GMA Environmental Sustainability

City of Rome Recycling Program

Rome-Floyd Solid Waste Commission

Solid Waste Commission Fund • Enterprise fund for all landfill

expenditures• Operation and post-closure of 2

municipal solid waste landfill sites

Solid Waste Management Fund• Enterprise fund for all waste

collection expenditures• Residential and Commercial

collection, yard waste collection and processing and Recycling collection

2008 Operating Budget

The 2008 Operating Budget for the City of Rome Solid Waste Department was $3.7 Million

$152,500 Equipment & Vehicle Maintenance and Repairs

$232,000 In Fuel

$1,200,000 Landfill Fees, Training, Insurance, Claims, Professional Services, Utilities

$2,300,000 Payroll, Temp Services, Work Comp., Health Insurance, Retirement, Overtime Pay

56 Authorized Positions 49 filled currently, 14 – 16 inmates utilized daily

2008 Collections

Tons Collected 2008

• Residential Garbage    8,831  tons• Commercial Garbage

– Front Load 576 tons– Rear load 5,128 tons

• Brush                        6,967  tons• Recycling 959   tons

• Residential Curbside Collection – Household Garbage– Recycling – Large Limbs, Bulk Debris, and Leaves– Yard Carts

Department Functions

• Commercial Collection– Commercial Garbage

•Rear Load•Front Load

– Recycling

• Miscellaneous – Maintenance City /County Mulch

Yard– Special Events– Dead Animals– Assist other Departments– Code Enforcement / Compliance

Residential Garbage

• 18 full time employees • 4 part time • Includes bulk items• No inmates

Commercial Garbage

• 2 ¼ full time employees • Includes front loaders

and rear load cart trucks• Excess capacity to grow

routes

Emergency Services

After Hours On-Call Services

Fallen TreesRemoval of Roadway obstructions

Storm Damage

Removal & Disposal of fallen TreesRemoval Debris Assist Emergency Service Agencies

Brush and Yard Waste

• 18 full time employees • 4 part time • 8-10 inmates • Includes grabbers and

cart trucks

Yard Carts

The Bio-Mass Opportunity

• Collection averages 600-900 Tons/month

• 2007: cost to dispose of yard waste was at $200,000 / year

• Disposal included tub grinder and material being hauled to a power plant in Alabama

One Man’s Trash…

• Currently our cost to dispose has been reduced to $40,000 / year

• Mid 2008, we developed a partnership with Inland Container, which uses our yard waste product as a fuel to heat their boiler

Special Events Event Setup & Support

Community Clean-up

Neighborhood Focus

• NEIGHBORHOOD FOCUS is a highly visible, concentrated beautification effort which takes place in Rome's landmark neighborhoods throughout the year. 

• NEIGHBORHOOD FOCUS centers on enforcement, education, community improvement and beautification projects utilizing the input and participation of area residents, businesses and civic groups.

• Many recycling bins are distributed

• Long-Term Goal: While cleaning the streets may offer only a temporary improvement, the long-term goal of Neighborhood Focus is to raise awareness and empower residential neighborhoods to make the community cleaner.  Our elected officials have joined the effort by advocating the focused use of government services for this event. 

Recycling

• "ReRe" Cycle our Mascot• "ReRe" concept was born as an Eagle

Scout project and has been hugely successful

• The mission statement of the recycling program has always been to reduce material from entering our landfill and to educate the public about the positive environmental impacts of recycling.

Curbside Recycling

Curbside Recycling

• 5 full time employees • 4 part time • 8-10 inmates

• The City of Rome provides curbside recycling service and operates on a 4-day per week collection schedule - Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday. 

• All waste (garbage, recycling, yard waste and trash) is collected on the same day, between the hours of 7:00 AM - 5PM.

• We ask that all items be placed at the curbside by 7:00AM on the scheduled collection day.

• The City of Rome provides each household with an 18 gallon recycling bin.

• Unacceptable material is left in the recycling bin.

• #1 & #2 Plastic bottles and jars -   Soda bottles, milk jugs, detergent containers, etc. 

• Aluminum & Steel Cans -   Aluminum & Steel food and beverage cans.

• Newspaper & Magazines -    Wet paper is not acceptable. If it's raining, we ask that paper products be held until the next recycling day.

• Paperboard -   Includes cereal boxes, gift boxes, shoe boxes and clean TV dinner boxes, but no milk or juice cartons are acceptable. 

• Junk Mail -   Must be securely tied in a plastic bag separate from other recyclable items. Wet junk mail is not acceptable

• Acceptable Glass -   All colors of food and beverage containers.

• Unacceptable Glass - Mirrors, ceramic, clay, light bulbs, window glass and heat resistant materials.

• Corrugated Cardboard -   Wet cardboard is acceptable. We ask that boxes are flattened so we can get more cardboard into each truck..  Paperboard can also be placed with corrugated boxes.

