543_Pittsburgh-Road-Map-to-Zero-Waste-Final.pdf

ROADMAP TO ZERO WASTE

February 27, 2017 for

THE CITY OF

PITTSBURGH, PA

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

2. BACKGROUND

3. ADMINISTRATIVE INFRASTRUCTURE

3.1 Leadership Commitment

3.2 Community Involvement and Education

3.3 Financing

4. GENERAL THOUGHTS & RULES OF WASTE AND RECYCLING

5. CURRENT OPERATIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE

5.1 Local Landfills

5.2 Materials Recovery Facility (MRF)

5.3 Recycling Drop-Off Sites

5.4 Wood Composting Site

5.5 Food Composting Sites

5.6 Waste Water and Sewage Treatment

5.7 Construction and Demolition (C&D) Recycling Facility

5.8 Reuse/Donation Facilities

6. ROADMAP INTRODUCTION

7. PHASE 0: PREPARE (YEAR 1)

7.1 Create a Public Private Partnership

7.2 Create a Zero Waste Strategic Plan

8. PHASE I: PROVIDE ACCESS TO SERVICES (YEARS 2 – 9)

8.1 Define Goals

8.2 Create a Measurement System that Supports the Goals

8.3 Update and Improve Website

8.4 Build a Local Transfer Station

8.5 Provide Collection Bins and Automated Collection Where Applicable

8.6 Provide Incentive-Based Pricing Through Pay-as-You-Throw (PAYT)

8.7 Provide Universal Recycling for All Businesses & Multi-Family Units (>5)

8.8 Enforce Source Separation Requirements

8.9 Re-Evaluate Drop-Off Sites

8.10 Expand Residential Yard Waste Collection Service

8.11 Improve the Bulky Item Collection Process

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8.12 Facilitate the Development of a Food Waste Treatment System

8.13 Add Universal Composting Programs for Residential & Small Businesses

8.14 Institute a Fee or Ban on Plastic Shopping Bags

8.15 Incorporate a Purchase Deposit on Beverage Bottles

8.16 Expand Electronic Waste Disposal Options

8.17 Expand Hazardous Waste (HHW) Drop-Off Options

8.18 Require Recycling Participation in Schools

8.19 Lead by Example

9. PHASE II: BUILD PARTICIPATION (YEARS 10 – 11)

9.1 Improve Recycling Practices at Special Events

9.2 Issue Various Landfill Bans

9.3 Expand Waste Reduction and Reuse Initiatives

9.4 Build a Center for Hard-to-Recycle Materials

9.5 Require Producer Responsibility for Hard-to-Recycle (HTR) Materials

9.6 Recover Materials from Mixed Construction/Demolition Loads

10. PHASE III: RECOVER WHATEVER’S LEFT (YEARS 12 – 13)

11. CONCLUSION

12. STRATEGY SUMMARY LIST

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1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

In coordination with 100 Resilient Cities, Regions 20 – Regions of Climate Action (R20) has offered to finance a “Roadmap to Zero Waste” document for the City of Pittsburgh to use as guideline when developing a Zero Waste Strategic Plan (ZWSP). Once written, the ZWSP will serve as the mechanism that ties all stakeholders together in the City’s quest for Zero Waste.

Based on site visit meetings and years of expertise, it is the belief of the R20 team that the City of Pittsburgh has the potential to achieve the goal of “Zero Waste by 2030” as pronounced by Mayor Peduto in 2015. The elements critical to the success of Zero Waste include, but are not limited to, committed leadership, modifiable and scalable infrastructure, engaged citizenry with proven adaptability, and innovation, all of which are currently possessed by the City in some form.

Conversely, these elements are pitted against a city that is hampered with a decades-old, stagnant recycling program that has achieved modest success over the years largely due to limited financing and low landfill disposal fees.

To achieve the goal of Zero Waste by 2030, the City must change the existing value proposition from an expense-based (budget line item) approach to a resource management-based approach by thinking of waste as an asset to be managed instead of a liability. A key strategy that may well serve the city and accelerate Zero Waste efforts would be the formation of a public-private partnership (P3) to provide oversight and management of “Zero Waste Pittsburgh™”, a program specifically created to meet the City’s Zero Waste goal. By leveraging a P3 to coordinate and manage “Zero Waste Pittsburgh™”, the Mayor and City Council can mitigate the risk of tackling the Zero Waste goal alone, while taking advantage of the wealth and resources available to the City.

The P3 should consist of members from the City staff, government agencies, County and State officials, ALCOSAN, PRC, waste haulers and recyclers, universities, foundations, corporations, and not-for-profits, etc. In addition, the P3 should also leverage the City’s nationally recognized technology and innovation brand with the creation, management and oversight of a “Global Waste Innovation Center”. The P3’s directive of coordinating and managing both “Zero Waste Pittsburgh™” and a “Global Waste Innovation Center” is synergetic and adds an economic development aspect to legislation. Emulating the “Global Water Center” in Milwaukee, the “Global Waste Innovation Center” will attract waste entrepreneurs from around the world to one incubator site and will provide a location for conferences and collaborative efforts between entrepreneurs, academia, and corporations.

