Title
Vote to approve a grant application for NC Department of Environmental Quality Community Waste Reduction and Recycling Grant to add mixed recycling compactors to two collection centers
Abstract
Introduction & Background: Solid Waste & Recycling is planning to install two stationary compactors for mixed recycling at two of our collection centers, Martha's Chapel and Cole Park. Adding these compactors will make our program more efficient by reducing the number of hauls we currently make. Martha's Chapel currently uses two a-frame containers to collect mixed recycling. A compactor can hold the equivalent of six a-frames, greatly reducing the number of hauls required to service the same area. Martha's Chapel is our fifth most visited center yet collects the fourth highest amount of mixed recycling.
Discussion & Analysis: The four busiest centers already have mixed recycling compactors, including Cole Park, our busiest center. The compactor at Cole Park recently went down for about a month and we had to haul extra a-frames from that center. A-frames were filling up within an hour or two and we do not have the staff to handle that many hauls. While residents were offered to come back when a container was available or go to a different center, many chose to throw away their recyclables. Adding another compactor will eliminate this issue from occurring in the future.
The objectives are to reduce the number of hauls and improve access for residents. Our drivers are currently pulling about 12 a-frame containers per month from the Martha's Chapel Collection Center. Since their recycling tonnage is similar to the Siler City Collection Center, we estimate the compactor would be pulled at the same frequency- twice per month and one a-frame per month. That would be a total of 36 hauls per year, compared to the current number of 151. Martha's Chapel is located about the same distance from the office as Sonoco, where the County's mixed recycling is taken to be sorted, ...
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