2000 Trash Cutter Award Program Case Studies

Los Angeles County: Best Waste Prevention Program

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

Program Description

Los Angeles County's Departmental Recycling Program was initiated in May 1990 and is designed to help county departments recycle materials generated at their facilities to the maximum extent economically feasible. When it began, only 16 county departments were involved in some type of recycling and recycled an average of 62 tons of paper per month. During the 1999 reporting period, 49 county departments were actively recycling paper and over 2,000 tons of paper were collected. Additionally, county departments reduce office waste through a variety of waste prevention techniques, including double-sided copying and printing; using blank sides of used paper as scratch pads; sharing and making fewer copies of documents; using "Post-It" fax notes and similar fax transmittal forms; using electronic mailing; accessing reports and forms online; proofing documents online; and reusing packaging materials, file folders, envelopes, and binders. 

Program Summary

County departments also recycle aluminum, glass, laser toner cartridges, metal, newspapers, phone books, cardboard, microfiches, plastic bottles, other plastics, motor oil, and green waste. The countywide Surplus Property Redistribution Program helps county departments reuse and recycle salvageable county property. Also, county departments recycle green waste through the Tree Trimming Recycling Program which requires mandatory recycling of tree trimmings generated by county road tree trimming contracts. Twenty tree trimming contracts were awarded in 1999 with a total value over $1 million.

The departments also recycle construction and demolition debris generated in county projects. In 1999 debris recycling was required in county projects, such as a $1.5 million contract for site clearance and/or demolition work on county-owned property and a $150,000 contract for demolition of substandard structures in the county. These requirements resulted in the diversion of more than 7,800 tons of debris in 1999. Debris recycling requirements were also incorporated in the contract specification for the Los Angeles County/University of Southern California Center Replacement Project which will result in more than 50,000 tons of concrete being recycled.

County staff continues to provide technical assistance and necessary informational materials, such as the list of debris recycling facilities and recycled debris tracking forms, to the contractors to facilitate their recycling efforts. Ongoing program efforts include development of a comprehensive debris recycling specification for county projects, and development and distribution of debris recycling technical assistance information and educational materials through the Smart Business Recycling Program.

Full implementation of the county Departmental Recycling Program has been hampered by barriers, including insufficient recyclables being generated, lack of staff knowledge of the availability of the recycling contract, and a lack of space. Most barriers to paper recycling were overcome through the contracting process, employee education, and providing employees with necessary tools, such as individual recycling bins. Other barriers are being addressed through an ongoing contract to survey all county departments to develop a comprehensive database of departments' and facilities' recycling activities and waste generation data; and the development of additional recycling and education/outreach programs necessary to expand existing recycling activities to meet the the county's recycling and waste reduction goals. Furthermore, the county continues to support and implement policies that encourage the procurement of recycled-content products to stimulate markets for the recycled materials.

Costs

The program is cost-effective as the county saves the disposal cost of the recycled materials and also receives revenue from the sale of the recycled materials.

Benefits

The program is a cooperative effort by all county departments to achieve a measurable reduction in the amount of its waste disposed at landfills. Through the success of this program, the county continues to demonstrate sound leadership and sets an example for businesses and other jurisdictions in the region to follow in meeting the recycling and waste reduction goals and objectives set forth in the county Source Reduction and Recycling Element and the countywide Integrated Waste Management Summary Plan compliance with AB 939.

For Further Information, Contact:

Los Angeles County
900 South Fremont Ave.
Alhambra, CA 91803-1331
(626) 458-5167
www.888CleanLA.com