The ZWSP must be designed with scalability in mind to eventually include all residential (single-family and multi-family units), commercial, institutional, and industrial entities currently serviced by both public and private sector haulers while coordinating efforts with surrounding municipalities that comprise Allegheny County. Combining efforts with surrounding areas will significantly increase the available volume of recyclables, which provides greater incentives for recyclers through economies-of-scale. When developing the ZWSP, specific ideas and suggestions from this document should be selected to address the primary issues within the current waste and recycling program such as: lack of a transfer station, limited number of drop-off sites, lack of a standardized bin collection system, limited yard waste collections, and little to no policy enforcement.

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2. BACKGROUND

Pittsburgh, a city of approximately 60 square miles and just over 300,000 people, could easily be characterized as “average” in regard to its current waste and recycling programs. Nevertheless, the City’s emerging national “brand” as an innovation and technology leader and the new-found status of being selected as one of the “100 Resilient Cities”, made it an easy decision for Regions 20 - Regions of Climate Action (R20) to offer to finance a “Roadmap to Zero Waste” document for the City. R20’s offer, in coordination with 100 Resilient Cities (100 RC), was accepted by the City of Pittsburgh and a plan to move forward was created.

During the week of November 28th, 2016, two members of the R20 team, Peter Lobin and Pamela Thurman, met with a number of stakeholders chosen by the city’s Resiliency and Environmental Services Departments for their knowledge and involvement in the City’s waste and recycling programs that included representatives from the following:

• City Public Works Department

• Senior Mayoral Staff

• City Division of Sustainability and Resilience

• Allegheny County Government

• State of Pennsylvania

• Pennsylvania Resources Council (PRC)

• Local Academia (e.g. Duquesne University, Carnegie Melon University)

• Local Non-for-Profit Businesses (e.g. Construction Junction, Pittsburgh Center for Creative

Reuse)

• ALCOSAN

• Recycle Source Materials Recovery Facility (MRF)

• Vendors (e.g., haulers, landfill operators, e-waste, etc.)

The result of these conversations produced several key observations:

• A strong commitment to Zero Waste exists among stakeholders.

• There are numerous technologies, policies, and action items that could help Pittsburgh (and eventually the surrounding region) achieve Zero Waste.

• There is a significant fragmentation of programs and ideas that exist among government entities and other stakeholders.

• Lack of financing is the common denominator for the stagnancy of program improvement and development.

• The City’s current waste and recycling program is the culmination of many programs introduced by many administrations over a period of decades. What remains is a fragmented and disjointed program that lacks coordination and proper community education. For example, there are still some residents that tie their newspaper together with string as was instructed when the program began decades ago (even though the recycling program is now a single-stream program).

• The low cost for the City to landfill waste is a major hurdle when attempting to financially justify recommended recycling programs.

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• Some other issues facing the City are: lack of a transfer station, limited number of drop-off sites, illegal dumping, little to no policy enforcement, and a culture that knows that whatever is placed by the curb will eventually be collected by the City.

Regions 20 - Regions of Climate Action (R20) is a Non-Governmental-Organization (NGO) founded by the former Governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2010. Its mission is to help sub-national governments around the world develop low-carbon and climate resilient economic development solutions and communicate the findings to broader audiences for study and replication. R20 is a partner of 100 Resilient Cities.

100 Resilient Cities (100RC), pioneered by the Rockefeller Foundation, is dedicated to helping cities around the world become more resilient to the physical, social and economic challenges that are a growing part of the 21st century.

3. ADMINISTRATIVE INFRASTRUCTURE

3.1 Leadership Commitment

To break from the existing stagnation of the current waste and recycling program and achieve the stated goal of Zero Waste by 2030, the Mayor and the City Council will need to lead the charge through legislative action that clearly commits the City of Pittsburgh to this goal. Strategic legislation will reflect the commitment and vision of City leadership, and further position the City of Pittsburgh; along with its universities, industry partners, and major foundations as a hub for sustainable innovation. Without new legislation to move current programs forward and to create new programs, then Pittsburgh will, at best, continue with a piece-meal approach to waste management and recycling.

In addition to his leadership and vision for Pittsburgh, the Mayor has five (5) levers of power at his disposal that can be utilized to help the City succeed in achieving Zero Waste. These levers are as follows:

• Internal (staff)

• As an agent of land/building use (zoning, permitting, donating)

• Tax incentive or abatement

• Advocating (bully pulpit)

• Legislating (with the City Council)

In order to be successful, the City of Pittsburgh must lead by example and immediately commit to implementing Zero Waste at all City-owned buildings and public schools. Marketing and communication in the initial stages and throughout the process will also be critical as the community will need to be able to see the clear, unwavering commitment of City leadership towards this goal.

A critical piece of legislative commitment should include the formation of a public-private partnership (P3) to provide oversight and management of a “Zero Waste Pittsburgh™” program. By using a P3 to coordinate and manage “Zero Waste Pittsburgh™”, the Mayor and City Council will be

Zero Waste Road Map – City of Pittsburgh 6 mitigating the risk of tackling the Zero Waste goal alone while taking advantage of the wealth of resources available to the City. The P3 will also deflect the hard decisions concerning revenue generation, the 3rd rail of politics, away from the City, while opening up greater sources of financing and investment.

Other cities that have similar goals have only achieved success when there was strong leadership, an understanding of the need for culture change, adaptability to new technologies, and a willingness to explore and work with all types of financing, all characteristics that were found to be present in the City of Pittsburgh.

