Recycling and Waste Minimization Case Studies - Houston ...

Section 3
processor does not currently provide the city with reports detailing the quantities and
types of materials diverted on a regular basis.
3.2.2.4 Annual Program Costs and Revenues
The City of Lake Jackson was unable to provide the Project Team with an accounting
of their annual costs for operation of the multi-family on-site recycling program.
Therefore, we are only able to look at program revenues as a part of this case study at
this time.
A portion of the cost of providing recycling services is passed on to multi-family
residents through a $1.00 per unit per month charge included in the utility bills of all
property managers specifically for provision of recycling services. This is in addition
to the $13.25 monthly solid waste services charge for all other solid waste services
also assessed on a per unit basis in the monthly utility bill. With approximately 2,650
multi-family households served, the monthly charge generates around $2,650 in
recycling program revenues each month or $31,800 annually. All billing for solid
waste services, including curbside recycling, is done by the city’s utility billing
department.
While the multi-family recycling program does not generate any revenues for the city,
as with the single-family curbside program, city staff emphasized that the major focus
of the program is landfill avoidance. The city realizes savings in the form of disposal
cost avoidance from the diversion of recyclable materials. Assuming a tipping fee of
$24 per ton, the city would have avoided a total of $24,408 in disposal costs for all
materials recovered through a combination of the single-family curbside program,
multi-family on-site program and school recycling program during 2006. These cost
savings, along with the monthly recycling fee assessed to all residents, act as the
primary offsets to the cost associated with collection, transport and administration of
Lake Jackson’s multi-family recycling program.
The City of Lake Jackson has also received support for the multi-family recycling
program through solid waste management grant funding provided by the Texas
Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) through the Houston-Galveston Area
Council (H-GAC). In 1994, the city was awarded $9,600 in solid waste grant funding
to assist with start-up efforts associated with the city’s multi-family recycling
program.
3.2.3 Curbside Brush and Yard Waste Collection
3.2.3.1 Program Description
Lake Jackson has also provided twice monthly curbside brush and yard waste
collection to single-family residences within the city since 1992. All brush and yard
waste (including grass, leaves and brush) are collected by city crews using 20-cubic
yard open-top tucks. Other large trash items such as bulky and white goods are also
picked-up by the city on the same day of collection. The city runs two trucks, one for
collection of brush and metal recyclables, and another for collection of non-recyclable
materials. There is a per household limit on the amount of material (including brush)
3-6 R. W. Beck 2/29/08