The Meaning of Integrated Waste Management
September 1st, 2001
Christopher J. Barrett, NH Pollution Prevention Intern
For a common person audience:
Over the course of the summer through discussion with family, friends,
coworkers, and those in the Durham / UNH community, I have noted a misunderstanding
by some when the term integrated waste management is mentioned. I too was guilty of
this fault when I first heard the term because of my background in concrete thinking. The
mistaken perceptions include focusing on one of the many issues involved and thinking
that the word integrated means completely the same entity. An incorrect example would
be thinking that integrated waste management requires an integrated waste management
facility for the town and campus and that the two management programs would have to
be molded perfectly into one operating department. First of all, integrated waste
management focuses on many issues of waste including, but not restricted to, refuse,
recyclables, composting, brush burning, bulky waste, electronic waste, household
hazardous waste, and non-household hazardous waste. Second an integrated waste
management facility is not required for an integrated waste management program for the
town and campus and an integrated facility is a broad definition for a place that the town
and campus would be working together on waste management.
Integrated waste management means that the town and campus work together on
waste management issues whether that means communicating, analyzing the other's
program, helping each other out, combining forces, or becoming one entity. The ultimate
goal of any integrated program is to have two programs working as a team, which leads
to possibilities in higher operational efficiency, savings, and waste reduction amongst
other possibilities.
For a business person audience:
It has come to my attention that the term integrated waste management has been
mistaken by some to mean an integrated waste management facility. As a point of
clarification it should be noted that integrated waste management means looking at the
waste generated by the Durham / UNH community as the responsibility of Durham and
UNH and therefore tackling the issue of waste management as a team. Through
communication and working together improvements in operational efficiency, waste
reduction, environmental impact, and savings can occur. It would be unfortunate and
unwise if irrational thinking clouded our judgements on the issue of integrated waste
management due to the politics involved with an integrated waste management facility.
2001 Pollution Prevention Internship Program
Final Report
Date:
Friday, August 31, 2001
Project Title: Integrated Waste Management System: Modeling best practices in the
UNH Durham Community.
Intern:
Christopher J. Barrett
9 Woodman Avenue, Apt. #216
Durham, NH 03824
Email: cbarrett@cisunix.unh.edu
Facility:
Office of Sustainability Programs, UNH
107 Nesmith Hall
Durham, NH 03824
Executive Summary: The Office of Sustainability Programs (OSP) is interested in
coordinating with UNH facilities, Health and Safety, Purchasing, and the Town of
Durham in the development of an Integrated Waste Management System (IWMS).
Successful design and implementation of a single IWMS for Durham and UNH will
advance good public administration while supporting the teaching, research, and
extension mission of the university.
Background: Integrated Waste Management is a systemic approach to management of
institutional and community waste streams. IWMS includes siting of facilities,
developing systems for resource recovery, and policies and practices that result in
significant waste reduction. Neither Durham nor UNH have an IWMS in place, and there
is no confirmed policy to pursue a single IWMS for the town and the university. Since
Durham and the University are in the process of reviewing their waste management
systems in the context of master planning, this is an opportune time to pursue a systemic
approach to IWMS.
History of Integrated Waste Management Discussion for Durham & UNH
In April 1997, a committee was formed consisting of town and campus officials
and staff to explore the possibility of building a cooperatively owned and operated solid
waste / recycling facility. All involved agreed that such a facility would be the most costeffective option for the community's future solid waste and recycling programs. This
committee met over the next two years (1997 & 1998) and produced a draft report of
their findings in July of 1998.(25)(2) The report was then given to the Office of
Sustainability Programs, which was formed in July of 1997,(29) and experts were brought
in for further analysis.(7) The only progress which has been made since the meeting has
been, the purchase of a jointly owned rolloff truck by suggestion of the report.(28) Tom
Kelly, UNH Office of Sustainability Programs (OSP), held a meeting to further review
the cooperative venture in 1999. (2) That year the town Recycling Committee evaluated
the town waste management and started looking into Pay as You Throw (PAYT)
programs. Since then they have proposed a PAYT program for Durham.
In February of 2000, Julie Newman, OSP, joined the Durham Recycling
Committee, serving as a liaison between the town and OSP. In the fall of 2000, two
UNH students did an independent study on recycling and waste management in the Greek
system. Conversations were started with Guy Hodgdon and OSP about diverting town
leaves to the UNH compost facility at Kingman Farm. In the spring of 2001, the town's
'Recycling Committee' became the 'Integrated Waste Management Committee'.(28) In the
summer of 2000, OSP hired two interns Yi Luo and myself, Chris Barrett, to investigate
respectively electronic recycling on campus and integrated waste management systems.
Contents:
Pages 3 to 19 I.) Assessment of Durham Waste Management Program
20 to 31 II.) Assessment of UNH Waste Management Program
32 to 34 III.) Challenges in Solid Waste, Hazardous Waste, Recycling for Durham
and UNH Programs.
34 to 38 IV.) Choices in Solid Waste, Hazardous Waste, Recycling for Durham
and UNH Programs from 1998 Solid Waste / Recycling Committee
38 to 45 V.) Proposals for Durham & UNH Waste Management Programs
45 to 47 Appendix A. - What other Colleges & College-Towns have Done
48 to 50 Appendix B. - Glossary
50 to 51 Appendix C. - References & Related Sources
52
Appendix D. - Acknowledgements
53 to 56 Appendix E. - Contact Resources & Links
I.) Assessment of Durham Waste Management Program
August 9th, 2001
All information directly from Guy Hodgdon's "Solid Waste Management Report, Nov
1999" or through personal contact with Guy Hodgdon, except otherwise noted.
Index
1.) Organization (pg 4 - 12)
1A.) Refuse & Recyclables (4-5)
1Aa.) Refuse Disposal (4-5)
1Ab.) Alternate Week Collection of Recyclables & Processing (5)
1B.) Other Materials Dealt With & How they are Dealt with (pg 5-8)
1Ba.) Brush Burn Pit ( 5-6 )
1Bb.) Bulky Waste/ Demolition Handling (6)
1Bc.) Car/Truck "Wet Cell" Battery Collection (6)
1Bd.) Electronic Recycling (6)
1Be.) Freon Gas Removal/ Recycling (6)
1Bf.) Household Battery Collection (7)
1Bg.) Leaf and Yard Wastes Handling (7)
1Bh.) Paint Recycling/Disposal (7)
1Bi.) Propane Tank Recycling (7)
1Bj.) Scrap Metal Recycling (7)
1Bk.) Solid Fill Disposal (8)
1Bl.) Textile Recycling (8)
1Bm.) Tires (8)
1Bn.) Tree Stumps Disposal (8)
1Bo.) Waste Oil and Oil Filters (8)
1C.) Special Programs (pg 9-10)
1Ca.) Spring Cleanup (9)
1Cb.) Fall Cleanup (9)
1Cc.) Hazardous Waste Collection Day (9-10)
1Cd.) Litter Removal Downtown/Parks (10)
1D.) Other (pg 10-12)
1Da.) NRRA Northeast Resource Recovery Association (10)
1Db.) Privatization of Services (10)
1Dc.) Rutland County Evaluation of Durham (11)
1Dd.) SWMF Permit System (11-12)
2.) Accounting System (pg 12)
2A.) Info on PAYT (12)
3.) Infrastructure (pg 13)
3C.) Rolloff Containers owned by Dump (13)
4.) Costs & Trends (pg 14 - 19)
4A.) Unaudited Expenditures for the 2000 Fiscal Year. (14)
4B.) Tonnages & Cost Trends (15-19)
**Note** Glossary & References are found at the end of the entire report
1.) Organization
A Normal Week
 Mon - Thur : Residential Trash and Recycling Pickup
 Mon - Fri : Recycling Processing
 Tuesday & Saturday : Site is open to public for dumping
Staffing: Solid Waste Division of Durham Public Works Department
Guy Hodgdon, the superintendent of the Solid Waste Division and Water Division
of Public Works oversees all operations and the facilities. Working for him in the Solid
Waste Division he has four full time workers and one half-time worker. Their tasks are to
collect the refuse and recyclables around town, process the recyclables, haul demolition
materials and bulky waste, monitor the site when it is open to the public, and monitor the
commercial recycling program. Each worker works four ten-hour shifts since it allows
them to finish the collection routes on time. (1)
1A.) Refuse & Recyclables
1Aa.) Refuse Disposal
Durham has contracted with Waste Management Incorporated (WMI) in
Rochester, NH for disposal of municipal solid waste, MSW, from Durham. WMI has the
best prices for disposal in southern NH because they are the only private landfill in the
region. The solid waste division collects the residential waste curbside and then directly
delivers the waste to WMI's Turnkey Landfill. Residential refuse is paid for through
property taxes. Commercial businesses and multi-unit apartments have their refuse
picked up by WMI and receive their bill from WMI. On July 1st, 2001 commercial
businesses and multi-unit apartments began paying for their own refuse in order to
encourage them to increase their recycling rate. Recycling disposal fees for businesses
and multi-units are still paid for by the town. A Pay as You Throw (PAYT) program is
also being proposed to shift the fees from the property tax to a program where individuals
pay per trash bag. (1 & 2, pg. 38, 44)
1Ab.) Alternate Week Collection of Recyclables: Recycling & Processing
In January of 1999, the town started an alternate week collection program
for recyclable material at the curbside. All container type material (bottles, cans, etc.)
would be collected one week and the fiber or paper material (newspaper, cardboard, etc)
would be collected the next week. Refuse would continue to be collected on a weekly
basis at the curbside. The change occurred due to the increase in recyclable material that
had to be hauled, markets for separated containers didn't justify cost to separate, time to
complete the collection route had increased significantly, and staff time for the division
was marginal to perform the previous recycling tasks. The program's benefits allowed
for one worker to focus on refuse, while the other focused on recyclables allowing for
each to get around the collection routes in the available time for that day. The program
allowed for one worker to spend time on processing fiber as opposed to recycling
collection and for the recyclables to be hauled to market instead of picked up by an
outside contractor. The program increased recycling revenue by over $7,000, decreased
cost of hauling material by around $90 a load, a savings of $18,000, increased the amount
of fiber baled from 514 bales in 1998 to 846 bales in 1999, and improved the general
appearance of the transfer facility. Even with these changes the division remains
understaffed to properly perform their tasks on a regular basis. If a person takes leave for
any reason or there is equipment failure the Solid Waste Division must rely on other
divisions to help complete the tasks in the required time. (2, pg. 41)
1B.) Other Materials Dealt With & How they are Dealt with
1Ba.) Brush Burn Pit
The town uses an area approximately 100' square at the transfer facility to
collect and burn brush and unpainted wood up to 5" in diameter. The burning is done by
permit from the State of NH, which is renewed yearly. Water supply is short at the site
forcing the Fire Dept. to make numerous trips to quench the fire (if needed). Burning is
not possible all the time due to the weather conditions, which can cause a backlog of
material. The area must be monitored during the burning process, which normally runs
into overtime situations. Closeness to the woods and a residential area is also a concern.
