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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 03201990 - EA.1 TEA TO; E .sE..t BOARD OF SUPERVISORS FRoM: Environmental Affairs Committee Supervisor Tom Torlakson, Chair DATE: Supervisor Nancy Fanden March 20, 1990 SUBJECT; ST'9 C'OUI1'C� Report on the Household Hazardous Waste Program I SPECIFIC REQUEST(S) OR RECOMMENDATION(S) & BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION RECOP94ENDATION 1. Accept the report from the Joint Committee on Household Hazardous Waste on the implementation of Phase I of the Household Hazardous Waste Program. 2. Encourage the curbside collection of used oil with the understanding that this type of program' s success will vary from community to community, and that the use of a curbside collection program for used oil should be decided by individual communities. BACKGROUND The staff -to the Joint Committee on Household Hazardous Waste presented the attached report to the Environmental Affairs Committee at our March 12, 1990 meeting. The Committee discussed the relative benefits of curbside collection of used oil, as well as some of the concerns. Although concerns (e.g. liability, spillage) were expressed regarding curbside collection of used oil, programs such as the one operated by the City of Mountain View have been extremely successful and have not experienced any of these problems. It - is recognized that the decision to implement curbside collection of used oil should be on a case-by-case basis, _based on the specifics of -individual communities. The Household Hazardous Waste Committee has discussed the possibility of - curbside collection only with respect to used oil. The _Committee is not contemplating the collection of other types of household hazardous waste at curbside. The Household Hazardous -Waste Committee is also, promoting a service station network and a marina network for used oil collection. In addition, :;-the Committee is investigating incentives for-' service stations to accept used motor oil from the public. CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT: YES SIGNATURE: RECOMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR X RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE APPROVE OTF{Eg SIGNATURE(S): Supervisor Tom Torlakson Chair Su erv's r Nancy Fanden ACTION OF BOARD ON Match 20, 1990 APPROVED AS ECOMMENDED X OTHER VOTE OF SUPERVISORS 1 HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A TRUE X UNANIMOUS (ABSENT ) AND CORRECT COPY OF AN ACTION TAKEN AYES: NOES. AND ENTERED ON THE MINUTES OF THE BOARD ABSENT: ABSTAIN: OF SUPERVISORS ON THE DATE SHOWN. Community Development (Orig. Dept.) =c: Joint Committee on Household Hazardous Waste ATTESTED IJ 9 O_ _ (via Health Services Dept.) PHIL BATCHELOR. CLERK OF THE BOARD OF Cities (via CDD) Solid Waste Haulers (via CDD) SUPERVISORS AND COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR Sanitary Districts (via CDD) W st County JPA (via CDD) BYE X382;1-83 News Media (via CDD) DEPUTY ,4 County Admi-nistrator HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE (HHW) PROGRAM WORK PLAN FOR PHASE I IMPLEMENTATION JANUARY 5, 1990 BACKGROUND: The Household Hazardous Waste Committee was established in January, 1989 by the Solid Waste and Hazardous Materials Commissions. Its charge has been to develop policies, program guidelines and timelines to establish an ongoing system for the collection and disposal of HHW. A major component of this system will also include a public education program to encourage consumers to purchase less toxic products, and to use, recycle and dispose of them properly. The committee is coordinating the following areas of responsibility: * developing collection, recycling and disposal options and logistics * designing a public education campaign * assisting the general public and reducing the amount of HHW being generated * promoting recycling efforts * consulting with franchisors to develop franchise and permit agreements * consulting with franchisors to finance a collection and disposal program * researching liability issues and solutions * liaisoning with regional efforts to reduce HHW and promote collection and disposal programs . Both the. Hazardous Waste Management Plan and the Solid Waste Plan ' encourage HHW collection programs to be established by franchisees . The HHW Committee is overseeing the implementation of these programs: The Hazardous Waste Management Plan (Pages 6-8) and the Solid Waste Management Plan (pages 8-14 ) state: Disposal: The public should be provided with safe, accessible, and convenient locations to recycle and dispose of household hazardous waste. This may be achieved by: 1 . Promoting the recycling of household hazardous wastes, such as waste oil, car batteries, and latex-based paints . 