OFFICE OF THE CITY COUNCIL
CHERYL L. BROWN
117 WEST DUVAL STREET,
SUITE 425
4TH FLOOR, CITY HALL
JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA
32202
DIRECTOR
OFFICE (904) 630-1452
FAX (904) 630-2906
E-MAIL: CLBROWN@coj.net
SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON SOLID WASTE MINUTES
April 4, 2013
4:00 p.m.
Location: Committee Room A, Suite 425, City Hall – St. James Building; 117 West Duval
Street
In attendance: Council Members Bill Gulliford (Chair), Greg Anderson, Matt Schellenberg, Jim
Love and Doyle Carter
Excused: Stephen Joost
See attached sign-in sheet for additional attendees.
Meeting Convened: 4:03 p.m.
Chairman Gulliford convened the meeting and distributed a list of 15 Solid Waste Committee
Goals representing the consensus of the committee’s discussions at the previous meeting, which
ended at item #11.
4. Implement countywide single-stream recycling and automated collection
The rate review process began in February and should be completed by June. Advanced Disposal
is the only one of the three contract haulers that has not proposed an automated collection option
but the company is considering that option. Robert Campbell will check with the administration
to determine what Advanced Disposal has been discussing and with whom.
6. Determine if privatizing downtown collection of solid waste is a viable option by seeing
proposals for that service
Jeff Foster, Acting Chief of the Solid Waste Division, reported that the division has received
gotten informal proposals from the private haulers about the cost to privatize the City’s
commercial service area downtown (124 businesses, not the other City-provide residential
service), and the price is double or triple what the City is charging for the same level of service.
Jeff Foster will provide data on current cost for the service which Solid Waste operates at a
break-even level. City service currently includes emptying litter receptacles, serving downtown
apartments and condominiums, and 6 day a week collection.
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7. Transfer station analysis
Jeff Foster reported that the company that provided the previous analysis submitted a fairly
expensive proposal for the update, so the City will either put the contract out for an RFP process
or will use an in-house consultant on a contract extension.
8. Evaluate C&D host fees
Robert Campbell reported that he has made inquiries of a number of Florida and Southeast
Georgia jurisdictions to see how they handle host fees and/or franchise fees for C&D debris.
Orange County charges a non-ad valorem residential waste fee of $213 per year for collection,
disposal and administration. Jacksonville’s fee is less, but only covers collection and
transportation, not the tipping fee or landfill closure. The C&D host fee is budgeted to produce
$878,596 for the year, down from $1.1 million two years ago because of reduced tonnage
deposited. Loss of tonnage to out-of-county facilities may be partially to blame, as well as
increased recycling of C&D material. Mr. Campbell will have host fee information on other
jurisdictions for the next meeting.
Paige Johnston discussed the potential for increasing penalties for illegal dumping and Jeff Foster
mentioned the need to tighten up provisions in the CONs to prevent illegal dumping and recover
costs for cleanup. Companies that operate illegally without required CONs face a lesser penalty
for violations than companies that do the right thing and get their CON but then violate it. That
inequity needs to be rectified. There may be a need for additional involvement by the Code
Enforcement Division to add to the enforcement efforts. Jeff Foster will make a presentation on
the CON process at the next meeting. CONs are very site specific for many factors, but some
factors are standard citywide.
9. Encourage more recycling
Jeff Foster said that collection of recycling at multi-family residential complexes varies
depending on the number of units being served, and can be collected and billed either on the basis
of a per unit charge or on a more commercial tonnage basis. A small company has started up to
do collection from apartment complexes; the operator will be invited to attend the next committee
meeting to discuss their business model. Mary O’Brien of Advanced Disposal said that all of the
big waste haulers can do recycling collection as well as solid waste, but as the City well knows
from its recycling operation, recycling doesn’t pay for itself. Who will pay the cost of doing it at
apartment complexes and businesses? The only way recycling would be economically feasible
for multi-family complexes would be if it was source-separated and the cost subsidized by the
City or someone else. Jim Arnold suggested that a non-ad valorem solid waste charge on all
properties other than single-family residences (which already pay such a fee) could be used to pay
for recycling for multi-family complexes and businesses.