3.2 Community Involvement and Education

Pittsburgh’s outreach and education campaign for Zero Waste will require a focused effort as well as substantial involvement from the community. Efforts must shift from a broad recycling message to a more targeted effort that addresses waste reduction, materials reuse, hard-to-recycle materials, purchasing policies, and construction and debris (C&D). Specific groups that should be targeted to participate in these efforts through “Zero Waste Pittsburgh™” should include, but not be limited to:

• Government officials and facilities

• Environmental groups

• Not-for-profits

• K-12 schools

• Volunteers

• Universities

• Student Zero Waste Internships

Launching a Zero Waste marketing campaign will also play a major role in moving the community in the direction of a Zero Waste culture. Some of the platforms being used by other cities include:

• Social media

• Blogs

• Public Service Announcements on local TV & radio

• Community newsletters and local newspapers

• New homeowner packets

In order to keep the community engaged throughout the process, progress towards the goal must be reported on a regular basis and the achievements must be tied to benefits that residents and businesses can understand and realize. These efforts can inspire pride of ownership and grow the determination of the entire community.

3.3 Financing

With a P3 overseeing “Zero Waste Pittsburgh™”, the availability of financing sources, as well as financing models, increases exponentially. Long-term contracts handling the City’s waste that provide guaranteed minimum tonnage over an extended period of time become leverage to open

Zero Waste Road Map – City of Pittsburgh 7 multiple financing opportunities with banks and other institutions. Revenues generated either by fees, taxes or the sale of recyclables can also be leveraged.

A new breed of investment funds is growing rapidly with both private sector and foundations investing in green infrastructure projects that will positively effect climate change. Some of the foundations focused in this area are: The Packard Foundation, The MacArthur Foundation, ClimateWorks Foundation, The Hewlett Foundation, The Planet Pledge Fund and many more. In addition, R20 is the organizer of the Green Investment Accelerator Facility (GIAF), which invests in waste and other renewable projects delivering market-rate, risk-adjusted investment returns and sustainable development goals.

When evaluating potential Zero Waste actions for inclusion in the ZWSP, the City should utilize a full-cost accounting method (life-cycle analysis) to assess all of the financial, social and environmental costs and benefits of each action. For example, giving financial credit to Zero Waste systems by accounting for the environmental benefits of reduced pollution and climate emissions and the social and economic benefits, such as creating new local jobs. Pay-As-You-Throw (PAYT), listed in Phase I, is an example of an effective and popular economic policy that promotes resource efficiency. Due to the low disposal fees charged by landfills in the Pittsburgh area, financially justifying potential Zero Waste actions may prove difficult without using a full-cost accounting method. It should be noted that there might even be cases where projects critical to Zero Waste achievement cannot be cost justified, but are necessary in order to meet the 2030 goal.

Some potential revenue streams or costs savings that can be used to support Zero Waste efforts may include:

• Charging a monthly service fee for trash collection or Pay as you throw (PAYT).

• Diverting more tonnage from the landfill to the Materials Recovery Center (currently a $19.04/ton savings).

• Creating policy that shifts taxes to increase the burden on public “bads” like pollution, while decreasing the burden on public “goods” like wages.

• Adding a surcharge on top of the landfill fee. The fee would be charged to commercial haulers for waste collected inside the City limits and would be used to support Zero Waste programs.

• Adding a per-bag fee on the purchase of single-use plastic shopping bags.

• Capturing the unredeemed deposits from a beverage container fee deposit/redemption system (“Bottle Bill”).

4. GENERAL THOUGHTS & RULES OF WASTE AND RECYCLING

• Everything is recyclable, but not everything is economically recyclable.

• What is economically recyclable today may not be economically recyclable tomorrow and vice-versa.

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• By definition, Zero Waste is not necessarily reaching 100% landfill diversion. The Zero Waste International Alliance (ZWIA), one of the governing organizations of Zero Waste, defines public recognition of a Zero Waste community as the following: “…determined that it has adopted a Zero Waste goal and is either working towards or diverting over 90% of its discards from landfilling or incineration according to ZWIA Global Zero Waste Community Principles.”

• The majority of costs associated with waste and recycling are almost always related to transportation and handling. The hauling of waste has become a commodity, in some sense, no different than recyclables. The decision of whether or not to recycle a specific commodity is often dependent on the added cost to sort and transport rather than the value of the commodity. A Zero Waste campus/zone would go a long way towards reducing the economic impact transportation has on waste and recycling.

• Waste volumes can “make or break” a recycling program. This means success will ultimately depend on including the waste volumes that are currently handled by commercial haulers in the city, as well as the other municipalities in Allegheny County. Combining local volumes, whenever possible, will result in providing the necessary tonnage to gain economies-of-scale for the program. The City of Pittsburgh, representing the largest volume of waste in the region, is the natural catalyst to move the county and the region towards Zero Waste.

• The common practice among most cities for decades has been to approach waste and recycling as a line-item expense within their budget process. To achieve Zero Waste, a city must shift from a line-item expense based approach to a resource management based approach. Understanding the value proposition of the resources (waste) that Pittsburgh controls is an important step towards extracting the value necessary to achieve Zero Waste.

• Mapping out the process by which waste is “touched” or managed is key in building an infrastructure for Zero Waste. The process includes generation, collection, separation, processing, reuse (3rd party), and fabrication/manufacturing vertical (the holy grail of Zero Waste).

