SSC Annual Report 2000Sanitary Services Inc.
2000 Annual Report to the City of Meridian
Prepared For:
Mayor Robert D. Corrie
Councilman Keith Bird, Chairman
Councilman Ronald Anderson
Councilperson Tammy DeWeerd
Councilperson Cherie McCandliss
Introduction
Sanitary Services implemented a number of new programs and worked closely with city staff on
a number of issues in 2000. In this annual report we will discuss the progress made in 2000 as
well as present some ideas as to new programs and initiatives in 2001.
This report is organized by the following types of collection systems:
• residential collection
• commercial collection
roll off collection
recycling services
We also discuss community involvement issues and new program implementation and future
issues.
The bar graph below shows the total waste generation in the city in 1999 and 2000 in pounds.
In 1999 there were 53.6 million pounds of waste generated, and in 2000 approximately 64.6
million pounds were transported to the landfill, a 20.5% increase in waste generation.
Residential Collection
Services
Sanitary Services provides unlimited, weekly solid waste collection to the residents of the City of
Meridian. At the end of 1999 there were 10,817 residential accounts and at the end of 2000
there were 11,450 residential accounts, a 5.8% increase for the year. The rate structure for
unlimited weekly collection was $7.20 per residence per month for the first nine months of 2000.
In October the rate was increased to $9.50 which included an increase of $2.10 per house per
month for recycling and $0.20 per house per month cost of living increase. The optional toter
cart program introduced in 1998 continues to grow. By the end of 2000 there were 4,160 toters
in use as opposed to the end of 1999 when there were 3,904 in use. We will continue to
distribute toters to homeowners in Meridian throughout 2001. We are experiencing a 60% to
80% acceptance rate for the carts depending upon the neighborhood.
Residential Homes Serviced
12,000
11
000
,.. r r ~ ;,, ~ ~ ;, 1+ ~~~~,~~ ~~~~~~~ ~i",
~~,.~'„~li~i i~~
~
, ':5 ~ i~ i~r , Y
+r r ~j.i
10,000 ~ r ?'F 1 i~
9,000 ; ~;
8,000 ~„ _°~ ~. :~
7,000 ,.
.i?
s ~t
a ~~
4
~ ? r~
°! 4
~
~
6
000 ~x i
r'-
, i
~ ~ ~;
,,.
~'
9Y,
5,000
Dec-97 Dec-98 Dec-99 Dec-00
Equipment
Four, 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 8,000 operational hours
there were five hours of mechanical breakdowns throughout the year. There are two back-up
trucks available in the case of breakdown or increased service needs.
Waste Generation Rates
In 2000, $136,445 in landfill fees were paid to Ada County for disposal of residential waste from
Meridian. This is equivalent to 30,700,125 pounds of waste for the year, 7.55 pounds per house
per day, and 2.52 pounds per person per day. All of these categories were essentially equal to
1999 statistics as you can see in the table below.
1998 1999 2000
Disposal Fees paid for Residential Waste $ 98,485 $ 136,660 $ 136,445
Total Pounds Discarded 27,784,537 30,748,500 30,700,125
Pounds per house per day discarded 7.61 8.10 7.55
Pounds per person per day 2.54 2.70 2.52
Landfill disposal rates remained unchanged in 2000 and the total amount paid for disposal was
essentially identical to 1999 with a slightly lower total weight discarded which is in part due to
the implementation of the curbside recycling program in October of 2000.
Commercial Collection
Services
Sanitary Services provides at least once a week collection to each commercial business in
Meridian. The frequency of collection and the container size are determined by the waste
generation characteristics of each business. Numbers of commercial accounts are listed in the
table below
Year Number of commercial accounts at end of year
1997 250
1998 401
1999 461
2000 550
Commercial account growth has been 19.3% in the past year and 40% annualized over a 3 year
period.
Commercial customer rates
were unchanged from 1999
levels until October of 2000
when rates were increased
3.5% on average to cover
increased collection costs.
Equipment
Commercial accounts were
changed from a rear loading
system to afront-loading
system in 1999. The
conversion of all remaining
rear load accounts to front
load was completed in 2000.
This newer system has reduced worker compensation claims and is more productive.
Commercial collection equipment consists of a 1999 Volvo WX64 with a 40 cubic yard Wittke
body and 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 30 minutes of mechanical downtime during the 3,500 hours of use throughout the year.
Waste Generation Rates
Based on landfill fees paid for disposal of commercial waste, there was 15.47 million pounds of
commercial waste collected from businesses in Meridian in 2000 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.
Roll Off Refuse Collection
Services
Roll off services are provided to permanent accounts that have compactors, or roll off
boxes, 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 2000 there were 42
permanent commercial accounts. This is
a 16.7 percent increase over 1999.
Since 1998, permanent roll off accounts
have increased from 28 to their current
level.
Temporary account activity was steady
throughout the year with a seasonal high
in activity in the summer months during
the construction season.
There were adjustments made to roll off service rates in October 2000 to account for
increased cost of collection.
