HomeMy WebLinkAboutHarford County Recycling Review 2010-2
Harford County Recycling Review January to December 2010 Department of Public Works Division of Environmental Services
1 Harford County Recycling Review January to December 2010 Table of Contents I. Current Statistics…………………………………………………2 Major Recycling Categories Pie Chart…………………….2 Percent of Waste
Stream Recycled Graph……………….3 II. Waste Reduction………………………………………………….3 III. Recycling Programs 1. Lawn & Garden Recyclables (Yard Trim)…………...3 Lawn & Garden Recyclables Graph……………………4
2. Backyard Composting……………………………………...4 3. Grasscycling……………………………………………………4 4. Christmas Tree Recycling…………………………………5 5. White Goods & Scrap Metal Recycling……………….5 6. Litter Control
& Adopt-a-Road………………………….5 7. Other Waste……………………………………………………5 8. Electronics Recycling……………………………………….6 9. Textiles & Clothing Recycling……………………………6 IV. Public Education & Outreach…………………………………6
V. Background………………………………………………………….7 VI. Independent Initiatives…………………………………………7 1. Aberdeen Proving Ground………………………………..7 2. Municipalities…………………………………………………8 3. Private Recycling
Companies……………………………8
2 APG 1% RESIDENTIAL YARD TRIM 22% COMMERCIAL YARD TRIM 12% COMMERCIAL /BUSINESS PAPER & CONTAINERS 25% SCRAP METAL 4% RESIDENTIAL PAPER & CONTAINERS 7% WASTE-TOENERGY ASH/MISC. 29%
MAJOR RECYCLING CATEGORIES I. Current Statistics The most recent County report, submitted to the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) in April, 2010, reported a total recycling
rate of sixty percent (60.00%) which includes a three percent (3%) credit achieved through source reduction practices. The 2010 figures from MDE indicate 172,000 tons of recyclables
within Harford County were sent to secondary markets. That equates to a fifty-seven percent (57.00%) solid waste diversion directly resulting in the saving of valuable landfill space.
The Calendar 2010 Maryland Waste Diversion Rates & Tonnages report is presented as Attachment I.
3 II. Waste Reduction Waste reduction, or source reduction, activities focus on preventing the generation of solid waste, generally by decreasing the volume of materials produced and
consumed. Very simply, waste that is not generated will not enter the waste stream. The Office of Recycling continues education and outreach programs in waste reduction through advertising
and presentations. The fourth grade curriculum in Harford County public schools includes a recycling course, with a presentation by the Office of Recycling. MDE has developed a reporting
system to be submitted annually that can earn counties an additional one to five percentage points for source reduction. These values are added to the calculated recycling rate. Harford
County earned three percent (3%) source reduction in 2010 bringing the total recycling rate to sixty percent (60.00%) as represented on the Calendar 2010 Maryland Waste Diversion Rates
& Tonnages report (Attachment I). III. Recycling Programs 1. Lawn & Garden Recyclables (Yard Yard Trim) Yard trim material is defined as leaves, grass clippings and woody debris (branches,
garden trimmings, bushes, Christmas trees) found in the municipal solid waste stream. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that yard trim constitutes approximately eighteen
percent (18%) of the national municipal solid waste flow. Recovery of yard trim by processing into a high-grade compost and mulch is an intricate component of Harford County’s integrated
solid waste management program. The HWDC has an eleven-acre, paved Mulch and Compost Facility that processes an average 700 tons of material weekly or more than 37,000 tons per year.