• Contrary to what others may say, the availability of sustainable finance, especially for green infrastructure, is increasing exponentially. It requires a thorough business plan, detailing the economics, as well as an underscoring commitment from the government entity.

5. CURRENT OPERATIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE

5.1 Local Landfills

The City currently utilizes two privately owned landfills, Monroeville Landfill and Imperial Landfill, to dispose of all of the Municipal Solid Waste (MSW). Landfill pricing is very inexpensive for the City at $25.00 per ton and both landfills have a life expectancy of 30+ years. In addition, all local landfills are equipped with methane capture systems. With the close proximity and inexpensive landfill tipping fees, no Waste-To-Energy option is necessary or financially justified for the City.

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5.2 Materials Recovery Facility (MRF)

All of the single stream recyclables collected by the City are transported to the Recycle Source facility which is conveniently located inside the city limits in the Hazelwood neighborhood. Under their current contract with the City, the city-collected recyclables are processed at a cost of $68.00 per ton with 60% of the revenues earned from the sale of the recyclables shared with the City. In 2016, the net cost per ton, including the City’s share of the rebate, was $5.96 making recycling $19.04 per ton cheaper than disposing in the landfill.

Residing on 8.5 acres, the 130,000-square foot facility currently operates at 60% capacity. The owners are currently in the process of purchasing four additional acres and would be willing to expand the building if larger volumes were received. They are also planning to accept Construction and Demolition (C&D) debris in the future and have plans to create an educational center on the second floor.

5.3 Recycling Drop-Off Sites

The City currently has six drop-off sites for collecting recyclables. At all six locations, residents are able to dispose of “traditional” recyclables such as plastics bottles and jugs (#1-5,7), mixed paper, glass, aluminum and steel cans, books, junk mail, newspaper, cardboard, and paperboard.

Three of the locations are un-manned locations that are open 24 hours per day, seven days per week. The remaining three locations are manned with City employees and operate from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Monday through Friday with Saturday hours on occasion. These manned locations require proof of City residency and also accept tires (limit of two tires per day per resident), scrap metal, and yard waste at no charge.

The yard waste collected at the manned locations is taken to Wood Waste Recycling. The tires are collected by Liberty Tire and transported to their facility in Ohio. Scrap metal is collected by Castriota Metals in McKees Rocks. The remaining recyclables are taken to the Recycle Source MRF.

5.4 Wood Composting Site

All yard waste collected from the drop-off locations and from the two annually designated residential yard waste collection days is taken to Wood Waste Recycling. Wood Waste Recycling is privately owned and has locations in Bridgeville, PA and McDonald, PA. Bridgeville is 13 miles from the city center and McDonald is 19 miles away. Wood Waste Recycling accepts logs, brush, stumps, grass, leaves, wood pallets, untreated construction lumber, wood chips and discarded plant materials. Their disposal charge is $29.40 per ton and they provide the City with 10% of their received volume back in compost to apply to City parks.

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5.5 Food Composting Sites

At the current time, there are two food composting sites in the Pittsburgh area. Both AgRecycle and Steel City Soils offer services to only commercial and institutional customers at this time and neither are currently contracted with the City.

AgRecycle has been in business since 1991 and is located in Pittsburgh. Using an aerobic windrow process, they produce high quality compost and soil amendments. They provide collection (dumpster only) and drop-off services for: food scraps, yard debris, manures, untreated wood waste, corrugated cardboard and most other organic by-products. All feedstocks are collected from larger clients such as corporate cafeterias, academic institutions, museums, sports and entertainment venues, restaurants, convention centers and complexes, food processors and manufacturers, and grocery stores.

Steel City Soils is a cooperatively-managed group, located in Braddock, PA, that recycles food and yard waste to create high-quality garden compost using an aerobic static pile method. Their vision is to provide small-scale, on-farm compost systems for urban farms. Their compost and soil amendments are sold online and at farmers' markets around Pittsburgh and they accept all pre-consumer and post-consumer food scraps and unbleached paper products. Using 18-gallon totes for collection, they operate a restaurant food waste collection route. The totes are collected up to three times per week and the client is charged per tote.

5.6 Waste Water and Sewage Treatment

ALCOSAN (Allegheny Country Sanitary Authority) is an independent authority that provides wastewater treatment services to all of Allegheny County. Approximately half of the bio-solids generated at the facility are combusted and half are lime stabilized and used for land application.

The facility’s current volume of bio-solids is low in comparison to other wastewater facilities of the same size. Therefore, it could support the addition of large volumes of collected food waste.

5.7 Construction and Demolition (C&D) Recycling Facility

The local C&D recycling facility, Penn Waste Systems, is located six miles from the city center in McKees Rocks, PA. Penn Waste Systems accepts segregated or mixed loads of wood, cement, metal, drywall, glass, brick, stone, large (non-Freon) household appliances, HVAC material, plumbing fixtures, tires and various other construction materials. All loads received are sorted into the various recyclable materials to be transported to processing facilities and the residual material is disposed in their landfill.

Penn Waste Systems is a LEED certified company and can provide monthly landfill diversion reports on loads received by listing tonnages of materials that were recycled versus tons that were landfilled. They can also be contacted early in a construction planning process to help identify deconstruction opportunities for reuse of architectural components and demolition materials.

Note: Penn Waste Systems DOES NOT accept hazardous materials such as paints, asbestos, or Freon.