A problem will appear once the Durham landfill is capped because this operation will no
longer be able to be done as it has forcing either sending the brush to Turnkey or the
chipping of the brush. A new burn pit wouldn't be allowed to be built due to state laws
that now exist. (1& 2, pg. 18)
1Bb.) Bulky Waste/ Demolition Handling
Bulky waste and demolition material is currently accepted at the transfer
station. A coupon is required to unload material and two of these coupons are given to
each resident with their yearly Solid Waste Management Facility Permit. This waste is
also collected from the curb during the Spring Cleanup Program. Another option deals
with how some of the material can be recycled if separated from the rest. This would
require residents to put different materials into different containers and staff to do quality
control prior to hauling the material. Current lack of space at the transfer site make this
option unfeasible.
The bulky waste is currently hauled using the Town/UNH rolloff truck
with in-house labor and disposed of at Kingston, NH approved landfill. Kingston landfill
specializes in bulky waste, but will be closing soon. (32) The town owns the rolloff
containers used in this program. Disposal fees for bulky waste at Kingston and Turnkey
landfills are close and are bid against each other. (2, pg. 26-28)
1Bc.) Car/Truck "Wet Cell" Battery Collection
These batteries are only collected at the transfer station, where they are
stored on pallets under cover and hauled to Harding Metals in Northwood, NH for
recycling. The town markets the automobile batteries two to three times a year.
Approximately 125 units come in a year and are sold at $1.50 each for a revenue of $185.
(2, pg. 7)
1Bd.) Electronic Recycling
The town currently does not have any programs set up for electronic
recycling. This will be reviewed in the near future. (1, 8/9/01)
1Be.) Freon Gas Removal/Recycling
Freon gas is a coolant used in most refrigerators, air conditioners, freezers,
etc and is regulated by the EPA. The gas is removed at the transfer facility by Harding
Metals, of Northwood, NH, who recycles the gas material. Usually a hundred units are
collected in a year with a $10 cost each for removal. The cost to train a town worker to
do this and keep them is too high in comparison to using Harding Metals. (2, pg. 8)
1Bf.) Household Battery Collection
Household batteries are collected curbside with normal recyclables and at
the transfer station. Most dry cell batteries, such as AA, A, C, D, etc., made after 1995
are mercury free. Batteries made before then are sorted out and disposed of through
Laidlaw Environmental Services Inc. of Lawrence, MA. (2, pg. 6)
1Bg.) Leaf and Yard Wastes Handling
Leaf and yard waste is accepted from residents at the facility and piled in
an area adjacent to the west-facing slope of the area. Leaves collected at the curb during
the Fall Cleanup Program are directly hauled to a commercial composting facility in
Epping or Hampton, NH using the refuse packer for collection. Space isn't available to
do new processes such as composting at the transfer station due to the capping in the
future of the landfill. (2, pg. 22)
1Bh.) Paint Recycling/Disposal
Paint is split into three categories. Oil based, latex, and other. Oil based
paint, which includes oil based stains, varnishes, and polyurethane-based coatings is
recycled through Laidlaw Environmental Services of Lawrence, MA. and requires
delivery to the transfer station by residents. Latex paint is disposed of after it is dried and
the metal container is then recycled in the commingled containers. Paint materials that
don't fall into these two categories must be held for Hazardous Waste Collection Day. (2,
pg. 9)
1Bi.) Propane Tank Recycling
Residents leave their propane tanks at the transfer station for recycling.
Yankee Gas of Middleton, M.A. collects the tanks 4 to 5 times a year. The usable tanks
are repaired, cleaned, and refilled, while unusable tanks are recycled for their metal
content. Revenue from the program is about $100 a year. Approximately 190 tanks are
dealt with in a year. (2, pg. 16)
1Bj.) Scrap Metal Recycling
Scrap metal is collected at the transfer station by resident delivery and
through the Spring Cleanup Program. The metal is separated into piles of light iron,
heavy iron, and aluminum. The material is marketed either loose or baled depending on
what gives the best price, since baling costs labor hours to do. The materials are
marketed three to four times a year. Residents are required to bring the metal free of
contaminants. In a year a 100 tons of metal is collected and sold at about $13 a ton for a
revenue of $1,300. (2, pg. 11)
1Bk.) Solid Fill Disposal
Solid fill (concrete, bricks, rocks, soil, etc) is not accepted at the SWMF.
Residents needing to dispose of this material are directed to an approved landfill. The
Public Works Dept. also maintains a list of areas in and around Durham that are looking
for solid fill material. (2, pg. 24)
1Bl.) Textile Recycling
Textiles are collected at the curbside weekly as part of the recycling
program. Residents simply put the material in a plastic bad, label, and put it out by the
curb on their normal recycling day. This material can also be delivered to the transfer
station or dropped off directly at non-profit companies like Goodwill, Salvation Army,
etc including the Goodwill bin at the transfer station. (2, pg. 4)
1Bm.) Tires
Tires are collected in a 30 cubic yard rolloff at the transfer station where
residents deliver them or they are picked up during Spring Cleanup. Approximately 3.26
tons of tires can be fit in a 30 cubic yard rolloff depending on sizes of tires and packing.
The tires are then hauled off to the disposal/recycling center using town labor and
equipment. The center used depends on the best price available. 2000 budget was
$3,000. Cost to dispose of tires in other communities ranges from $1 to $5+ dollars per
tire. (2, pg. 13)
1Bn.) Tree Stumps Disposal
Tree stump disposal is not handled at the transfer station. The facility is
not permitted to accept this material and residents are directed to an approved landfill,
such as Turnkey. The stumps are not picked up during Spring or Fall Cleanup either. (2,
pg. 21)
1Bo.) Waste Oil and Oil Filters
Waste oil is collected in a fully contained 275 gallon tank at the transfer
station. Residents bring the waste oil to the facility and pour it into the tank. When the
tank is full, waste oil hauler, Wentworth Oil of Rollinsford, NH, samples the oil for
contaminants prior to the removal of the oil. The oil is used in heating greenhouses.
Used oil filters are deposited in Department of Transportation, D.O.T., approved 55
gallon barrels at the facility. When full these containers are picked up by Advanced
Recycling of Concord, N.H., who recycles the oil. The oil filter is then crushed and the
metal is recycled. The hauler of the waste oil takes the oil and charges the town nothing.
The oil filters cost about $1,500 a year to recycle and dispose of. (2, pg. 14)
1C.) Special Programs
1Ca.) Spring Cleanup
Held annually in May or June. The program allows residents to put stuffed
goods, metal items, appliances, tires, etc. at the curbside for collection by Public Works.
The collection and disposal of the material requires the use of the entire Public Works
Dept. labor force and many vehicles for two to three weeks. While this is a convenient
disposal option for residents, it is very expensive. Approximately $225/ton in 1999.
Newmarket has a similar program that uses a private contractor to provide the collection
vehicles, while the town provides the labor. Newmarket's cost is approximately
$169/ton. Fees charged for the vehicle rental by the private contractor are close to
Durham's costs for our program in regard to equipment. It is suggested to do the whole
program through a private contractor because it would cost as much as the current
program and allow for normal operation with the Public Works department. The 1999
and 2000 budget set forth for Spring Cleanup was $25,000. 2000 program cost $29,130
with 578.5 hours of work done and 110.98 tons collected. The 1999 program cost
$25,500 with 518 hours of work done and 113.89 tons collected. Before Spring Cleanup
fliers are sent out on where to send good furniture that is unwanted to places such as
Goodwill, Salvation Army, My Friends Place, Operation Blessing. (2, pg. 30 & Section
4)
1Cb.) Fall Cleanup
Fall Cleanup is another annual program that occurs in October or November.
Leaves, brush, and yard waste are placed curbside for collection by the Public Works
Department. This program usually takes two weeks to complete using Highway Division
employees and vehicles. Many times other division employees must be used to assist
with this program. 1999 cost for the program was $7,900 with 232 labor hours used and
7 tons of leaves and 57 loads of brush (456CY). 1998 cost for the program was $10,160
with 340 labor hours used and 9.75 tons of leaves and 28 tons of brush (280CY). (2, pg.
31 & Section 4)
1Cc.) Hazardous Waste Collection Day
Hazardous waste Collection Day is held every other year. Durham joins with
other local towns in the program to spread the fixed cost over a larger base, reducing
costs for all. Typical items collected include solvents, thinners, pesticides, chemicals,
etc. which are all classified as hazardous waste by law and can't be dealt with under
normal disposal programs. Public education programs on alternatives to these hazardous
waste products has begun, but the education program should be expanded. 2001 budget
for a once every two year program is $5,000 and a yearly program budget would be
$3,500. It is suggested that the switch to a yearly program be made in order to provide
more reasonable, realistic, and responsible disposal options for residents. Waiting two
years to get rid of a can of pesticides is too long and residents will just throw the waste
away with normal refuse causing environmental and health damage possibilities. Laidlaw
Environmental Services was the transporter of the waste. (2, pg. 32 & Section 4 & 6)
1Cd.) Litter Removal Downtown/Parks
Litter is removed from the downtown business district on a daily basis, 365 days a
year. A worker with a pick up truck from Durham Building and Roads empties barrels
and picks up the litter. Four to five times a week litter is removed from the 6 park areas
maintained by the town. The trash is then transported to the Durham transfer facility and
emptied into the packer truck for disposal. This process takes an average of two hours a
day. It takes longer in the summer months and shorter in the winter. This program
generates 25-30 tons of trash per year. The 2000 budget was $11,950. While this is an
expensive program, the clean appearance of the municipally owned areas aids business,
tourism, and the town well being. There is only one recyclable(s) container location on
Main Street. (2, pg. 33)
1D.) Other
1Da.) Northeast Resource Recovery Association (NRRA)
Some of the products that are researched through the NRRA are textiles,
household batteries, freon gas removal, paint, scrap metal, waste oil, oil filters, and
propane tanks. "The Northeast Resource Recovery Association is the primary market for
most of the town's recyclables. This association represents over 230 towns in NH, VT,
ME, and MA. They are able to get better pricing for the materials due to the total volume
of material marketed through NRRA by all the communities. (Over 37,000 tons) A
single telephone call to NRRA will get the recyclables to the best market available at that
time at a competitive price. (2, pg. 3)
1Db.) Privatization of Services
The Solid Waste Division has regularly gone out to bid for refuse and recycling
collection services from the private sector. Again this year we requested and received a
quote from WMI to perform these services. While some may believe privatization will
save money, and in the short run it might, over a long period of time, history has shown
an efficient, cost effective, and well managed municipal program will be less expansive
and much more responsive to the needs of it's residents. Newmarket is a local
community who chose to stop solid waste collection, sold their equipment, and
reassigned their personnel. They hired a private contractor to provide solid waste
collection, start a recycling program using alternate week collection, and instituted a Pay
as You Throw program all at the same time. During the first two to three years they saw
a reduction in costs then the contract costs started to rise and recently their contract costs
rose by 50% causing them to have to significantly raise the cost of their bags in the
PAYT program. While it would be less expansive to provide their services municipally
now, they would need to startup again, hire personnel and purchase new equipment.