2 . Requiring all waste collection companies and other appropriate agencies or companies to provide regular pick-up and or/collection points for household hazardous waste recycling as appropriate. Franchisors and franchisees are encouraged to work together to develop and promote such programs. 3. Requiring solid waste transfer stations to operate household hazardous waste collection, recycling, and disposal programs . 2 4 . Requiring commercial hazardous waste management facilities to accept household hazardous waste at a recoverable cost when no other alternatives are available in the local area. 5. Advocating the adoption of State Legislation that would: a. Encourage and facilitate recycling of hazardous waste statewide through such mechanisms as tax incentives, manufacturing reprocessing, market development, and legal clarifications of recycling definitions . b. Reduce administrative, financial, and legal barriers to household hazardous waste facilities; and C. Develop financing mechanisms such as a surcharge or deposit on products that become household hazardous wastes to encourage the recycling, or proper treatment, storage, and disposal of household hazardous wastes. The committee decided to split the establishment of a collection and disposal program for household hazardous waste into two phases . Phase I provides for the collection and recycling of used oil, 3 latex paint, and car batteries. Phase II provides for the collection, recycling and disposal of all other HHW. This work plan addresses the implementation of Phase I of the project. Used oil, latex paints, and car batteries have been identified because they comprise the bulk of the HHW waste stream, and because there are viable recycling options currently available. Phase I : Expand the recycling of used oil, latex paint, and car batteries in Contra Costa County. The following guidelines should be followed when establishing these programs: o Provide permanent facilities in at least four sectors of .the county (east, west, north central, south central) . o Solid waste programs should must establish programs to accept used oil, latex paint, and car batteries . They can do this by working with their franchisors (cities, sanitary districts) by providing either a drop off point and/or curbside pickup as appropriate, or franchisee corporation yard. o Develop screening guidelines to guard against contaminated wastes being brought to the recycling program. 4 o Assure that the programs are operating on a regular publicized basis (at least one time per month) and be readily accessible to all communities in each franchisee service area. o Develop guidelines on liability controls for accepting wastes from the public. o Integrate collection program into a long-term public education program regarding waste minimization and recycling. The committee strongly encourages the coordinated efforts of the county, cities, sanitary districts, solid waste collection companies, community recycling centers and others to achieve implementation of the program. The work plan is in draft form only. It needs the approval and commitment of all key agencies and organizations before it is adopted for implementation. The following is a brief synopsis of the problem of each type of waste, and local needs and resources to manage recycling. The next steps needed for implementation with a proposed timeline is included in the final section of the work plan. 5 USED OIL BACKGROUND: Used oil and paints are the largest, in quantity and volume, of all hazardous wastes generated by Contra Costa households . According to an Environmental Protection Agency study, the number of do-it- yourself oil changes is increasing nationwide due. to the rising cost of oil changes at service stations and the availability of inexpensive motor oil at discount stores. However, most neighborhood gas stations are no longer accepting used oil from do- it-yourselfers. Service stations that were once paid to collect oil must now pay to have it hauled away. According to the California Waste Management Board, approximately 40 percent of recyclable motor oil is recycled statewide. Without convenient disposal, frustrated oil changers resort to pouring hazardous oil down sewers and storm drains, in backyards and vacant lots, and in garbage cans and dumpsters . Fluid oil can rapidly leach through porous soils and find its way into surface and groundwaters. One gallon of used oil can contaminate a million gallons of drinking water. Likewise, boat owners face similar dilemmas in properly disposing of used oil . With 62 marinas, over 11,000 berths and 33,902 boat owners in Contra Costa County, few disposal options are available 6 to them and many are unaware of the significance of the problem. Some pour used oil in or near the water, thus directly contaminating our county's natural water system. Because oil has been identified as a source of pollution in the San Francisco Bay, the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission is currently researching the extent of the problem as well as possible solutions . USED OIL STATISTICS YEAR CALIFORNIA 1987 Contra Costa 1987 (estimates) Volume of Oil sold 243 million gallons 6 .5 million gallons Volume of Used Oil Available for Recycling 138 million gallons 3 .72 million gallons Volume of Used Oil Currently Collected _ for Recycling 81 million gallons 2.18 million gallons Volume of Used Oil Recycled 57 million gallons 1 .54 million gallons Percent of Used Oil Recycled 47% 41% Amount of Used Oil Unaccounted For 81 million gallons 2. 