Through the State-approved mulching and composting operation, mulch and compost is made available to Harford County residents. Residents may self-load 39% 44% 49% 51% 53% 54% 56% 58%
64% 65% 63% 61% 63% 62% 60% PERCENT OF WASTE STREAM RECYCLED
4 21,980 26,75830,219 35,294 31,950 23,706 49,892 41,28338,52042,773 40,108 43,388 46,724 36,964 37,310 TONS RECYCLED LAWN & GARDEN RECYCLABLES three (3) 30-gallon bags or cans of nutrient-rich
mulch or compost at the HWDC free of charge whenever it is available. Larger quantities can be obtained for $10 per cubic yard. , 2. Backyard Composting Backyard composting is the most
practical and convenient way for homeowners to handle lawn and garden materials. It is easier and less expensive than bagging and transporting these materials to a drop-off site. The
Recycling Office encourages backyard composting with advertising and brochures available to the public. 3. Grasscycling Grasscycling is a term coined by the Professional Lawn Care Association
of America to describe the natural process of recycling grass clippings rather than collecting and bagging them for disposal. According to University research, grass clippings consist
of eighty percent (80%) water; leaving grass clippings on the lawn when mowing returns the remaining twenty percent (20%) nitrogen content to the soil. Nitrogen fertilizes the root system
for healthier grass plants.
5 4. Christmas Tree Recycling The Christmas tree recycling program began its eighteenth year in 2010. Since the ban on landfilling and incinerating yard trim was imposed in June 1992,
a yearly average of more than 25,000 Christmas trees have been received and converted into mulch. Christmas trees are accepted at the HWDC and the Tollgate yard trim drop off sites.
The trees are ground into mulch and after proper maturing made available to Harford County residents. 5. White Goods & Scrap Metal Recycling The white goods/scrap metal recycling program
conducted at the HWDC has been in operation for 22 years and in 2010, collected and marketed more than 1,600 tons of material. Significant amounts of steel are contained in large appliances
such as refrigerators, freezers, washers, dryers, water heaters, stoves and furnaces. Items containing at least 80 percent metal such as bicycles, lawn mowers, barbecue grills and wheelbarrows
are also accepted. 6. Litter Control & Adopt-a-Road The Litter Control and Adopt-a-Road programs are administered through the HWDC. In 2010, the Litter Control crews cleaned over 299
miles and collected more than 63 tons of solid waste and 10 tons of recyclables along Harford County roads. The Adopt-a-Road program is similar to the State’s Adopt-a-Highway program
enlisting volunteers to adopt 1-to 2-mile sections of County roads and to pick up litter and recyclables approximately four times a year. In 2010, more than 275 miles were cleaned and
over 6.5 tons of solid waste and 3.5 tons of recyclables were collected. 7. Other Waste In addition to the above wastes, there are other wastes which by their nature should be properly
disposed and many cause harm to the environment if illegally dumped. The following other wastes are accepted at the HWDC. a. Lead-Acid Batteries: the largest component of batteries by
weight is discarded automobile batteries. The traditional lead-acid battery can pose an environmental threat due to its lead content when disposed with municipal solid waste. In 2010,
144 tons were collected for recycling. b. Motor Oil & Antifreeze: used motor oil and antifreeze are accepted at nine locations throughout the County including the HWDC. 304 tons of used
motor oil and 24 tons of used antifreeze were collected at the HWDC in 2010.
6 c. Empty Pesticide Containers: in cooperation with the Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA), the farming community is offered an environmentally sound method of recycling/disposing
pesticide containers. The program offers one drop-off day per month from June to September. Over the fifteen year period of this program, more than 27,000 containers have been accepted
for recycling with 3,500 containers accepted in 2010. The 2010 Pesticide Container Recycling Program reported from MDA is presented as Attachment II. d. Gasoline/Oil Mixtures: started
in 2005 in response to residents concerns, HWDC began accepting gasoline/oil mixtures used primarily in outboard motors and lawn equipment. In 2010, 3 tons were collected. e. Propane
Bottles: empty propane bottles are accepted separately for recycling at the HWDC. In 2010; 6 tons of propane bottles were collected. 8. Electronics Recycling After two very successful
one-day computer and television recycling events, computer recycling became a permanent collection program at the HWDC in 1996. The program accepts computer monitors, hard drives, scanners,
printers, mice, speakers, cables, modems, and peripherals. 288 tons of computers were collected in 2010. 9. Textiles & Clothing Recycling Textile and clothing recycling, which includes
clean and dry clothing, hats, drapes, curtains, belts, handbags, towels, sheets, blankets, paired shoes and any piece of material 15”x15” or larger, has been a permanent drop-off program
since 2000 at the HWDC. In 2010 more than 8 tons of material was collected. Textiles and clothing recycling provides clothing for less fortunate individuals and/or material for industrial
shop rags from remnants. IV. Public Education & Outreach Recycling represents an essential component of Harford County’s integrated solid waste management system. Recycling, along with
waste reduction, landfilling, incineration and composting, allows us to take maximum advantage of limited disposal capacity while reducing pollution and conserving natural resources
and energy. Every Harford County public school fourth grade science class includes recycling in their natural resources unit, inviting a speaker from the Recycling Office to familiarize
students with the importance of recycling and how recycling works in Harford County.
