infoCycling, Fall 2004 (Continued)

• Food diversion workshop
• AB 2176: Waste reduction at large venues and events
• Disposal Reporting System (DRS) and Adjustment Method regulations
• Yolo County Fairgrounds Diversion Success
• Editor's note
• Main Table of Contents

Food waste diversion at large public venues

The California Integrated Waste Management Board (CIWMB) hosted a workshop on implementing food waste diversion programs at large public venues.

The workshop was held on Wednesday, December 8, 2004, at the Cal/EPA office building in Sacramento, 1001 I Street, in the Central Valley Auditorium (second floor). The workshop was broadcast on the CIWMB’s website, and listeners were able to submit questions for discussion in the question and answer session.

The purpose of this workshop was to share information about what makes a food waste diversion program successful from the perspective of large venue operators, local government, haulers, and composters.

The workshop agenda included:

1. A brief presentation from CIWMB staff on the new law, AB 2176, regarding recycling at large venues and the CIWMB’s Waste Reduction at Venue Facilities and Large Events website. Learn more about AB 2176.
2. Three panels of experts representing the San Francisco Giants’ SBC Baseball Park, Desert Sands Unified School District, and the Indian Wells Tennis Gardens will discuss implementing their respective food waste diversion programs.
3. A question-and-answer session following the presentations. Questions were taken from the audience as well as from online listeners.

A map to the building and parking information is available. Please allow a few extra minutes to check in at the security desk in the main lobby.

For questions about the workshop, please contact Janee´ Thomas at the CIWMB.

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New law mandates waste reduction programs at large venues and events

Governor Schwarzenegger signed Chapter 879, Statutes of 2004 (Montanez, AB 2176) into law on September 29, 2004. The law amends section 42911 and adds Chapter 12.7 (commencing with section 42648) to part 3 of division 30 of the Public Resources Code.

The purpose of the law is to make it easier for sports fans, concert fans, and fairgoers attending events at stadiums, convention centers, and other large venues and events to reduce waste when away from home.

Cities and counties are currently required to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfills by at least 50 percent. This law will provide a new tool for local agencies to use in meeting and maintaining their goals.

The law requires managers of the largest 10 percent (based on waste generation tonnage) of venues and events located in each city and county to complete the following actions:

• Contact and meet with their waste haulers by July 1, 2005, and develop a waste reduction plan for the facility or event. The plan must include the waste materials to be targeted, measurable reduction goals, and a timeline. The venue/event managers must meet biennially thereafter to review the plan.
• Implement the selected waste reduction programs to reach their chosen reduction goal.
• Report their waste reduction program results annually to the jurisdiction by July 1 of years 2005 through 2008 for inclusion in the jurisdiction’s annual waste reduction report to the State.

Each city and county is required to:

• Identify qualifying large venues and or events in their local area.
• Assist the large venues and events in developing their waste reduction plans and programs.
• Collect annual progress reports from local large venues/events and report their progress to the California Integrated Waste Management Board (CIWMB) as part of the jurisdictions’ existing Integrated Waste Management Act annual report.
• Provide recycling and waste reduction information when issuing a large venue/event use permit.
• Insure that space for recycling is designed in new buildings by not issuing local agency building permits for development projects unless the project incorporates adequate storage for collecting and loading recycled materials.

Cities and counties may charge a fee to large venues/events for the costs they incur in complying with the Act.

The CIWMB is required to:

• Develop information resources to assist cities and counties in complying with the law.
• Develop information resources to assist venues and events in developing programs such as an information website, best practices, training, and research.
• Consult with representatives of cities and counties and waste haulers when developing a model ordinance for large venues/events waste reduction and recycling by April 1, 2005.
• Receive progress reports about large venue/event program performance from cities and counties and measure their progress.
• Report large venue/event progress to the Legislature on or before December 1, 2008.
• If less than 75 percent of large venues/events are implementing their plans, make recommendations to the Legislature by December 1, 2008, on further actions to improve waste reduction rates at venues/events.

Look for further information about the revisions to PRC section 42911 and Chapter 12.7 (AB 2176) on the CIWMB’s Waste Reduction at Venue Facilities and Large Events web page. While visiting this site, register to be included on the AB 2176 notification system. By registering, you can receive notifications of upcoming trainings and the availability of tools to help with the implementation of the new law.

To review AB 2176, visit the web page. If you have additional questions, contact Chris Schmidle at the California Integrated Waste Management Board.

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Proposed revisions to disposal reporting system and adjustment method regulations

A 45-day public comment period on the revised Disposal Reporting System and Adjustment Method regulations ran from September 3 through October 18, 2004, beginning the formal rulemaking process. Draft regulations, initial statement of reasons, notice of rulemaking, and other relevant information are available on the California Integrated Waste Management Board’s Proposed Regulations website.

