2001 Trash Cutter Awards Program Case Studies

Marin County Hazardous and Solid Waste Joint Powers Authority:
Best Regional Waste Reduction Program 

• Program Description
• Program Summary
• Costs
• Benefits
• Contact

Program Description

The Marin County Hazardous and Solid Waste Joint Powers Authority (JPA) is comprised of all 11 incorporated cities and the unincorporated county. The JPA and its private sector partners offer a wide range of source reduction, recycling, composting, and education programs to Marin’s residents and businesses.

Program Summary

Every aspect of Marin’s regional program demonstrates cooperative approaches to waste reduction. This cooperation has been demonstrated at multiple levels: the intergovernment agency cooperation of the JPA’s member agencies in pooling their resources to form a regional agency; the public/private partnership the JPA formed with Marin’s solid waste and recycling industry in program implementation; the cooperation of Marin’s environmental organizations and Conservation Corps in assisting government agencies in program implementation.

One specific program example includes the JPA’s seasonal organic waste collection events such as Christmas tree collection and brush clearing. In addition, through partnerships with private landscape material businesses including United Soils and Cascade Forest Products, Marin developed markets for its green and wood waste collection programs and, in doing so, created local jobs.

To foster markets for recycled-content products, the JPA has implemented a 15 percent purchasing price preference for products with a minimum of 50 percent recycled content (10 percent postconsumer).

In 1993, the JPA developed a monitoring system that enabled the JPA to evaluate its diversion programs with hard data. This monitoring system incorporates a complex structure of checks and balances to ensure accuracy and has enlisted the cooperation of all of the JPA’s haulers and facility operators. The success and experiences of the JPA’s disposal/diversion monitoring system establishes it as a model for other jurisdictions and agencies to follow.

Costs

In 2000, with a total operating cost of $878,357, the cost per ton of waste diverted in the JPA jurisdictions was $2.15.

Benefits

Through local government cooperation and development of partnerships with Marin’s privately operated solid waste industry, the JPA has economically increased Marin’s diversion by more than 45 percent since 1990--408,633 tons of waste (greater than 65 percent) in 2000 alone. While the exact level of participation is unknown, a high participation rate is implied by Marin’s low cost and high results.

For Further Information Contact:

Marin County Department of Public Works
P.O. Box 4186
San Rafael, CA 94913
(415) 499-6548