infoCycling, October 1999

In this issue:

• infoCycling Is Back!

• California Waste Stream Profiles Soon to be on the Internet

• New Resource for Waste Stream Data

• Statewide Waste Characterization Study Underway

• Teamwork Works in the Local Assistance

• Local Government Web Site Tools Are Here.

infoCycling Is Back!

Due to popular demand, the California Integrated Waste Management Board’s local government newsletter, infoCycling, is back with a new look and information more focused on helping you meet your diversion goals.

Expect to read about time- and cost-reducing tools that can assist you in evaluating your current diversion performance, such as our Web-based diversion rate measurement and planning annual report information system (PARIS) databases.

In addition to updating you on our tools and assistance, we will occasionally provide information on other Board programs and activities such as tires, organics, school curriculum, school waste diversion, and state facilities diversion (Project Recycle).

Look for returning features on topics such as California Materials Exchange (CalMAX), the Waste Prevention Information Exchange, buying recycled, household hazardous waste, and used oil.

Contact us with your suggestions on articles you would like to see included in infoCycling and announcements of events in your jurisdiction. Just call Tracy Webb at (916) 341-6240 or e-mail her at twebb@ciwmb.ca.gov. Your comments and suggestions on infoCycling are always welcome.

We look forward to hearing from you and hope you enjoy this and future issues of infoCycling!

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New Resource for Waste Stream Data

In June 1999, the Board officially kicked off WasteLine, a new e-mail and phone-based service designed to provide quick, accurate answers to your requests for data and information.

Using information gathered from your data requests, we’ll be developing new Web pages, databases, reports, and other publications to assist you. We also plan to add a WasteLine Web page to enhance our service.

Our goal is to make waste stream, diversion program, and diversion goal measurement data easily accessible to you, our customers. To ensure timely responses, WasteLine staff coordinates and tracks all incoming requests for data and information. We maintain a central file of responses to data requests that can be referenced for future requests.

WasteLine staff has responded to hundreds of data requests, providing the following types of information:

• Disposal data for local jurisdictions from the disposal reporting system database.
• Diversion rates for local jurisdictions and statewide.
• Diversion program data from the PARIS database.
• Overall waste generation data for cities, counties, and statewide (such as base-year generation, diversion rate measurement, waste generation rates by material type and/or sector).
• Waste characterization data.

If you have questions or comments regarding this new service, contact the WasteLine at wasteline@ciwmb.ca.gov or call (916) 341-6240.

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Statewide Waste Characterization Study Is Underway

The Board is conducting a statewide waste characterization study to determine the constituents of California’s disposed waste stream. This data will further assist you in planning how to divert materials from disposal and conserve resources.

Knowing what different types of businesses typically dispose can help solid waste planners and businesses reduce waste, recycle more, and save money. The information collected will be available for use at the statewide, regional, and local level for solid waste planning.

Data resulting from this project will be used to update existing statewide characterization data for the residential, commercial/ industrial, and self-haul sectors. This is the first study of its kind to be performed at a statewide level.

The Board’s "uniform waste characterization method," used in this study, standardizes field procedures, material types, and data analysis. To capture seasonal variation in the waste stream, summer and winter sampling was conducted. (See photo.)

Summer sampling being conducted for the waste characterization study (click on image to see a larger version).

The study includes the following:

• Determines the types and amounts of materials being disposed in California’s municipal solid waste stream using statistically representative methodologies.
• Develops statewide composition data for the residential waste stream, including data for both single-family and multifamily residences.
• Develops statewide composition data for the self-haul waste stream.
• Develops statewide composition data for the overall commercial waste stream, with specific composition data from 26 business groups.
• Estimates the proportions of waste from residential (both single-family and multifamily), commercial, and self-haul sources in the state’s waste stream. For self-haul, further determine the proportions from residential, construction and demolition, roofing, landscaping, and general commercial/industrial sources.
• Collects specific data on rigid plastic packaging containers (RPPC) to estimate the amount disposed in the state’s waste stream. The RPPC waste disposal information will be used with other information collected separately from this project to calculate the RPPC recycling rate.
• Adds generator-based data (waste stream data gathered from a particular waste source or generator, such as an individual business, institution, or residence that generates waste) to the Board’s database. Data for this study is being collected on waste disposed (not diverted) by individual generators. Generator-based data is different from generation-based data because generation-based data includes data on materials being diverted as well as waste being disposed.

We anticipate that the final report will be posted on the Board’s waste characterization Web page (www.ciwmb.ca.gov/WasteChar/) in early 2000. If you have questions about the statewide waste characterization study, or would like to obtain a copy, contact Nancy Carr at (916) 341-6216 or ncarr@ciwmb.ca.gov.

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California Waste Stream Profiles Soon to Be on the Internet

The Board is developing a new feature, "California Waste Stream Profiles," a one-stop shop to obtain Boardwide information on local jurisdictions. As part of the Board’s Web site, this new site will provide information about integrated waste management, the progress of Board programs, and the programs and efforts of our partners in local government and the solid waste industry.

The profiles will pull information, such as diversion and disposal data, from a number of Board and external databases to paint ‘profiles’ or data summaries of:

• Geographic areas (such as a city, county, region, or the state as a whole).
• Topics (such as tires and tire facilities).
• Specific facilities (such as transfer stations or landfills).

