Susan Hamilton, Director of Recycling for East Baton Rouge Parish, with Harvey Gershman, GBB President.

The National Recycling Coalition (NRC) recently presented the Beth Brown Boettner Award for Outstanding Public Education to the East Baton Rouge Recycling Office. The prestigious award was presented to Susan Hamilton, Director of Recycling for East Baton Rouge Parish, LA, during NRC’s 26th Annual Congress & Expo, in Denver, CO. Each year, to recognize the best in recycling, the NRC presents awards to outstanding organizations and individuals in a number of categories. Winners are selected by a committee of NRC members. The Beth Brown Boettner Award, honoring a recycling program that shows innovation and leadership in public education, is named for an Austin, TX city employee who developed one of the first major city recycling programs in the nation. GBB is proud to be associated with Baton Rouge, having assisted the city with strategic planning and program implementation since 2004.

“Congratulations to the East Baton Rouge Recycling Office!” said Harvey Gershman, GBB President. “We have been fortunate to work closely with them over the past few years and are proud to be associated with this success story. From the get-go, Baton Rouge was dedicated to making things happen, increasing recycling, and lowering costs. They put in the necessary resources and efforts and turned their operation into a model other communities look up to.”

In July 2006, after several years of strategic planning and the subsequent procurement process for new comprehensive waste and recycling collection and processing services, the City of Baton Rouge / Parish of East Baton Rouge started implementing those services, including a new single-stream recycling program, with the goal of providing greater convenience to residents, collecting larger volumes of recyclable materials, and reducing solid waste management costs. As of August 2007, with 51,000 carts delivered, tonnage collected curbside has increased by over 30%.

“We attribute our success to in-depth strategic planning, effective networking with local leaders, and a creative grassroots public outreach effort,” noted Hamilton. “The new single-stream recycling program has saved landfill space as well as dollars: our new rate of $1.52/household/month saves over $1.00/hh/month compared to our former rate. GBB was instrumental in stepping Baton Rouge through the strategic planning and contract phases, and without their expertise, we would not have the progressive program we have today.”

The City of Baton Rouge / Parish of East Baton Rouge, located in the southeastern part of Louisiana along the Mississippi River, is the second largest city in the state and its capital. The City/Parish provides a broad array of solid waste management services to over 120,000 residences spanning 472 square miles.

Related Web Links:
>> Read Press Release
>> Featured Projects: Baton Rouge Implements State-of-the-Art Single Stream Recycling Program
>> Recycling Office of East Baton Rouge Parish

In early 2007, King County’s Council contracted with GBB to do an independent third-party review of its Solid Waste Transfer and Waste Export System Plan. King County manages the disposal of waste streams from the unincorporated areas of the County and for 37 suburban cities in the County, excluding the City of Seattle, through Interlocal Agreements. The County’s Cedar Hills Landfill is expected to close within the next ten years so the County has developed a long-term plan for waste disposal.

R.L. Banks & Associates (RLB) and MSW Consultants were GBB’s subcontractors on this assignment. During field visits, it became apparent that this once progressive infrastructure requires significant updating and/or total replacement at certain sites, that the long-range plan for recycling needs a local infrastructure to support it, that the life of the County’s landfill could be extended significantly, and that King County and the City of Seattle could work together to lower waste export costs.

GBB’s Harvey Gershman and RLB’s Charles Banks made two presentations to King County committees on these findings. These issues have and will continue to be critical in system planning. GBB is currently starting an independent review of insourcing recyclables collection services for the King County Council.

“We were very pleased with the work product provided by GBB through our Solid Waste Export Plan--Third Party Review,” said Mike Reed, Legislative Coordinator for King County's Council. “I think the King County audience generally felt that the work was thought-provoking and insightful, reflecting a deep understanding of the dynamics of the solid waste management field.”

This past summer, Fauquier County’s state-of-the-art construction and demolition (C&D) debris recycling facility passed acceptance tests, confirming that the contractor met its contractual obligations to design and install the system. The facility, located 45 miles southwest of Washington, DC, in this growing Virginia County, has a minimum capacity of 470 cubic yards per hour for mixed C&D waste. It will increase recycling, maximize landfill life, and help maintain an important revenue flow that generates more than 50% of the funds needed to provide the County’s overall solid waste management services.

“This is the second known publicly-owned and operated C&D recycling facility in the U.S., and we are excited and proud to have contributed in making this a success and a model for other similar facilities,” noted Bob Brickner, GBB Executive Vice President. “The County’s Environmental Services Department staff and Board of Supervisors have shown great vision that will pay off in the long run.”

GBB, acting as a specialized solid waste management subcontractor of Draper Aden Associates, was instrumental in the successful fast-tracked procurement and negotiation efforts, concluded in the summer of 2006, which resulted in a County investment of over $1.2 million for the purchase and installation of the C&D equipment for the new processing/recovery facility.

Related Web Links:
>> Featured Project: Fauquier County C&D Recycling Facility

“Seeing is believing,” and there is nothing like seeing solid waste management systems before sitting down to write a Solid Waste Management Integrated Plan. Viewing, and discussing the works of other communities is a tremendous educational opportunity to people who may only see a trash truck once a week outside of their home.

Maui Representatives climb an ash monofill after touring the Covanta Brooks Waste-to-Energy Facility in Marion County, OR.

GBB led a tour for 17 people from the County of Maui, Hawai’i, on an eight-day tour of West Coast solid waste facilities. The tour group was made up of citizens from the Solid Waste Resource and Advisory Committee (SWRAC), members of Maui County Mayor Charmaine Tavares’ administration, and staff members of the Hawai’i Department of Environmental Management.

The group landed in Portland, Oregon, and visited the Metro Regional District’s facilities. It then went to nearby Marion County to tour Covanta’s waste-to-energy facility and the County’s ash monofill.

The group then flew to San Francisco to visit the City contractor’s MRF, transfer station, education room, citizens’ drop-off facility, and C&D MRF. The group was fortunate to spend several hours talking with the City’s staff and listening to Robert Hailey’s zero waste program strategies. Next, the group went to UC Davis to discuss alternative disposal options and then to nearby Vacaville to see San Francisco’s food waste being composted.

Maui group in San Francisco discussing the zero waste goals and other programs with City officials.

Finally, the tour ended in beautiful Monterey, California at the Monterey Regional Waste District’s facility with its Last Chance Mercantile, C&D MRF, wood grinding operation, HHW facility, and a chance to talk with the managers who operate this public facility in a business style.

One week after the tour, the members of the SWRAC met with an expanded knowledge base from which to build on the solid waste management plan in development for the County of Maui.

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