As the zero-waste movement gains momentum, so does the public’s desire to responsibly dispose of what consumes nearly one-third of municipal waste—food scraps. The uptick in demand has resulted in a boom of municipal organics curbside collection programs in recent years, often driven by local governments or community groups. But for some who have studied municipal organics diversion for decades, full-scale programs are still lagging. “We’ve been tracking food waste composting for many years. After all these years of really pushing and advocating for food waste composting, it’s still not at a scale where one would think,” says Nora Goldstein, the editor of BioCycle magazine.

However, as some cities with successful curbside collection programs have shown, haulers can capitalize on the growing demand by partnering with local municipalities and processing facilities to implement a cost-effective full-scale collection program. With municipalities increasingly establishing legislation mandating organics diversion and the public becoming more knowledgeable of its benefits, the pump is primed for haulers to fill in the blanks.

“This is a great time to get into organics diversion. This is where the industry is going—reducing food waste lost all along the system,” says Brenda Platt, a director at the Minneapolis-based Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR) who has worked with Goldstein in recent years conducting research on organics diversion programs. “We’ve documented a wide variety of programs. Some are starting small, while some are more robust and comprehensive. You can just start somewhere on the path—you don’t have to do it all initially.”

Going the distance

Composting and anaerobic digestion offer the most scalable solutions for reducing food waste nationally, but more pervasive buy-in is needed from haulers to scale these practices. Although there are several hurdles for haulers entering the organics collection space, the biggest can be a lack of local organic processing facilities.

In a recent study, Goldstein and Platt were able to identify 185 full-scale government-supported composting facilities in the U.S. The U.S. also has 38 standalone anaerobic digesters, according to the American Biogas Council, along with 247 on farms and about 1,200 at wastewater treatment plants, though the streams accepted at those facilities are more difficult to quantify.

Haulers benefit from working with nearby facilities—the shorter the distance, the cheaper it is to haul. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) last year released its Excess Food Opportunities Map, which tracks both large food waste generators and facilities that can accept the food waste. This interactive map is just one tool haulers can use to identify the potential market and nearby facilities able to process these materials.

Navigating the challenges

For those with a facility close enough to validate the cost, the next step is to characterize the waste being collected. The type of organics and the way it is sorted may reduce facility options further. Mixed streams work better for anaerobic digesters, for example, while source-separated streams are more conducive to composting. Compost piles are also more forgiving to contaminants, too, like paper products and compostable food service ware.

The amount of material coming into the stream is important as well. Significant waste volumes are more likely to result in a cost-effective collection program, as large amounts of clean organics net better pricing.

Haulers must work with processing facilities to get tipping fees low enough to attract adequate volumes, but still high enough for the facility to make a profit. Goldstein and Platt have found cost-sharing to be an effective way to distribute the additional cost of organics collection to all stakeholders. In Virginia, for example, the city of Church Falls was able to launch an organics collection program in 2017 without substantially raising resident bills by splitting the extra cost with Veterans Compost of Aberdeen, Maryland, which hauls and processes the city’s organics.

Haulers may also be able to trim costs by simply adding organics collection into their existing routes. Analytics and logistics software can track pickups of partially full loads to reduce fuel and labor costs. A 2016 study conducted by Rethink Food Waste Through Economics and Data (ReFED), The Roadmap to Reduce U.S. Food Waste, found that efficient programs generally have a 5-10 percent net increase in collection costs versus landfill-only programs. “One thing we’ve found ... is when you’re redoing routes or shifting existing workers to collect segregated materials, it’s not a complete add-on,” Platt says. “You’re integrating your organics collection in. It’s the same amount of materials.”

Contamination, which can also affect cost, is another challenge that haulers can partner with municipalities and processing facilities to tackle. Residential education is key, Platt says, and can be kick-started through diligent public outreach. In San Francisco, for example, the city created educational materials for haulers to disperse to customers so they know how to separate food scraps. Meanwhile, the city’s organics processing facility, Recology, has started conducting audits of peoples’ bins to identify contamination and implement fines.