18 million gallons 59% 7 LOCAL NEEDS AND RESOURCES: . Contra Costa has limited availability of used oil collection programs (see attached map to be developed) . Many areas of the county have no reasonable access to collection services, and the public who is trying to use responsible disposal methods become frustrated when they are told to drive several miles to the nearest collection point. The general public is also often confused and/or ignorant about the proper disposal methods . A comprehensive public education campaign is essential if there is to be an increase in the amount of used oil collected in Contra Costa County. Multiple resources are available to assist in promoting used oil recycling. The county, cities, sanitary districts, garbage collection companies, service stations and community recycling centers can all play a role in developing the oil recycling infrastructure in Contra Costa. The refinement and implementation of this work plan will establish a comprehensive infrastructure of used oil recycling options in Contra Costa. GOAL OF A USED OIL COLLECTION AND RECYCLING PROGRAM: The goals and benefits of oil collection and recycling systems are to: 8 o Prevent oil from entering landfills and potentially leaching into surface and groundwaters; o Prevent oil from entering storm drains and sewers, and causing water pollution; o Prevent backyard and other illegal dumping to prevent soil and water contamination and accidental poisonings; o Provide consumers (including boat owners) with accessible and responsible methods of collection and recycling; o Recover a valuable resource; o Conserve the nation's and world's finite supply of crude oil. o Save energy and resources otherwise needed to develop and refine virgin oil; o Comply with state and federal hazardous waste laws. OBJECTIVES: (1) Franchisees provide either curbside or drop-off recycling programs as described below. (2 ) Other key participants (county, cities, sanitary districts, community recycling centers, etc. ) coordinate a spectrum of other recycling services for the community. INTEGRATED APPROACH USING ABOVE OPTIONS: Each community is encouraged to develop a collection program that best meets local needs. By incorporating many of the above options (particularly in lieu of curbside pick-up) the public can be served with accessible and affordable disposal options . 9 CURBSIDE RECYCLING PROGRAMS: Curbside collection is by far the most convenient form of proper disposal for at home do-it-yourselfers . The Bay Area communities of Los Altos, Palo Alto, Sunnyvale and Mountain View provide this service as part of their residential curbside recycling programs . a In Mountain View and Sunnyvale, residents are asked to leave used oil in gallon containers at the curb with other recyclables . Plastic gallon jugs are available at no charge from the recycling company. Recycling trucks are equipped with racks to hold one- gallon plastic containers; the truck drivers collect the full containers and replace them with empty ones. In other locales, trucks carry oil tanks. Full containers are emptied into the tanks and empty containers disposed of in bins alongside. In Contra Costa County, Contra Costa Resource Recovery Service in Martinez and Port Costa Recycles provide curbside collection free of charge to their customers . Section 25250.15 of the California Health and Safety Code, exempts curbside collection of used oil from the requirements for hazardous waste disposal. Programs must comply with terms outlined in franchise agreements. Liability is assumed by the franchising agency or hauler. 