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5.8 Reuse/Donation Facilities

Construction Junction is a non-profit, used and surplus building material reuse store. The store’s donation inventory comes from individual or small business drop-offs, free pick-ups from homes or small businesses, and pre-demolition pick-ups. The business was incubated in 1999 by Pennsylvania Resources Council (PRC) and now earns $1.8M in annual revenue, which is almost self-sustaining. The store employs 30 people and is open seven days a week.

Pittsburgh Center for Creative Reuse (PCCR) is a non-profit, reuse store that accepts and resells items such as art and craft supplies, fabric, yarn, sewing notions, office supplies, paper, business and industrial discards and surplus, or vintage curiosities. In 2015, 82,000 pounds of donations were received from businesses and individuals and PCCR was able to divert 88% of that material from the landfill. PCCR is open seven days a week.

Free Ride is a reuse store for bicycles as well as bicycle parts, wheels, accessories, helmets, and tools. The shop is open on Saturday afternoons.

Free Stores are located in Braddock and in Wilkinsburg. Free Stores receive surplus and donated goods and redistribute them to neighbors in need.

There are also many other reuse stores in the Pittsburgh area such as Goodwill, Salvation Army, Habitat for Humanity ReStore, and Play It Again Sports.

6. ROADMAP INTRODUCTION

With the goal being to achieve Zero Waste by 2030, the City has approximately 13 years in which to formulate the program and achieve the desired result. This document, loosely based on the strategies employed by the Zero Waste Roadmap from Eco-Cycle, Inc., among others, divides the 13-year period into a one-year strategic planning and development phase followed by three (3) action phases. The initial one-year phase consists of creating a P3 and developing a Zero Waste Strategic Plan (ZWSP). The following three (3) phases consist of a menu of potential actions to be considered for the ZWSP which are based on the experience of the R20 team and their knowledge gained during the site visit. It should be noted that with the nature of ever-emerging technologies, any plan concerning Zero Waste should be a living document with built-in flexibility and adaptability.

7. PHASE 0: PREPARE (YEAR 1)

7.1 Create a Public Private Partnership

A public private partnership (P3) maximizes social and environmental goals, such as pollution prevention, resource conservation and local jobs creation, over the long term, and ensures that the community benefit from the new Zero Waste system is always as important as the private benefit of profit.

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With the P3 approach, it is recommended that the private side of the partnership be a social enterprise, which is a mission-driven business (either for-profit or non-profit) whose business model is to use the power of the marketplace to achieve social and environmental goals. This is an expansion of the system used in most communities to regulate their private utility companies.

Under such an arrangement, the private operator could run a Zero Waste facility at a negotiated fixed profit margin, while the community defines the services to be provided, including benefits to the community, such as youth employment opportunities, local procurement requirements, low processing residue rates, or reduced greenhouse gas emissions.

The P3 would most likely have a board of directors and an advisory council. Members would include, but not be limited to, City Staff, government agencies, Allegheny County and State officials, ALCOSAN, the Pennsylvania Resources Council (PRC), as well as other stakeholders such as haulers and recyclers. In addition, universities, not-for-profits, corporations (e.g. Alcoa, Calgon Carbon, etc.)

and Foundations (e.g. Heinz, Carnegie Mellon, etc.) would play a critical role in any P3. These stakeholders, whose motivations may differ, can be united under the opportunity and vision to grow and enhance Pittsburgh’s reputation as a national and global leader in sustainable innovation and to solve complex societal challenges to protect human health and the environment and doing so in an economically viable way.

The foundation of the P3 should also include the creation, management and oversight of a Global Waste Innovation Center to service as the economic development arm of the partnership. The P3’s directive of coordinating and managing both “Zero Waste Pittsburgh™” and a Global Waste Innovation Center is synergetic and will also mitigate risk for the City by including an economic development aspect to the legislation. The “Global Water Center” based in Milwaukee (http://thewatercouncil.com/) and its international reputation, could serve as a model for Pittsburgh to emulate. In that model, Milwaukee has donated buildings and other resources to the “Global Water Center” which has attracted water entrepreneurs from around the world to their incubator site. At the Center, water conferences occur on a regular basis attracting participants from around the world, local universities are collaborating and utilizing the space, and corporations are continuously investing more time and money.

7.2 Create a Zero Waste Strategic Plan

Any “Roadmap” towards Zero Waste must be converted into a more in-depth, Zero Waste Strategic Plan (ZWSP) that serves as the long-term plan to direct the City towards its goal. In its simplest form, the ZWSP is a document that describes in detail how the City of Pittsburgh will reduce, manage and dispose of its multiple and varied waste streams and the strategies to be used to achieve Zero Waste. It is a strategic document that emphasizes the sustainable management of wastes to achieve the maximum efficiency of resources. In addition, it systematically outlines the goals and how they are to be achieved on a step-by-step basis.

The ZWSP is the City’s customized version of an Integrated Solid Waste Management Plan, or ISWMP, which is the standard used by the military and many municipalities to guide them through long-term planning. Topics covered include:

• A strategic focus on actions that can be taken to achieve zero waste

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• Revenue potential of recycling vs. cost to recycle vs. cost to landfill

• Which recyclable materials should be included in a recycling program and which should be excluded due to relative values?

• Which segment(s) of the solid waste stream deserve the most attention to achieve the greatest diversion potential and cost savings potential?

• What regulatory or financial instruments will best drive the desired behavior and achieve the greatest results?