Opportunities abound

The haulers willing to navigate the challenges and engage in partnerships may be ahead of the curb when it comes to organics collection. Goldstein says that along with major haulers breaking into organics collection, she’s also seen a growth in niche haulers, composters and anaerobic digester companies investing in their own trucks for organics collection.

In another recent study conducted by Biocycle and ILSR, The Survey of Residential Food Waste Collection Access in the U.S., they found that more than 5 million households now have access to curbside food scraps collection—a number that continues to grow every year. Most of these are in the Northeast, Northwest and Midwest regions of the U.S., which the ReFED study estimates will continue showing the most potential for economic value in organics collection due to high disposal fees and compost and energy market prices.

“I think haulers are key,” Platt says. “Haulers who are supporting and engaging the community, educating them and supporting all stages of the food waste hierarchy—including prevention and rescuing edible food—are going to be the most innovative and have a competitive edge.”

The author is the assistant editor for Waste Today and can be reached at tcottom@gie.net.

Right before sunrise on the morning of Nov. 8, Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) reported that one of its transmission lines off Camp Fire Road in Butte County had suffered an outage. Fifteen minutes later, a PG&E employee at the scene first spotted what would become the deadliest wildfire in California history.

Investigators suspect that a downed high-voltage power line and damaged equipment started the fire. Spurred on by whipping wind gusts, the fire quickly overtook the parched brush in the surrounding foothills of the Sierra Nevada, spreading the blaze to the town of Paradise, California, population 27,000, and into nearby communities at the rate of a football field per second.

Before the blaze was contained 17 days later, 85 people had been killed, more than 150,000 acres had been burned and close to 19,000 buildings were destroyed. The total cost of the fire damage was estimated at $16.5 billion.

Answering the call

Shortly after the fires were contained, a number of agencies joined to begin what they called an “unprecedented wildfire cleanup effort” that will span approximately 14,700 properties and cost an estimated $3 billion. The California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle); Butte, Los Angeles and Ventura Counties; the California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC); the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA); and other federal, state and local partners will work together under the leadership of the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (CalOES) to carry out the state-managed debris removal.

The agencies divided the cleanup effort into two phases: removal of household hazardous waste and removal of other fire-related debris.

The first phase of the cleanup, which began Dec. 3 and is estimated to last a total of four to six months, involves crews managed by DTSC and the EPA. These crews are specifically focused on sorting through on-site rubble and ash to remove remnants of household hazardous waste, including paints, cleaners, solvents, oils, batteries, pesticides, compressed cylinders and tanks and easily identifiable asbestos.

According to CalOES Director Mark Ghilarducci, expediency is paramount in the initial stages of the cleanup in helping facilitate an orderly and efficient process.

“One of most important things we can do in an event like this, outside of making sure people’s needs are met, is beginning that process of removing the debris,” Ghilarducci said in a conference call Dec. 11. “The sooner we can get it addressed and out of the way, the sooner the long-term recovery and building can begin.”

Once household hazardous waste is removed from a property, the second phase of the cleanup begins.

Cleanup crews started the second phase—which involves site assessment and documentation, debris removal, erosion control measures and final inspection—Jan. 7. CalRecycle oversaw the appointment of general contractors and managing operations during this process.

The agency selected ECC Constructors LLC, Burlingame, California; SPSG Partners JV, a joint venture including Dublin, California-based DeSilva Gates Construction and Pacific States Environmental; and Sarasota, Florida-based Ceres Environmental Services Inc., doing business as Environmental & Demolition Services Group, as the primary contractors for the cleanup after a bid process that culminated Jan. 22.

ECC Constructors LLC and SPSG Partners JV will work within the city limits of the town of Paradise. Each agreement is for approximately 6,350 parcels and an estimated cost of $750 million each. Environmental & Demolition Services Group’s agreement to perform work outside the town of Paradise is for approximately 2,000 parcels and an estimated cost of $200 million.

