight.
Glass
Recyclable Glass means brown, clear, green, or colored glass bottle and jars, whole or broken, of any size. Examples include clear soda bottles, brown beer bottles, green wine bottles, mayonnaise jars, and jam jars.
Non-Residential Recyclables For Studies (Non-RRFS)
Contaminated Paper and Remainder/Composite Paper
Includes the following
Characterization of Residential Curbside Collected Recyclables www.scsengineers.com Summary of Results
B-3
Contaminated Newspaper means paper used in newspapers. Examples include newspaper and glossy inserts, and all items made from newsprint, such as free advertising guides, election guides, plain news packing paper, stapled college schedules of classes, and tax instruction booklets. These materials appear to have been contaminated either through use prior to disposal or during collection and hauling. The contamination is sufficient to prevent the sale of the materials.
Contaminated OCC means unwaxed corrugated cardboard containers/boxes. This type does not include pizza boxes. These materials appear to have been contaminated either through use prior to disposal or during collection and hauling. The contamination is sufficient to prevent the sale of the materials.
Contaminated Mixed Paper means other types of recyclable papers. Examples include books (paperback), carbonless paper, catalogs, cereal and cracker boxes, colored paper, computer paper, construction paper, coupons, egg cartons, envelopes, gift wrap, junk mail, magazines, paper bags, shoe boxes, shopping bags, post it notes, bags of shredded paper, telephone books, and white office paper. These materials appear to have been contaminated either through use prior to disposal or during collection and hauling. The contamination is sufficient to prevent the sale of the materials.
Contaminated Aseptic and Poly-coated Packaging means multi-layer paper packing designed to keep food and other putrescible contents fresh. Includes items like soy-milk containers, paper gable top containers, and paper soup cartons. These materials appear to have been contaminated either through use prior to disposal or during collection and hauling. The contamination is sufficient to prevent the sale of the materials. Pizza Boxes means cardboard boxes used to store and transport fresh (not frozen) pizzas.
This includes both clean and contaminated pizza boxes, and paper pizza box inserts. Remainder/Composite Paper means items made mostly of paper that do not fit into any of the above types and may be combined with minor amounts of other materials such as wax or glues. Typically, this is paper with other materials attached in sufficient quantities that it would be considered to be contaminated by a typical MRF. Examples include three-ring binders containing paper, or plastic packaging glued to paper or cardboard, cigarette boxes, Tyvek, and paper mache.
Remainder/Composite Plastic
Plastic that cannot be put in any other type or subtype. They are usually recognized by their optical opacity. This type includes items made mostly of plastic but combined with other materials.
Examples include disposable razors, pens, lighters, and plastic toys with a significant other material component.
Remainder/Composite Metal
Metal that cannot be put in any other type or subtype. This type includes items made mostly of metal but combined with other materials and items made of both ferrous metals and non-ferrous metal combined. Examples include small non- electronic appliances such as toasters and hair dryers, Characterization of Residential Curbside Collected Recyclables www.scsengineers.com Summary of Results
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motors, insulated wire, metal window blinds, and finished products that contain a mixture of metals and other materials, whose weight is derived significantly from the metal portion of its construction.
Remainder/Composite Glass
Glass that cannot be put in any other type or subtype. It includes items made mostly of glass but combined with other materials. Examples include Pyrex, Corning ware, crystal and other glass tableware, mirrors, non-fluorescent light bulbs, auto windshields, candle holders, and other glass not typically accepted by a MRF.
Textiles
Loose or bagged items made of thread, yarn, fabric, or cloth. Examples include clothes, cotton, linen, polyester, rayon, wool, fabric trimmings, draperies, carpet, and all natural and synthetic cloth fibers.
This type does not include cloth-covered furniture, mattresses, leather shoes, leather bags, or leather belts. This type does not include textiles that are wet, contaminated with food, chemicals, or other substances, or that are dirty.
Organic Materials
Includes the following
Food Waste means food material resulting from the processing, storage, preparation, cooking, handling, or consumption of food. Examples include discarded meat scraps, dairy products, egg shells, fruit or vegetable peels, and other food items from homes, stores, and restaurants.