Municipalities, if operated correctly, should always be less expensive to operate, as they
don't need to make the 10 to 15% profit margin that a private company must in order to
stay in business. All municipal operations should be operated as a business to stay cost
effective and competitive. (2, pg. 46)
1Dc.) Rutland County evaluation of Durham
"Durham has had the foresight to contract for disposal services on a longterm basis that shields it from recent dramatic increases in cost. ...One area that impacts
the cost of recycling is the low density of curbside collection that results in a higher
overall cost. ...Durham is already looking at ways to combine waste and recycling into
one vehicle and ways to improve compaction of collected material. If successful, these
ideas could improve the recycling transport economics. Doubling the carry capacities of
recyclables would reduce costs by as much as $15 a ton. Use of larger rolloffs at a
redesigned transfer station with dock walls could also reduce the transport cost per ton.
...Trend explanation...A second impact on the cost of recycling is the revenue derived
from the sale of the material. During 1998, values were significantly down. The reduced
revenues were endemic in the industry. Since much of the material recycled is sold to
Asian markets and the Asian economy was depressed in 1998, the lack of demand
deflated market prices severely. For the year 1998, the revenue returned after transport
and processing was a minus $11,174. Using the revenues of August 1999 for the same
tonnage, the revenue would have been a positive $1,291. This swing of $13,000 equals a
$12.60 a ton less than the $91 a ton of 1998. Using the 1999 rates, the cost of the service
would be $79 a ton. While Asian markets have not improved dramatically, Durham's use
of NRRA's marketing power has resulted in higher sales revenue. While recycling is
costing slightly more than the cost of disposal, the difference is not great and has the
potential to equate to disposal if sales revenue increases further or transportation costs are
reduced."(4)
1Dd.) SWMF Permit System
Solid Waste Management Facility (SWMF) permits or 'dump stickers' cost $5 a
year and the resident also receives two coupons to dispose of a total of up to 5 cubic
yards or 1 ton of bulky waste at the SWMF. Additional bulky waste coupons can be
purchased at a cost of $65 each. Based on daily accounts kept at the SWMF, 100 cars
visit on Tuesday and 130 visit on Saturday. The numbers vary depending on the weather
and time of year. It is suggested that the yearly permits be raised to $25 a year. Usually
a 1000 permits are sold at $5, creating a revenue of $5,000, but the cost of disposing what
is brought is usually $35,000. (2, pg. 25)
2.) Accounting System
The Unaudited Expenditures for the 2000 fiscal year came to $421,847. (2000
Town Report (3)) Currently, the funds for the Solid Waste Division come from property
taxes paid by the town of Durham. Meaning the family with the most expensive land
pays more for waste disposal, even if they are very environmentally conscious in regards
to waste and recycling, then a family with the least expensive land in town, who could be
generating enormous amounts of waste and doesn't recycle. Town businesses and multiunit apartments pay for their own refuse, and refuse containers. The town pays for the
recyclables containers and WMI to pick up and dispose of the businesses' and multi-unit
apartments' recyclables. Permits are bought by residents to drop off materials at the
transfer facility (see section 1Dd. - SWMF Permit System for more info).
2A.) Info on PAYT
The Durham Integrated Waste Management Advisory Committee is
actively reviewing the implementation of a user cost based refuse program. These types
of programs are becoming very popular in NH (around 34 municipalities) and around the
country (over 4,000 municipalities) to reduce waste, increase recycling, and provide an
equitable option for paying for refuse. The program requires residents to purchase
special town bags to use for disposal of their refuse. All costs of the refuse program are
covered in the pricing of the bags. Costs for the recycling program would continue to be
paid from property taxes. The PAYT program as of July 2001 has not been initialized.
Other programs have shown that PAYT reduces the total amount of solid waste generated
due to residents being more conscious of what and how much they throw away, increases
recycling for the previous reason, makes paying for solid waste equitable to how much
you throw away as opposed to your property tax, and places control of disposal costs in
the hands of those who generate the waste since they buy the bags and generate the
waste. (2, pg. 40 & Section 8)
3.) Infrastructure
3A.) Table 1.01 - Inventory from Guy Hodgdon & Infrastructure from
Durham/UNH Cooperative Transfer Facility Report.
Year
1996
1992
1998
1990
1985
1993
Equipment
Condition
CCC Packer
Excellent
International Recycler
Good
Bobcat Skid Steer Loader
Good
(843 B)
C & M Baler (horizontal)
Good
CCC Packer
Fair
5 - 30 CY Rolloffs
Good
3 - 40' Box Trailers
Poor
Home made Plastic
Good
Sorter
Waste Oil Container
Excellent
Comments
Packer delivered 2/97
Holds 48 CY w/cage
W/forks & enlarged bucket, solid
tires
Used for paper & plastic
Current refuse B/U Unit
Used for Glass & Bulky Waste
Not Road Worthy - Storage Only
Gravity Feed - 9 CY
Remodeled 1996
Table 1.02 - Durham Point Road Solid Waste Transfer Facility Information
Road Access
Poor - Winding Road
Acreage
47.6
3-Phase Power
Abutters
Ownership
Topography
Public Water
Public Sewer
Other
Yes
Growing numbers, rural area with expensive homes
Town
Mostly steep. Some gentler clear land and forested areas.
None
None
Once landfill on site is capped, the town by law will be
required to relocate leaf and yard waste storage, brush
burning, and most of the metals and other recyclables storage.
3C.) Rolloff Containers
Currently, the town owns four 30 cubic yard rolloffs. In addition to this
they rent one 30 cubic yard rolloff. These containers are used for the storage and hauling
of commingled recyclables, bulky waste, and tires. The containers are transported using
the jointly owned (UNH and town) rolloff truck and in-house labor. Normal life
expectancy of these units is 7 to 10 years depending on what material is stored in them.
(2, pg. 29)
4.) Costs/Trends
4A.) Table 1.03 - The Unaudited Expenditures for the 2000 Fiscal Year came
to $421,847. (2000 Town Report (3))
Area
Unaudited Expenditures FY Ending
12/31/2000
Administration
$56,063
Curbside Collection
$159,224
Transfer Station
$86,581
Litter Removal
$11,855
Recycling
$75,380
Vehicle Operation
$32,744
Total
$421,847
4B.) Tonnages & Cost Trends
(Refer to following pages)
II.) Assessment of UNH Waste Management Program
August 31st, 2001
1.) Organization
1A.) Refuse - Facilities (Irving Canner & John Sanders) (pg 21)
1Aa.) Refuse Disposal
1Ab.) Freon Gas Removal
1Ac.) Propane Tank Recycling
1B.) Recycling & Bulky Waste - UNH Recycling, Part of Grounds and Roads
(Thomas Byron) (pg 22 )
1Ba.) Recyclables & Processing
1Bb.) Bulky Waste / Demolition Handling / Solid Fill Disposal
1Bc.) Textiles
1C.) Brush, Stumps, Leaf & Yard Waste - Grounds & Roads, (Bill Ponders) p23
1D.) Hazardous Waste - Environmental Health and Safety (Brad Manning) has a
Hazardous Waste Division (Marty McCrone) (pg 23)
1Da.) Electronic Recycling
1E.) Composting - Office of Sustainability (Tom Kelly & Julie Newman), Dining
(Richard LeHoullier), Kingman Farm (Steve Bunker), & COLSA (pg 24-25)
1F.) Waste Oil & Tires - Transportation Garage (Harold Knowles) (pg 25)
1Fa.) Tires
1Fb.) Waste Oil and Oil Filters
1G.) Special Events/Projects (pg 25-26)
1Ga.) Whittemore Center Events
2.)
3.)
4.)
5.)
Accounting System (pg 26)
Infrastructure (pg 26)
Staffing (pg 27)
Costs/Trends (pg 27 - 31)
1. Organization
1A.) Facilities (Irving Canner & John Sanders).
UNH Facilities is split into several units of which some are Business Services
(Irving Canner) and Facilities Services (John Sanders). Business Services provides
budgeting, accounting, and similar fields, while Facilities Services provides management
over departments such as Housekeeping, Grounds & Roads, UNH Recycling (part of
Grounds & Roads) and Transportation. All of these departments, except for
Transportation aid in the process of setting up a refuse contract with Waste Management
Incorporated (WMI).
1Aa.) Refuse Disposal
In the contract WMI places approximately 88 dumpsters of varying
size around campus to service the 150 buildings. WMI has a contract that includes
collection, transportation, and disposal of refuse at their Turnkey Landfill in Rochester,
NH.(5) The tipping fee and transport fee amount to about $98 dollars a ton and might be
increasing by approximately 30% with the new contract negotiations occurring
currently.(10) One automated truck comes around daily to empty the dumpsters during
the school year. Supposedly the driver has been doing this for many years and has a
system down for which bins he should visit on a given day. The waste is then brought to
Turnkey Landfill, weighed, and a bill is created on a basis of weight.(5)
In residence halls, students bring out their own trash to the dumpster or compactor
and housekeepers bring out the trash generated by the lounges, kitchen, bathrooms, and
general vacuuming and cleaning. In academic buildings housekeepers take the trash out
to the dumpsters. Compactors for refuse exist in various places across campus such as
the Gables, Woodsides, the Memorial Union Building (MUB), Philbrook, and Stillings.
(5)
1Ab.) Freon Gas Removal
Facilities has technicians that do freon gas removal for the campus. ( 7 )
1Ac.) Propane Tank Recycling
UNH Facilities refills UNH propane tanks. In 2002, all tanks will need a
three knob system that prevents overflowing past the 80% full mark. Tanks without three
knobs won't be refilled and hence are going to end up as scrap metal in 2002. A lot of
tanks will be sent for recycling in 2002 because the cost to remodel old tanks will be
about the same as the cost of the newer tanks. ( 7 )
1B.) Recycling & Bulky Waste - UNH Recycling, Part of Grounds and Roads
(Director: Thomas Byron, Intern: Dena Blickstein)
1Ba.) Recyclables & Processing
UNH Recycling takes care of the recycling of mixed containers, mixed
papers, cardboard, scrap metal, and confidential materials. There are 12-15 students
working for the office during the school year and about 2 over the summer. These
students take one of UNH's trucks around campus and pick up the cardboard put aside the
toters or in the special cardboard bins. A full-time driver for UNH Recycling collects the
mixed containers from the blue toters and mixed paper from the black toters. Supposedly
there is one full time worker from Grounds and Roads that assists with UNH Recycling.
The recyclables are brought to a concrete shed that was used for storing sand for Grounds
and Roads. Byron finds the best deal under a contract for selling the mixed paper,
cardboard, and mixed containers. Only cardboard is processed using a downstroke baler
when the market makes it economically worthwhile. Mixed containers are taken by WMI
and mixed paper and cardboard are taken by a company called Korocan. Wind plays a
factor in the timing of this operation, in the sense that this task is not done on windy days,
unless necessary, since the wind spreads the paper as litter around the site. The
wintertime's snow and cold weather also slow down the process since it is outdoors.
Scrap metal is either delivered to the UNH Recycling site or a pickup request is made.
Confidential materials, such as laboratory research, have been contracted out to Absolute
Data Destruction. This last year an attempt was made to recycle aluminum separately,
but it failed due to too much contamination, lack of room, and lack of another baler.