Initially the Board’s focus is on two areas: the 50 percent diversion mandate and the tire program. However, we will be expanding to include other program areas in the near future.

For the 50 percent diversion mandate, we are focusing on government and geographic profiles to indicate what local governments are doing to meet the mandate. (See hypothetical profile below.)

 Click on image for a larger version.

For tire program information, we are looking at two types of profiles, summary tire profiles for geographic areas and profiles for each individual tire facility.

Board Members, staff, and external customers have been interviewed to determine what information is needed in these areas. Board staff is also exploring what currently exists in terms of databases and information, to compare needs and availability. This information will assist staff in making recommendations regarding how the system should look and function, and what information should be included.

We are still seeking input from our external customers, and system testing is anticipated to continue through December 1999. Please contact John Sitts at (916) 341-6211 or jsitts@ciwmb.ca.gov to participate in testing of Web-based government and geographic profiles, or if you would like more information.

To participate in testing of Web-based tire profiles or if you would like more information, please contact Daryl Petker at (916) 341-6704 or dpetker@ciwmb.ca.gov.

We anticipate that the government and geographic profiles and tire profiles will be available on the Internet in early 2000. Look for highlights on the profiles in the next issue of infoCycling.

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Teamwork Works in Local Assistance!

To help you meet your diversion goals, the Board’s local assistance staff has created Targeted Assistance Teams, which draw from the expertise of staff representing diverse Board program areas. These teams focus their efforts toward the jurisdictions that need assistance the most.

Local assistance staff is available to answer questions about diversion programs, implementation of plans, local government planning requirements, disposal reporting, waste analysis studies, disposal reduction calculations, and annual report preparation. Each Local assistance staff person in the Central, North, and South sections is assigned to work with jurisdictions in several counties.

In another local assistance section, Targeted Implementation Assistance (TIA), staff focuses on assessing the needs of jurisdictions that are the furthest behind in meeting their year 2000 goals.

Together, TIA staff and staff from the Central, North, and South sections (a.k.a. the Targeted Assistance Teams) facilitate assistance to targeted jurisdictions. Each Targeted Assistance Team may also include staff from other programs within the Board such as Project Recycle, Schools, Markets, and Permitting and Enforcement.

First step--selection
The first step in the Targeted Assistance Team strategy is to identify jurisdictions having difficulty meeting the year 2000 diversion goal. Jurisdictions are selected either because they have requested assistance, they are on a compliance schedule because they have not implemented their Source Reduction Recycling Element, or they have met certain selection criteria.

The selection criteria for targeted assistance include low diversion rates, willingness to receive assistance, potential construction and demolition (C&D) and greenwaste diversion, potential to contribute to the statewide diversion goal, and potential regional partnerships, such as jurisdictions partnering on countywide projects.

Second step--evaluation
The second step in the Targeted Assistance Team strategy is to evaluate the targeted jurisdictions’ waste streams and waste management programs. An evaluation consists of visiting with the jurisdictions and touring the jurisdiction’s facilities. Targeted Assistance Team staff then makes program recommendations that will assist jurisdictions in reaching their diversion goal.

Third step--assistance plan
After making the recommendations, the Targeted Assistance Team enters into a local jurisdiction assistance plan with the targeted jurisdiction. The plan outlines what assistance the Board will be providing and what commitments the jurisdiction will need to make.

The Board currently provides targeted assistance to certain jurisdictions within the counties of Contra Costa, Kings, Los Angeles, Monterey, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, Santa Cruz, Shasta, Solano, Tehama, Tulare, and Yuba-Sutter.

It’s working!
These targeted jurisdictions are making progress. For instance, jurisdictions have implemented commercial and State of California facility waste audits, organics programs including food diversion, procurement programs, school education, school diversion programs, and C&D programs.

If you have any questions or would like to obtain information on the Targeted Implementation Assistance Program, please call Cara Morgan at (916) 341-6253 or e-mail your request to cmorgan@ciwmb.ca.gov. Your input is always welcome.

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Local Government Web Site Tools Are Here

Hits on the Local Government Tools Web site zoomed to 16,599 in September 1999!

We’ve redesigned and enhanced our Local Government Tools Web site (www.ciwmb.ca.gov/LGTools/) to significantly improve the tools available for use by internal and external customers.

Four major program topics have been added: diversion rate measurement, disposal reporting, model annual report, and diversion program implementation. These tools help you evaluate your current diversion performance.

With the addition of these new tools, the Local Government Tools Web site went from 1,405 hits in February 1999 to 16,599 hits in September 1999. That’s a 1,181 percent increase of visits to the site!

If you have any questions on the Local Government Tools Web site or would like to provide suggestions on information you would like to see added, please contact Larry Stephens at (916) 341-6241 or lstephen@ciwmb.ca.gov.

We appreciate the many comments already received! In fact, we would like to share the following e-mail from Susan Gress of Allied Disposal in Visalia.

Keep your comments coming in and stay tuned for articles on specific Web sites in future issues of infoCycling.

Publication #341-99-007

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Last updated: November 01, 2007