10 DROP-OFF COLLECTION: Drop-off services have been provided at many permanent and temporary locations throughout the Bay Area. "Permanent" locations include recycling centers; transfer stations; landfills; and city, county, and private corporation yards. Temporary sites have included household hazardous waste collection days and shopping malls . These sites and other options are discussed below. Recycling Centers: Several recycling centers throughout the Bay Area accept used oil. In E1 Cerrito, the E1 Cerrito Recycling Center collects approximately 500 gallons of used oil each week (27 ,000 gallons annually) and at no charge to the public. At present, California Oil Recyclers picks up the oil at no cost to the center. Pacific Rim Recycling in Walnut Creek offers used oil recycling at a nominal cost to the public. Pleasant Hill Bay Shore accepts used oil free of charge to its customers in their Antioch and Pacheco corporation yards. Transfer Stations and Landfills: Most solid waste transfer stations and landfills have for many years maintained tanks on-site for their own used oil and accept oil from the public. These locations are most convenient for small businesses that regularly haul their own wastes to the station or landfill. As the facilities tend to be in remote locations away from population centers, they are relatively inconvenient locations for do-it- 11 yourselfers . Nonetheless, transfer station and landfill operators , report that their tanks are frequently used and they plan to maintain this service. Public Maintenance Yards: Generally every city and county maintains one or more maintenance yards for its own vehicles and equipment. In addition, many state agencies and special districts, such as bus districts, maintain corporation yards throughout the state. As these yards usually store used oil for their own vehicles and equipment, they are natural locations for drop-off collection. However, few localities have taken advantage of this arrangement. Nevada City and Santa Monica have successfully done so. Personnel requirements, and local fire and safety regulations must first be considered. Corporation Yards: Several private corporations have opened their tanks to public disposal. Pleasant Hill Bayshore Disposal, for example, accepts oil from its rate-payers at its corporation yard. Drop-Off at Points of Purchase: Many places that sell oil, such as service stations and auto supply stores, also provide oil changes and maintain used oil tanks on-site for their own purposes . Relatively few of these retailers accept oil from the public, but could be encouraged to do so. 12 Mobile Collection: Evergreen Oil has equipped an "Oil Mobile" to collect oil at shopping centers and other much-visited locales. The Oil Mobile can collect 1500 gallons per day, has been very popular and collected about 97,000 gallons in 1988. Marinas: Some marinas, particularly the larger ones, provide boat owners with a tank or drum for collecting oil. SERVICE STATION NETWORK: The California Waste Management Board (Board) maintains a list of service stations that collect used oil from the public. A random check of these sites indicates that the charge for disposal ranges from $0.25 to $1.00 per gallon. This information is available to the public on the Board's Hotline (1-800-553-2962) . The Board is working to establish collection networks comprised of haulers that transport used oil at no charge to the service stations when they collectively guarantee at least 2000 gallons to be picked up in a minimum number of stops. In exchange for the free pick up, service stations agree to accept used oil from the public without charge. The Santa Monica Recycling Program operates a network. San Mateo has made arrangements with fourteen service stations for free public collection. In exchange, San Mateo has reduced the 13 generator fees paid by service stations to the county. Ventura County encourages service stations by reducing their waste generator permit fees by 75 percent if the person issued the license certifies that the station (a) maintains a used oil storage tank or tanks with the capacity for at least 100 gallons at each licensed location, (b) accepts up to four gallons of used oil per day without charge, and (c) conspicuously displays a sign advertising willingness to accept used oil without charge. LATER PAINTS BACKGROUND: Paint is one of the most common items used and stored in residences . Paint products are widely used for painting interior and exterior walls, ceilings, trim, furniture, fences and decks. Included in this category are undercoatings, sealers, primers, stains, preservatives, and other architectural coatings . Homeowners typically repaint building interiors and exteriors every 5-10 years depending on the surface finish and exposure conditions . Public areas and places with high traffic may be repainted more frequently. Householders often have difficulty estimating their paint needs and err on the side of buying excess paint rather than risk running short. Leftover paint is kept for touch-ups and future projects. Over the long term, the result is an accumulation 14 of partially-used or yet-to-be-used paints, solvents and associated equipment on a shelf or in a cabinet. Older homes tend to have large paint stockpiles from many previous painting projects. In older neighborhoods (established before the predominance of latex paints) , storage of solvent-based paints is common. Lead-based paint - which is no longer manufactured or sold, may still be stored among old solvent-based paints. The most frequent disposal method for paints, according to a three- city household survey, was in household trash. ( "Disposal of Hazardous Wastes by Small Quantity Generators - Magnitude of the Problem, " by Lorene Jackson Russell and Emy Chan Meiorin, Association of Bay Area Governments, Oakland, California. 