Contamination of recyclable containers is a challenge that may be due to lack of
knowledge or concern. ( 5 & 12 )
1Bb.) Bulky Waste/ Demolition Handling / Solid Fill
If the material was generated by UNH then it either goes into the scrap
metal heap at UNH Recycling or goes into a Bulky Waste rolloff at Grounds & Roads.(27)
Solid fill is usually only created by contractors. Any waste generated by a contractor is
the responsibility of that contractor. ( 7 ) The rolloffs put out around campus during the
move-out month of school are considered to be bulky waste no matter what students put
in them. ( 27 ) A lot of the things which are thrown out during the end of the school year
are objects that students just don't have the room to bring home and are actually not waste
hence why there are so many 'garbage hunters' that search through the dumpsters.
1Bc.) Textile Recycling
Boxes for unwanted textiles are placed in the residence hauls at the end of
the year and picked up by UNH Recycling and then brought to Goodwill. (33)
1C.) Brush, Stumps, Leaf & Yard Waste - Grounds and Roads, (Bill Ponders)
Grounds and Roads is responsible for the disposal of lawn trimmings,
fallen leaves, fallen branches, and tree stumps. In the past Grounds and Roads bagged
the grass in the back of their lawn mowers, but have recently switched to special
lawnmowers that cut the grass into smaller pieces and leave them on the ground. Leaves
in the fall are sent to Kingman farms for composting. Branches are either shred into
wood chips and used on trails throughout campus, around trees and bushes, and in college
woods or burnt. Sanders estimates that half of the branches are chipped and half are
burnt. At this time the burn pit is scheduled to be open indefinitely. Tree stumps are
usually contracted out to Urban Tree. ( 6 & 7 )
1D.) Hazardous Waste - Environmental Health and Safety (Brad Manning) has a
Hazardous Waste Division (Marty McCrone, Pam Campbell, and Chris Pine.)
Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) is directed by Brad Manning. Marty
McCroen oversees the Hazardous Waste Division (HWD). Requests for pickup are sent
in and then a student in charge of receiving and delivering chemicals picks up the waste.
They have several different companies they contract with to send the waste to depending
on what type of waste it is. Any office on campus can send any hazardous waste it wants
to the EHS Hazardous Waste Division free of charge. The Hazardous Waste Division
gets their funding from the UNH Office of the Vice President for Research and Public
Service. They deal with hazardous waste that ranges from radioactive, explosive,
corrosive, ignitable, amongst other categories. EHS also receives car and truck wet cell
batteries, household batteries, and paint. There are federal laws, which prevent the
integration of UNH's hazardous waste division with any other organization including the
town of Durham. The HWD could consult for the town, but does not take any hazardous
waste. The federal laws are found under Title 40 CRF part 265. The New Hampshire
Department of Environmental Services also has some records for the state laws. ( 8 )
1Da.) Electronic Recycling
In November of 2000, NH passed laws making electronic waste from
businesses and universities to be considered hazardous waste as opposed to universal
waste due to the mercury, cadmium, lead, amongst other chemicals/elements. ( 13 )
These laws apply to businesses and not homeowners though, so NH doesn't have a true
electronic dumping ban. ( 14, 8/9/01)
EHS has also started a computer recycling program that will be sending its first
shipment of monitors, CPUs, keyboards, cables, etc for recycling in the fall. An estimate
by a NH Pollution Prevention intern, found that there were 402 monitors, 256 CPUs, 217
printers, scanners and speakers, and 3.5 meters cubed worth of cables and keyboards in
storage at a warehouse that EHS uses. There is an unknown, but large amount of
obsolete computers in storage around campus ranging in the thousands. Recycling costs
for a computer unit can vary from $17 to $30 and some include shipping and handling.
All of this cost is being paid by EHS for the first year. Currently EHS gets requests from
departments to come and pick up computers, which they eventually get around to doing
due to limited staff. Product-Take-Back (PTB)(where computers are sent back to the
company they were bought from and an initial cost covers that), leasing of computers,
and Advance Disposal Fees (ADF)(if you buy a computer CIS or Business Services a
charge for disposal would be added to the bill, which would allow you to give it to them
for disposal when the computer is waste) are all being considered as future options. One
of the current issues is trying to get an estimate of how many computers per year will be
disposed of during the first couple years to when a regular inflow and outflow occurs. ( 9 )
1E.) Composting - Office of Sustainability (Tom Kelly & Julie Newman), Dining
(Richard LeHoullier), Kingman Farm (Steve Bunker), & COLSA
The facility in 2001 includes:
 Four acres of cleared, leveled ground for active windrows
 Test wells to evaluate the impact of surrounding ground water
 A 100' x 40' concrete pad with a septic system and side walls for curing,
screening, and storage
 100 horsepower Hydrostatic tractor
 Wildcat windrow turner
 Tractor with a bucket loader
UNH generates fifteen tons of food residuals a week, which use to be pulped
(ground up), and before 1998 all of it was sent to the Durham Wastewater Treatment
Facility WWTF. UNH pays a flat fee for sewage service, so the disposal cost for food
waste is difficult to quantify. The heavy load of organic material into the facility
contributes to nutrient enrichment of the surrounding river and estuary and reduces the
life of the wastewater treatment facility. The primary clarifier of the WWTF may be
overly stressed by the high amount of organic particulate material being fed through the
system from food waste, shortening the life of the plant. The increased amount of
material adds wear and tear to the filters, screens, etc. ( 16, pg. 3)
The goal of the project is to have every UNH Dining Facility send 100% of their
food waste to Kingman Farm. The Composting Pilot Program began in October of 1998.
In its first year it diverted approximately 26.8 tons of food waste. In the summer of 1999,
it diverted 3.92 tons and in its second year, 1999 to 2000, diverted 18.6 tons.( 19 ) In the
third year 18.77 tons of food waste was composted.
Material from the UNH Equine Center, Dairy Center, Dining, and leaf material
from campus are transported to the Kingman Farm, blended together at appropriate rates,
turned with a Wildcat Turner resulting after about a year in compost. Dining hall food is
used as a nitrogen feedstock into a horse manure / wood shavings base. The wood
shavings come from the horse stalls.( 16 )
If all the food waste from campus, Young's, and the New England Center was
pulped and sent to Kingman farms, they would have the capacity to handle the waste and
enough equine manure, just not the workers. Bunker states that the leaves from the town
could be used in the compost piles. About a 1000 forty to fifty pound bags are sold and
made in a year. The program could sell more, but there isn't enough time to make more
bags. ( 22 )
1F.) Waste Oil & Tires - Transportation Garage (Harold Knowles)
1Fa.) Tires
The Transportation Garage deals with the tires generated by UNH vehicles
and any illegal dumping of tires. Tires are sent to Cassalla Tire of Maine. Cost per tire
varies from $1 to $50. Normal car tires cost $1, light trucks cost $5, heavy trucks cost
$10, and loader tires cost $50. Cassalla Tire uses the tires in the making of road bed.
Harold Knowles, the supervisor of the Transportation Garage, estimates he deals with
around 100 plus to 150 tires in a year, with about a dozen being illegal dropoffs on
campus. ( 15, 8/9/01)
1Fb.) Waste Oil and Oil Filters
The Transportation Garage deals with the waste oil and oil filters
generated on campus. The garage burns the waste oil in the colder months for auxiliary
heating. Harold Knowles guesses he uses 800-900 gallons of waste oil in a year and goes
through 15 oil filters in a month. The oil filters are drained for their waste oil and then
sent away as universal waste through WMI. ( 15 , 8/9/01)
1G.) Special Events
1Ga.) The Whittemore Center isn't run by UNH. UNH hires a company called
Globe Management to run the Whittemore Center. ( 7 ) One problem with this situation is
that during special events at the Whittemore center; the entertainers' crews just set their
waste in front of the dumpsters or wherever they please instead of putting the waste in the
dumpsters. Grounds & Roads is then usually called in to deal with it. There isn't any
recycling at the Whittemore Center except for the Hamel Recreation center and the
offices. ( 6 & 27 ) In the future recycling and proper waste management should be written
into the contracts should outside companies continue to run the Whittemore Center.
2. Accounting System
The 2000-01 original budget for UNH Recycling is $82,487 and $215,000 for the
contract with WMI for refuse. (10)
The composting program is jointly run and paid for by the Office of Sustainability
Programs, Department of Plant Biology, Dining Services, College of Life Sciences and
Agriculture, Farm Services, Grounds and Roads, and Kingman Research Farm. ( 19 & 32 )
The Hazardous Waste Division of Environmental Health & Safety gets its funding
through the UNH Office of the VP for Research and Public Service. Marty McCrone
states that they are adequately funded. ( 8 )
3. Infrastructure
Table 2.01 UNH Infrastructure from 1997. ( 25 ) Information could not be
updated due to the busy schedule of UNH Recycling not being able to see me until later
in the fall. The items in italics are those I know still exist.
Year
Equipment
Condition
Comments
1992
Recycler w/cart dumper
Good
Cart Dumper needs
replacement
1986
1 Ton Rack Body
Poor
W/tailgate lift - unit due for
replacement
1994
Bobcat Skid Steer Loader
Good
W/reg. & Irreg. Bucket,
(7753)
grappler & forks - air tires
1994
Philadelphia Baler
Excellent
W/outside operation package
(downstroke)
?
1-3 40' Box Trailers
Good
Roadworthy
?
Tractor
Fair
To pull the box trailers
1995
Pressure Washer
Excellent
W/H20 tank - mounted &
mobile
4. Staffing (25)
UNH Recycling Staff: The items in italics are those that I know still exist.
From Nov 1997 Report by John Sander
1 Full-time Position (recycling truck operator)
1 Full-time Recycling Coordinator
2 Full-time Processors (equivalent time from 12-15 work study students)
1 Full-time Truck Driver (for hauling to market & rolloffs)
0.4 Management & Administrative Support (16+/- hrs.)
5. Costs/Trends
Not all information for this category was readily available. Information is lacking
in regards to any revenues made off recycling and cost per ton analyses for recycling,
compost, and hazardous waste. It is known that the tipping and transportation fee for
refuse has been approximately $98 over the last couple years and might go to $130 a ton
with the new contract negotiations.( 5 ) Information from the Hazardous Waste Division
isn't organized in large categories due to having to deal with a large list of different types
of hazardous waste. A cost per ton analysis for hazardous waste is also impractical
because they deal with so many different types of waste in large to small quantities. The
information on hazardous waste is hence not presented here.
III.) Challenges in Solid Waste, Hazardous Waste and Recycling for Durham/UNH
Programs
Challenges for both Programs:
1.) Increase recycling rates, reuse, accountability for waste, reduce waste, and
expand education programs in these areas.
2.) Transportation Costs - When Turnkey Landfill closes in 2010 or later if it is
given an extension, Durham and UNH will be outside the 35 mile roundtrip that makes
direct hauling to a new landfill or incinerator economically feasible. ( 4 )
Challenges for the Town of Durham:
1.) Closure Date. - The capping of the Durham Point Road SWMF site's landfill
in 2002-3 will require the relocation of leaf and yard waste storage, brush burning, and
most of the metals and other recyclables storage to some other location. ( 25 )
2.) Staffing. - The issue of being understaffed. "Even with these changes
(alternate week collection of recyclables) the division remains understaffed to perform
our tasks on a regular basis. If a person takes leave for any reason or we have an
equipment failure we still must rely on other divisions to complete our tasks in the
allotted time." ( 2, pg. 41)
3.) Storage & Baling. - Inefficiencies of the current baling process. "Some
inefficiencies of the current baling process are a result of the configuration of the site we
inherited from which to operate the recycling program." ( 2,pg. 42)
4.) Accountability - Increasing accountability with refuse. Currently, the refuse
program for the town is paid for through property taxes meaning the most expensive
home pays the largest bill rather than the people who generate the most refuse.
