Title
Recommendation to Authorize the City Manager to Execute a First Amendment to the Agreement with SCS Engineers Extending the Term of the Agreement by Six Months and Increasing the Compensation by an Amount Not to Exceed $145,000, for an Aggregate Amount Not to Exceed $444,978, for Targeted Zero Waste Technical Assistance for Commercial Businesses and Multi-Family Accounts; and
Adoption of Resolution Amending the Fiscal Year 2019-20 Integrated Waste Fund Operating Budget for Fiscal Year 2019-20. (Public Works 274.1)
Body
To: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
In 2018, the City Council adopted the Zero Waste Implementation Plan Update (Update) and authorized the City Manager to negotiate and execute a one-year contract for Commercial and Multifamily Technical Assistance as part of the five key strategies outlined in the Update. In October 2018, a contract with SCS Engineers (SCS) was entered into following a competitive procurement. As a result of this technical assistance, Alameda businesses and apartment buildings sent 400 fewer tons of garbage to the landfill. Consistent with the recently adopted Climate Action and Resiliency Plan (CARP) and the Update, staff recommends continuing this work and following up in mid-2020 to report to City Council on progress towards the City of Alameda’s (City) zero waste goal.
BACKGROUND
In 2008, the City Council approved the Local Action Plan for Climate Protection (Climate Plan) and established a greenhouse gas reduction goal of 25% below the City’s 2005 baseline level. The Climate Plan recommended future adoption of a Zero Waste Implementation Plan (ZWIP), as its implementation could help eliminate an estimated 44,425 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent.
In 2010, City Council adopted the ZWIP and set a goal of achieving zero waste, or 89% diversion, from landfill by 2020. The 89% diversion goal derives from a per capita disposal rate, or the amount of waste disposed in pounds into the landfill by person per day (PPD). PPD is calculated by the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle). If the City were to reach 1.2 pounds PPD, then the City will have achieved 89% diversion.
In the summer of 2018, City Council updated the Update including five strategies to achieve zero waste. The Update recommended extending the goal date from 2020 to 2022; however, City Council kept the goal of achieving zero waste by 2020. The Update found that the City had made steady progress in implementing the ZWIP and “is at the forefront of cities in Alameda County [and nationally] in reducing landfill disposal.” The five strategies to achieve the City’s goal of 1.2 pounds PPD are as follows:
1) Support Zero Waste Culture in Alameda. This strategy enhances and celebrates the City’s growing zero waste culture through several actions that recognize the shared responsibility for each individual to reduce and divert waste from the landfill. ZWIP Update pages 29-32.
2) Conduct Targeted Technical Assistance with Commercial and Multi-Family Sectors. The City’s commercial and multi-family waste generators have the greatest opportunity to reduce waste sent to landfill and help them to achieve higher levels of waste diversion that could significantly reduce the City’s landfill disposal. ZWIP Update pages 33-34.
3) Create a Food Recovery Program and Enhance Organics Management. Food waste and other organic materials represent over 20% of waste sent to landfill and increasingly strict state requirements regarding its disposal make this strategy important for the City’s zero waste achievement. ZWIP Update pages 35-38.
4) Update the City’s Construction and Demolition Debris Recycling Ordinance and Conduct Outreach. Building projects produce large amounts of waste that often end up in a landfill despite its potential to be reused or recycled, underscoring the need to increase materials recovery. ZWIP Update pages 39-42.
5) Expand High Diversion Franchise Agreement. Alameda County Industries (ACI) is a strong partner in achieving its zero waste goal, and as such updating the franchise agreement to support zero waste initiatives and build on that partnership will be important moving forward. ZWIP Update pages 43-46.
In September 2019, City Council adopted the CARP, which assumed full implementation of the Update and its attendant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.
Since 2018, the City’s diversion rate lowered from 79% to 77%, or 2.5 pounds per day (PPD), which is linked to the global decline in recycling markets in 2018. Even with this reduction, the City can still claim one of the lower PPD rates in the country as a result of the progress of policies and programs outlined in the original ZWIP and the five strategies of the Update. The City’s success is driven largely by a very high diversion rate in the single-family residential sector.
The City must continue the Update’s strategies to achieve the 89% target set by 2020. In a first step toward reaching this target, City Council approved the execution of a contract to pursue the Update’s most aggressive strategy: offering in-depth technical assistance to the City’s largest multi-family and commercial generators to recycle and compost closer to the rates occurring in the single family sector.
