HomeMy WebLinkAboutDiversion Rates from Landfilli
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CITY OF PALM DESER i �
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MEMORANDUM `+
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DATE: OCTOBER 8, 1998 b
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TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL g I I'll
FROM: LISA CONSTANDE, ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION MANAGER •j
RE: INFORMATION ITEM
APPROVED DIVERSION RATES FROM LANDFILL
Assembly Bill 939 required each California city reduce landfill use by 25 percent as of 1995 and 50
percent by 2000. State law also requires each jurisdiction report annually their progress toward
meeting this goal for review and approval by the California Integrated Waste Management Board
(CIWMB).
The City of Palm Desert submitted its annual reports for 1995 and 1996 to the CIWMB for review.
On September 23, 1998, the CIWMB approved both reports and issued a press release (attached for
your convenience) announcing Palm Desert's diversion rate for each year:
1995 diversion rate from landfill: 57%
1996 diversion rate from landfill: 56%
Currently, staff is preparing the annual report for 1997. Unofficially, the rate staff will report
for 1997 is 56 percent. The diversion rate will be official when the CIWMB approves the
1997 annual report.
Respectfully submitted, Reviewed and concur,
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LISA V. CONSTANDE, MANAGER ON A. DIAZ
ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION CITY MANAGER
b - 4=1998 12:22 P.01
California ' n v i r o n m e n t a l Prot " t i o n Agency
i' NEW S RELEASE
... _ Integra •ted Waste Management Board
Attn: Environment Editor
For-Immediate-Release - Contact: John Frith
September 23, 1998 Eric Lamoureux
98-101 (916)255-2296
opa@ciwmb.ca.gov
STATE ANNOUNCES RIVERSIDE COUNTY CITIES
EXCEEDED GARBAGE-CUTTING MANDATE
l' SANTA BARBARA—The California Integrated Waste Management Board—the state's
primary recycling agency—announced today that Cathedral City, Hemet, and Palm Desert exceeded the
state requirement to reduce the amount of garbage in landfills by 25 percent, and have helped the state
keep 100 million tons of waste out of landfills since 1990.
The Waste Board today formally determined the cities' 1995 and 1996 recycling rates. All of the
cities exceeded the goal of keeping 25 percent of waste out of landfills in 1995. The Board also
determined that the year-2000 goal of cutting trash in landfills by 50 percent has already been exceeded
by Palm Desert. (See page two for list of each jurisdictions' 1995 and 1996 recycling rates.)
These three cities join 15 other Riverside County cities that have had their 1995 and 1996
recycling rates approved by the Board this year.
"Cathedral City, Hemet, and Palm Desert are to be commended for leading the State's push to
recycle 50 percent of our waste by the year 2000,"said Waste Board Chairman Daniel G. Pennington.
"Through their comprehensive recycling efforts, these local governments have helped California keep 100
million tons of waste out of landfills since 1990 and lead the nation in total recycling." On average,
Californians are keeping 32 percent of solid waste out of landfills, but a sustained and much more
committed effort is needed in order to reach the ambitious 50 percent goal set for 2000.
The 1995 and 2000 waste diversion requirements were established in 1989 with the passage of
the Integrated Waste Management Act. Cities and counties are required to implement recycling
programs to meet these requirements. Since the Act was implemented in 1990, state residents have
recycled at an average rate of 1 ton every three seconds, equaling the 100 million tons of waste kept out
of landfills—enough to fill 84 pyramids the size of the Great Pyramid at Giza.
Today's announcement came as part of a Board Biennial Review of jurisdictions' implementation
of recycling and other waste diversion programs and their recycling rates. Since May, when the reviews
began, the Board has determined the 1995 and 1996 diversion rates for 158 cities and counties. Of
those, 37 have already met or surpassed the 50 percent recycling mark for 2000. The Board expects to
complete the reviews of nearly all 531 cities and counties statewide by early 1999.
The Waste Board is required to conduct its review every two years as an evaluation of a
jurisdiction's progress in implementing programs it had previously outlined to the Board. Because the
annual recycling figures do not have to be reported until August of the following year, the Board's staff
was unable to begin examining the combined 1995 and 1996 data until last fall.
Once the Biennial Review is complete, the Board either finds the city or county in compliance, or
puts it on a compliance schedule to assist it in meeting the goal. Failure to meet the compliance schedule
can mean the city or county could face fines of up to$10,000 per day,
(more)
TOTAL P.01
SLY-24-1yy3 12:2b P.01
•
Riverside County Recycling
2-2-2-2-2
Many of the communities lauded today have found that a combination of waste prevention,
recycling, and composting programs are the most effective means of reducing the amount of garbage
going to landfills. Some of the diversion programs include purchasing recycled-content products; drop-off
and buy-back centers and curbside programs for recyclables collection; and regional composting
programs and community education events on how to compost yard wastes.
In addition, many cities and counties have implemented waste reduction programs in the schools,
as well as provided teaching materials and curricula to K— 12 teachers. Waste audits for businesses,
and brochures-public service announcements, and newsletters have also become popular methods of
educating residents about waste reduction techniques and the importance of conserving landfill space
and natural resources.
The six-member Integrated Waste Management Board is responsible for protecting the public's
health and safety and the environment through management of the 52 million tons of solid waste
generated in California each year. The Board's mandate is to work in partnership with local government,
industry, and the public to achieve a 50 percent reduction in waste disposed by the year 2000, while
ensuring environmentally safe landfill disposal capacity. Currently, California's diversion rate is at an all-
time high of 32 percent, exceeding the national average.
The Waste Board is one of six boards and departments within the California Environmental
Protection Agency (CatEPA).
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Visit the Waste Board on the Internet at www.ciwmb.ca.00v
Jurisdiction 1995 Diversion Percentage 1996 Diversion Percentage
Cathedral City 32 34
Hornet 36 _ 32 _
Palm Desert 57 56
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TOTAL P.01