Waste and Recycling
As part of an ongoing “King County Monitoring” program, Cascadia conducted an assessment of four Puget Sound Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs). The objective was to investigate, document, and provide recommendations to address real or perceived issues related to: (1) incoming material; (2) quantity and types of MRF residuals disposed; and (3) product contamination.
The assessment was intended to help the County and cities decipher the cause and nature of these issues and develop practical policies to address them. The study involved obtaining and hand-sorting 100 samples to determine the composition of incoming commingled recyclables, residuals disposed, and four products (newspaper, mixed paper, PETE, and glass). The research also included interviews of MRF operators, material brokers and end users to document market-driven specifications for recycled products, identify processing constraints, and develop MRF performance standards and metrics.
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Cascadia began to immediately overhaul the way Resource Venture services were marketed, delivered, and tracked; ultimately resulting in superior outcomes. Among the dramatic changes we noted were (1) an increased level of accountability; (2) a more strategic focus; and (3) service documentation that demonstrated a more effective and efficient program. In particular, Cascadia’s “targeting and tracking” database made it possible to focus on the biggest commercial resources users with the greatest potential for conservation, and then measure their progress over time. The program’s unique targeted approach is extremely cost-effective; Cascadia has helped reduce the City’s program costs from about $100/ton diverted in 2006 to about $45/ton in 2008.
- Phil Paschke, Seattle Public Utilities