5.) Electronic Disposal - In 2006, analog televisions will become obsolete and an
unknown portion will be thrown away to buy a digital TV instead of paying for a
converter. ( 26 ) Currently, NH does not have a ban on electronic dumping for residents it
only has one for businesses. ( 14 ) Electronics are considered hazardous waste for
businesses due to their components with cadmium, lead, and mercury. ( 8 )
6.) Household Hazardous Waste - The hazardous waste collection days are held
every other year, which is an extensive amount of time to hang on to hazardous waste.
The probability is that some households don't wait and put their hazardous waste in as
refuse.
Challenges for the University of New Hampshire:
1.) Location - The University's recycling facility is located on the future
Entrepreneurial Campus and will eventually be moved. ( 25 )
2.) Inconsistency in Billing Records - There is a strong possibility that Waste
Management Incorporated (WMI) does not always keep accurate billing records or does
not always accurately weigh shipments. The May 2001 refuse tonnage was 23.26 tons.
May, the move out month for the last five years has had values ranging from 143.3 to
312.26 tons. The second lowest value over the six years was 82.75 in July 2000, a
summer month when the campus population is significantly smaller. (Records from
UNH Recycling) In 1996, the town of Durham has records for commercial businesses
refuse (since they use a scale to get the approximate weight of what the bill is going to
be) showing they were under-billed, when the town pointed this out to WMI, WMI
argued that the numbers were right. ( 1 ) Mary Jensen, the Keene State College
coordinator speaks of similar cases of incorrect billing by WMI, which they catch
through weighing their shipments before WMI gets them. ( 23 )
3.) Storage & Baling - The lack of an indoor facility makes the transporting of
mixed paper to the baler or rolloff troublesome when it is windy out.( 27 )
4.) Recyclable Processing - The lack of a second baler prevents / decreases the
feasibility of processing more materials. ( 12 )
5.) Re-Use - Some portion of usable furniture is removed by people going through
the dumpsters searching for good items at the end of the school year, but some of these
items escape them and make their way to Turnkey as bulky waste.
6.) Electronic Waste - UNH's Environmental Health & Safety is paying for the
recycling of computers on campus out of their budget for the first year. A form of
payment from the user will need to be established such as an advanced disposal fee,
disposal fee, product take back, etc. ( 9 )
7.) Composting Goal - The ultimate goal of the composting program is to have
every dining hall send 100% of their food waste to Kingman Farm for composting. (19)
In order for the composting program to expand, pulpers will be needed in Stillings,
Philbrook, and the MUB. Should the town be included pulpers should be sold to sit down
restaurants such as Youngs and the New England Center. Should these extra sources of
food waste be added on, a full time worker should be added at the UNH Kingman Farms
for the increased composting work requirements. The equipment at the farm will also
need replacing in the coming years. ( 22 )
8.) Huddleston & MUB Loading Docks - The loading docks for the MUB and
Huddleston have been blocked due to the construction of the dining hall and residence
hall in that area. The consequences to the composting program, which usually picks up
the food waste from these two locations has not been fully realized. It is currently
unknown as to whether the operations will be able to continue through pickup from a
different location of the building. According to the UNH Campus Journal, August 31st,
the access road around Huddleston will be completed by November 1st 2001.
IV.) Choices in Solid Waste, Hazardous Waste, and Recycling for Durham/UNH
Programs from the 1998 Solid Waste / Recycling Committee
Challenges 1-3 for the town and 1-4 for the campus and Universal Challenge 1&
2 are addressed by a report that John Sanders and Guy Hodgdon helped put together in
July 1998 called, "Feasibility Report and Recommendations of the Durham/UNH Solid
Waste/Recycling Committee (SWRC) For a Durham/UNH Cooperative Solid Waste
Recycling Transfer Facility (SWRTF)".
1. Options for future solid waste/recyclables disposal for Durham & UNH.
1.1 No substantial changes in TOWN or UNH programs.
 This is not a realistic option for either the TOWN nor UNH because it appears each
solid waste/recycling facility will likely have to be relocated in the near
future...Pursuing the continuance of any long-term solid waste/recycling programs on
current sites is NOT RECOMMENDED.(25)
1.2 Both the Town and University relocate existing solid waste operations to new
and separate locations.
 The SWRC has determined that relocating and operating two separate solid
waste/recycling/transfer centers is poor planning, a waste of resources and is not the
most cost-effective option, and is therefore, NOT RECOMMENDED.(25)
1.3 Both the Town and University discontinue maintenance and operation of their
solid waste facilities and contract separately or together for the disposal of all solid
waste and recyclables generated.
The cost of this option was not determined, however, the following is noted:
 Once Town and University owned facilities are dismantled, equipment sold and staff
reduced, the future cost will be totally driven by the private sector and out of our
control. The SWRC was not comfortable with this potential situation.
 Without any transfer facility in the community, all solid waste would have to be
picked up at "curbside" or residents would have to go outside of Durham to dispose
of items not regularly picked up at "curbside". This may not be acceptable to many
people. Many Town residents and University personnel currently transport solid
waste to their respective solid waste facilities now keeping costs low and their
properties clean.
 A jointly owned SWRTF would not prevent future contract services; the facility and
equipment might be leased to the private sector to operate per agreement.
 The SWRC RECOMMENDS not pursuing contract disposal of all the Community's
solid waste at this time, however, does RECOMMEND keeping it in mind as an
option for the operation of a new SWRTF.(25)
1.4 Pursue cooperative SWRTC with the remaining members Lamprey Regional
Cooperative (LRC).
 The LRC, reportedly in 1998, was considering the construction of a new solid
waste/recycling facility nearby and expressed some interest in such an arrangement
with the Town and University, however, repeated attempts to enter into substantive
dialogue yielded little response. This option continues to have potential favorable
scales of economy and further attempts to interest the LRC in this new SWRTF
proposal are RECOMMENDED. (25) (Note 2001: Nothing has happened with the
LRC)
1.5 Form a cooperative alliance between the Town and University and jointly
construct and operate a new SWRTF on a new site.
 The SWRC has determined that this option makes the most sense from economic,
environmental, control, and operational points of view of all the options noted above.
Many reasons supporting this position have already been discussed under the other
options. In summary the advantages of pursuing a cooperative managed SWRTF on a
new site include: (25)
Note: the following information is from several sources.
Basic Reasons FOR an integrated waste management facility.
(Location & Time)
1.) Both town and campus facilities will either require construction or moving in
the future. When the town's Durham Point Road SWMF is capped relocation of leaf and
yard waste storage, brush burning, and most of the metals and other recyclables storage
will be required.(25) The town must either build storage new storage facilities farther
away from the landfill to be capped or build a new facility. (1) The UNH Recycling site,
which is part of the Grounds & Roads site is located on the future Entrepreneurial
Campus.(25) Projections for the move out date range from several years to 2040. (7) It all
depends when the building for that location goes up to whether or when the higher
powers of the campus decide they don't want construction vehicles, waste management
related trucks, etc driving by the Entrepreneurial Campus.
(Environment)
2a.) The new facility could be sited and constructed to protect the environment as
much as reasonably possible. Current sites do not meet that standard.(25) The UNH site
is outdoors meaning that whenever the wind picks up that the mixed fiber is spread as
litter all over the site. (5)
Assessing the Durham site, which is a high use facility off a narrow and winding
country road and maintaining it on land, which is designated primarily for conservation
use has been questioned before.(25)
2b.) Through combined equipment, UNH Recycling would have the option to
recycle more materials. Through combined labor, the town would have the time (they
lack labor) to expand their recycling processing further.
2c.) Through a combined and focused force the town and campus' waste would
become one entity, which could be looked upon as a whole and hence dealt with more
efficiently. Possibilities for increased education, more special events for say refuse, a
swap shop, open up with the design of a new facility, with a more efficient program and a
new site.
(Cost Savings & Efficiency)
3a.) The town and campus know the needs and desires of their respective
customers and could retain control over their solid waste programs.(25)
3b.) One facility handling all the solid waste and recyclables generated by both
entities would be more cost effective to construct and operate than two separate ones
accomplishing the same task.(25)
3c.) Currently, UNH and Durham are within the 35 mile roundtrip that determines
whether or not it is economically feasible to transport directly to the landfill versus going
back to the facility compact the waste and then using a rolloff truck. This means that the
current system of having the refuse trucks haul to Turnkey Landfill when they are full is
the best system for now. These trucks also have the ability to compact their materials to
some degree. Turnkey Landfill, currently only has a capacity for 2010, they may or may
not get more land permitted for landfill. When Turnkey landfill does close then UNH
and Durham will need to transport their waste past the 35 mile limit and hence it will
become economical to combine the waste, compact it, and then use a rolloff truck to
transport the waste.
3d.) Both the town and campus currently have considerable equipment, which
could be utilized efficiently in a new facility.(25)
3e.) Skilled and experienced staff are available from both entities to manage and
operate a new facility.(25)
3f.) A cost savings in access road construction and site preparation for a new site
could be realized by employing town and campus materials, equipment, and experienced
staff.(25)
3g.) UNH Recycling doesn't have enough equipment, such as balers to do as
much recycling as they want,(5) a joint operation would have two balers using Durham
and UNH equipment. The Durham operation feels understaffed and UNH student labor
could help solve that problem at a lower price than hiring full time or half time workers
that require benefits.(2)
3h.) A cost savings could occur through further separation of recyclables, through
either a Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) or even student labor helping separating
items by hand when necessary. This could also expand recyclable items on campus. (4)
3i.) The site could be setup to handle the material in a more efficient manner.
Current sites were inherited and not designated for their current use. ( 1 )
Basic Reasons AGAINST an integrated waste management facility
1.) Politics of the issue. (25)
2.) Concerns of a joint venture. (25)
3.) If the site is built, but the management isn't set up as one organization there
would be two entities operating under one roof, which could lead to conflict of interest on
how the site is run or setup.
4.) Cost to construct the facility from 1998 study ~$1,000,000. (25) The facility
run properly would eventually pay for itself, but the initial capital is needed.
5.) UNH Recycling fears that it will lose the opportunity for student labor should
an SWRTF come into being. They also state that accommodations will need to be set up
for student worker accessibility to the site. (27)(12)
2. Rutland County Report on Integration
"...some possible ways to decrease costs, spread costs over a larger municipal solid waste,
MSW, base, or improve revenues. One way would be to merge the UNH and Durham
recycling functions. This would allow access to student work-study programs on the
sorting functions. This may be an issue under collective bargaining contracts, but it is
possible that new, additional sorting to return higher value with little labor cost would be
acceptable to the union if no personnel were displaced. Adding more material from UNH
would effectively spread the fixed cost over more base."(4)
V.) Proposals
Hazardous Waste:
In regards to hazardous waste, no integration is allowed under the federal law 40
CFR part 265 according to Marty McCrone of the UNH Hazardous Waste Division.