A public hearing on the proposed regulations was held on October 18, 2004. At the public hearing, several speakers requested an additional 45 days for further review and comment on the proposed Disposal Reporting System regulations.

Suggestions included tabling the regulations until the review process on alternatives to the AB 939 diversion compliance system is completed. However, the review process on alternatives to the AB 939 diversion compliance system could be very lengthy. There is no certainty any alternatives would be adopted by the legislature or in a timely manner. Other suggestions have been incorporated into the proposed draft regulations.

On November 3, 2004, the Sustainability and Market Development Committee directed staff to extend the comment period through January 18, 2005, and to allow stakeholders to comment on all portions of the proposed revised text. The Board Chair specifically requested that those commenting include specific suggestions for changes to the regulations or specific alternatives, rather than making general comments to enable the Board to address the issues raised.

For example, rather than stating the regulations do not address a particular issue, please provide specifics on how the regulations could be modified to do so. Or, if expressing concerns related to particular impacts of the regulations, please provide your specific recommendations for modifying the regulations.

Check the rulemaking website for information on additional comment periods and CIWMB consideration of the regulations.

If you have questions regarding the proposed revised regulations or want to receive official e-mail notices, contact Boons Baythavong.

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Yolo County Fairground’s Diversion Success

The Yolo County Fairgrounds is helping California to meet statewide diversion goals year round. The Fairgrounds has not only found the benefits of recycling during its annual fair, but sees success and savings all year long!

Recycling at the 2004 Yolo County Fair

Items recycled during the 2004 Yolo County Fair—which ran from August 18 through August 22, 2004—included the following:

• Straw and wood shavings—20 cubic yards (two truckloads) per day were removed from the livestock area and delivered to a local compost company.
• Cardboard—A waste management company picked up three loads of cardboard of 4 cubic yards each. The container of cardboard in the photo below is just one of the containers available for recyclable cardboard.
• PET bottles—20 cubic yards of plastic soda and water bottles were taken to a local recycler at the end of the fair. The money from the recyclables is used for maintenance-related items at the fair. The photo below depicts the large quantity of PET bottles that are recycled.
• Cooking oils—After the fair, the remains of three containers of used cooking oil were taken to a local company for recycling.

In addition to the waste diversion efforts named above, Fairgrounds management ensures that even the destruction derby cars—four to five cars per day during the fair—are towed to a local scrap yard. Local government and State agencies do not receive diversion credit for the disposal of entire cars. However, a benefit to the community is that most of these cars are eventually melted down and recycled.

New design—reduced contamination

Lonny Wunder, CEO of the Yolo County Fairgrounds, recognized that recycling at his fair was not quite working smoothly and could use a little help. He contacted the California Department of Corrections (Solano) to request their help by constructing recycle bin lids that are designed to fit the current 4- by 4-foot metal garbage bins.

“By making the lids in a pyramid design, people are unable to stack non-recycled items on top of the plastic bottle recycling bins,” Lonny said. Consequently, the new bin lids helped eliminate contamination of the recycling bins with non-recyclable items. In addition, this new design did not create a litter problem, since most of the recycling containers are situated next to trash containers.

According to Heidi Hopper, Conservation Coordinator with the City of Woodland, "Lonny Wunder shows continued interest in improving diversion programs at the fairgrounds. In fact, the new cover (or lid) on the plastic bottle recycling bin proved to be innovative and successful".

Yolo County Fairgrounds diverts waste all year long

Yolo County Fairgrounds takes pride in its year-round diversion program for all activities that occur on the fairgrounds. Some of the items included in the Fairgrounds diversion program include the following:

• Grass, straw, wood waste, and wood shavings
• Cardboard
• White paper and mixed paper
• Beverage containers
• Scrap metal
• Tires

In addition to the ongoing recycling, the Fairgrounds make a concerted effort to recycle other materials, including the following:

• Oil
• Batteries
• Paint

Contact information

If you have questions about diversion programs at the Yolo County Fairgrounds, e-mail Lonny Wunder, Yolo County Fairgrounds, or call him at (530) 662-5393. Or contact Anthony Marin at the California Integrated Waste Management Board.

If you have questions about other State agency diversion programs, contact your State agency assistance section representative. See the State Agency web page for a listing of the representatives.

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Editor’s note

I hope you enjoyed this edition of infoCycling. Look for an article on the CIWMB’s waste characterization study in a future edition of infoCycling.

Please contact me with suggestions on articles you would like to see included in infoCycling and announcements of events in your jurisdiction or at your State agency. Your comments and suggestions on infoCycling are always welcome!

Tracy

Last updated: December 28, 2007