Unacceptable Items• Eviction Waste • Tires • Hazardous Waste & Chemicals • Refrigerators & Air Conditioners • Stumps, Rocks, Dirt • Burned Materials

Floyd County Remote Sites

• Berry Hill • Cave Spring • Hatfield• Midway Park • Potts • Shannon• Walker Mountain Landfill • Recycling Center - Watters Street

Hazardous Waste

Household Hazardous Waste Day• Antifreeze, Motor Oil, Kerosene, Gasoline,

Transmission Fluid, Degreasers, Brake Fluid, etc

• Car / Household Batteries• Pesticides / Weed Killers• Poisons / Insecticides• Paints, stains, adhesives, etc

ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS FROM 2008 TONNAGE

RECYCLED

• Greenhouse emission reductions equivalent to removing 2,560 cars from road per year

• Saved enough energy to supply energy needs of 1,452 houses per year

• Reduced other Air Emissions by 5,411 tons• Reduced Waterborne Wastes by 20.1 tons• These numbers DO NOT include the impacts of the

240,000 lbs of HHW collected

Source: National Recycling Coalition Environmental Benefits

Calculator

Rome-Floyd Recycling Center

Rome-Floyd Recycle Center is managed by Floyd County

• Staffed by 7 employees in addition to inmates

• 24-7 Drop off location for recyclables

Commercial Recycling

• The Recycling Center has a Commercial Pick Up Route for businesses and industries in Rome and Floyd County.  This service is FREE.  The route picks up Office Paper and Corrugated boxes on either a regularly scheduled or call in basis.

CURRENT FACILITY

• In operation since 1993

• Building is over 100 years old

• Building and site have been modified and are still not designed for efficient material handling of the large volumes being processed

405 Watters Street

IN SPITE OF THESE

OBSTACLES…• The Rome/Floyd Recycling Center has

been called the “flagship of recycling programs” by the Georgia Department of Community Affairs

• It has received State and National honors for its progressive and proactive programs

• It has shipped 83,000 tons of recyclables to market during the last 16 years that would have taken up 4.3 million cubic yards of landfill space

SOME IMPORTANT

2008 TOTALS• The Rome/Floyd Recycling Center shipped out over 8.8

million pounds of recyclables• Removed about 240,000 pounds of hazardous material

from our environment – with 5 HHW collection days• Received over 12,000 appliances (average of 100 per

month) * Freon units included• Shredded almost 100,000 pounds of confidential

documents• Kept over 33,000 cubic yards of “stuff” out of the

landfill • Earned almost $ 651,000 in revenues from sales of

recyclables

An average of 100 vehicles per day drop off recyclables

at the Recycling Center

Current Curb Sorting Recycling

WHO BRINGS WHAT?*Totals are based on weights

• TO THE FRONT– The general public brings

approximately 28% of all materials shipped either during or after hours

• TO THE BACK– Curbside brings approximately 21%– Remote sites bring approximately 23%– Pick up route brings approximately 41%

Corrugated dumped outside on lot near baler - news, mixed paper, office into bays near baler

Plastics – in bays across back of lot - #1s and #2s mixed together

Curbside, Remotes and Route materials are received both

source separated and commingled

PLASTICS GO ONTO SORT LINE

Plastics transported into building and loaded onto sort line – 160’ round trip

60’ sort line with 2 cubic yard hoppers underneath for sorted materials

CLEAN SORTED PLASTIC WAITS FOR BALING IN

OUTSIDE BAYS

Full hoppers of sorted plastic removed by forklift from under sort line

Sorted plastic held in bays waiting for baling – 160’ round trip also

ALUMINUM/STEEL CANS RECEIVED COMINGLED

FROM CURBSIDE AND REMOTES

First sent through magnetic separator

Aluminum cans baled in upright baler – steel cans sent to market loose

BALER LOCATED IN BACK OF MAIN BUILDING

Access to baler through one of 4 bay doors – 15’ wide – paper cleaning done from sides of conveyor

Bales exit from baler into path of sort line loading

BUILDING WAREHOUSE

Warehouse stores bales of aluminum cans, polystyrene, plastic bags, as well as hard back books, electronics, equipment parts, boxes, pallets, HHW supplies, etc.

Pilot Cart Recycling

Staging and Assembly Process(96 gal containers set at 306 homes)

Pilot Results

Enforcement was more manageable.

Easy to identify and easy to fix.

Ease of collection.

Speed of collection (route was completed one third quicker).

Reduced lost man-hours /no injuries in the pilot area.

Appearance – area had a neater and more well kept appearance.

No wind blown carts and fowl, animal, and rodent proof

Slight increase in recycling participation.

(11 pounds per house 11.4 pounds per house).

Recycling carts were easier to bring to the curb.

Positive feedback on the servicing of carts.

Recycling for Profit

• Solid Waste fund has subsidized the recycling center for the past ten years at approximately $100,000/year which has eliminated the need for tax dollar support.

• Many recycle programs are co-mingled or migrating that way.

• Always look for partnerships.

•Questions?

Sammy RichAssistant City Manager706-236-4400srich@romega.us