Items 8 and 11 will be combined on future lists because of their similarity.
10. Reduce or eliminate plastic bags from yard waste stream
Gainesville and Alachua County’s elimination of plastic bags came about in 2009 as a result of a
contract change with their yard waste hauler. With regard to the question of how long paper bags
will retain their integrity at curbside (i.e. in the event of rain), Alachua County prohibits yard
waste from being placed curbside for collection until the night before collection, unlike
Jacksonville which allows yard waste to be on the curb for days before collection. Brevard
County has required use of receptacles for many years and won’t pick up anything in plastic bags.
Marion County does not have curbside yard waste collection but prohibits plastic bags in their
transfer stations. Several counties in Central Florida discourage but don’t prohibit plastic bags.
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Education campaigns can help reduce their use. Alachua County got 97% credit for its yard
waste recycling in 2010, Brevard County got 64% and Jacksonville got 14% credit.
Mr. Campbell cited a Florida Statute that may control whether or not plastic bags are usable for
yard waste. The Office of General Counsel will review this statute to see if it preempts local
control over plastic bag use. Jeff Foster was asked to look into the viability and cost of
biodegradable plastic bags. Mr. Campbell pointed out that most other counties that allow or
require use of non-bag receptacles impose some size and weight restrictions on the
containerization of yard waste.
12. Final resolution of Old Kings Road Landfill host fee issue
Mary O’Brien of Advanced Disposal said that the company had submitted its legal analysis to the
City in December and was awaiting further word from the City.
13. Explore use of landfill gas as a direct vehicle fuel
Jeff Foster reported that the City’s study of the cost/benefit and use potential for methane fuel is
underway and the potential cost savings seem to indicate an approximately 12 year amortization
period for the cost of the change-over. BioCNG, a subsidiary of Cornerstone, has developed a
method for producing vehicle-grade fuel from landfill gas and it is in use in Louisiana. The gas
would be available at the East and North landfills and would also be trucked to a downtown
fueling station. The City would propose to purchase new trucks rather than retrofit existing
trucks since the new single-stream recycling would require new trucks anyway and many of the
City’s collection vehicles are very old.
14. Develop a better method for collection of household hazardous waste
State statute prohibits curbside collection of household hazardous waste. Chairman Gulliford is
sure that a great deal of such waste goes into the landfill because that’s the easiest way to dispose
of it. Jeff Foster said that other counties have established several manned collection stations
around their counties that operate several days a week, or the City could increase its regional
collection efforts in parks. Mr. Gulliford suggested that more intensive collection efforts would
produce much greater volumes of waste that currently go to the landfill in the MSW stream. An
audience member suggested that some counties allow hazardous waste drop-off at fire stations.
15. Require on City construction contracts that a minimum of 60% of C&D material must be
recycled
Jeff Foster believes that 60% is more than what is typically recycled but is probably achievable
with better education of haulers and contractors. City C&D CONs currently require 80% except
for Coastal Recycling which was allowed 60% in order to help the business get established. Mr.
Foster said the 80% figure does not appear to have been based on any scientific rationale and the
City would be open to consideration of whether that is a reasonable number. Charlie Latham of
Coastal Recycling said that 80% is impossible to achieve as a practical matter if the waste stream
includes drywall and other materials for which there is no market. His company will have to
continue asking the City for a waiver from the 80% requirement because it’s impossible to meet.
The state’s definitions of what counts as recycling for purposes of meeting the state mandate will
be very important. Mr. Foster was requested to look at the practicality of requiring that all C&D
debris from City construction jobs be disposed of in a CON-holding facility in Jacksonville.
Public Comment
None
The committee’s next meeting will be Thursday, April 11th.
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Meeting adjourned: 5:23 p.m.
Minutes:
Jeff Clements, Council Research Division
4.5.13 Posted: 6:00 p.m.
Tape:
Special Committee on Solid Waste 4.4.13
Legislative Services Division
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