1985) . Householders are often unaware that solvent-based paints are classified as hazardous and are surprised when sanitation workers refuse to accept paint cans. In some cases, householders resort to illegal disposal. However, the majority of householders continue to store paints for lack of any available safe disposal methods . On such occasions when a community holds a household hazardous waste collection event, the programs are generally inundated by householders trying to relieve their homes of stored paint. It is important to note that Phase I of the HHW program will address only latex paints, which are currently recyclable. Oil and lead-based paints, solvents, and specialty products will be 15 addressed in Phase II of the program. Latex paint is not currently classified as a hazardous waste by the State Department of Health Services. It is a waste disposal problem and recycling programs should therefore be developed. LATEX PAINT STATISTICS: In 1985, ABAG and the University of Arizona conducted a study of regular household trash from weekly pickups at 1,022 Marin County single-family households ( "A Characterization of Hazardous Household Waste in Marin County, California, " by William Rathje, D.C. Wilson and W.W. Hughes. A report to the Association of Bay Area Governments, Oakland, California. 1985) . ESTIMATED AVERAGE HOUSEHOLD PAINT GENERATION RATE 1986 - 2000 Average Household Bay Area Contra Costa 1986 1 .51 lbs/yr 1585 tons/yr 203.8 tons 2000 1.51 lbs/yr 1900 tons/yr 244 .3 tons Paint and related products stored for months and years constitute the greatest volume of materials brought to one-day household collection programs in the Bay Area. In a series of collection programs conducted for 12 cities in Alameda County in 1987, each household participant brought an average of 26 . 82 pounds of solvent-based paint products and thinners, and 25. 12 pounds of latex paints for a total of 51 .94 pounds (Rathji, Wilson, Hughes) . The household participation rate at these events is typically around 1% . 16 ESTIMATED POTENTIAL ANNUAL PAINT DISPOSAL FROM LONG-TERM STORAGE 1986-2000 Average Household Bay Area Contra Costa 1986 51 .94 lbs/year 545 tons/year 70 tons/year 1990 51 .94 lbs/year 654 tons/year, 84 tons/year These are amounts stored in homes that would gradually be disposed of over many years. Without a community hazardous waste collection program, the paints would most likely be improperly put in the trash, or taken in self-haul loads to landfills . LOCAL NEEDS AND RESOURCES: At this time, the Pleasant Hill Bay Shore Disposal Company offers the only drop-off point for latex paint for Contra Costa residents. They have a permanent location in Pacheco and a satellite location in Antioch on a monthly basis. An ongoing collection program needs to be developed by local communities. The HHW committee can coordinate the planning of the collection program. GOALS OF LATEX PAINT RECYCLING PROGRAM: * provide a responsible method for residents to dispose of excess paint, * reduce the volume of paint being improperly disposed of in sewers, storm drains , trash, etc. , * reduce landfill disposal volumes and conserve limited landfill capacities, 17 * recover a useful resource, and provide a product for use by non-profit and civic organizations and groups with limited funds. OBJECTIVES: The most practical system for collecting latex paints is to offer a series of centralized drop-off points throughout the county. These drop-off points could be operated on a permanent basis, or through special collection day programs in each city. Franchisees should establish a latex paint drop-off point in their service area. It is recommended that latex paint drop-off is provided concurrently with used oil drop-off. Several logistical guidelines should be adopted when operating a latex paint collection program. * Keep white paints separated from pigmented paints. The white paints can be bulked and used without recycling. * Establish a scrap metal recycling program for empty paint cans . * The transportation of the paint to the recycler can be costly. Communities should coordinate pick-up and transportation of paint to the recycler in Southern California. * Franchisees will be required to accept the costs of recycling the paint. The recycled paint is returned to the franchisee. A use and distribution system for this paint should be developed with local communities . . Graffiti abatement programs, schools, community centers, senior housing projects have all successfully used recycled paint products at a tremendous fiscal savings . 