Integration with the town and campus on the issue of hazardous waste would aid the town
greatly in reducing the hazardous chemicals that are often disposed of by residents
through drains and through refuse.( 8 ) The problem is that hazardous waste collection for
the town happens every other year; hence residents have to hang on to waste for a
considerable amount of time before disposal. Should integration occur, townspeople
would be able to deliver their waste to the UNH Hazardous Waste Division (at a cost to
the town or to the individual disposing of the waste). In order to seek integration on this
issue a petition for exemption of the rule must be filed. Other approaches in helping
Durham with its household hazardous waste (HHW) problem include lobbying through
the state by getting residents to write letters of concern to the state government on the
issue with the hope of the state creating centralized HHW areas throughout the state,
which materials from residents or municipalities could deliver at a cost. The last option
involves Durham spending more money and having the HHW collection day held more
frequently.
A disposal fee program should start up for electronic waste for the campus and the
town should be ready in 2005-2006 for when non-digital TVs become obsolete with an
electronic recycling program in regards to transportation and education.
Composting:
In regards to composting for UNH and Durham there are really two options, those
being growth or status quo with repair. Currently the municipality of Durham only
composts leaves that are sent away to Seacoast Compost in Hampton.(1) UNH composts
leaves from the grounds, food waste from Huddleston Dining Hall, and pre-consumer
waste from the MUB and Philbrook Dining Hall. One problem that was just created the
summer of 2001 was that the loading docks for Huddleston and the MUB are inaccessible
due to the new dormitory construction occurring.(32) Without a loading dock, the food
waste of each location will require more moving on the part of the composting interns or
won't be feasible. Since these two locations will need to load and unload materials it is
yet to be seen how they will cope with this problem. The first foreseeable problems in
the current program is that Durham will lose its leaf storage when the Durham landfill is
capped, requiring the setup of rolloffs for shipping of the leaves on a more frequent basis
or the ending of the program until a new facility is found. The second upcoming problem
involves the tractors getting old at Kingman Farm. When the time comes they will need
replacement. The idea of a storage shed for this equipment, which is closer to the
composting windrows was already thought of, but never implemented. By having the
equipment travel a shorter distance, the operational life of the equipment would be
extended. The program should also stay informed on the dining hall (that will replace
Huddleston) in order to make sure that the pulper remains in the design. If it is removed
due to cost then the departments running the compost program should lobby and offer to
pay for the machine. It would be a step backward for the program to lose a dining hall
that does all food waste and would also reduce the amount of food waste sent to Kingman
Farm significantly.
If the program were to move forward as far as it could currently foreseeable go it
would mean that pulpers (grinders that reduce the volume of foodwaste and weight by
removing water) should be installed in Philbrook, Stillings, the MUB, Young's, and the
New England Center. Should the amount of food waste dealt with increase significantly
a full time worker should be hired at Kingman Farm in order to focus on the needs of the
program. A new windrow turner might also be necessary in order to have the windrows
lined up closer together, which newer models allow for, and hence increase the capacity
of the field for windrows. A bottleneck in the program is the filling of the final bags of
compost. Currently a piece of equipment that was built to spread sand in the wintertime
off a pickup is used to fill the bags. This requires several workers to operate and is too
labor intensive for the maximum possible amount of bags to be created. Steve Bunker,
Kingman Farm Manager, mentioned other equipment that was created for this task. The
leaves from the Durham program should be taken by Kingman farm. Another possible
avenue of growth is that the Durham Marketplace produces 100 lbs of food waste a week,
which could be sent to Kingman Farm. Special permits are required to link the
program.(32)
Refuse & Recyclables:
Durham has two main courses of action in regards to its waste facility. Durham
can either reconfigure their current site such that the recyclables storage and leaf and yard
waste are relocated farther away from the capped landfill or build a new site. A brush
burning permit will not be extended to Durham again due to state laws. The positive of
reconfiguring the current site versus building a new site is that less money will have to be
spent in comparison to building a new facility. When the time comes that there isn't a
landfill or incinerator within 35 miles roundtrip, which is projected to be 2010, it will
then become the best economical choice to compact the waste and send it away in a
rolloff truck. Currently there are no other private landfills or incinerators in a 35 mile
roundtrip other than Turnkey Landfill (1), which is a 30.6 mile roundtrip according to
Yahoo Maps. In order to meet this future need a compactor and the correct building
arrangements for dropoff to the compactor will be needed at the Durham site.
The benefit of building a new facility is that it could be designed for more
efficient operation in regards to where recyclables are stored, processed, and the distance
in-between. The new facility could be sited and constructed to protect the environment
as much as reasonably possible. The current Durham and UNH facilities do not meet that
standard. The staff and the equipment already exist for the facility and Durham
materials, equipment, and experienced staff could create a cost savings in road
construction and site preparation. (25)
Should the facility be integrated between the town and campus then the cost of
construction and site work will be shared between the two. When Turnkey Landfill
closes it will be in the economic best interests of UNH and Durham to combine their
waste, compact it, and send it off in a rolloff truck. The cost for this operation would be
shared for each entity in regards to processing and transportation. Should the staff
become integrated then tasks could be done more efficiently and time savings can occur.
Savings in regard to recyclables can be done should there be an employee who has the
time to look at the recyclable markets. The new facility could purchase a mixed
container separator that would allow for the recycled goods to be sold or disposed of at a
better price. Mixed containers are less valuable than separated containers.
UNH has similar options in regards to refuse with Durham. The refuse program
contracted out and run by WMI will continue to be a good economic choice as long as
Turnkey Landfill remains open. When Turnkey Landfill closes, UNH will have to ship
refuse longer distances and it then becomes economical to compact the waste and ship it
using rolloff trucks. It would also be wise to combine refuse programs with Durham by
that time in order to spread the cost of the compacting, labor, and transportation costs.
UNH Recycling could continue status quo, but would gain from a new facility and
even further from an integrated facility. UNH Recycling currently operates out of a
concrete shed that is open to the weather. The consequences of the location mean that the
winter months and the wind greatly reduce efficiency. The wind can spread the mixed
paper across the site, while the winter snows require clearing and slow down the staff.
The baler UNH Recycling owns is a vertical baler and requires that the cardboard be fed
into the machine piece by piece as opposed to the horizontal baler that Durham has.(27)
Should the two programs integrate a great amount of time savings will occur for the
processing of UNH recyclables.
UNH Recycling will eventually be removed from their current location at an
unknown date to make room for the Entrepreneurial Campus.(25) Meaning that the
program would also benefit from moving from their current location should a better site
present itself.
WMI just this summer in a contract negotiation meeting asked for their own
transfer facility on UNH property such that they could use rolloff trucks. (5) The reason
they asked for this was to be able to pool waste from surrounding towns at that transfer
station, such that they could have an overall transport cost savings. UNH/Durham, just
like the City of Keene, NH, could contract out the refuse part of their joint facility to
WMI such that this process could occur. Durham could still collect their waste should
they choose and WMI would now be paying the UNH/Durham facility for the use of its
land.
Sites:
The Solid Waste / Recycling Committee for Durham / UNH of 1997-1998 found
two sites that were the best for an integrated facility. The two sites chosen were the
Sewage Treatment Plant site owned by the town with an abutting piece of land owned by
UNH and the second site was on Beech Hill Rd and owned by UNH. Both sites have the
minimum of six acres required for the site. The Sewage Treatment Plant has the required
3-phase power, public water, and public sewer already installed, while the Beech Hill Rd
site does not. The Sewage Treatment Plant also has excellent road access with Route 4,
while the NH Department of Transportation stated they would not allow the creation of a
road off Route 4 to the Beech Hill site. This does not eliminate the Beech Hill site, but
means the road access would require going from Route 4 to Madbury Road to Beech Hill
Road, which would mean a slightly longer drive. Beech Hill Road would also need
upgrading to a higher class of road for the heavy trucks that would be driving on it. The
Beech Hill site is also part of the Woodman Horticulture Farm research program, which
would need convincing in order to release the site. From this information it would seem
that the Sewage Treatment Plant is the better of the two sites, the only information
missing on the Beech Hill site is its total acreage, which if large enough could keep the
site up for equal consideration. The two negatives of the Sewage Treatment Plant are that
it could be have a larger plot and it is in the Shoreland Protection Area and access may be
an issue. It has the six acres minimum, but may only be as big as 7 useable acres. (25)
One issue with either site is that UNH owns basically half of the Sewage
Treatment Site and the entire Beech Hill Site. Meaning that should Durham want to build
a facility on either of these two sites that permission/cooperation will be needed from the
campus. Should UNH be uncooperative then Durham will need to reconsider the sites
that were removed from the list and town owned sites. The only other realistic sites on
town land include the Northern Portion of Wagon Hill and the Technology Drive site.
Both have around 40 acres, the Technology site has 3-phase power, public water, and
public sewer, while the Wagon Hill site does not. The problem with the Wagon Hill site
is that the town sees it as a recreational location and a large portion of the site is
wetlands. The problem with the Technology site is that it is privately owned and
designated as a commercial high-tech area. (25)
Should UNH be cooperative and allow for Durham to build on either Beech Hill
or the Sewage Treatment Plant, but not wish to integrate facilities at that time; then
Durham should if possible build the site such that integration could be possible at a later
time. Further information on the sites can be found in the Feasibility Report put together
by the Solid Waste and Recycling Committee for Durham/UNH 1998.
1.) Development of an infrastructure, staffing, and costs/trends.
The choices are all listed above in the proposals section in reference to
infrastructure. If integration does not occur then in regards to staffing for Durham it was
suggested that a swing person be hired for all of the public works department, since the
Solid Waste Division can't finish their job should they lose a worker. Should the UNH
and Durham programs be integrated in the areas of solid waste and recycling then one
supervisor should look over the program for both entities. Without one boss for the
integrated system, the program will remain to be two programs under one roof, which
could lead to conflict over different points of view on how a task should be done.
Development of costs/trends for the future can only be guessed upon. Should a
Pay as You Throw (PAYT) program be established for Durham, the effects should be the
same as when it has been established in any other town. Those effects have been a
lowering in the amount of refuse and an increase in recycling, accountability, and
awareness. Illegal dumping fines should also be established at high enough levels to pay
for the disposal of the illegal waste. Should the costs of refuse disposal continue to
increase through companies such as WMI, then the public and town will be more inclined
to reduce their waste and recycle. Assuming Turnkey Landfill doesn't get an extension
on its capacity past 2010 and no other private landfills or incinerators are built within a
35 mile roundtrip then it will be more cost-effective for Durham and UNH to compact
and transport their waste in a rolloff. (1)
2.) Development of a proposed accounting system that supports IWM goals.
A PAYT program for the town is the best model in order to make residents
accountable for their waste, reduce the waste produced, and increase recycling.
