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C&D
Recycling Project
For the past year, grading
and construction activities have been underway at the
construction and demolition (C&D) recycling facility. In
the next few weeks, the concrete pavement will be complete.
The recycling equipment is scheduled to be installed before
the end of April 2007. The final aspect of the project
involves installing the electrical system which is scheduled
to take place in May 2007.
Volume information
calculated from the December 2006 aerial survey indicates
that the old landfill will be at capacity within the next
few months. Based on C&D tonnage rates during the last
several years, the landfill was anticipated to have been
filled before now but the slowdown in residential
construction has resulted in a 35% to 40% reduction in C&D
waste deliveries during the past 12 months and preserved
landfill space until now.
Staff continues to work
toward the expansion of recycling markets. Until the
arriving C&D materials are sorted and weighed, it is
impossible to accurately determine the percentages of the
different waste streams. However, based on observation of
arriving trucks, significant quantities of wood, dirt,
cardboard, metal, drywall, asphalt shingles, carpeting, and
related materials should be expected. Staff is planning to
sort, separate and reuse/recycle whenever possible to remove
these items from the landfill.
Revenue from C&D waste this
fiscal year is projected at approximately $3 million dollars
from 65,000 tons. The County has both regulatory approval
and equipment capability to process up to 150,000 tons.
Since the delivered C&D waste stream has declined since the
tipping fee has been higher than $38 per ton, it is proposed
that a modest $1 per ton reduction in this fee be
established on July 1, 2007 to determine if this results in
increased tonnage. The new mixed C&D waste fee would be $45
per ton equal to the Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) disposal
fee.
Procurement of Retail Contractor
A Request for Proposals
(RFP) has been advertised requesting firms to process and
sell generated wood waste and other recovered materials from
the waste stream. This contractor would be located on 10
acres of land that should remain available for the next 30+
years. It is hoped that an innovative contractor will be
able to package and sell materials so that tipping fees can
be maintained or possibly lowered.
Leachate Management
In the current fiscal year,
the Corral Farm landfill has already generated, hauled and
treated more than four (4) million gallons of leachate at a
cost exceeding $300,000. Much of this quantity was
generated due to the opening of landfill Cell 2. Last year
before Cell 2 was operational, leachate generation was
approximately 2.5 million gallons at a cost of $150,000.
Another concern associated
with the current leachate management system is that a
significant portion of generated leachate is not treated
onsite, and the only facility available that will accept the
liquid is in Richmond. This makes the operation vulnerable
to service interruption as well as prohibitive expense.
To resolve the above
management issues, a leachate engineering firm was
contracted to complete a master plan to find an alternative
management option. The master plan work was recently
completed recommending construction of a “package plant”
that will treat the leachate onsite to a point that it can
be reused. In addition, storage capacity of both untreated
and treated leachate will be significantly expanded. The
goal is to permanently eliminate pumping and hauling. The
next steps in this effort are to resolve any regulatory
issues, acquire a permit and procure a firm to construct and
operate the system. The preliminary engineering estimate
for the capital work was less than $1,000,000 and operating
expense $25,000 per year allowing for a three-year payback
to the County.
Mining Feasibility Study
The old landfill is required
to be closed in 2008. Engineering estimates for closure
exceed $2,000,000. A study is underway to determine the
feasibility of minimizing closure activities, recovering the
soil and other recyclable C&D wastes to the extent possible,
and then to develop a modern landfill in its place. This
project has the potential of creating two (2) million cubic
yards of landfill space approximately equal to the currently
permitted waste area.
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