The ZWSP will guide the development and implementation of an overall solid waste program by establishing specific actions to be taken and setting the criteria for decision making. The ZWSP must be a truly integrated approach, therefore ensuring that all parts of the plan and all of the goals are working in concert and not against one another. In addition to municipal solid waste (MSW), the ZWSP includes managing special industrial wastes, household hazardous wastes, electronic wastes, construction and demolition (C&D) wastes, and organic wastes.

An ZWSP includes regulatory and fiscal policies, technologies, and voluntary measures while covering all aspects of waste management, including:

• Waste generation

• Waste collection/transfer

• Waste transportation

• Waste sorting

• Waste treatment and disposal

• Data collection

• Waste characterization and quantification

• Future projections

Additionally, a ZWSP will include an evaluation of the current waste management situation for the City. It will identify problems and deficiencies with the current program, identify opportunities for improvement, set priorities for action to address current identified problems, measure progress towards achieving the stated goals, and identify the resources necessary along with budgets and timelines.

8. PHASE I: PROVIDE ACCESS TO SERVICES (YEARS 2 – 9)

8.1 Define Goals

In 2015, the mayor issued several 2030 goals for the City of Pittsburgh including the goal of 100% landfill diversion. In order to frame that goal into a usable context, a SMART goals approach is recommended. SMART stands for goals that are: Specific, Measurable, Agreed upon, Realistic, and Time-based. Based on the end goal of Zero Waste and the items included in the ZWSP, the P3 should develop SMART, interim landfill diversion goals for each phase of the approved ZWSP keeping in mind the Zero Waste definition from the Zero Waste International Alliance (ZWIA).

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8.2 Create a Measurement System that Supports the Goals

Current System

The Environmental Services Department currently tracks landfill tonnage, tonnage taken to the Materials Recovery Facility, tonnage taken to the wood composting facility, and tonnage collected by the scrap metal vendor and the tire vendor from the City-managed collection system. The information is not publicly shared unless requested.

Proposed System

In order to track success towards the 2030 landfill diversion goal, data collection and reporting needs to begin as soon as possible to encourage ownership of the goal to all citizens. In addition, studies show that actively measuring and tracking recycling information increases participation. To ease administrative efforts and costs, data should be reported quarterly and the results should be provided in the City newsletter and on the City website.

Potential Action Items

1. Track the number of tons per capita going to the landfill for the City-managed residential program with the goal being to move that number closer and closer to zero.

2. Once the first measurement is in place, expand its scope to include the City’s landfill tons per capita as whole (i.e. include private haulers (residential multi-units >5), institutions, and specific categories of commercial businesses).

3. Add to the measurement system by sharing the City-managed tons going to the landfill versus tons recycled via a landfill diversion percentage. Note: In 2014, the current national average for landfill diversion was 34.6%1. The current landfill diversion rate for City-managed collections is approximately 18%, well below this average.

4. Continue to include more facilities and waste streams in the landfill diversion percentage by requiring facilities such as Construction Junction and Creative Reuse to report quarterly tonnage received and tonnage landfilled with the difference contributing to diverted tonnage.

5. Use the results of a standard waste characterization study2,3 to associate a tonnage and potential landfill diversion rate increase for every project proposed to the City Council.

Supporting Policies

• Require that private haulers, institutions, and specific categories of commercial businesses submit a quarterly landfill tonnage report to the City.

• Require that all commercial businesses and institutions report their recycling tonnage (specifically state waste streams to be included) to the City’s Recycling Division on a quarterly basis. Note: Under PA State Act 101 and §619.06(b), all recycling tonnage must be reported to the City’s Recycling Division on a quarterly or yearly basis.

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References

1. https://www.epa.gov/smm/advancing-sustainable-materials-management-facts-and-figures

2. http://www.ct.gov/deep/lib/deep/waste_management_and_disposal/solid_waste/wastech arstudy/ctcompositioncharstudymay2010.pdf

3. https://www.cityofchicago.org/city/en/depts/streets/supp_info/zero_waste/2009_chicag o_wastecharacterizationstudyandwastediversionstudyres.html

8.3 Update and Improve Website

Current System

The current website provides residents with proper reduce, reuse, and recycle information. The Materials Recovery Map details disposal options for various materials in a clear, visual format.

Proposed System

The City recycling/reuse website, when properly designed, can easily become the basis of a sound Zero Waste program. The website name could even be associated with a marketing campaign that allows people to easily remember what website to access when they want to know all of the ways to responsibly dispose of an item.

The website should be:

• Easy to read

• Easy to navigate

• All-inclusive for the entire Zero Waste system

• Accurate (updated regularly)

• Designed to provide useful feedback to the City

Potential Action Items

• Provide an alphabetical “look-up” materials listing for the Materials Recovery Map.