According to CalRecycle Public Information Officer Lance Klug, each primary contractor will employ a number of subcontractors to help facilitate the cleanup.

“For the Camp Fire cleanup, we estimate each of the three prime contractors will begin with five to 10 crews each,” Klug says. “More crews will then be phased in based on logistical considerations. We estimate there may be up to 150 crews consisting of about five persons each performing debris removal when all is said and done.”

Photos provided by the Department of Toxic Substances Control

Documenting the destruction

Before crews begin removing debris during the second phase of the cleanup, they first measure and record the foundation, structures, debris, utility infrastructure and property-specific hazards on site.

Daily photographs are taken at each site and compiled with written records. These records get checked and verified by a representative from CalRecycle, CalOES or an affiliated worker from the incident management team.

Crews then obtain and evaluate soil samples to establish cleanup goals for the project while identifying and removing any asbestos-containing materials that might remain.

CalRecycle uses independent, California-certified labs for its testing and analysis.

“What’s happening right now with the first part of phase two is we’re conducting background soil samples to establish a baseline. So, we take a sample from a non-burned portion of soil in the community, and this gives us a baseline where we want to get the soil properties back to. Once the debris removal occurs, we want to make sure that the soil is restored to pre-fire conditions,” Klug says. “Samples are collected and then sent off to independent labs. These results are directly reviewed, analyzed and ultimately approved by CalRecycle. So, if there’s a soil sample that comes back and it doesn’t meet cleanup goals, then CalRecycle orders re-scraping.”

Photos provided by the Department of Toxic Substances Control

Managing the cleanup

After initial site assessment and documentation, crews turn their attention to the debris removal process, where they’ll collect and remove all burnt debris, foundations, dangerous trees and contaminated soil.

Klug says that while at least 3 to 6 inches of ash, debris and soil may be removed in a typical plot’s clearing, crews do everything possible to ensure that they aren’t over-striping the land. Daily monitoring of tonnage reports and grid testing helps the agency maintain appropriate volumes during the cleanup, Klug says. The agency also focuses on other erosion control measures to control sediment runoff and promote future vegetation growth.

For larger debris, Klug says special oversight is being conducted to ensure cleanup operations go according to plan.

“We have different companies assigned to different tasks,” Klug says. “Debris management is handled by one contractor and the actual debris removal is tasked to another contractor. This provides an additional layer of checks and balances in the field. So, contractors are not only held accountable by us, they check each other’s work as they go.”

Klug notes that every parcel of debris is appropriately categorized before it leaves the site for more comprehensive documentation.

“Debris is removed and documented specifically based on material type—debris/ash, contaminated soil, concrete or metal. There’s a slip that gets generated at the site with the debris that is verified at the disposal facility, and those tonnage reports are sent to a CalRecycle facility and checked daily by parcel to ensure there is reasonable accuracy of the material that has been removed and the cost associated with that is appropriate as well,” Klug says. “We’re tracking every single parcel by material type and by tonnage, so for a cleanup of this scope, organization is key.”

Klug says that the nature of the material being handled at the Camp Fire cleanup puts an added emphasis on safety. The agency conducts daily meetings to help make sure operations are safe and compliant with industry standards.

“We operate under some overarching principles, and at the top of the list is safety—that includes the safety of our crews, the safety of the community and the safety of the environment,” Klug says. “To ensure this safety, we take a number of oversight measures and conduct daily meetings where safety is a top priority. There’s an expectation about crews wearing the proper safety equipment, and there are decontamination zones at each site where contractors suit up and suit off. This is to help prevent any ash from getting into their trucks and going with them back home. We also have truck inspections that are conducted in accordance with Department of Transportation standards. These are expected at the outset, and then every 30 days those are checked on again.”