Yard Waste includes plant material from any public or private landscape. Examples include leaves, grass clippings, plants, prunings, shrubs, woody plant material, branches, and stumps.
Compostable Paper includes paper that is considered unsuitable for recycling, due to food contamination or human contact, but that is suitable for typical composting operations.
Examples include waxed cardboard, paper towels, food-contaminated paper plates, waxed paper, tissues, and other papers that were soiled with food during use (e.g., paper clamshells).
Medical Waste
Materials used in medical processes, including tubing, surgical tray liners, exam table liners, and any materials in red biohazard bags. Includes both treated and untreated medical waste. Also includes:
Sharps means needles, syringes, and lancets, used or unused. BUT epi-pens which still contain undispensed medicine are medicine, and will be sorted as Other Materials (empty epi-pens are sharps). Individual sharps will be counted.
Characterization of Residential Curbside Collected Recyclables www.scsengineers.com Summary of Results
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Personal Hygiene Products means disposable baby diapers, adult protective undergarments, and feminine hygiene products. Includes diaper and any contents.
Electronics
Items containing a circuit board, including computers, electronic computer accessories. Also includes TVs and CRT Monitors (items containing a cathode ray tube (CRT)). Examples include televisions, CRT computer monitors, and other items containing a cathode ray tube (CRT).
HHW and Special Waste
Chemicals means pesticides, cleaning products, paint, and other chemicals hazardous to human and environmental health. Pesticides includes pesticides, insecticides, herbicides, and wood preservatives NOT packaged under pressure. Cleaning products includes consumer products intended for cleaning NOT packaged under pressure includes ammonia, bleach, “green” cleaners, waxes and polishes. Paint means latex paint, alkyd paint, oil-based paint, architectural paint, automotive and specialty (traffic marking) paint NOT packaged under pressure. Also includes:
Automotive Batteries means any type of automotive battery including both dry cell and lead acid
Lithium Ion Batteries means lightweight, high energy density batteries that are frequently used to power portable electronic devices (like cell phones, laptops, and digital cameras), power tools, and electric vehicles. They are often rechargeable. Batteries must be labeled as lithium ion to be included here.
Alkaline Batteries includes all battery chemistries, primarily alkaline batteries, including alkaline rechargeable batteries.
Ni-Cad Batteries includes all batteries, usually rechargeable, using a nickel cadmium chemistry. Batteries must be labeled as Ni-Cad to be included here. Tanks means metal containers used for storing gasses. Examples include helium, and propane tanks, aerosol cans, and fire extinguishers.
Tires means vehicle tires. Examples include tires from trucks, automobiles, motorcycles, heavy equipment, and bicycles.
Oil Filters means metal oil filters used in motor vehicles and other engines, which contain a residue of used oil.
Motor oil means lubricating oil, either used or unused, primarily used in vehicles or internal combustion engines.
Mercury Lamps means all tubes and bulbs with intentionally added mercury, includes fluorescent tubes and compact fluorescents, High Intensity Discharge (HID) bulbs, sodium vapor lamps, and neon signs. Does NOT include incandescent or halogen tubes or bulbs.
Characterization of Residential Curbside Collected Recyclables www.scsengineers.com Summary of Results
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Other Universal Waste means hazardous wastes that may contain mercury, lead, and other substances hazardous to human and environmental health. Examples include thermostats, mercury-containing items, discharge lamps, and mercury vapor lamps.
Other Materials
Other Materials means items not classified above. Examples of material in this type include mattresses, box springs, plastic trash bags (emptied), #6 plastic bottles and containers (rigid polystyrene), Styrofoam containers and packing material, ceramics, animal carcasses, ash, animal feces, furniture, stuffed toys, carpet padding, leather items, contaminated textiles, medicines, shingles, drywall, and other construction material. Bottles and containers with significant food contamination (where the food, liquid, or other solid exceeds the weight of the bottle/container) are included. Includes wood waste from non-yard waste sources. Examples include dimensional lumber, pallets, crates, and plywood. Includes material that is less than 3 inches in length, width, and depth.
Characterization of Residential Curbside Collected Recyclables www.scsengineers.com Summary of Results
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Appendix C
Sample Forms