Equipment
We began 2000 with three roll off trucks, a 1999 International, a 1995 Volvo, and a 1989
White/GMC. Each truck is equipped with a cable hoist system. In July, a 2001 Volvo
roll off truck was purchased to meet increasing demand. Out of approximately 6,000
hours of use there was 1 hour of mechanical down time in 2000.
Waste Generation Rates
Waste generation rates increased the
most in the roll off container system.
This increase is directly related to the
amount of construction in the City.
Based on landfill fees paid for
disposal of roll off system waste,
there were 15,504,100 pounds of
material collected from permanent
and temporary commercial accounts
that utilize roll off boxes or containers.
This is a 47 percent increase over the
1999 waste load of 10,535,590.
Roll Off Waste Generation
20000000 k~ I I~ I ~ASU~ I ~ ~ L .9 ~~I+'ILI I p
^
~~
_
~
~ ~'~ ~ 3 °^~'S5 ~~~
~ J
~ d~
~ ~
~
I ~
15000000
N ~
.ia
s
~°~
'
,~~ ~~,
'
~ *
'~
~ T 7 ;^r~
a r
r
I 4h~
lL IG r i
ky '~ Irhl ~'%tt~~i
~ 10000000 l
_
Ih ~ ~
III ~ ~' r ~ ~ , ~ L , I II I~Ibllq ',~' tea
~
.
IIq
IVI 1~~
7
o
a ~„,
.
1 - y
I
1
1k~~dhi~1~' , ~t ~ ,
+iq8 ~I~IIIiViI ~ ~~ Le
L4
soooooa w
1
~ „ I Nln I
i
~
~u
I
1999 2000
Recycling Services
Residential Services
A number of new recycling initiates began in 2000. Residential curbside recycling
began in October, 2000. Free programs to residents of Meridian continued and
included used oil collection, fall leaf collection, phone book recycling, and Christmas
tree collection. In conjunction with the residential recycling program, the household
hazardous waste collection frequency was increased to a monthly basis.
Curbside Recycling Collection
On October 2, 2000 the residential curbside collection of recyclable material began.
Residential collection fees were increased by $2.10 for all residential accounts. Material
collected includes aluminum and tin, newspapers, mixed grade paper (junk mail),
plastics, cardboard, and magazines.
For the three final months of 2000 the weights of material collected was 195,320
pounds in October, 199,531 in November, and 193,550 in December. The drop off in
weights in December is attributable to the Christmas and New Year holidays.
Participation in the program is approximately 70%.
The value of the commodities collected equaled $11,632.36. After subtracting the
amount to conduct the household hazardous waste collection the net amount provided
to the City of Meridian was $ 9,685.72.
Household Hazardous Waste Collection Prooram
In 1999 the household hazardous waste was collected on aone-time-per-year basis. In
May of 2000 the program was expanded to be every other month. Then, with the
beginning of the residential recycling program the commodity revenue was used to fund
a monthly collection beginning in October, 2000 for a total of six collection events in
2000. Sanitary Services contracted with MSE Environmental Inc. of Camarillo,
California to conduct all of the
events in 2000.
Total weights collected for 1999 and
2000 are indicated in the bar graph
at right. Total weights collected
increased by 3.1 percent year over
year while the number of cars
serviced in these events decreased
from 337 in 1999 to 293 in 2000. It
is important to recognize that the
Ada County Commissioners
donated all of the disposal costs for
Household Hazardous Waste
Collected
zo 000
~d u. ~ ~ e
a°~" ~a~~
t
~~
18 ~0~ ~ ~. Y1"~p>,~~4 ~~~ ~} h ~ 1'i1~ ~ ti
ai
" § J+Y pA~r ~
x
, S
S~
d ~ X
9 16 000
`
~~~I ~ I
~ Y
~~I
~~~ n ~ ~F
~~{
;
A
~
1M
0 14 000
o.
a ~` 4 a ~, rT
'
~:~
+
..y
i
~a
12 000
I~J
~~!"k +*~~'~'~
"e
s ~ ~1'~'
~~
: "~~~4' ~Y
.
iT~ i
,~
F
i
10,000
1999 2000
the wastes that were collected. Without this donation it is likely that the cost of the
program would be too prohibitive to conduct.
Phone Book Recycling
Annually, Sanitary Services donates all collection costs to complete recycling of US
West Yellow Pages in Meridian. In November 2000, five, 6 cubic yard dumpsters were
located at four Jackson's Texaco locations within the City limits of Meridian and at
Sanitary Service's office. Books were collected periodically as the dumpsters were filled
and the books were delivered to Western Recycling for processing. There were 34,030
pounds (17 tons) of phone books recycled. This is the third year in which Sanitary
Service Inc. has participated in the program. Collection weights in the prior year were
21,550 pounds.
Used Oil Collection
Residents are allowed
to place up to two
gallons of used oil per
week 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 Thermo
Fluids for energy
recovery.
