Municipal Recycling

S.F. WILL TRY CURBSIDE OIL PROGRAM

The City and County of San Francisco has received $276,000 grant from the California Integrated Waste Management Board to implement a curbside oil recycling program. The pilot program will be tested in eight San Francisco neighborhoods beginning in late 1998.

 “This service will be particularly valuable to residents in the southeast portion of the city, where there are a disproportionately low number of used oil drop-off sites,” says Paul Horcher, director of the San Francisco Solid Waste Management Program. “Many gas stations and auto supply stores have closed down in these neighborhoods, leaving residents without adequate service for oil recycling,” adds Horcher.

FRANKLIN ASSOC. ACQUIRED

Franklin Associates Ltd., Prairie Village, Kan., has been acquired by McLaren/Hart Inc., a Rancho Cordova, Calif.-based environmental engineering and consulting firm. Franklin is known for its product life cycle methodology.

100 Billion and Counting

Recyclers in the state of California passed an impressive milepost in their recycling journey in early 1998, according to that state’s Department of Conservation. California reached the 100 billion mark in beverage containers recycled since the enactment of the state’s beverage container recycling law went into effect ten years ago.

“From Fort Bragg to the Coachella Valley; from Catalina Island to the Sierra Nevada, Californians should congratulate themselves for reaching this milestone,” says Department of Conservation director Larry Goldzband.

While acknowledging that it was an impressive figure, Goldzband indicated that the state would not be resting with a sense of accomplishment. Californians recycled nearly 80% of their beverage containers in 1997, he notes. “Recent Department of Conservation research indicates that while most Californians want to recycle, they don’t always do so as much as possible,” he says.

The department plans to team up with cities and counties during the course of the year to place more beverage recycling bins in public places such as sports facilities, parks, fair grounds, schools, and at sites of community festivals. The bins will provide convenient recycling opportunities for people away from home and will remind people “that we should all recycle not only where we live, but where we work and play as well,” says Goldzband.

RCO Analyzes 50% Waste Diversion Methods

The Recycling Council of Ontario (RCO), Toronto, has submitted a report analyzing various methods through which the Province of Ontario might reach its stated goal of a 50% waste diversion rate. RCO executive director John Hanson says the report “covers a broad range of options” the province can consider. “It really outlines the issues the different sectors have with the different approaches the government will consider,” he remarks.

Hanson—part of a 27-person advisory committee preparing the report—believes that the keys to reaching the 50% goal lie, in part, beyond the blue box. Specifically, he says some of the best diversion rates in the province are found in communities that have a pay-per-container user fee on garbage collection. “There are some municipalities hitting the 60% to 70% diversion rate. They almost all have garbage user fees.” He notes that about 100 of Ontario’s 630+ municipalities have the fees in place.

While Hanson believes there is wisdom in the strategy, he notes that the report, submitted to Ontario Minister of the Environment Norm Sterling, does not recommend a preferred course of action.