From BioCycle Magazine
July 2000, Page 52
PARTICIPATION BOOST
MAXIMIZING MULTIFAMILY RECYCLING
Seattle is taking a number of steps to make its collection program more user friendly and flexible for residents of multifamily dwellings.
A. Pandora Touart
The city of Seattle, Washington recently introduced major changes to its recycling program, affecting the collection of residential recyclables and yard trimmings. In April, the city added rigid plastic containers of all resins (except #6), along with aseptic juice boxes, polycoated milk cartons and plastic bags. All single and multifamily collection changed to a commingled system (with an insert for glass), eliminating the previous source separated programs. Weekly and monthly collection schedules in the city’s two service territories changed to every other week for the duration of the new seven-year contract.
Yard trimmings collection also changed from weekly to every other week, with a reduction in the number of allowable monthly units from 40 to eight (extra units can be put out for an additional small fee). Yard trimmings in plastic bags no longer will be collected. Finally, pick up days were consolidated so that recycling, garbage and yard trimmings collection are on the same weekday.
MULTIFAMILY PRIORITY
In the midst of these sweeping changes, multifamily recycling is receiving intensified interest. Seattle’s evaluation of bids for the new contract included an emphasis on service, specifically to multifamily complexes. Since 1994, six companies signed up 60 percent of Seattle’s 5,400 buildings or 70 percent of tenant units. The sector includes retirement homes, rooming houses, nursing homes and off-campus housing, as well as apartment buildings and condominiums. Now the city is pushing hard to reach an 80 to 90 percent participation rate by the end of the year. Most of the larger high-rise apartment buildings are already recycling, but many smaller ones have not implemented programs because space is tight and/or avoided disposal savings are not substantial.
“We know there are limiting factors in this sector,” acknowledges Hans Van Dusen, who is on the contract implementation staff for Seattle Public Utilities. “Transient populations as well as space in downtown and older buildings are problematic, but multifamily recycling has emerged as a priority for the city.” Seattle has taken a number of steps to make its program more user friendly and flexible in hopes of increasing the number of participating buildings.
Until now, owners or managers had to call the city to get service, wait for a mailing, pick a contractor in their area, sign and return a form, then pay a $100 setup fee. (The cost of recycling collection always has been embedded in the garbage rate.) Today, one call to the city results in a visit from a contractor within ten days and the fee has been eliminated. The change in overall city collection to commingled means that multifamily recycling has been streamlined to a two-sort system. Previously, two of the subcontractors provided source separated programs with up to six or eight containers. A $100 garbage bill rebate for a building that sends a tenant to the city’s recycling volunteer program is also being offered. Both the rebate and elimination of the setup fee are appealing to owners and managers.
There also is far greater flexibility in what type of service a building can receive as strict divisions between curbside and multifamily have been eliminated. Additionally, in previous contracts, several companies provided different, sometimes indirectly competitive service in one territory. With one contractor in each territory providing all collection services to both single and multifamily customers, the contractor and city can decide whether certain buildings of any size would be better served by curbside or multifamily collection because of configuration or layout.
Effective in April, the Seattle Public Utility changed the land use code so space for recycling is required in new multifamily construction. With density increasing dramatically in this popular city, it is hoped the requirement will make a difference as larger, new buildings replace older multifamily and single-family structures in density zoned neighborhoods. Finally, the city added a financial incentive to the contracts in the hopes of motivating contractors to push deeper into this sector.
MAJOR CHANGEOVER
In the past, six companies — both primary contractors and subcontractors — served multifamily buildings. In this contract change, that was cut to two primary contractors: Rabanco/Allied, with its subcontractor West Seattle Recycling, and Waste Management/USA Waste, with its subcontractor Nuts n’ Bolts Recycling. These four took over accounts from two other companies eliminated in bidding. Route sheets, contact names, garage keys and openers for hundreds of accounts had to be switched from one contractor to another as the territorial boundaries within the city changed along with subcontractor alliances.
To further complicate matters, nearly 1,400 buildings served with a source separated system had to be switched by the beginning of April to the two-sort system: one container for mixed paper, tin, aluminum, plastic, and newspaper, and another for mixed glass. Nuts ‘n Bolts and West Seattle Recycling switched thousands of containers, necessitating massive logistical planning for current service levels and projected volume growth.
OUTREACH AND PROMOTION
A public education implementation group comprised of the city’s public relations consultant, city staff and contractor representatives began meeting weekly early in the year. Outreach materials were developed in six languages. In January, the city mailed information to all multifamily dumpster accounts outlining pending service, contractor and collection changes. Next, haulers were required to contact all recycling accounts prior to the spring implementation date. Over the next two months, those accounts were mailed collection calendars. Contractors then made site visits and hand delivered educational materials for tenants that included instructional labels, kitchen decals, posters and brochures.
In March, the city mailed introductory information to all tenants in nonparticipating buildings promoting recycling, identifying their new service providers and asking tenants to talk to their managers. The mailing also promoted the rebate for Friends of Recycling (FOR) volunteer involvement, which has generated over 100 responses to date.
Started in 1988 as a curbside outreach program, FOR volunteers were recruited and trained to promote recycling and answer questions from neighbors. FOR expanded to multifamily several years ago and has a goal to recruit at least one aware, responsible tenant on site to educate others and keep an eye on contamination. Two hundred volunteers are in the program. Marketing efforts this year have sparked a resurgence of interest. Sixty tenants have responded, and the city is hopeful their involvement will get new programs off to a healthy start.
GOING FOR THE GOLD
In an effort to sign up 80 percent or more of the buildings in this sector, the city included a financial bonus and penalty incentive in the current contracts. Haulers achieving less than 70 percent participation by the end of the year will be fined. However, if they reach an 80 percent participation rate, they will receive a bonus. With 1,400 and 2,000 buildings not served by recycling in their respective territories, the haulers have a significant challenge ahead of them.
Waste Management and Rabanco are working somewhat collaboratively on future outreach. They plan to first target areas with a concentrated number of buildings, and to contact those who have shown interest in the past. Both likely will send letters to billing addresses to elicit interest. Since billing often goes to owners, management companies or waste management firms that are off-site or out of state, they will also include canvassing in an effort to locate managers. Should that fail, they will leave basic outreach information with tenants or at doorsteps. To supplement the street activity, the haulers plan to work directly with property management firms.
“Recycling in this sector is a priority for the city and is emphasized in our solid waste plan,” says Van Dusen. “The city council wants to ensure that tenants get access to services even when reaching them through absentee owners and off-site management is difficult.”
Van Dusen says the multifamily participation rate is not the highest in the country, but the program’s low levels of contamination are among the best, albeit higher than single family. Haulers and city contract managers have had and will continue to have the option of pulling service at a building where contamination levels cannot be corrected. These buildings go back in the pool of nonrecycling targets.
Planners and policy makers are hoping that the streamlined service, allowance for space, and financial incentives will have a positive effect on participation. If these changes fail to encourage recycling in this traditionally difficult sector, the city will reassess its options next year and consider mandatory multifamily recycling.