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From BioCycle Journal of Composting &Organics Recycling Febuary 2002, Page 40 |
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SAN FRANCISCO ROLLOUTS ROLL ON
FOOD RESIDUALS
PUT CITY ON TRACK TO OVER 50 PERCENT DIVERSION
The three stream sort program for residential and small business compostables, recyclables and trash, combined with dedicated commercial organics and recycling collection, are expected to increase diversion beyond 50 percent by 2003.
Jack Macy
THE COLLECTION and diversion of food residuals for composting have continued to increase in San Francisco as part of a citywide expansion now in progress. As of the end of 2001, nearly 40,000 tons/year of food residuals and other compostables from more than 62,000 households and 1,000 businesses across the city were being collected and composted. These compostables include all food scraps — pre and postconsumer with meat, along with other items such as food soiled paper, waxed cardboard, wood crates, animal bedding and yard trimmings. This source separated food composting collection program is rolling out in the diverse urban environment of San Francisco, a city with one of the highest population densities in the United States and 50 distinct neighborhoods, where 40 percent of residents do not speak English at home. Yard trimmings account for less than five percent of the waste stream, while food scraps make up about 20 percent of disposed waste.
The development of San Francisco’s commercial and residential food composting collection programs — from pilot testing to the initiation of citywide expansion — was previously reported in BioCycle articles (“San Francisco Expands Commercial Organics Recycling,” February 1999, “Food Residuals Recovery In California,” September 1999 and “San Francisco Takes Residential Organics Collection Full-Scale,” February 2000). Commercial food collection started out as a pilot in 1996 and was expanding citywide by 1998. Residential food composting collection began its expansion across the city in February 2000 after two-and-a-half years of pilot testing different materials and collection methods, making San Francisco the first large U.S. city to initiate citywide food collection.
These programs have been developed and expanded as a collaboration between the City and County of San Francisco Recycling Program or “City” (now part of the San Francisco Department of the Environment) and Norcal Waste Systems’ (Norcal) companies, which include the haulers, and the transfer station and composting facility owners and operators.
FANTASTIC 3 COLLECTION PROGRAM
The collection of food residuals and other compostables from San Francisco’s residential households and neighborhood small businesses is being achieved through a three cart color-coded program, also known as the “Fantastic 3.” The program, which is still being rolled out across the city, incorporates the best elements from previous pilot studies that tested the collection of different combinations of food, yard trimmings and other compostables — as well as commingled recyclables — with various carts and vehicles. Households are provided with three different wheeled carts made by Toter company (usually 32 gallons each): a green bin for all compostables, including yard trimmings, all food scraps and soiled paper; a blue bin for all recyclables, including paper, bottles and cans, commingled together; and a black bin for the remaining trash that is neither recyclable nor compostable. Residents also receive a two-gallon kitchen pail to help them separate and collect kitchen food scraps to place in the green bin. Larger 64-gallon toters are available, if needed, on request. Collection is done weekly.
Apartments buildings (typically six units or more of shared service) and small businesses or institutions (those with toter service) in the same neighborhood also are served by the Fantastic 3 vehicles. While households with individual service automatically receive all three carts, the apartment buildings receive just the blue and black carts unless green bins are requested. To receive the green cart, apartment building managers are asked to volunteer someone to coordinate kitchen pail distribution to their tenants. Few apartment buildings have joined the composting collection program so far. More outreach is needed for them and is likely to occur after initial program roll out is completed. Businesses and institutions have to request the green and blue carts before receiving them. Participation by either residents or businesses in the composting and recycling collection is voluntary. Residents only pay for their black trash cart service based on volumes set out (creating an incentive to use the blue and green carts), while businesses also pay for their composting collection, but at a special discounted rate. By the end of 2001, 227 businesses and institutions were on the Fantastic 3 composting collection. They and the 62,000 households on the program were diverting organics at a rate of about 1,000 tons/month.
Compostables are collected using semiautomatic, sideloading, single compartment compactor vehicles, while the recyclables and trash are cocollected by semiautomatic, vertically-split dual compartment, sideloading compactor vehicles (both of which are made by Labrie). The compostables are collected separately given that they were the smallest fraction and most seasonal of the three streams. (These Fantastic 3 vehicles likely will be converted to compressed natural gas as the technology becomes viable.)
Collected organics are delivered to the city’s transfer station operated by Norcal’s Sanitary Fill Company, where the material is top loaded from a dedicated portion of the refuse pit to large “possum belly” trailers (which are being converted to liquid natural gas). The organics are hauled over 65 miles to Norcal’s Jepsen Prairie Organics Composting Facility (formerly B&J) in Vacaville, where material is mixed, ground, and composted for two months using the enclosed aerated Ag-Bag composting system, then windrow-turned and cured for a month or more then screened to three-eighth inch size. The finished compost is marketed to landscaping and agriculture users, including San Francisco Bay Area organic farmers, retail outlets (in bags) and highway erosion control projects.
