SSC Annual Report 1999R~c~"~D
FEB 1 0 2000
~I'I'Y OF MERIDIAN
Sanitary Services Inc.
1999 Annual Report to the City of Meridian
Prepared For:
Mayor Robert D. Corrie
Councilman Keith Bird, Chairman
Councilperson Cherie McCandliss
Councilperson Tammy DeWeerd
Councilman Ronald Anderson
Introduction
Sanitary Services implemented a number of new programs and worked closely with city
staff on a number of issues in 1999. In this annual report we will discuss the progress
made in 1999 as well as present some ideas as to new programs and initiatives in 2000.
This report is organized by the type of collection system; residential collection,
commercial collection, roll off services, recycling services. Each section includes a
discussion of the past year and proposed changes in the upcoming year. We also
discuss employee issues and community involvement issues.
The bar graph to the right shows
the total waste generation in the
city in 1998 and 1999 in pounds.
In 1998 there was approximately
72 million pounds of waste
generated and in 1999 there was
in excess of 100 million pounds
generated. This is a 41 % increase
in waste generation. The increase
is principally due to increased
construction activity and
commercial development within
the city.
Total Waste Generation
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1998 1999
Year
Residential Refuse Collection
Services
Sanitary Services provides unlimited, weekly solid waste collection to the residents of
the City of Meridian. At the end of 1998 there were approximately 10,000 residential
accounts and at the end of
1999 there were 10,817
residential accounts, an 8%
increase for the year. The
number of homes serviced
at the end of 1998 is an
estimate since there was
no way to obtain an
accurate value from the
City's billing system. With
the advent of the new
billing system implemented
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by the City, we will be able to more accurately determine the number of homes
serviced.
The rate structure for unlimited weekly collection remained $7.20 per dwelling per
month for the 1999 calendar year. The optional toter cart program introduced in 1998
continues to grow. By the end of 1999 there were 3,904 toters in use as opposed to the
end of 1998 when there were 1,294 in use. We will continue to distribute toters to
homeowners in Meridian throughout 2000. We are experiencing a 60% to 80%
acceptance rate for the carts depending upon the neighborhood.
Equipment
Three, 1998 International trucks with 25-yard McNeilus rear-load compactor bodies
provide service to the residential accounts. These vehicles were new in 1997 and were
modified in 1998 with hydraulic tipping units to service 95-gallon toter carts. This
equipment remained on a 20-day maintenance cycle throughout the year. Out of
approximately 6,240 operational hours there were 12 hours of mechanical breakdowns
throughout the year. There are two back-up trucks available in the case of breakdown
or service needs.
Waste Generation Rates
In 1999 $136, 660 in landfill fees were paid to Ada County for disposal of residential
waste from Meridian. This is equivalent to 31,431,800 pounds of waste for the year,
8.28 pounds per house per day, and 2.76 pounds per person per day. All of these
categories increased in 1999 as compared to 1998 as you can see in the table below.
1998 1999 % Change
Disposal Fees paid for Residential Waste $ 98,485 $ 136,660 38.8
Total Pounds Discarded 27,784,537 31,431,800 13.1
Pounds per house per day discarded 7.61 8.28 8.8
Pounds per person per day 2.54 2.76 8.6
The sharp rise in landfill costs were caused by a rate increase at the Ada County
Landfill in October of 1998.
Plans for Residential Services in 2000
In 2000 we will be completing the following activities related to residential waste
collection:
A fourth residential collection vehicle will be added to meet increased growth.
• The Fall Leaf and Christmas Tree Collection programs will be continued
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Commercial Refuse Collection
Services
Sanitary Services provides at least weekly collection to the commercial businesses of
Meridian. The frequency of collection and the container size are determined by the
waste generation characteristics of each business. At the end of 1997 there were
approximately 250 permanent commercial accounts, 401 at the end of 1998 and 461 at
the end of 1999. This is an increase of 15% in the last year and an annualized growth
rate of 42% over the two-year period ending in December 1999.
Commercial rates were
held constant in 1999 with
the exception that rates for
larger 4, 6 and 8 cubic yard
containers were added to
the rate structure in the
middle of the year to
address the new types of
containers put into service
when the system was
converted from rear load to
front load. Small
compactor rates were also
Permanent Commercial Accounts
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added to mirror the new
types of compactors being placed at businesses
Equipment
A major change in commercial service equipment was completed in 1999. At the
beginning of the year all commercial accounts are serviced with a rear load truck with a
25 cubic yard compaction unit. In September most accounts were converted to a front -
loading system that allows the driver to dump the waste container without getting out of
the cab of the vehicle. This newer system reduces worker injury and has greater
productivity. The older rear loading truck will continue to service some of the
commercial accounts.
The new front-loading truck is a 1999 Volvo WX64 with a 40 cubic yard Wittke body. A
second used truck was purchased from the City of Billings, Montana for backup
purposes. The second truck is a 1993 Volvo with a 40 cubic yard Heil body.
All commercial equipment was on a 20-day maintenance cycle throughout the year and
there was 6.43 hours of mechanical downtime during the 4,160 hours of use throughout
the year.