Photos provided by the Department of Toxic Substances Control

An ally in the community

Klug says that working with those in the community is part and parcel of the cleanup effort. He notes that CalRecycle’s presence is a fixture at community meetings as the agency aims to listen to—and address—the needs and concerns of area residents.

Participation in the debris removal program requires homeowners interested in CalRecycle’s services to return a right of entry form before work begins. Klug says that crews go out of their way to help accommodate any requests residents might have during the cleanup.

“Once CalRecycle has those right of entry forms in hand, that’s when we start formulating our operations plans,” Klug says. “On that right of entry form, we encourage people to make any notes or requests they have. If there’s maybe a wedding ring or something special that someone is missing that they knew was in a certain part of the house, our crews are not only willing to look for that, they’re happy to look for that. That’s the kind of attention and respect we try to have for homeowners.”

One of the overarching goals of CalRecycle’s community engagement strategy is to limit disruption as much as possible. That’s why the agency works to maintain a minimal footprint during operations.

“We set up air monitoring stations around the community. Those are tested before debris removal starts and monitored during the debris removal to make sure we’re not having an impact on the local community,” Klug says. “Because there are 14,000 sites to be tended to, not all are going to be cleaned up immediately, so you have to maintain those. It is important to keep the ash and debris watered as a way to keep dust from flying around. Street sweeping is another aspect that we bring to the community because these areas are essentially going to be a cleanup zone for the next year, so we want to pay special attention to maintaining the community. Finally, when we haul away debris, all of it is burrito-wrapped within plastic and placed in the back of dump trucks to prevent any debris from flying out and further polluting the area.”

Klug says that although every project is different, CalRecycle has leveraged its years of debris removal experience to help streamline the Camp Fire cleanup.

“CalRecycle has managed more than 20 debris removal operations since 2007, and, of course, we learn new things and improve our oversight processes along the way,” he says. “And because of this, these communities know and respect our work and respect the process because they know we respect them and their community. So that’s why our oversight processes are meticulous, and that results in fewer problems and complaints along the way.

Managing a $3 billion cleanup project requires careful planning and execution, but according to Klug, helping make the community whole again is CalRecycle’s biggest responsibility.

“These are families who are just trying to put their lives back together,” Klug says. “We feel that responsibility and we’re proud of the work that we do to help put these communities in a position to rebuild—all the time remembering that these fellow Californians have been through so much. Of course you want to get the cleanup done as quickly and efficiently as possible, but you’ve got to set expectations where this is going to be a long process, and CalRecycle is in it for the long haul. We’re going to be there until that last site is approved and returned to the homeowner.”

The author is the editor for Waste Today and can be contacted at aredling@gie.net.

The term “hero” is usually reserved for those in the military, or for people who risk their lives in the line of duty, like police or firemen. But if a hero is defined as someone who goes out of his or her way to perform extraordinary or noble tasks without the expectation of much in return, waste cleanup personnel undoubtedly fit the moniker.

While haulers and hazardous waste contractors don’t receive much fanfare or coverage in the press, they’re the ones performing the unglamorous jobs that make life for the rest of us easier, safer and cleaner.

Case in point, in this issue’s cover story, we profile the agencies in charge of managing the cleanup efforts from the recent wildfires in Paradise, California, and its neighboring communities.

In addition to more than 80 citizens losing their lives in the fires, whole neighborhoods were burnt to the ground. The fires, which tore through parts of northeastern Sacramento Valley for much of November 2018, destroyed more than 150,000 acres and close to 19,000 buildings. The total cost of the fire damage was estimated at $16.5 billion.

In the wake of the devastation, the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle); Butte, Los Angeles and Ventura Counties; the California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC); the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA); and other federal and state agencies came together under the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (CalOES) to begin the reclamation efforts.

As Paradise and neighboring communities begin the long road to recovery, it’s these personnel—along with recently appointed contractors from ECC Constructors LLC, SPSG Partners JV, and Ceres Environmental Services Inc.—who are doing the boots-on-the-ground work to not only clean up the sites, but also start the healing.

“We are in this horrible, horrible tragedy, [but] we will come out of this horrible tragedy. We will come out of it together; we will rebuild our homes; we will rebuild our town stronger, better, safer and more beautiful than ever,” Melissa Shuster, a member of the Paradise Town Council, recently said on the ABC News podcast Start Here.

But before these communities can move forward, it’s the waste cleanup personnel who are charged with the arduous task of picking up the pieces, parcel by parcel, site by site.

As CalOES Director Mark Ghilarducci recently explained, “One of most important things we can do in an event like this, outside of making sure people’s needs are met, is beginning that process of removing the debris. The sooner we can get it addressed and out of the way, the sooner the long-term recovery and building can begin.”

Check out Rebuilding Paradise to read about the steps state agencies and local contractors are taking to help put Paradise back on the road to recovery.

Amazon has announced it will invest $10 million in Closed Loop Fund, New York, to support recycling infrastructure in the U.S., according to an Amazon news release. Amazon’s investment will increase the availability of curbside recycling for about three million homes in communities across the country, making it easier for customers to recycle and further develop end markets for recycled commodities.

Amazon says the investment will divert about 1 million tons of recyclable material from landfill into the recycling stream and eliminate about 2 million metric tons of carbon dioxide by 2028.

“This investment will help build the local capabilities needed to make it easier for our customers and their communities to recycle and to increase the amount of material recycled across the country,” says Dave Clark, Amazon’s senior vice president of worldwide operations. “We are investing in Closed Loop Fund’s work because we think everyone should have access to easy, convenient curbside recycling. The more we are all able to recycle, the more we can reduce our collective energy, carbon and water footprint.”

Closed Loop Fund invests in sustainable consumer goods, advanced recycling technologies and the development of the circular economy. Closed Loop Fund CEO Ron Gonen adds, “Amazon's investment in Closed Loop Fund is another example of how recycling is good business in America. Companies are seeing that they can meet consumer demand and reduce costs while supporting a more sustainable future and growing good jobs across the country. We applaud Amazon's commitment to cut waste, and we hope their leadership drives other brands and retailers to follow suit."

According to Amazon’s news release, the company’s investment in Closed Loop Fund furthers its commitment to reducing packaging waste through its Frustration-Free Packaging programs, which are designed to produce less waste than traditional packaging. Amazon says it has eliminated more than 244,000 tons of packaging materials, equivalent to 500 million shipping boxes, over the last 10 years.

The government of Malaysia, which placed a moratorium on issuing new licenses to import plastic scrap in July, has reportedly stated it will extend that moratorium indefinitely.

A market report from Bureau of International Recycling (BIR) committee member Steve Wong says a government minister has announced an extension of the moratorium, although exceptions will be made “on imports of quality and homogeneous plastic scrap [that] can be recycled for reuse and [for which] the importer can meet certain conditions.”

An online news article from The Star, based in Petaling Jaya, Malaysia, says several government ministers met on Oct. 26 and decided to extend the moratorium then.

While Wong’s report indicates existing license holders may continue to import plastic scrap, it also mentions a timetable to completely phase out such imports. “A complete ban on plastic scrap imports shall take effect after three years,” writes Wong, who is also president of the China Scrap Plastic Association and chairman of the Hong Kong-based plastic recycler Fukutomi Co. Ltd.

Manufacturers in Malaysia who consume plastic scrap also “must [now] use 30 percent local plastic scrap while importing the remaining 70 percent, and the ratio of imported scrap will be reduced to 60 percent in year two and 50 percent in the year following,” reports Wong.

Other policy changes agreed to by the ministers include: restricting the source of imported plastic scrap to the U.S., the European Union and Japan; charging an import levy of at least 15 Malaysian ringgits ($3.58) per metric ton; and requiring a deposit from scrap importers in case of violations.