THREE CART CHALLENGES
Sunset Scavenger Company (the Norcal collection company that has rolled out Fantastic 3 to date), in cooperation with the city, has worked hard to address the challenges faced in rolling out this new three cart program. For example, to achieve good participation with low contamination and address language needs of many residents, educational materials have been made available in multiple languages, including Chinese and Spanish. Outreach includes a mailing announcing the new program and carts to be delivered, a more detailed brochure delivered with the carts that describes how to participate, and stickers on the cart noting what materials to put in and not to put in. The haulers also provide a customer service hotline that can handle many different languages. During the initial start-up period there is more contamination (especially plastic bags in the green carts) and residents get reminder tags about what can and cannot go into the green bin. After a few weeks, contamination drops and remains very low. Education about the three cart program recently was extended to signs on public transit buses and bus stop shelters.
The biggest challenge for residents has been the number or size of containers for their small spaces, as houses often are connected to each other and garages are often small or nonexistent. Residents are encouraged and helped to find ways to fit the carts somewhere and/or share green or even blue carts with multifamily neighbors. Often just one green cart is initially provided for a multifamily that shares a yard and the cart is labeled with the different unit addresses. Sunset will take and recycle the resident’s old blue bin and garbage can to help make way for the new carts.
Most residents take and use the carts even though participation in the recycling and composting collection is voluntary, but a small number just refuse to keep the blue or green. Residents have to use the new black carts for trash collection given the truck requirements for semiautomated loading. The 32 gallon toter is the smallest size cart available for the tipping required on the trucks. However, the minimum black cart trash service available is 20 gallons/week, provided by putting an insert inside the 32 gallon toter. This is offered at a 23 percent discount off the 32 gallon rate as an incentive for residents to reduce their trash. The Toter Company is working on smaller containers that can be tipped into the trucks. Given space constraints, some residents have been leaving their bins on the curb or sidewalk during the week to the consternation of some neighbors. Sunset Scavenger is requesting that residents bring their carts in on noncollection days.
As the program rolls out, route size and configuration are adjusted to address the great variability in density, geography and service levels (e.g., curbside versus backyard or alley cart collection) between some neighborhoods. To serve some of the hilly, dense areas of the city with very tight maneuvering required by the trucks, Sunset Scavenger and Golden Gate Disposal and Recycling (the other Norcal hauler involved in the program) anticipate testing other vehicles.
THREE CART BENEFITS
The City and Norcal determined that the Fantastic 3 cart program provided the best approach for San Francisco to achieve multiple goals. The program has been very successful and popular. “We are very pleased with how well the program is rolling out, with continued strong participation and acceptance by residents and good diversion results for a voluntary program,” says Bob Besso, who is recycling program manager for Sunset Scavenger and responsible for the Fantastic 3 implementation. The benefits include:
Diversion: The tonnages diverted have almost doubled compared to the old curbside blue bin program. The average diversion rate on the new program routes is about 45 percent. The diversion of recyclables — going to commingled and in a larger container — increased by at least 20 percent (to about 30 points of the 45 percent diversion), while the remaining increase is from compostables (about 15 points of the 45 percent diversion). None of the latter were collected in the old program.
Safety and Convenience: Worker and customer safety and convenience improved by switching from nonwheeled trash cans and blue bins to wheeled carts. The old cans and bins were hand carried by residents and lifted by collection workers into larger bins or the rear load compactors. This is already reducing the level of worker injury on the routes, and is expected to reduce overall worker compensation claims for the collection companies.
Reduced Scavenging and Litter: Using enclosed, lidded containers with additional capacity better contains materials and has reduced the scavenging of recyclables from curbside setouts and the level of litter.
Public Acceptance and Participation: Surveys by both the City and the companies have demonstrated that the three cart system is very popular and well received by residents in the program. For example, the latest survey found that more than 80 percent of the residents in the three cart service area preferred it over their previous 12 gallon blue bin recycling and trash collection program; another ten percent or more liked it as much as their previous program. Participation in the composting collection seems to continue at an average 40 percent for weekly setouts, while setouts of recyclables are nearly double that.
Increased Efficiency: Replacing four drivers and two trucks with two drivers and two semiautomated trucks and rerouting as the program is rolled out has increased efficiency. However, no layoffs or job loss is projected because of attrition and new recycling programs and processing.