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Waste Generation Rates
Based on landfill fees paid for disposal of commercial waste, there were 16,476,607
pounds of commercial waste collected from businesses in Meridian in 1999 which is
approximately equal to 10.6 pounds per business per day. This amount of waste is a
8.4 percent increase over the previous year.
Commercial Waste Generation
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Plans for Commercial Services in 2000
In 2000 Sanitary Service will add a partial front-load route and perhaps an additional
truck will be added to the fleet. Meeting the growing demand for commercial services
within the City will require a substantial investment in containers and equipment.
Further use of the toter carts in the commercial system will continue in 2000.
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1998 1999
Roll Off Refuse Collection
Services
Roll off services are provided to permanent accounts that have compactors
(Albertson's, Fred Meyer, Rite Aid, etc...) or roll off boxes (Computrol, Oak Harbor
Freight, BMC West, etc...) and temporary accounts that utilize 20, 30 or 40 cubic yard
boxes. Temporary containers typically are used for construction debris during home or
business building or renovation.
By the end of 1997 there were 12
permanent commercial accounts, at the
end of 1998 there were 28 permanent
accounts, and 36 at the end of 1999.
This is an annualized increase of 150%
per year over the two-year period.
Temporary account activity was steady
throughout the year with a seasonal high
in activity in the summer months during
the construction season.
There were no rate adjustments to roll off
services in 1999.
Equipment
Permanent Roll Off Accounts
In 1999 two roll off trucks were purchased. The trucks were a 1999 International with a
23 foot roll off bed with a cable hoist system. The second truck is a 1995 Volvo with a
23 foot service bed with a cable hoist system. A 1989 White/GMC with a cable hoist
system is the back up truck for this system. Out of approximately 5,200 hours of use
there were 2.57 hours of mechanical down time in 1999.
Waste Generation Rates
Plans for Roll Off Services in 2000
In 2000, roll off services will not change but there will be an increase in the number of
trucks utilized in the City.
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Recycling
Services
Recycling services for the residents of Meridian were increased in 1999. Curbside Fall
Leaf collection and curbside used oil collection were added to the services we provide
to the residents of Meridian. Additionally, the first household hazardous waste
collection day was completed in May 1999.
Cardboard and wood wastes are both currently recycled from businesses in Meridian.
Businesses that practice in recycling gain through reduced solid waste fees. Christmas
tree and phone book recycling continued as it did in 1998. All of the current recycling
programs are conducted at no extra cost to the citizens of Meridian.
Fall Leaf Collection
For the first time, curbside residential fall leaf collection was conducted in the City.
Collection occurred the week of November 15, 1999. Residential customers were
required to bag their leaves in large Kraft bags or place them in open top garbage cans.
The leaves were placed at the curbside on the normal collection day and they were
collected in a separate vehicle. Leaves were transported to the Ada County landfill
where they were ground for compost.
One difficulty that arose during this program was the lack of availability of the Kraft leaf
collection bags. Because this was the first year of the curbside collection program,
stores in the Meridian area did not stock enough of the bags to meet demand. Sanitary
Services will work with area retailers to be sure they stock more bags prior to next years
collection and we will improve our educational material that is mailed to the residents.
Cardboard
The Fred Meyer store and RC Willey each segregate recyclable cardboard in compactor
boxes. These compactor boxes are transferred and unloaded at Western Recycling on
Cole Road. In 1999 there were 3,210 cubic yards of compacted recyclable cardboard
diverted from the landfill in 1999. This is equivalent to 862,650 pounds or about 430
tons of cardboard. The value of this material is remunerated to the generator of the
cardboard.
Additionally there were seven loads of loose cardboard generated at construction sites.
These loads came from large commercial construction sites such as RC Willey and
Shopko.
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Wood Waste
In 1999, 1,048 cubic yards of wood waste were diverted from the landfill; a 128 percent
increase in volume over the 460 cubic yards collected in 1998. Wood waste is
transferred to the landfill where if is milled in a tub grinder and then shipped offsite for
use as cattle bedding. The wood waste stream is collected at the business location,
such as Consolidated Freightways and Yellow Freight, in a 20 or 30 yard roll off box.
Christmas Tree Recycling
Christmas trees were collected for recycling the week of January 3, 2000. Approx-
imately 2,160 trees were collected during the week; a participation rate of approximately
20.77%. The number of trees collected and the participation rate is slightly lower than
the previous year. The lower participation may be tied to a lack of notification of the
City's residents. Sanitary Services is working with city staff to resolve this issue. All
trees were collected in a separate vehicle from residential solid waste. The trees were
delivered to the wood chipping operation at the Ada County Landfill where they were
chipped and shipped off site for cattle bedding. The costs to complete this program with
separate collection vehicles and additional disposal fees was about $3,000 or
approximately $1.39 per tree.
US West Yellow Pages Recycling
Annually, Sanitary Services donates all collection costs to complete recycling of US
West Yellow Pages in Meridian. In November 1999, four, 6 cubic yard dumpsters were
located at four Jackson's Texaco locations within the City limits of Meridian. Books
were collected periodically as the dumpsters were filled and the books were delivered to
Western Recycling for processing. There were 21,550 pounds (10.78 tons) of phone
books recycled. This is the second year in which Sanitary Service Inc. has participated
in the program. Our cost to provide this service was approximately $1,500.00.