7 A speaker from the Recycling Office is available to community associations, civic organizations, scouting groups and others. Additionally, the Office provides recycling audits to commercial,
business or institutional organizations at no cost. V. Background The Harford County Recycling Plan established an aggressive recycling program designed to comply with the requirements
of the Maryland Recycling Act (MRA) to protect the environment, conserve and preserve natural resources and save energy. In 1988, the State of Maryland enacted the MRA. This law required
each county with a population greater than 150,000 to develop a plan to reduce its solid waste stream, through recycling, by 20 percent with the plan to be fully implemented by January
1, 1994. Each Maryland County was to have a plan approved by the State by January 1, 1992; report annually to the State; and show that it had attained the goal of 20 percent by January
1, 1994. Each subsequent annual report to the State must include the total amount of solid waste disposed and the amounts and types of solid waste recycled; methods of waste reduction
other than recycling; and the waste reduction percentage achieved. The MRA and subsequent guidelines distinguished those wastes that were “eligible.” Construction and demolition debris,
for example, is not an eligible waste item for the annual reporting. An essential component to the success of Harford County’s Recycling Plan comes as a result of the ban imposed in
1992 on landfilling or incinerating yard trim from residential and commercial generators. The ban prohibits yard trim (leaves, grass clippings, branches, trimmings, stalks, and Christmas
trees) found in the municipal solid waste stream from being collected and disposed with household trash. Homeowner drop-off convenience sites, which receive yard trim material, have
been established in Bel Air at the former Tollgate landfill and at the Harford Waste Disposal Center (HWDC). The HWDC also receives material from commercial establishments. VI. Independent
Initiatives 1. Aberdeen Proving Ground contracts with a private trash hauler for the collection of trash and recyclables from their buildings and residences on Post. The recyclables
are the same as those collected throughout the County.
8 2. Municipalities: The Town of Bel Air operates its own trash and recycling collection fleet. The Town is split into two districts with curbside recycling picked up on Thursdays and
Fridays. Recyclables are delivered to the County’s transfer station. The City of Aberdeen operates its own trash and recycling collection fleet. Additionally, Aberdeen has a “pay as
you throw” program wherein recycling collection is free and trash collection requires the attachment of a sticker priced according to the size of trash bag set out for collection. Aberdeen
also provides its residents with containers for recyclables. Recyclables are delivered to the County’s transfer station. The City of Havre de Grace contracts with a private trash hauler
to provide trash and recycling collection to their residents. Collection of bulk items and yard trim can be arranged by contacting City Hall. 3. Private Recycling Companies Always Recycling
at 1353A Old Post Rd., Havre de Grace, 410-939-9201, buys aluminum, copper, brass, stainless steel, and accepts computers, cell phones, electronics, batteries and vinyl siding. Banks
Towing at 3610 Conowingo Rd., Street, 410-638-0021, buys aluminum and scrap metal. Green Marble Recycling at 1646 Main Street, Cardiff, 410-452-8945, buys aluminum, copper, brass and
stainless steel. Maryland Recycle Co. at 343 Granary Rd., Forest Hill, 410-836-0070, buys aluminum, copper, lead, brass, insulated cable and wire, auto/truck batteries and radiators.