18 LEAD ACID (CAR) BATTERIES BACKGROUND: Car batteries can pose a significant environmental health hazard when not disposed of properly. Sulfuric acid, lead acid, solder, and other metals can contaminate soil and ground water if batteries are buried in the ground or are recycled improperly. For example in Contra Costa County, Cook Battery in Oakley, formerly a car battery recycling operation, indicates the type of environmental damage caused by improper disposal of batteries . Due to improper industrial processes and disposal, serious soil contamination (more than 1000 times recommended EPA limits) resulted. and the site was placed on the State Superfund list. Although there was no direct public health impact from this contamination, the potential for contaminated drinking water or the exposure to children to lead poisoning from playing in neighboring yards does pose significant concern for the proper disposal of lead acid batteries. Most car batteries are purchased and installed at service stations, or by commercial mechanics and are therefore recycled through established industrial routes . For example, Sears at Sun Valley Mall sells approximately 500 batteries per week and recycles approximately the same amount. Most people are therefore exchanging their old batteries for new ones at the time of purchase. The home mechanic has limited options, however, and may 19 well be illegally disposing of car batteries in the trash, burying them in the ground, or storing them in a garage, tool shed or backyard. While there are no exact statistics on the number of car batteries being stored at Contra Costa residences, experience of household hazardous waste collection programs throughout the state indicates there is indeed a need for collection points for batteries being stored by home mechanics. CAR BATTERY STATISTICS CITY QUANTITY COLLECTION METHOD PARTICIPANTS COLLECTED TIMEFRAME (# PARTICIPANTS) San Bernardino 84 batteries 1987 - 88 Permanent 69 batteries 1987 .- 88* Round Ups 110 batteries 1988 - 89* Round Ups San Francisco 192 batteries First year Permanent San Jose 900 batteries 2 days Round Ups** (2200) Antioch 238 batteries 6 days Round Ups (400) Pacheco 93 batteries 5 months Permanent (451) * These round-ups occurred in 3-4 locations in the county. **These round-ups were particularly successful due to extensive advertising. 20 LOCAL NEEDS AND RESOURCES: Several large battery recycling companies operate in Contra Costa County. These companies are transfer stations for car battery recycling. The drop-off collection points established under Phase I of the Contra Costa Hazardous Waste Program can utilized these companies to ship car batteries to large industrial smelters and metal recyclers. THE GOAL OF CAR BATTERY RECYCLING PROGRAM: o To provide a responsible method for residents to dispose of car batteries . o To reduce the number of car batteries being improperly stored in garages or improperly disposed of in the ground, trash, creeks, etc. o To recover a useful resource for reuse in the manufacturing of car batteries and other metal products . OBJECTIVES: The most practical method for collecting car batteries is to offer a series of centralized drop-off points throughout the County. These drop-off points can be operated on a permanent basis and can be incorporated with the used oil and latex paint drop-off points provided by each franchisee. 21 The logistic for the collection and storage of car batteries should pose no barrier to the offering of these services . Franchisees will need to . establish a relationship with a local battery recycling company to accept the batteries that are collected. It is possible that several drop-off points may want to pool the batteries collected so they can be transported to the recyclers in bulk volumes. 22 COMMITTEE ACTION STEPS AND TIMELINE ACTION MONTH 1. Work plan meeting with franchisees/ors 1. October 1989 2. Report to Hazardous Waste and Solid Waste Commissions and to the Board of Supervisors 2. October 3. Finalize draft work plan and sample contract language 3. Nov-Dec 4 . Establish implementation committee 4. December 5. Training on used oil and latex paint recycling 5. January 1990 6 . Assist franchisors in developing contract language and implementation plans for oil and paint recycling programs 6 . Nov-March 7 . Establish used oil network with service stations 7 . Nov-Jan -8. Develop, fund, implement public education campaign 8. Dec-ongoing 9 . Goal for implementing Phase I HHW program in Contra Costa County 9 . March 10. Require recycling programs in landfill and transfer station permits 10. Long-Term MA:md 1/3/90 oilrpt.ma 23