3.4.1 Existing Conditions
Jefferson County and the City of Port Townsend have jointly funded recycling education since 1989. This joint effort, which was initially begun to develop, implement and promote waste reduction and recycling programs, has undergone several changes in recent years. In March 1999 the public education activities were brought back in-house by the County and are presently being conducted by County staff. The Solid Waste Education Coordinator position and the education program is currently funded by Jefferson County, the City of Port Townsend, and the Department of Ecology (through the Coordinated Prevention Grant program and litter control agreements). The County’s cost for the education program is funded through a portion of the tipping fee recovered at the Jefferson County Waste Management Facility and the Quilcene Drop Box. The City’s source of funding for their share of the costs for the education program was established in 1991 by resolution as a one percent margin to be included in the City’s garbage revenues. Through the solid waste contractor, the City of Port Townsend contracts for residential education
issues in the city. The franchise haulers also provide information on rates and recycling programs in the unincorporated County collection areas.
3.4.2 Needs and Opportunities
Education programs are critical to the success of any solid waste program. To be effective, public education methods need to be tailored to specific groups and programs. More comprehensive education about waste diversion options for residents and businesses, including the availability and requirements for curbside recycling, is needed.
The County’s primary funding source for education programs is a portion of the tipping fee. This is not considered to be reliable in the long term due to increasing pressure to pay higher costs while maintaining the tip fee at a competitive level.
Another public education need is to inform residents and businesses as to the proper handling of specific materials, especially for the hazardous or toxic wastes that should be brought to the County’s Moderate Risk Waste (MRW) Facility instead of being brought to the Transfer Station or the Quilcene Drop Box. Customers occasionally bring inappropriate materials to these disposal facilities and then need to be re-directed to the MRW Facility, whereas better communication about disposal requirements for these types of wastes might result in more efficient and satisfactory services.
Several opportunities exist for public education activities, including: ➤ use of public access television.
➤ targeting special groups, such as businesses or legislators.
➤ educational materials on costs/benefits of various waste reduction activities or methods. ➤ information on the fate of recycled materials and the benefits of purchasing recycled products. ➤ educational materials on how waste diversion activities fit into broader issues, such as
sustainability, global warming and preservation of salmon habitat.
3.4.3 Alternative Methods
Options for public education are many and varied, as are the costs and effectiveness of the options. The challenges involved with public and school education programs include the diversity of the public targeted for the information, the multiple programs that compete for public attention, and the potential high costs of an aggressive program.
Residents and businesses in the City of Port Townsend are required to subscribe to garbage collection and can continue to be reached through utility bill messages. Bill inserts have been found to be an effective method of reaching a variety of customers, although this approach would not be effective for apartment renters, for businesses who are sharing a waste container with other businesses, or for renters in single-family homes if they do not receive the garbage bill.
Residents and businesses in other areas of Jefferson County could also be kept informed through bill inserts. Many County residents do not subscribe to garbage collection, however, and instead choose to self-haul their waste to the Transfer Station or the Quilcene Drop Box. This group could be reached through materials posted and distributed at the waste disposal sites.
To be effective, school education programs require some ongoing coordination between the schools and district offices, other public agencies, the general public, and the Solid Waste Education Coordinator.
The cost effectiveness of education programs is difficult to measure and evaluate. Indirect
evaluation can be achieved through observations of waste volumes and the amount of waste that is diverted. Performance-based evaluations can be conducted based on the numbers of students, businesses, and service groups that receive information. Another measure of success could be to track the numbers of requests for information received by the Recycle Center, the Solid Waste Education Coordinator, City Hall/Utility Department, and others.
One of the special needs that can be addressed through public education is waste diversion programs in businesses. For the businesses, a two-pronged approach could be used, by informing them of the options for reducing and recycling wastes, and also motivating them to begin these activities. Approaches that have worked well in other areas for motivating the businesses are special awards or other recognition programs.
Illegal dumping is another problem that could be addressed through public education. In this case, public education could be used to discourage this behavior, by publicizing the bad aspects of this activity and also informing potential violators of the applicable fines and civil penalties.
In a discussion at the SWAC meeting in January 1999, top priority was given to public awareness education, school curricula and program implementation.
3.4.4 Recommendations
The following recommendations are made for public education (see also Recommendations WR3, C2 and C3):
PE1) Public education shall be given a very high priority. Public education should include activities such as;
➤ classroom presentations and other outreach through the schools (PE2).
➤ public information and education programs should be implemented and expanded through a joint City/County agreement, and in cooperation with the haulers and recycling companies (PE3).
➤ education for the County’s Moderate Risk Waste Facility should be expanded, including the household hazardous waste and conditionally-exempt small quantity generator programs, and information about materials that will not be accepted for disposal at the Solid Waste Transfer Station and Quilcene Drop Box (PE4).
➤ education and promotion for the City’s Biosolids Compost Facility, on-site composting and worm bins should be expanded. The County and the Washington State University Cooperative Extension Service should cooperate to promote backyard composting (PE5).
program maintenance in the City and County. Education associated with recycling collection should be focused on improving and expanding participation as well as generating feedback and answering questions from the public. The responsibility for this lies primarily with the recycling contractor, the franchise haulers and the contract hauler (in the City of Port Townsend), who must inform their customers of the correct materials and preparation methods for recycling. Public education and other waste diversion programs that are included in City or County contracts must be fully implemented (PE6).
➤ the County shall conduct outreach to inform citizens and businesses of the true costs of all components of the solid waste system, and any alternative funding options that may be considered by the County and City (PE7).
➤ the County, through a cooperative effort by the Department of Health and the Department of Public Works, should expand education and enforcement addressing illegal dumping (PE8, see also Recommendations RA4 and S1).
➤ the County, with assistance from the SWAC, should conduct a recognition program for businesses that reduce and/or recycle a significant portion of their wastes, basing this program on existing models from other communities (PE9).
➤ sustainability concepts shall be included in public education materials developed by the County (PE10).
3.4.5 Implementation Schedules and Costs
The recommendations for public education are generally for existing activities that should be continued on an ongoing basis. Most of the activities will be conducted by the County’s Solid Waste Education Coordinator, and are included in the budget for that position ($40,000 per year). The recommendation for the City/County agreement should be accomplished annually. The cost of this recommendation will include staff time and a sharing of costs between the City and County (i.e., a shifting of costs but no additional expense).
The education and enforcement activities for illegal dumping should be implemented by December 2001, and the cost for this is included in Recommendation RA4 (see Section 8.2.4). The funding and responsibilities for the illegal dumping (and improper disposal of residential medical waste) education program will be covered through CPG funds and a cooperative agreement between the County Health and Public Works Departments. The business recognition program should be implemented by June 2001, at a cost consisting of existing staff’s time and some materials. Recommendation PE1 has been given a very high priority for implementation, and so the specific activities recommended for public education are also considered to have a high priority (see also Table E.1).
CHAPTER 4: RECYCLING
4.1 INTRODUCTION
The solid waste management activities discussed in this chapter are organized into two sections based on the method of collecting and processing the recyclable materials: