First Quarter 20111
M E M O R A N D U M
To: Mayor Tammy DeWeerd
Members of the Meridian City Council:
Mr. David Zaremba, President
Mr. Brad Hoaglun, Vice President
Mr. Keith Bird
Mr. Charlie Rountree
Members of the Meridian Solid Waste Advisory Commission
From: Sanitary Services Company, Inc. (SSC)
Subject: Summary of Solid Waste Collection and Recycling, First Quarter, 2011
Date: April 12, 2011
Introduction
Sanitary Services Company is dedicated to providing reliable solid waste collection; innovative,
effective recycling and waste reduction programs; quality customer service; valuable public
outreach and education efforts; and strong community involvement to the areas we service.
This quarterly report includes solid waste and recycling information for the first calendar
quarter of 2011. We have included data for the prior quarter for comparison purposes. More
detailed information is available upon request. Please contact SSC at 888-3999 if you have
comments or questions regarding this report.
Residential Trash Collection
In July of 2010, trash collection in Meridian changed from a rear-loader unlimited collection
program where residents could set out as much trash as they wanted, to a fully automated
collection system where customers choose the size and number of wheeled trash carts they
need and pay accordingly, thus making residents more accountable for the amount of trash
they dispose of.
To help lower the amount of trash residents place at the curb, SSC encourages participation in
the voluntary curbside recycling program, which is provided free of charge.
The new collection system has made an impact on the amount of trash that Meridian residents
throw away. During the first quarter of 2011, SSC collected 11,003,400 pounds of trash from
our residential routes. This amount showed a decrease of 23.3 percent from the first quarter of
2010, when trash service was unrestricted and residents were allowed unlimited disposal of
household waste.
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Residential Curbside Recycling
The residential curbside recycling program began in October of 2000 as a source separated
system using a 15-gallon recycling bin. In Mid-October of 2009, the curbside recycling program
changed to an automated, co-mingled system in which residents have their choice of using a
35-gallon, 65-gallon, or 95-gallon wheeled cart for recycling.
The following items are accepted for curbside recycling in Meridian: mixed waste paper
(including telephone directories), corrugated cardboard, magazines and catalogs, aluminum
and tin cans, newspaper, and all numbers of plastic bottles, tubs, jugs, and clamshells.
Meridian residents diverted 1,913,400 pounds of recyclable materials (17.4 percent of the
residential waste stream) from the landfill during the first quarter of 2010. This was an increase
of 22.9 percent from the first quarter of 2010.
Used Oil Recycling
Curbside collection of used motor oil was first offered to Meridian residents in May of 1999,
and used cooking oil was added to the program in July of 2006. Meridian is the only city in the
Treasure Valley to offer used cooking oil recycling to its residents. There have been 70,960
gallons of used oil collected since the program began.
During the first quarter of 2011, residents recycled 1,260 gallons of used oil through the
curbside program, a 10.2 percent decrease from the first quarter of 2010.
Household Hazardous Waste Collection
The Meridian Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) collection site, located in the SSC parking lot,
is the busiest mobile collection site in Ada County. Meridian residents can drop off their HHW
between noon and 7:00 PM every Monday except major holidays.
Nearly 891,000 pounds of household hazardous waste has been collected at the Meridian
mobile collection site since the program began in 2001.
First quarter collection numbers for 2011 were nearly identical to 2010. During the first quarter
of 2011, there were 28,036 pounds of HHW collected, which was an increase of exactly 10
pounds from the first quarter of 2010.
The number of participating homes continues to increase. The Meridian mobile collection site
serviced 1,185 homes during the first quarter of 2011, an increase of 13.3 percent from the first
quarter of 2010.
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Roll Off Refuse Collection
Roll off services are provided to permanent accounts that have compactors or roll off boxes,
and temporary accounts that utilize mini roll off boxes (6, 8, and 10 cubic yard boxes) or our
larger 20, 30, or 40 cubic yard boxes.
The SSC roll off system collected 8,204,070 pounds of waste during the first quarter of 2011, a
2.6 percent increase from the first quarter of 2010.
Comparison of First Quarter Roll Off Collection
Material 2010 Pounds 2011 Pounds
Compact 4,422,000 3,767,000
Demolition 3,016,160 3,791,760
Loose 560,710 645,310
Total 7,998,870 8,204,070
SSC diverts several items from the landfill via our roll off program. During the first quarter of
2011, there were 1,032,333 pounds of materials recycled via the roll off program rather than
taken to the landfill. This amount represented an increase in diversion of 2.8 percent from the
same timeframe in 2010.
Comparison of First Quarter Roll Off Diversion
Commodity 2010 Pounds 2011 Pounds
Cardboard 750,630 802,598
Wood 31,500 33,000
Paper 43,010 35,955
Gypsum 136,000 60,000
Plastic Bottles 24,060 41,460
Metal 0 33,070
Christmas Trees 18,750 26,250
Total 1,003,950 1,032,333
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SSC Transfer Station Collection
The SSC transfer station accepts waste from commercial trucks, residential trucks, roll off
trucks, mini roll off trucks, and public vehicles.
There were 24,242,400 pounds of waste compacted at the transfer station during the first
quarter of 2011, an increase of 6.3 percent over the first quarter of 2010.
This figure included waste from Kuna and unincorporated Ada County, which SSC does not
provide trash collection services to. The waste was taken to the Ada County Landfill for
disposal.
In addition to solid waste drop off, SSC provides recycling opportunities for several items at our
transfer station.
During the first quarter of 2011, there were 759,635 pounds of materials recycled via the SSC
transfer station rather than taken to the landfill. This was an increase in recycling of 20.9
percent over the first quarter of 2010.
Comparison of First Quarter Transfer Station Diversion
Commodity 2010 Pounds 2011 Pounds
Wood 348,000 286,500
Grass 0 5,620
Rock 150,000 150,000
Metal 81,180 127,175
Leaves 0 118,200
Cardboard 25,290 47,200
Carpet Pad 12,400 23,260
Christmas Trees 9,000 mixed w/wood
Refrigeration Units 2,590 1,680
Total 628,460 759,635
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Commercial Collection
Sanitary Services provides collection to each commercial business in Meridian at least once a
week. Our front load trucks collected 9,168,600 pounds of waste during the first quarter of
2011, an increase of 18.3 percent over the first quarter of 2010.
In November of 2007, SSC began offering a Commercial Co-Mingled Recycling Program utilizing
95-gallon carts for small businesses, and specialized 5-yard containers for larger businesses.
Numerous businesses and every school within Meridian City limits participate in this successful
recycling program, and approximately 5,886,000 pounds of materials have been recycled
through their efforts.
Items that can be recycled in this recycling program include: newspapers, corrugated
cardboard, magazines and catalogs, aluminum and tin cans, mixed waste paper, and plastic
bottles and jugs.
During the first quarter of 2011, there were 537,150 pounds of co-mingled recyclables collected
from Meridian businesses, which was an increase of 12.5 percent compared to the first quarter
of 2010.