Reuse Assistance Grant Progress Report

Riverside County's Reuse Assistance Grant Project (Part 1: January 19, 2005 to November 30, 2005)

Project Description

Funding will enable Riverside County Waste Management Department to open, promote, and operate a Materials Reuse Store at Lamb Canyon Landfill. Grant monies will fund the cost of the crane company to move the existing storage buildings at the landfill and to fund a portion of the project's printing costs. A storage containment (two 40-foot shipping containers) and a scale to track diversion will be purchased. Additionally, the County will provide printing costs as part of the matching contribution. Flyers promoting the reuse facility will also be produced.

Introduction

The Riverside County Waste Management Department (WMD) is requesting amendments to the approved Work Plan and Budget task timeline due to extended delays in the design and structure of the Recycle Park site. At this time, WMD will not be including a payment request with this progress report. The WMD is committed to moving forward with the first Reuse Store sited at a solid waste facility in Riverside County.

Funding provided through the Reuse Assistance Grant, as detailed in the Revised Work Plan and Budget, will be used to fund the cost of the crane company to move the existing storage buildings at the landfill and to fund a portion of the printing costs. The revised Work Plan and Budget reflects a reduction in equipment to be purchased to just minimum storage containment (two 40-foot shipping containers and the former loadcheck storage bins), shelving, reused laptop and other computer equipment, and a scale to track diversion. Additionally, the County will contribute some of the reduced printing costs as part of the match. The tri-fold brochure has been replaced with a flyer in reduced amounts. With this revised funding, Riverside County Waste Management Department should be able to open, promote, and operate a scaled-back, but still viable, pilot materials Reuse Store at Lamb Canyon Landfill as detailed in the Reuse Assistance Grant.

The WMD, through its Administration, Engineering and Planning/Recycling divisions, has taken the initial steps to develop a Recycle Park within a Riverside County solid waste facility. This Recycle Park will accomplish several objectives for the Department:

1. Provides residents with a location to recycle various items from household hazardous waste (HHW), tires, metals, and appliances.
2. Provides a location in which residents can deposit or purchase unwanted, but usable, material.
3. Provides self-haul residents a safe location in which to dispose of their other solid wastes.

The exhibit attached at the end of this progress report details the layout of the Recycle Park and traffic flow so that self-haul residents will drop off their solid waste at the self-haul dumping pad at the beginning of the Recycle Park circulation. At this point, Recycle Park staff will look for usable items and request that residents drop them off at the Reuse Store. If the residents have metal, appliances, tires or any HHW they will drive out of the self-haul dumping pad and continue on to the next station, at last reaching the Reuse Store, where they can drop off material or shop. If the residents only have items for recycling, they will continue past the dumping pad to the various recycling areas. The Reuse Store is one component of this overall Recycle Park concept—one that the WMD hopes to duplicate at the Badlands Landfill.

During excavation for the Recycle Park, the hillside at Lamb Canyon Landfill originally proposed for the Recycle Park was found to have an unstable slope. This instability is now being shored up by a Contractor hired by the WMD. (This excavation work is not included in the scope of this Reuse Assistance Grant and was not identified in the Grant Revised Work Plan and Budget.) This unexpected work has delayed construction of the Recycle Park, and the WMD requests an adjustment to the Revised Work Plan and Budget timeline.

At the November 15, 2005 meeting with Engineering, the updated exhibit, including the drainage plan and overall Recycle Park update, was distributed. This updated exhibit is attached to this progress report. The estimated completion date for excavation is November 16, 2005; at which time the WMD will have the area hydro-seeded.

The Engineering division is now working on a Request for Proposal (RFP) for the construction of the surface drainage system, dumping pad and the Waste Recycle Park access road. It is hoped that this construction work will be completed by April 2006. After these areas are completed, the WMD can move to the next phase and begin construction of the HHW Central Accumulation Facility (CAF), metallics recycling area, appliance recycling and refrigerant removal, tire collection and the Reuse Store. At this time, the crane contractor will be hired to move storage buildings for the Reuse Store.

Included in this report are updates on the tasks for both the grant funded costs and Matching costs. Also, enclosed are exhibits showing the Waste Recycle Park, Overall Surface Drainage Control System, and pictures of the site at the beginning of excavation and in the last phase of excavation.