Curbside Used Oil Collection
In May 1999, immediately following the household hazardous waste collection event,
Sanitary Services began a curbside, residential used oil collection program. Residents
are allowed to place up to two gallons of used oil at the curbside for collection on their
normal trash collection day. The used oil is poured into storage tanks on the trucks and
at the end of the day pumped into a 500-gallon storage tank located at our shop at 722
W. Franklin. The used oil is collected by a company in Nampa for energy recovery.
More than 600 gallons of used oil were collection in the first month of the program. By
the end of the year 3,135 gallons were collected and recycled.
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As you can see on the
bar graph on the right,
used oil collection
steadily declined
through the end of the
year. We anticipate that
oil collection volumes
will level off in 2000 with
seasonal peaks in the
Spring and Fall.
Household Hazardous
Waste Collection
Program
A one-day household
hazardous waste
collection program was cc
MSE Environmental Inc. of Camarillo, California to conduct the
event. couecuon was
conducted in the parking lot behind City Hall. The program was quite successful with
347 homes contributing waste totaling 18,214 pounds (9.1 tons.) One of the key
success factors of the program was the cooperative nature of the event. The Ada
County Highway District assisted in paying for the publication costs of the program,
Sanitary Services paid for the collection contractor, the City of Meridian donated the
space to conduct the event and paid for postage to mail out information to the citizens,
and lastly the Ada County Commissioners donated all of the disposal costs for the
wastes that were collected. It is our intention to conduct this program again in 2000 and
perhaps add a second collection day in the Fall.
Plans for Recycling Services in 2000
Throughout 1999 Sanitary Services staff worked closely with the City of Meridian and
citizens in the Solid Waste Ad-hoc Advisory Committee (SWAAC). The committee
allowed a forum to discuss ideas on how to carry out programs within the city. We look
forward to continuing the meetings and presenting ideas to the committee in 2000. It is
our intention the continue the above-mentioned services to the citizens of Meridian in
2000.
Near the end of 1999, in conjunction with the SWAAC a curbside recycling
questionnaire was developed and distributed to the citizens of Meridian. The results of
the questionnaire will be summarized and presented to the SWAAC and City Council
early in 2000.
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Personnel Issues
The goal of Sanitary Services Inc. is to provide the highest quality of service available in
our industry. We have built a team of customer service representatives that delivers
service to our customers daily.
In 1999 our 401 K tax deferred savings plan was implemented and at the end of the year
the first company match was awarded as a profit sharing incentive to those enrolled in
the program.
Control of health care costs is one of the most pressing issues facing our company. In
1999 we saw a 25% increase in health care costs to our employees. Throughout the
year and in 2000 we will continue to investigate other alternatives to our current health
care plan while maintaining adequate health care coverage for our employees and their
families.
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Community Involvement
Sanitary Services is very privileged to be part of the community of Meridian. We feel
that it is important to give back to the community that makes us successful. Below is
listed some of the organizations and functions that we supported in 1999:
American Diabetes Association
Big Brother/Big Sisters
Cherry Plaza Festival of Wreaths
Lions Club Rodeo
Meridian Assembly of God
Meridian Athletic Roundtable
Meridian Chamber of Commerce Chili Feed and Pancake Feed
Meridian Dairy Days
Meridian Downtown Merchants Association -Scarecrow Festival
Meridian Education Foundation
Meridian Fire Department -Salmon Feed
Meridian Fire Department -Old Animal Shelter Tear Down
Meridian Girl Scouts
Meridian Holiday Parade
Meridian High School Girls Soccer Program
Meridian Optimist Club
Meridian Parks and Recreation -Donated collection services
Meridian Parks and Recreation -March for Parks
Meridian Parks and Recreation -Landscaping of East 1ST and Cherry Lane
Meridian Parks and Recreation -Waste receptacles at new parks
Meridian Rangers
Meridian Rotary Club Legion Baseball
Meridian Senior Association
National Multiple Sclerosis Society
P.A.L. Soccer Association
US West Dex
_12_
New Program Emplementation and Future Issues
Sanitary Services is prepared to implement additional solid waste management
programs for the residents of Meridian in 2000. Some of our ideas include:
Recycling
Feedback on the recycling questionnaires has been very high. A summary of all of the
responses will be prepared and presented to the City Council in February 2000. If the
Council decides to proceed with the program a timetable for implementation will be
developed and educational material will be prepared disseminated.
A New Shop/Office Facility
With the signing of a new franchise agreement with Sanitary Services we will be
constructing a new shop and office in Meridian. The new facility will have the capacity
to implement a yard waste drop off program.
Another issue that will be arising in the future is the closure of the Ada County Landfill
and how that will effect the transportation of waste. It is our expectation that within the
next 5-10 years the Ada County Landfill will be closing. To secure the ability to
transport waste out of Meridian efficiently we will be requesting a transfer station
operation in conjunction with the new shop and office facility.
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