Accountability for UNH's population would be harder to achieve. Dormitory
students bring their waste to dumpsters that often serve several dorms. These dorms
could be billed for their dumpster's waste, but then students would have to pay their
dorms for the waste of a smaller community of people as opposed to the current system
where students pay for the waste of the UNH community. One problem with this is that
the refuse trucks which empty these dumpsters supposedly don't have accurate scales,
meaning that the program would lack fairness.(5) The second problem is that it means
more work for somebody who has to monitor the billing and send the correct bills to each
student's account. Assuming there is a way to accurately know how much waste was
picked up at each dumpster and the labor was there to do the billing then this method
could work. In regards to faculty and staff, the departments which they belong to could
be billed, but once again would require more work for the janitors in regard to weighing
the trash from each office. This task would be difficult to accomplish due to the increase
in work and time required at each office and organizing a system of billing. In regards to
hazardous waste and electronic waste sent to the UNH Office of Environmental Health &
Safety the waste is accepted at no cost from any department on campus. A simple by
volume or by weight payment plan for chemicals and market driven prices for electronics
could be set up in order to make hazardous waste generation accountable. (8)
3.) Development of a proposed environmental contract management system that
addresses source reduction, recycling, reuse, remanufacturing and waste disposal.
By increasing accountability through the suggestions above source reduction,
reuse, and an increase in recycling would occur.
By reducing the tray size at the dining halls, such that students can only fit one
dinner plate on their tray; students will be forced to get seconds instead of taking too
much food the first time. As more and more students take closer to the amount of food
that they will eat, Dining Services would notice that they are cooking too much food and
adjust to preparing less food.
One way of increasing reuse would be to hold a reuse day for student furniture
during the move out month. Bill Ponders noted that his staff is busy with graduation and
that the labor would have to come through some other source. (6)
The foundation of all efforts for source reduction, recycling, reuse,
remanufacturing, and waste disposal lies within education. The struggle that the campus
faces is that students on average only stay at UNH for four years and every year brings
over 2,600 new undergraduate faces and removes the same amount. Education programs
must then be run every year with efforts put into using the free forms of information such
as the campus newspapers, campus radio, and campus television.
4.) Development of a proposed organization of the IWMS including roles and
responsibilities for the town and university staff that facilitate joint planning,
implementation, and monitoring.
The first step in even considering an integrated relationship is to have discussion
on the issue, which is best conducted through an integrated waste management committee
made up of town and campus representatives. This committee should get the blessing of
the higher powers in the town and campus in order for their decisions and suggestions to
be fully listened to. It's also important to note that this integrated committee should be
looking into all areas of waste management for the town and campus and is not a focus
group on the possible avenue of an integrated waste management facility.
5.) Specific recommendations and timeline for implementation.
 Form an integrated waste management committee for the town and campus
out of the Integrated Waste Management Advisory Committee for the Town
of Durham. The point of the committee will be to look at waste management
issues (refuse, recycling, composting, & hazardous waste) for the town and
campus and try to increase reuse, source reduction, recycling, accountability,
education, and awareness. Make sure the members of the committee include
people involved with waste management from both sides including workers
lower down on the totem pole. Students that have been living at UNH on and
off campus for a couple years should also be invited every now and then to get
an understanding of some of the views of the student body.
 Currently Tom Kelly, Director of the UNH Office of Sustainability
Programs, is looking into the formalize the committee on the UNH
side and Todd Selig, Durham Town Administrator, is looking into
changing the current Durham Integrated Waste Management Advisory
Committee into allowing it to become a town and campus committee.
 This committee should be formalized sometime in the Fall of
2001.
 A turning point in the future will be how Durham decides to react to the
capping of its landfill in whether it reconstructs on its current site or decides to
build a better facility on a new site. The capping will occur in one to three
years by current estimates. Should a better facility on a new site be chosen
then possibilities including integration with UNH become possible. UNH will
be needing a new location for its recycling program in the future and the
chance to integrate facilities with Durham should be thoroughly reviewed
such that when the opportunity comes UNH knows what it wishes to do.
 A report should be written highlighting all the positives and negatives
of building an integrated facility, along with studies on feasibility,
cost, possible designs, how the management would work, conflict
scenarios and how they could be avoided, and other choices should an
integrated facility not be chosen with the same areas of comparison.
This report should be completed before the decision is needed to be
made between UNH and Durham, which means a time of completion
ranging in the August 2002 to August 2004 area depending on further
update from Durham on when the capping will occur.
Appendix A. - What other Colleges & College-Towns have Done
August 31st, 2001
Other college and college town programs are being researched in order to learn
from their successes and failures. More study is required for both the Keene and
Plymouth, NH programs in order to understand their programs in completeness.
Both programs report a profit, but there is doubt to how they do their accounting
and whether they are including benefits, equipment capitalization, insurance, and other
related costs with their numbers. Keene has curbside collection, but companies run the
program as opposed to the town. I don't know yet if Plymouth has curbside collection.
Both programs accept recyclables from surrounding towns and areas for free. Both do
their own researching to make sure they're getting the best price for their materials.
Keene, NH (http://www.ci.keene.nh.us/publicworks/recycle/index.html)
Duncan Watson, City Solid Waste Manager (352-5739)
Mary Jensen, Recycling Coordinator, for Keene State College (KSC)
Keene Population: 23,250
Keene State Student Population: 4,800 with 2,000 living on campus.
2000 KSC refuse: 528 tons a year.
2000 KSC recycles: 167 tons a year. ( 23 )
1998 Keene residential refuse: 12,711 tons a year.
1998 Keene commercial refuse: 10,289 tons a year.
1998 Keene residential recyclables: 3,000 tons a year.
1998 Keene commercial recyclables: 2,000 tons a year. ( 2 ,Section 3)
Summary:
The city of Keene built a material recover facility (MRF) in the fall of 1994. The
amount of recycled material has steadily increased from 1,973 tons in 1994 to 6,553 tons
in 1999. The refuse part of the facility is leased out to WMI, who won the bid. The town
has curbside collection run by companies and not the town, where each resident pays for
their pickup. The site will accept all recyclables for free. Duncan Watson, City of Keene
Solid Waste Manager usually either makes a profit or breaks even off his recycling
program. Watson accepts recyclables from surrounding communities thus he deals in
larger scales. He uses the NRRA, but finds that they don't always give him the best price
due to some companies not being in their group. Keene has a limited form of a PAYT
program, where residents are charged per bag or weight at the transfer station or when the
collection vehicle comes as opposed to per bag at the grocery store. It costs a $1.10 to
dispose of a 33 gallon bag or smaller or it costs $0.055 per pound. Watson has a total of
six workers. (23)
Mary Jensen, Keene State College Recycling Coordinator, oversees student
recycling workers on campus. KSC uses the City of Keene facility as any other
commercial user. They have a box truck that makes regular trips with various recycling
and our paper is picked up by a local waste hauler as part of a paper recycling program
through the local chamber of commerce. (23)
Further Analysis of Keene (From Keene State Recycling webpage)
http://www.keene.edu/rocks/default.cfm
Some of the things KSC does that UNH does not:
 A Re-Use room in the basement of some hall. A great place to put or find still
useable materials like books, 3-ring binders, paper, envelopes, file folders, etc.
 Batteries are taken at marked buckets around campus.
Plymouth, NH (http://www.nh.ultranet.com/~townhall/Recycling.html)
Paul Freitas, Plymouth Recycling Center Manager (536-2378)
Information on the Plymouth facility comes from the Citizen Online newspaper,
who interviewed Paul Freitas July 2001.
http://www.citizen.com/news2001/July/16/ply0716a.htm
Summary:
Paul Freitas checks the European and Asian commodities markets daily. He waits
for prices on recycled goods to get high enough before he sells. The town landfill was
closed about ten years ago and will soon receive EPA-mandated permanent
polypropylene cap. Freitas has turned the Plymouth Recycling Center from an operation
losing money to making a profit. It earns back more than a third of its budget by selling
recyclables at greater than market values. Last year, when the market for recyclables
dropped 80%, Freitas had record earnings of $124,000, up 550% of what the facility
made five years ago. He states that timing is everything and that the best way is to hang
on to commodities until the market hits a price spike, but you have to move quickly.
The Plymouth Recycling Facility has 14 acres to use and hence stockpiles
materials. Freitas actually begs other towns to bring their recyclables to him. Its a good
deal for the other smaller towns who don't have storage space to wait for the market to
get better because they have to sell right away. The Plymouth facility has four full-time
employees that do the sorting for the facility.
A lot of the equipment isn't bought at the facility rather older models are retrofitted or
repaired at lower costs, such as a conveyer belt with a magnetized roller or a skid steer
(forklift type vehicle) that uses a grabber made from materials around the site. Used oil
and oil filters are drained and used in an oil-burning heater to warm the building in the
wintertime. All latex paint is mixed, which results in a gray color and is used for painting
the facility. The paint may also be taken by any wanting some. The facility has a library
of saved books and magazines. Lumber is also separated and given away, as are any
furniture, or item in usable condition. Ten families a year are outfitted with items such as
clothes, dishware, washers, dryers, furniture, carpets, etc. Freitas has been experimenting
with wildflowers to plant on top of the landfill once it is capped because they absorb
more leechate (water from the landfill) than grass and make the area look nicer. ( 24 )
Appendix B. - Glossary
 Automated Collection - Fully automated vehicles have an arm that lifts and empties
refuse receptacles at the curbside. Driver never exits the vehicles.(2)
 Bulky Waste - couches, mattresses, furniture, rugs, etc.( 2)
 Composting - the controlled microbial decomposition of organic matter (such as food
scraps and yard trimmings) in the presence of oxygen into a humus-or soil-like
material. ( 2)
 C.P.I. - Consumer Price Index, nationally recognized inflation index.(2)
 C.Y. - Cubic Yard, measurement of three feet by three feet by three feet.( 2)
 Demolition Material - insulation, bricks, sheet-rock, painted lumber, siding, etc.( 2)
 D.O.T. - Department of Transportation, highway regulatory agency for federal and
state.( 2)
 E.H.S. - UNH Office of Environmental Health & Safety, director Brad Manning.
 Freon - a refrigerant gas that is a chlorofluorocarbon (CFC), a suspected carcinogen
and ozone depleting chemical. (2)
 Incineration - The controlled burning of municipal solid waste to reduce volume, and,
commonly, to recover energy.( 30)
 Integrated Waste Management (IWM)-
 The complementary use of a variety of practices to handle municipal solid waste
safely and effectively. Integrated waste management techniques include source
reduction, recycling, composting, combustion, and landfilling. ( 30)
 A strategy for the management of waste utilizing a range of environmentally sound
systems and processes. Typically it would include the promotion of waste
minimization, materials recycling, resource recovery and landfall. ( 31)
 A systemic approach to management of institutional and community waste streams.