DISCUSSION
The work by SCS demonstrated a positive impact towards increasing recycling and composting activity in the City among the largest waste generators and, thus, significantly reducing total tons sent for disposal to landfill. This puts the City in the lead with regional partners and the jurisdictions in Alameda County, and allows the community to remain on the path toward reaching the City’s Zero Waste goals.
|
Year 1 Overview: Weekly Diversion Summary |
Service Changes Recommended |
Service Changes Implemented by 9/30/2019 |
|
Number of Generators Increasing Recycling Services |
20 |
11 |
|
New Weekly Recycling Diversion |
217 CY |
99 CY |
|
Number of Generators Increasing Organics Service |
20 |
13 |
|
New Weekly Organics Diversion |
41 CY |
24 CY |
|
New "Other" Weekly Services (e.g. C&D) |
10 CY |
10 CY |
|
Reduction in Weekly Garbage Volume |
160 CY |
51 CY |
In the first term of this agreement, SCS reduced garbage volume by 51 cubic yards per week, which is an estimated annual disposal reduction of about 400 tons of material. This landfill reduction number is limited to that 12-month scope, and the projected progress of service changes recommended but not yet completed have additional implications for the City’s efforts to reach its Zero Waste targets. Based on the completion of year one of the project, SCS developed-and staff have approved-a list of the City’s generators that over the next 6 months 1) require additional assistance to complete their new service change agreements, 2) are suitable for training and outreach, and 3) require follow up to ensure a sustainable recycling and organics program.
The work conducted by SCS was the first year of a five-year plan outlined in the Update to provide technical assistance to these generators. The Update additionally recommended pursuing the four other strategies over the course of five years. Staff proposes coming back to City Council around annual setting of integrated waste rates (mid 2020) to report on progress to the entire Update, as well as a discussion of additional funding for continuation of this strategy and others.
ALTERNATIVES
Should City Council decide not to continue funding technical assistance to commercial and multi-family properties, City Council may consider whether to identify alternatives to provide this type of technical assistance, such as volunteers, interns or others. Staff believes it would be difficult for these substitutes to show significant, measurable results in the commercial and multi-family sector. There also may be ways of adjusting integrated waste rates to incentivize composting and recycling and penalizing landfilling, but those types of adjustments, unless carefully crafted, may conflict with Proposition 218 requirements and may be less effective than this technical assistance has shown itself to be in driving behavior change. Alternatively, City Council could deploy resources away from technical assistance and into other areas, such as greater enforcement. Fines are useful short-term tools for compliance, and perhaps the time is right to invest in greater enforcement. However, staff does not recommend a focus on greater enforcement until the commercial and multi-family sectors have been involved in a persistent, comprehensive technical assistance effort.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
In 2018, City Council authorized the City Manager to execute year one of original contract in an amount not to exceed $300,000 (actual cost $262,189.57) funded from the positive balancing account ($1.4 million) with ACI that was identified as part of the June 5, 2018 setting of integrated waste rates (link <https://alameda.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=3512185&GUID=E86DD88A-4B81-4E3C-B94C-4B827B6382F0&FullText=1>). Executing an additional 6-month term of technical assistance to the commercial and multi-family sectors is estimated to cost no more than $145,000. At this time, staff is proposing that this cost be covered by the positive fund balance in the Integrated Waste Fund (274.1). Staff is recommending that City Council adopt the associated resolution to amend the Integrated Waste Fund operating budget for Fiscal Year 2019-2020 by increasing appropriations in the amount of $145,000.
MUNICIPAL CODE/POLICY DOCUMENT CROSS REFERENCE
This action is consistent the Climate Action and Resiliency Plan (2019), the Zero Waste Implementation Plan (2010), and ZWIP Update (2018).
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
In accordance with California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), this project is categorically exempt pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15308, Actions by Regulatory Agencies for Protection of the Environment. The strategies in the Zero Waste Implementation Plan Update are intended to guide the City in the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, thus protecting the environment.
CLIMATE IMPACTS
This action furthers the City’s CARP, which assumed full implementation of the Update and its attendant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions through 2030. In addition, the Update supports the efforts in California’s SB 1383 passed in 2016, which details the importance of the reduction of Short Lived Climate Pollutants (SLCP), specifically methane. This harmful greenhouse gas is generated by putrescibles that end up in an anaerobic landfill, which emissions can be mitigated by educating generators to place these materials instead in the organics stream where they will be composted aerobically. Additionally, compost application results in sequestering carbon, which is another emissions-reduction benefit of taking steps to ensure organics stay out of the landfill.
RECOMMENDATION
Authorize the City Manager to execute a first amendment to the agreement with SCS Engineers, extending the term of the agreement by six-months and to increase compensation to an amount not to exceed $145,000, for an aggregate amount not to exceed $444,978, for Targeted Zero Waste Technical Assistance for Commercial Businesses and Multi-Family Accounts; and
Adopt a Resolution amending the Fiscal Year 2019-20 Integrated Waste Fund operating budget by increasing appropriations in the amount of $145,000 funded from available fund balance for Targeted Zero Waste Technical Assistance.
CITY MANAGER RECOMMENDATION
Approval of the contract would continue the City’s work on providing targeted Zero Waste Technical Assistance to commercial and multi-family sectors.
Respectfully submitted,
Liam Garland, Public Works Director
By,
Liz Acord, Public Works Coordinator
Financial Impact section reviewed,
Elena Adair, Finance Director
Exhibit:
1. Original Agreement
2. SCS First Amendment
cc: Eric Levitt, City Manager