Example: See the A-Z Recycling Guide at www.ecocycle.org/a-zguide

• Expand the network from the traditional types of facilities accessed by the Materials Recovery Map. Examples:

o Sharps (needles) options. Most Walgreens provide free sharps containers that can be returned when full.

o Stores which still accept TVs and the specifics of each program (e.g. Best Buy, Staples, Abt) – if any… o Gazelle.com for cellular phones o Dry cleaners for metal hangers o Include all suggestions currently posted at http://www.cjreuse.org/recycling-services/other-places-to-recycle-it/ and http://pccr.org/donate/elsewhere/ https://www.epa.gov/smm/advancing-sustainable-materials-management-facts-and-figures https://www.epa.gov/smm/advancing-sustainable-materials-management-facts-and-figures http://www.ct.gov/deep/lib/deep/waste_management_and_disposal/solid_waste/wastecharstudy/ctcompositioncharstudymay2010.pdf http://www.ct.gov/deep/lib/deep/waste_management_and_disposal/solid_waste/wastecharstudy/ctcompositioncharstudymay2010.pdf https://www.cityofchicago.org/city/en/depts/streets/supp_info/zero_waste/2009_chicago_wastecharacterizationstudyandwastediversionstudyres.html https://www.cityofchicago.org/city/en/depts/streets/supp_info/zero_waste/2009_chicago_wastecharacterizationstudyandwastediversionstudyres.html http://www.ecocycle.org/a-zguide http://www.cjreuse.org/recycling-services/other-places-to-recycle-it/ http://www.cjreuse.org/recycling-services/other-places-to-recycle-it/

Zero Waste Road Map – City of Pittsburgh 16

• Create a high-level decision option (e.g. Reduce, Reuse/Donate, Drop-Off-Site, Curb) first for disposal inquiries, followed by specific locations and their respective instructions. Note:

Each primary disposal option (e.g. donate) may have several specific location options.

Example: http://recycleannarbor.org/a-z-recycling-guide

• Use bolder, larger fonts to create an easy-to-read and easy-to-navigate page(s).

• Allow users to enter their own address when searching for disposal options to determine the specific distances to suggested facilities.

• Provide users with a method to request that an item be added to the Materials Recovery Map if it is not currently listed. The City would then be responsible for regularly reviewing the suggestions and making the appropriate additions to the list.

• Provide website links for referenced donation or drop-off facilities where applicable.

• Create a large network of facilities for the Zero Waste system. Include their hours of operation, drop-off requirements, fee (especially if there isn’t one), any specifics on what they will and won’t accept, and how the item must be prepared. Relaying input from facilities on their requirements or preferences of will encourage a stronger facility network.

• Work with the Recycle Source MRF to identify the top contaminants seen from the City waste stream at the MRF and include all of those items in the “What is not Accepted” section for the curbside recycling program.

• Create a mobile application for the Materials Recovery Map to allow people to access disposal options on the go. Market the app using the City newsletter and website.

• Display the City residential landfill diversion rate on the website and track it towards the goal. Update quarterly to provide community ownership.

• Add a section that explains where materials go for recycling or disposal (e.g. materials recovery facility, compost facility, etc.). Provide video links where applicable.

• List an easy access link or phone number to report illegal dumping.

• Provide links to marketing PDFs available for residential and commercial customers.

Examples at: www.ecocycle.org/charm o Recycling Guidelines o Dirty Dozen (biggest contaminants in the recycling stream) o Why Recycle?

o Composting Guidelines o Composting Tips o Don’t Bag It (don’t bag grass clippings) http://www.waco-texas.com/userfiles/cms-solidwaste/file/Dont%20Bag%20It_McLennanCtyExtension.pdf https://www.denvergov.org/content/denvergov/en/trash-and-recycling/composting/Grasscycling.html

• Include a list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs). Include an area where residents can ask questions and update those questions along with answers on a regular basis.

http://recycleannarbor.org/a-z-recycling-guide http://www.ecocycle.org/charm http://www.waco-texas.com/userfiles/cms-solidwaste/file/Dont%20Bag%20It_McLennanCtyExtension.pdf http://www.waco-texas.com/userfiles/cms-solidwaste/file/Dont%20Bag%20It_McLennanCtyExtension.pdf https://www.denvergov.org/content/denvergov/en/trash-and-recycling/composting/Grasscycling.html https://www.denvergov.org/content/denvergov/en/trash-and-recycling/composting/Grasscycling.html

Zero Waste Road Map – City of Pittsburgh 17

• Include a community Q&A section to improve involvement, maintain a continuous conversation and provide an outlet for ideas and insights.

• Include a link to a Zero Waste Facility Network Directory file that is a summary list of all of the facilities referenced in the Materials Recovery Map system. Alphabetically list the facilities along with their phone number, website, hours, and a brief listing of materials accepted.

8.4 Build a Local Transfer Station

Transfer stations serve as the link between a community’s waste collection program and the various final waste disposal facilities. Their purpose is to consolidate waste from multiple collection vehicles into larger, high volume transfer vehicles for a more economical shipment to disposal facilities.

Current System

Without a transfer station, each of the City’s 36 trash collection vehicles must travel to one of two landfill sites (a 30 to 34-mile round trip) each time their truck is full. Residents have limited drop-off options for recyclables and especially for hard-to-recycle items and household hazardous waste.

Existing options require them to make several trips to various, specialized locations.

Proposed System

A transfer station built in Pittsburgh would allow collection trucks to have a more efficient routing system and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It could also serve as a much-needed “one-stop shop” permanent, public drop-off for all types of waste including “traditional” recyclables, household hazardous waste, and hard-to-recycle materials such as electronics, mattresses, and small appliances.