The steps required to accomplish their project are as follows:

Task 1: Relocate the Existing Load Check Containers (Grant funded cost)—0 percent completion.
The existing load check/HHW containers (to be reused as the Reuse Store) will be relocated from its current location at Lamb Canyon Landfill to the Recycle Park area.

An amendment to this task is requested to extend the task completion date to April 2006; however, completion is contingent on the progress of the Recycle Park activities that need to be completed prior to movement of the containers. In the overall Recycle Park plan, the Reuse Store will be the last piece to go in. As part of the work plan of the grant, a contractor will be hired to move the old CAF containers for use as the Reuse Store. Once the WMD selects a contractor to do this work, a Reliable Contractor Declaration form will be completed, and submitted to the state prior to work commencement.

Task 2: Develop and Distribute Educational Materials Which Promote Reuse (Grant funded cost—printing of survey cards)—0 percent completion.
In order to help residents understand the necessity for diversion through reuse of good materials, a public education campaign will be developed and presented. This campaign will include a flyer, website information and future County Recycling Guide Revisions. WMD will encourage the cities in close proximity to the Reuse Store (Calimesa, Banning, Beaumont, San Jacinto, and Hemet) to promote the reuse of their residents’ goods at the store.

An amendment to this task is requested to extend the task completion date to June 2006. Currently, the WMD encourages residents to donate good usable items to their local thrift stores or charitable organizations through the Riverside County Recycling Guide, (not paid for by this Reuse Assistance Grant). The WMD produced 15,000 copies of the Guide to be distributed to residents and businesses in an attempt to provide recycling information in a convenient format. The Guide is in both English and Spanish and is also available on the department Web site www.rivcowm.org in an electronic format. The WMD currently is writing a RFP to contract with a Public Education Contractor to produce educational material on the HHW program and for the Reuse Store. A Reliable Contractor Declaration form will be completed and submitted to the State prior to contractor work commencement.

Task 3: Purchase Necessary Equipment to Establish, Furnish and Operate the Reuse Store (Matching)—0 percent completion.
The necessary equipment includes: two 40-foot containers, floor scale, shelving and a reused laptop computer, along with associated computer equipment to compile data.

This task is anticipated to begin in December 2005. The Department is in the process of purchasing equipment now to avoid price increases and to get ready to open the Reuse Store. The Department now has a new buyer to assist with equipment purchases. Equipment for the store will be purchased and stored in the 40-foot shipping containers at another location on the landfill, until it is moved into place, and the store is furnished with the equipment. It is anticipated that the orders will be received and processed by January 2006. Purchasing equipment now will ensure readiness for the opening of the Recycle Park.

Task 4: Stock Reuse Store with Good Reusable Materials, Train Staff to Receive Usable Items, Price and Sell Reusable Items, and Track Data (Matching)—0 percent completion.
Staff will receive training to recognize and/or test good reusable construction materials, good reusable electronic items (televisions and monitors), good reusable household items and other reusable goods to be sold. An amendment to this task is requested to extend the task completion date to June 2006.

Task 5: Operate Reuse Store and Track Incoming and Outgoing Reusable Materials, and Promotional Efforts to Determine Success of Program (Matching)—0 percent completion.
Staff will operate the store, develop survey questions and print survey cards, survey the residents who use the store, and generally act as educators on the principles and benefits of reuse of materials. An amendment to this task is requested to extend the task completion date to July 2006.

Anticipated Accomplishments:
The WMD anticipates completion of Tasks 1 and 3 prior to the next progress report due June 15, 2006. The WMD is hoping to eventually duplicate the Lamb Canyon Landfill Recycle Park and Reuse Store at Badlands Landfill off Highway 60 near the City of Moreno Valley. The solid waste facility permit at the Badlands was recently revised to include, among other things, a description of a proposed Recycle Park to be constructed. This would provide another safe and convenient location for County residents to dispose of their unwanted, but still usable, materials in a beneficial manner, providing diversion from the landfill and providing a location to recycle household hazardous waste, tires, and metals.

*Permission was obtained from grant recipient to publish project profile.

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Last updated: June 25, 2008