Resource Recovery Parks

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Central Contra Costa Solid Waste Authority

Overview

The Central Contra Costa Solid Waste Authority (CCCSWA) is a joint powers authority that oversees waste management services in most of Central Contra Costa County. The authority serves the Town of Danville, the City of Lafayette, the Town of Moraga, the City of Orinda, the City of Walnut Creek, and the central portions of unincorporated Contra Costa County.

An estimated 209,300 residents live within the CCCSWA service area. Authority staff manages trash, recycling, and yard debris franchise agreements. Staff members plan, promote, and manage a variety of other diversion programs to help member agencies meet the goals of the California Integrated Waste Management Act of 1989 (AB 939, Sher, Chapter 1095, Statutes of 1989 as amended) and provide public information and education.

In 1999 multifamily dwelling residents in the CCCSWA service area reduced their trash disposal by 29 percent through recycling and composting of yard debris. The program targets many materials, including yard debris, for diversion. It provides recycling and yard debris services for no additional cost and sets variable trash rates to encourage reduction in disposal.

Program Description

Franchised companies provide all solid waste collection services within the authority service area. CCCSWA granted Pleasant Hill Bayshore Disposal (PHBD) an exclusive franchise for collection of trash within the service area, including trash from MFDs. The authority contracts with Valley Waste Management (VWM) to provide residential recycling and yard debris collection services. All buildings with five or more units receive services through the MFD program.

Table 1. CCCSWA Demographic Data

The authority’s franchise agreements with PHBD and VWM set compensation rates for the companies. The agreement with PHBD requires the company to provide trash containers for all its customers. The agreement with VWM requires the hauler to provide each MFD complex with labeled containers for collection of all recyclables and yard debris produced. It specifies the required materials to be accepted for recycling, and it requires VWM to provide individual apartment recycling bins upon request by individual tenants.

Table 2. CCCSWA Multifamily Dwelling Waste Reduction Results (1999)

Trash, recycling, and yard debris collection services vary for each housing development. MFDs can choose from individual trash carts, communal carts or bins, or compactors. Many complexes use wheeled carts for recycling. They use one each for commingled paper, commingled containers, and yard debris. Some smaller complexes use a single split cart for recyclables. Large complexes often use split dumpsters for collection of recyclables.

Acceptable items include the following:

• Newspaper.
• Corrugated cardboard.
• Office paper.
• Colored paper, junk mail, magazines and catalogs, boxboard, paper egg cartons, paper bags.
• Milk and juice boxes and cartons.
• Telephone directories.
• Glass bottles and jars.
• Aluminum cans and foil.
• Tin, bi-metal, and steel cans.
• Narrow- and wide-necked plastic containers, including resin #1-5 and #7.

CCCSWA provides assistance to building owners and managers wishing to establish or improve recycling in their complexes. Staff members provide telephone and on-site assistance upon request. They distribute information with trash bills, which are sent to complex management. The authority provides management with educational flyers and posters and speaks about waste reduction, recycling, and composting at homeowners association meetings.

Costs, Economics, and Benefits

Trash rates in the authority service area vary by jurisdiction, volume of the trash container, and collection frequency. The franchised collection companies bill MFD complex management for services provided. Trash rates include recycling and yard debris collection service at no extra cost.

MFD complexes-such as townhouses-are eligible for a discounted trash rate. This discount applies where each unit has curb access and residents of each unit use an individual trash cart. The discount also goes to complexes that use a gardening service to remove yard debris.

MFD solid waste service rates range from $10 a month for weekly collection of one 32-gallon trash cart in Walnut Creek to $2,833 per month in Lafayette for collection of six cubic yards of trash six times a week. MFD complex management can reduce their total solid waste management costs if residents recycle enough to reduce needed trash container size or collection frequency.

The authority pays PHBD a flat fee for provision of trash collection and disposal services. This compensation agreement provides the trash company a financial incentive to support waste reduction and recycling. Since CCCSWA pays the company a flat monthly fee, the company can potentially save collection, transportation, and disposal costs for materials recycled without losing compensation from the authority. PHBD disposes of collected trash at the Keller Canyon Landfill in Martinez, Calif., at a cost of $45.28 per ton.

The authority pays VWM a flat fee for recycling and yard debris services. VWM retains the first $1 million in revenue from material sales as part of its compensation. The franchise agreement allows VWM to keep the next $2.5 million of revenue earned above the floor amount. CCCSWA and VWM split any additional revenue equally. This financial arrangement provides VWM with a financial incentive to increase material sales revenue. VWM delivers yard debris and recyclables for processing to a regional transfer station in San Leandro, Calif..

CCCSWA sets customer rates for solid waste services within its service area. The authority generates its operating funds through collection of trash fees. CCCSWA does not separate fees paid to its franchised companies by single-family versus multifamily programs. The authority pays PHBD more than $14 million annually for trash services and VWM nearly $9 million for its services.

Challenges and Opportunities in Implementation

The Central Contra Costa Solid Waste Authority is seeking to increase use of its MFD green waste collection program. CCCSWA directed VWM to contact each survey respondent that reported generating green waste to offer the complex the service at no additional charge.

In order to get recycling information to new residents, the CCCSWA designed a phone book insert describing its recycling programs. New residents automatically receive the insert with their new phone directories.

According to the district manager for VWM, more contamination of recyclables occurs at MFDs than at single-family homes. VWM addresses specific contamination issues on an account-by-account basis. VWM asks building management to initiate a resident education program at buildings with contamination problems. VWM monitors these accounts. If after repeated efforts the problem is not solved, VWM may refuse to collect the containers. In one MFD complex, the manager requested that VWM remove recycling containers because of ongoing contamination problems.

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Last updated: October 26, 2007