With large tracks of land available at former industrial sites, Pittsburgh has an opportunity to utilize City-owned land for a Zero Waste Campus/Zone. A campus/zone could include a transfer station, MRF, CHaRM facility (to be discussed later in this document), etc. and would provide greater efficiencies by reducing transportation costs and increasing economies-of-scale. Both recyclers and manufactures could also be enticed to build or lease space at the Zero Waste Campus/Zone because of the low (land) cost to entry as well as the guaranteed volume of recyclables.

Potential Action Items

• Perform a feasibility study to determine the financial benefit of a centrally located transfer station inside the city limits (based on hauling costs per ton, the round-trip distance to disposal and recycling facilities, and greenhouse gas emissions)1. If the City chooses to purchase dual-compartment collection vehicles, the project will more likely be financially justified.

Zero Waste Road Map – City of Pittsburgh 18

• Determine ownership. The transfer station ownership could be private, public, or a combination as part of the Public Private Partnership (P3) mentioned earlier. Republic Services has also mentioned an interest in building one in the past.

• Consider a Zero Waste campus scenario which would require the transfer station/primary drop-off center to be as close as possible to the existing Materials Recovery Facility (MRF).

For example, the Almono site2, which is less than one mile from the existing MRF, sits on 178 acres and includes the "Mill 19" building that is approximately 180,000 square feet3 in size, could be a viable location.

• Determine the technology, logistic, and facility needs of the transfer station such as:

o Vendor partners for all materials.

o Technology for an unattended scale house for haulers (to reduce labor) o Two tipping floors (one for trash, one for recyclables) o Unloading/sorting area for collected bulky items o Public access on one side of the building that has segregated drop-off areas for

“traditional” recyclables, yard waste, hard-to-recycle (HTR) materials, household hazardous waste (HHW), etc.

o Weekend hours in addition to the standard working hour to provide more accessibility for citizens.

References

1. https://nepis.epa.gov/Exe/tiff2png.cgi/10000P3N.PNG?-r+75+-g+7+D%3A%5CZYFILES%5CINDEX%20DATA%5C00THRU05%5CTIFF%5C00000421%5C

10000P3N.TIF

2. http://almono.org/

3. http://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/news/2016/07/26/ridc-makes-plans-for-almono-site-in-hazelwood.html

8.5 Provide Collection Bins and Automated Collection Where Applicable

Current System

The City currently provides trash, recycling, and yard waste collection service to single-family homes and multi-unit buildings with five units or less. These residents receive weekly trash collection, recycling collection every other week, and designated yard waste collection twice per year. No food waste collection program is currently offered. No bins are provided by the City for trash or recycling; therefore, residents use a variety of containers and/or bags to transport their waste to the curb.

See the following two tables for information regarding some various examples of collection services and frequencies offered in other cities. Throughout this report, these same cities will be used to compare and contrast different strategy options.

https://nepis.epa.gov/Exe/tiff2png.cgi/10000P3N.PNG?-r+75+-g+7+D%3A%5CZYFILES%5CINDEX%20DATA%5C00THRU05%5CTIFF%5C00000421%5C10000P3N.TIF https://nepis.epa.gov/Exe/tiff2png.cgi/10000P3N.PNG?-r+75+-g+7+D%3A%5CZYFILES%5CINDEX%20DATA%5C00THRU05%5CTIFF%5C00000421%5C10000P3N.TIF https://nepis.epa.gov/Exe/tiff2png.cgi/10000P3N.PNG?-r+75+-g+7+D%3A%5CZYFILES%5CINDEX%20DATA%5C00THRU05%5CTIFF%5C00000421%5C10000P3N.TIF http://almono.org/ http://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/news/2016/07/26/ridc-makes-plans-for-almono-site-in-hazelwood.html http://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/news/2016/07/26/ridc-makes-plans-for-almono-site-in-hazelwood.html

Zero Waste Road Map – City of Pittsburgh 19

Other Waste Management Collection Programs

City Trash Recycling Yard Food Bins Provided

Automated Trucks

San Francisco, CA Weekly Weekly Weekly Three Yes

Denver, CO Weekly Weekly Weekly Three Yes

Minneapolis, MN Weekly Every Other Week Weekly (Bags) Weekly Three Yes

Philadelphia, PA Weekly Weekly Seasonal (only includes some areas) No No No

Austin, TX Weekly Every Other Week Weekly No Two Yes

Seattle, WA Weekly Every Other Week Weekly Three Yes

Proposed System

Each route or neighborhood would need to be evaluated to determine if automated cart tipping is an option, and if so, the maximum size of trash and recycling bins that are feasible. In areas where automated collection makes sense, bins would be serviced via automated collection, dual-compartment trucks.

These new trucks would automatically lift and tip the two bins into separate compartments to allow one driver to support both the trash and recycling route service at one time. If possible, the new trucks would be fueled by bio-gas since City garbage trucks, operating at three miles per gallon of fuel, are the largest pollution contributors in the City vehicle fleet. In areas of the City where automated collection trucks are not feasible (e.g. densely populated areas with street parking), residents would continue to set out bags on collection day. The current fleet of traditional rear-loading trucks could be used for routes where automated trucks are not feasible, for additional yard waste pickups, for special pickups such as Christmas trees, for collection of construction and demolition waste from various City projects, or sold.

At the same time, an increase in collection frequency for recycling to once-per-week service is recommended. If the City truly embraces a Zero Waste mindset, the frequency of recyclables collection must at least equal to that of trash collection.

Potential Benefits Bin Distribution

• Improves aesthetics (due to uniform, lidded carts and…