DEDICATED COMMERCIAL ORGANICS COLLECTION
Before the Fantastic 3 program started, collection of commercial source separated organics had grown from a wholesale produce only pilot to include a wide variety of compostables — all food scraps, food-soiled paper, waxed cardboard, wood crates, animal bedding and yard trimmings — from many types of businesses across the city. Participants now include small to large grocery and produce stores, restaurants, caterers, cafes, juice bars, floral shops, breweries, university research labs, hospitals, schools, churches, hotels, museums, the zoo and other institutions. Businesses are provided with dedicated green collection containers ranging in size from 32 gallon toters to roll-offs. They can even use a dedicated compactor and can have compostables collected up to seven days/week. The inclusion of cardboard, paper and plant trimmings helps absorb liquids from wet food and provides carbon for composting.
Both Sunset Scavenger and Golden Gate Disposal and Recycling are collecting commercial organics. They use either front-end load compactors with attachments for toters or if needed, rear loaders that can squeeze into tighter areas. The vehicles often run two to three loads a day to the city’s transfer station. By the end of 2001, the number of businesses and institutions on this program had grown to almost 800 (not including the 227 on the residential Fantastic 3 collection) — 583 served by Sunset Scavenger, diverting about 15,000 tons/year, and more than 200 served by Golden Gate, diverting about 12,000 tons/year.
As an incentive to participate, businesses pay for the collection of source separated compostables at a discount of 25 percent off the regular heavy commercial garbage rate. Many food establishments, especially restaurants, had been paying overweight charges above the heavy garbage rate, given the weight of all the food in their trash. Many participants significantly reduce their landfilled trash volumes and service, and therefore, reduce their overall disposal costs even when the composting collection charges are included.
The biggest challenge that haulers and businesses face in the program has been space constraints. Many restaurants, especially, have very tight space in their kitchens and in any storage areas they may have. This has required creativity and commitment by both the haulers and participants to appropriately size and fit in new containers, often by switching out previous trash bins with new organics bins, reconfiguring operations or using compactors for the compostables. Glass in the compostables has been the contaminant of biggest concern given that the glass, after being ground at the composting facility, does not screen out well. This problem has been reduced significantly with increased education and with providing separate bottle and can recycling free to businesses.
The haulers have increased their staff time to contact businesses and get them on the program. Golden Gate, which serves the downtown sector, has focused particularly on bringing the larger restaurants and hotels on the program, as they are the biggest food generators. The City continues to contribute the services of its consultant, Applied Compost Consulting, Inc., which has a team that helps provide staff training, monitoring and follow-up to help businesses participate in the program. Small containers are available from the city to help participants source separate compostable materials.
As one way to help promote and reward increased recycling and composting program participation, the City along with Golden Gate, the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA), and the hotel and restaurant associations sponsored the Commercial Recycling of the Year (CORY) Award program. Cash awards of up to several thousand dollars and good publicity at an award luncheon were offered to the best business recycling programs for small and large buildings, hotels and restaurants. Numerous restaurants on the composting program with diversion rates approaching or exceeding 90 percent were recognized by the program and in the media.
COMMERCIAL COLLECTION SUCCESSES
Most business on the program have been able to reduce their trash volume and service significantly, diverting 50 percent or more of their waste through composting and recycling. There are many examples of enthusiastic and successful participation, such as the renowned and busy restaurants Scoma’s, Lulu and Jardiniere, which are all diverting 90 percent or more of their waste. Scomas converted its four-cubic-yard compactor to daily composting pickup, while Lulu has a 20-cubic-yard dedicated organics compactor collected twice a week. “It is fantastic having this program and long overdue in the restaurant business,” says Steven Scarabosio, Scomas’ chef. “We’ve finally found out that over 90 percent of our waste is recyclable or compostable. It is just as simple as making a choice and we feel great about it and want to recycle even more.”
Jardiniere, the first place winner of the “Golden Dumpster” CORY award last year, tripled its diversion when the composting program was added to its previous recycling efforts and saved over $600/month on its garbage rate. The restaurant’s participation also helped clean up its sidewalk appearance, where it converted its less frequent trash dumpster and multiple toter collection to daily pick up of a two cubic yard green bin and fewer toters. Citations for trash on the sidewalk stopped. “There isn’t anything I’ve done since getting married that has made such good sense,” says Larry Bain, Jardiniere’s sustainability manager. “We are very excited by the opportunity to live our commitment not to throw stuff away. We help complete the cycle by serving food from a farmer that uses compost from our food scraps.” Jardinere has been promoting composting of food to other restaurants in San Francisco and beyond.
