Clean Sweep Programs - US Environmental Protection Agency

The Clean Sweep ReportFIGURE 19 Cost (per pound) of Clean Sweep Collections for Selected States54Cost per pound ($)32101990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000Virginia Utah MississippiMarylandProgram participants benefit by the removal of apotential financial liability. Citizens benefit by theremoval and disposal of potential pollutants fromtheir environment.In addition, there are significant cost savingsbased on comparing the cost of Clean Sweepprograms to the costs of each participant contractingfor disposal separately. Typical costs for removinghazardous wastes from private property include boththe costs of hiring a professional, properly-licensedfirm to characterize the products for disposal and thecosts to transport and dispose of the material.Costs for professional services are on the order ofone hundred to several hundred dollars per hour,depending on the number of professional staffassigned. Transport and disposal costs paid by theFlorida Department of Environmental Protection foremergency clean-up services run $2.15 per mile fortransport and $300 per 30-gallon overpack drum.The average amount of unwanted pesticides perparticipant in the Florida program was 630 pounds,Georgiawhich would translate to at least three 30-gallonoverpack drums. Assuming a trip of 50 miles to thetransfer/storage facility, the cost per participantwould be about $1,000, or at least $374,000 for the374 participants for transportation and disposal only,i.e., not including the costs for professional services.Assuming a minimum cost of $1,500 for professionalservices per participant, the cost for participatingbusinesses to dispose of their unwanted pesticidesincreases by $561,000 to a total of $935,000, ifthey had each contracted for disposal individually.In comparison, the cost to the state for the 374participants to participate in the December 2000 toFebruary 2001 Clean Sweep program was$270,033. In other words, environmentally sound,privately-arranged disposal would have cost anestimated 3.5 times more than the state paid,showing the benefits from the increased efficiency,economy of scale and single mobilization andprofessional services fee that are part of CleanSweep programs.59