IWM includes siting of facilities, developing systems for resource recovery, and
policies and practices that result in significant waste reduction.(OSP)
 Landfilling - The disposal of solid waste at engineered facilities in a series of
compacted layers and the frequent daily covering of the waste with soil. Fill areas are
carefully prepared to prevent nuisances or public health hazards, and clay and/or
synthetic liners are used to prevent releases to ground water. ( 30)
 Manual Collection - Driver collects all material in receptacles at the curbside by hand
and loads it into the vehicle.( 2)
 M.S.W. - Municipal Solid Waste, such as garbage, trash, refuse. (2) Waste generated
in households, commercial establishments, institutions, and businesses. MSW
includes used paper, discarded cans and bottles, food scraps, yard trimmings, and
other items. Industrial process waste, agricultural wastes, mining wastes, and sewage
sludge are not MSW." (30)
 Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) - Site where mixed, recyclable waste is, either
mechanically or manually, separated, baled and stored prior to reprocessing. ( 31)
 N.R.R.A. - Northeast Resource Recovery Association, recyclables marketing
cooperative comprised of 238 municipalities.( 2)
 O.C.C. - Old Corrugated Cardboard.(2)
 O.S.P. - UNH Office of Sustainability Programs, directed by Tom Kelly.
 P.A.Y.T. - Pay As You Throw, program for paying for disposal at the time of buying
trash bags.( 2)
 Pre-consumer materials - Recovered materials obtained from manufacturers. ( 30)
 Recyclable - Products or materials that can be collected, separated, and processed to
be used as raw materials in the manufacture of new products. ( 30)
 Recycled content - The portion of a product's or package's weight that is composed of
materials that have been recovered from waste; this may include pre-consumer or
post-consumer materials. ( 30)
 Refuse - general waste that is put in trash bags. Excludes recyclable materials.( 2)
 Reuse - The use of a product more than once in its same form for the same purpose or
for different purposes, such as reusing a soft-drink bottle when it is returned to the
bottling company for refilling, or reusing a coffee can as a container for nuts and
bolts. ( 30)
 Semi-Automated Collection - Driver rolls the refuse receptacles at the curbside to a
dumping device located on the collection vehicle that lifts and empties the
receptacle.( 2)
 Source Reduction - The design, manufacture, purchase, or use of materials to reduce
the amount of toxicity or waste. Because it is intended to reduce pollution and
conserve resources, source reduction should not increase the net amount or toxicity of
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wastes generated through the life of the product. Source reduction techniques include
reusing items, minimizing the use of products that contain hazardous compounds,
using only what is needed, extending the useful life of a product, and reducing
unneeded packaging. ( 30)
Split Body Vehicle Collection - Vehicles and special 2 compartment containers can
be purchased that allow for either automated, semi-automated, or manual collection
of 2 types of material in the same vehicle. The 2 compartments could be used for 2
streams of recyclable material collection at once, (i.e. fiber and containers) or
recyclables in one side and refuse in the other.( 2)
S.W.R.C. - Solid Waste Recycling Committee formed in 1997 for Durham/UNH.
S.W.M.F. - Solid Waste Management Facility, the old dump or transfer station
located on Durham Point Road.( 2)
S.W.R.T.F. - Solid Waste Recycling Transfer Facility
Waste - any substance which constitutes a scrap material or an effluent or other
unwanted surplus substance arising from the application of any process; and any
substance or article which requires to be disposed of as being broken, worn out,
contaminated or otherwise spoiled. ( 31)
W.M.I. - Waste Management Incorporated of NH, a private solid waste company that
owns Turnkey Landfill in Rochester, NH.( 2)
Appendix C. - References & Related Sources
1.) Guy Hodgdon, Superintendent of Durham Solid Waste Division, personal
communication, summer 2001.
2.) Guy Hodgdon, "Town of Durham: Solid Waste Management Report", Nov. 1999.
3.) Town of Durham, N.H., 2000 Annual Town Report
4.) Samson, Michael: "Rutland County Solid Waste District's Evaluation of Durham
Municipal Solid Waste System", 1999.
5.) Information from WMI meeting, people present Tom Byron, Bill Ponders, Guy Eaton,
and WMI representatives including Jeff Pratt. 7/3/01
6.) Billy Ponders, Manager UNH Grounds & Roads, Personal Communication, 7/9/01,
8/9/01.
7.) John Sanders, Exec. Director UNH Facilities Services, personal communication,
summer 2001.
8.) Marty McCrone, Coordinator of UNH Hazardous Waste Division, personal
communication, 8/24/01.
9.) Yi Luo, NH Pollution Prevention Intern, personal communication through her
"Presentation on PTB", 8/8/01.
10.) Irving Canner, Director Facilities Management, personal communication, 7/17/01.
11.) UNH Recycling webpage, http://www.unh.edu/recycling/index.html, 8/9/01.
12.) Dena Blickstein, UNH Recycling Intern, personal communication, summer 2001.
13.) Brad Manning, Director UNH Environmental Health & Safety, 8/8/01.
14.) April Duhaime, NH Department of Environmental Services, personal
communication, 8/9/01
15.) Harold Knowles, Supervisor UNH Transportation Garage, personal communication,
8/9/01.
16.) Dr. Tom Kelly; Dr. George Estes; A Review of Food Waste Composting Literature
and Experimental Protocol for Proposed Composting Activities at the University of New
Hampshire; June 29th, 1998.
17.) Dr. George Estes; Composting of Food Waste from Huddleston Dining Hall at UNH
October 27, 1998 to June 30, 1999; June 21, 1999.
18.) Office of Sustainability; The Scoop on Compost, Summer 2001.
19.) Office of Sustainability; "Compost at UNH";
www.sustainableunh.unh.edu/compost/index.html; July 20th, 2001.
20.) Kingman Farm; "Kingman Farm";
www.unh.edu/woodlands/property/kingman/index.html; July 20th, 2001
21.) Greg Young, Office of Sustainability Programs Intern, personal communication,
summer 2001.
22.) Steve Bunker, Kingman Farm Manager, personal communication, summer 2001.
23.) Mary Jensen, Keene State College Recycling Coordinator, personal communication,
8/9/01.
24.) Walker, Barry; "To Plymouth Official, Trash is Opportunity"; The Citizen Online,
www.citizen.com/news2001/July/16/ply0716a.htm, July 16, 2001
25.) "Feasibility Report and Recommendations of the Durham/UNH Solid
Waste/Recycling Committee for a Durham/UNH Cooperative Solid Waste Recycling
Facility", July 1998. Some of the authors include: John Sanders and Guy Hodgdon.
26.) Information on the Digital TV conversion(www.tcom.bsu.edu/tcom200/class14.htm)
27.) Thomas Byron, Director UNH Recycling, personal communication, June 3, 2001.
28.) Tom Kelly, Director Office of Sustainability Programs, personal communication,
summer 2001.
29.) Office of Sustainability webpage, www.sustainableunh.unh.edu/report98/intro.html,
summer 2001.
30.) EPA, "The Consumers Handbook for Reducing Solid Waste", September 1996.
31.) Integra Website, http://www.integra.org.uk/, summer 2001.
32.) Julie Newman, Education Director Office of Sustainability Programs, personal
communication, summer 2001.
33.) Guy Eaton, Housekeeping Director, personal communication, 8/16/01.
Appendix D. - Acknowledgements
In alphabetical order
Dena Blickstein, UNH Recycling Intern.
Steve Bunker, Kingman Farm Manager.
Thomas Byron, UNH Recycling.
Irving Canner, Director Facilities Management Services.
April Duhaime, NH Pollution Prevention Program Intern at NHDES.
Ihab Farag, Director of the NH Pollution Prevention Program.
Guy Hodgdon, Town Superintendent of Solid Waste Division.
Mary Jensen, Recycling Coordinator Keene State College.
Tom Kelly, Director Office of Sustainability Programs
Harold Knowles, Supervisor Transportation Garage
Richard LeHoullier, Dining Services Area II Manager
Yi Luo, Office of Sustainability Programs Electronic Recycling Intern
Brad Manning, Director EHS
Marty McCrone, Hazardous Waste Division of EHS
Julie Newman, Education Director Office of Sustainability Programs
Billy Ponders, Grounds & Roads
John Sanders, UNH Exec. Director Facilities Services.
Greg Young, Office of Sustainability Programs Compost Intern
Appendix E. - Contact Resources & Links
Contact Resources
University of New Hampshire
Dr. Ihab Farag, Director
NH Pollution Prevention Program
Tel: 862-2313
Email: ihab.farag@unh.edu
Thomas Kelly, Director
Office of Sustainability Programs
Tel: 862-2640
Email: tom.kelly@unh.edu
Julie Newman, Coordinator of Education and Training
Office of Sustainability Programs
Tel: 862-0172
Email: jnewman@cisunix.unh.edu
Bradford Manning, Director
Office of Environmental Health and Safety
Tel: 862-2571
Email: bmanning@cisunix.unh.edu
Martin McCrone, Coordinator
Hazardous Waste Division of Environmental Health and Safety
Tel: 862-3526
Email: mmcrone@cisunix.unh.edu
John Sanders, Executive Director
Facilities Services
Tel: 862-2650
Email: dorothy.horne@unh.edu
Irving Canner, Director
Facilities Management
Tel: 862-3754
Email: iec@christa.unh.edu
Harold Knowles, Manager
Transportation Garage
Tel: 603-862-2746
Bill Ponders, Manager
Grounds & Roads
Tel: 862-2265
Thomas Byron, Assistant Supervisor
UNH Recycling (Tel: 862-3100)
Tel: 862-1695
Jim Mellor
Facilities Design
Tel: 862-3958
Steve Bunker, Manager
Kingman Farm
Tel: 603-749-4578
Town of Durham
Guy Hodgdon, Superintendent
Solid Waste Division of Public Works
Tel: 868-1001
Email: ghodgdon@ci.durham.nh.us
Diane Carroll, Chairperson
Integrated Waste Management Advisory Committee
Tel: 868-2935
Todd Selig, Town Administrator
Town of Durham
Tel: 868-5571
Email: tselig@ci.durham.nh.us
Department of Environmental Services of New Hampshire (NHDES)
Chris Way
NHDES
Tel: 603-271-6847
Email: cway@des.state.nh.us
James H. Robb
Recycling Market Development Specialist
Office of Business and Industrial Development
Tel: 603-271-2591
Email: jrobb@dred.state.nh.us
EPA
Linda Darveau
EPA R1,
Tel: 617-918-1718, 888-372-7341
Email: darveau.linda@epa.gov
Christine Beling
EPA R1,
Tel: 617-918-1792
Email: Beling.christine@epa.gov
Other Resources
Mary Jensen, Coordinator
Keene State Recycling
Email: mjensen@keene.edu
Winthrop Puffer, Promoter of
methane production from organic waste to make electricity
Tel: 603-659-3948
Duncan Watson, Manager
City of Keene Solid Waste Division
Tel: 603-352-5739
Email: dwatson@ci.keene.nh.us
Paul Freitas, Manager
City of Plymouth Solid Waste Division
Tel: 603-536-2378
Jeff Pratt, Municipal Marketing Director
Waste Management Incorporated
Tel: 603-330-2158
Links
Environmental News Network
www.enn.com
MSNBC Environmental Front Page
http://www.msnbc.com/news/ENVIRONMENT_front.asp
NHDES Planning & Community Assistance
http://www.des.state.nh.us/pcas/
Waste News (code 004931067)
http://www.wastenews.com/headlines.html
EPA's Office of Solid Waste
http://www.epa.gov/osw/
EPA Office of Solid Waste's Municipal Solid Waste
http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/non-hw/muncpl/index.htm