The Fairmont Hotel has about fifteen 64- gallon toters of food organics collected seven days a week from its steep Nob Hill location, which solves the compactor odor and leakage problems it had and contributes to diversion of over 50 percent of its waste. The Westin Saint Francis in Union Square has up to four one yard bins of food collected seven days a week from its crowded loading dock and steep ramp, which also eliminated compactor odor and liquid back-up problems. The Sir Francis Drake Hotel adapted trash chutes to funnel food directly to a dedicated organics compactor, which the hotel staff pull up a steep driveway to the street using a John Deere tractor. The Hilton Hotel, the largest hotel on the West Coast with 1,900 rooms, just completed conversion of its huge food and beverage service to the food collection program. The California Culinary Academy, which recently joined the composting program with 16 toters of food collected every night, trains over 1,000 students on an 18-month cycle. The full participation and involvement by its students will have a great ripple effect as they learn best management recycling and composting practices that they can carry on with them.
“This program is intuitively simple to learn, and can fit in the confines of even the smallest kitchens,” says Chris Levaggi, recycling program manager for Golden Gate Disposal and Recycling Company. “We say we’ll take anything that used to be alive. Diversion rates of up to 90 percent are not uncommon at participating restaurants. We are changing how we run our garbage business, with businesses diverting most of their waste. Composting is a new profit center for us, where we are no longer filling someone else’s landfill.”
RATES AND PROGRAM FUNDING
The funding for the citywide expansion of the three stream and commercial composting and recycling collection programs was approved as part of the garbage collection rates set for the five year period from July 2001 to June 2006. The San Francisco Refuse Collection and Disposal Rate Board sets residential garbage rates, upon which Sunset Scavenger and Golden Gate usually increase their commercial rates by a similar amount. The Rate Board approved a 27 percent rate hike in the residential monthly trash rates starting July 2001, increasing the rates from $11.68 to $14.83 per 32-gallon can collected weekly in the first rate year. The Rate Board also approved cost of living adjustments and other increases to these rates from 2002 through 2006, resulting in the fifth year rate of $16.65 per 32-gallon can. This increase puts the city’s rates just below the average for the 38 cities in the San Francisco Bay Area.
The increase in garbage rates included the financing of new delivered containers (e.g., $40/32 gallon cart), trucks (e.g., $207,000 for a dual compactor), outreach (e.g., $5/household), staff, as well as organics transfer and processing (e.g., $24.25/ton composting tipping fee), and a large new MRF for commingled recyclables and mixed commercial streams — in addition to other capital improvements, programs and citywide recycling and disposal costs. The biggest increase in costs were actually due to the increased labor rates, with a new union contract and inflation since the last residential rate increase took effect four years earlier in 1997. The net increase (over the previous system) for the Fantastic 3 program was not that significant (e.g. less than six percent) because the company needed to replace its aging garbage fleets anyway. According to Norcal’s figures during the rate review process, the cost/ton for the composting and recycling collection is less than trash, with the commercial organics collection being substantially less.
FUTURE EXPANSION
The approved garbage rates also gave the Norcal companies an extra incentive for further diversion by increasing their profit margins by a percentage point through meeting ambitious annual landfill tonnage reduction goals. As a result, starting in July 2001 (when the new garbage rates went into effect), the rate of expansion of Sunset Scavenger’s Fantastic 3 collection tripled from adding one cocollection route (trash and recyclables) every three weeks to one cocollection route per week (except for some holiday periods). These Fantastic 3 cocollection routes have been averaging more than 1,300 households, in addition to apartment buildings and small businesses, and are in an area served by one truck Monday through Friday. An average Fantastic 3 organics route has been equivalent to about four cocollection routes in the number of households served.
Reflecting its accelerated pace, Sunset Scavenger now projects that it will complete its Fantastic 3 program rollout, covering its portion of the city, by the end of the first quarter of 2003, while Golden Gate projects that it will complete its Fantastic 3 rollout by the end of the third quarter of 2003 for its northeast/downtown portion of the city. Golden Gate is just starting its residential three stream rollout in the first quarter of 2002. The additional dedicated commercial composting collection is likely to be fully expanded by 2003. The companies projected in their rate application that the tonnage diversion from the Fantastic 3 organics collection would increase to more than 35,000 tons with full program rollout, with about 44,000 additional tons from the full rollout of the dedicated commercial organics collection — for a total projected increase of nearly 80,000 tons, much of which would be food residuals.
With the help of these programs, the city now projects that San Francisco will increase its total diversion rate from 46 percent in the year 2000 to more than 50 percent by 2003. These innovative food collection and composting programs demonstrate the viability and benefit of composting urban food residuals. They continue to gain recognition, winning multiple awards, and increasing interest as a viable model for communities around the Bay Area, across the continent and beyond.
Jack Macy is the organics recycling coordinator for the City and County of San Francisco Department of the Environment.
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