As you can see from the bar graph, used oil collection steadily declined from the
inception of the program through 1999. In 2000, the program volumes by month
became steadier and there are seasonal peaks in the Spring and Fall of 2000. In total;
5,974 gallons (3,261 in 1999 and 2,713 gallons in 2000) of oil have been collected. This
volume excludes the amount collected at the household hazardous waste events.
Fall Leaf Collection
Calendar year 2000 marked the second year of Fall Leaf collection. 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 milled into compost. There were no disposal fees
charged by Ada County for this material. More than 980 bags of leaves were collected
from 225 homes in 2000. This was an 8.6 percent increase in the volume of leaves
collected as compared with 1999.
In the first year of the program there were some residents that were unable to purchase
Kraft bags because local merchants did not stock enough supply. This year we did not
hear of any such difficulties.
Christmas Tree Recvclino
During the week of January 8, 2001, 2,245 Christmas trees were collected for recycling.
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. There were no disposal fees
charged by Ada County for this material.
Commercial Services
Cardboard and wood wastes are both currently recycled from businesses in Meridian.
Additionally, new recycling programs for Jabil Circuit began during the year.
Businesses that recycle gain financially through reduced solid waste fees.
Cardboard
Commercial accounts that segregate cardboard into dedicated compactor units include
Fred Meyer, RC Willey, Winco, and Office Depot. These compactor boxes are
transferred and unloaded at Western Recycling on Cole Road. In 2000 there were
10,993 cubic yards of compacted recyclable cardboard diverted from the landfill. This is
equivalent to 2,968,110 pounds or about 1,480 tons of cardboard. The value of this
material is remunerated to the generator of the cardboard.
Additionally, 562 cubic yards of loose cardboard were generated at commercial
establishments. These loads are typically generated at new commercial accounts
during the time when the shelves are being stocked prior to opening. This volume
equates to about 20 tons of material diverted from the waste stream.
Wood Waste
In 2000, 1,440 cubic yards of wood waste were diverted from the landfill; a 37 percent
increase in volume over the 1,048 cubic yards collected in 1999. Wood waste is
transferred to the landfill where if is milled in a tub grinder for various uses. The wood
waste is collected at commercial businesses such as Consolidated Freightways, Jabil
Circuit, and Yellow Freight, in a 20 or 30-yard roll off box.
Jabil Circuit
Working vath Western Recycling and Sanitary Services, Jabil Circuit has arranged to
recycle Integrated Circuit tubes and reels from their manufacturing facility in Meridian.
Although there is no commodity value to the material, Jabil realizes a cost benefit from
segregation of the material through avoided disposal costs. In 2000, 1,140 loose cubic
yards of this material were recycled.
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 are
listed some of the organizations and functions that we supported with cash or service
donations in 2000:
American Diabetes Association
Cherry Plaza Festival of Wreaths
Friends of Meridian Parks
Lions Club Rodeo
Meridian Athletic Roundtable
Meridian Chamber of Commerce- Chili Feed and Pancake Feed
Meridian Chamber of Commerce- Courtesy cans emptied once per week throughout
downtown.
Meridian Churches -donated collection services for events at many churches.
Meridian Dairy Days
Meridian Downtown Merchants Association -Scarecrow Festival
Meridian Education Foundation
Meridian Fire Department -Salmon Feed
Meridian Girl Scouts
Meridian High School Girls Soccer Program
Meridian Optimist Club
Meridian City (all departments) -Donated collection services
Meridian Rotary Club Legion Baseball
Meridian Senior Association
Meridian Soroptimists
National Multiple Sclerosis Society
P.A.L. Soccer Association
US West Dex
r New Program Implementation and Future Issues
New Shop/Office Facility with Transfer Station
With the tremendous growth of the City of Meridian and the upcoming closure of the
Ada County Landfill within the next 5 to 10 years there is a need for a new shop and
office with a transfer facility. Our current location at 722 W. Franklin is not adequate to
meet the needs of our expanding fleet from a service or logistics standpoint. We require
a two-bay shop and more area to park our trucks. With the closure of the Ada County
Landfill the next disposal site may be many miles away and it will not be practical to
drive our collection trucks. The transfer facility would be a large building located on the
same property as the new shop and office. Our collection vehicles would drop off their
waste loads when full within the confines of the building and the waste would be
transferred into a larger semi-truck trailer that would then be driven to a disposal site.
This would allow the collection trucks to be more efficient, and would allow for the
competitive bidding of disposal costs so that we would not be at mercy of a single
disposal site.
We are currently working with a developer to determine if the property located
immediately South of the City's wastewater treatment plant off of Ten Mile Road would
be suitable as a site. We feel that the transfer facility would be a compatible use with
the adjacent wastewater treatment plant.
The transfer facility would be used as a location where other items could be diverted
from the waste stream such as grass and wood wastes. There would be recycling drop
off receptacles provided on site for those willing to drive material to the site. For
example, glass could be collected in a drop off bin even though it is not collected in the
residential curbside collection program.