INFRASTRUCTURE ELEMENT/SOLID WASTE SUB-ELEMENT

Transcription

1 I. INTRODUCTION A. Purpose The Solid Waste Sub-element addresses the existing facilities utilized by the City of Ocoee to properly transfer, process and dispose of its refuse generation. The current solid waste production is classified into the quantities and types of solid wastes. Future solid waste generation is projected for each classification of solid waste to the year Facilities required to properly accommodate the projected increase in solid waste generation during the planning period is identified. These facilities include transfer stations, processing plants and landfills. Finally, goals, objectives and policies to address the proper management of the solid wastes are included. B. Terms and Concepts The following terms and concepts are used in the Solid Waste Sub-element. HAZARDOUS WASTE is solid waste, or a combination of solid wastes, which, because of its quantity, concentration, or infectious characteristics, may cause or significantly contribute to an increase in mortality or an increase in serious irreversible illness or may pose a substantial present or potential hazard to human health or the environment when improperly transported, disposed of, stored, treated, or otherwise managed. RECYCLING is any process by which solid waste is collected, separated, or processed and reused or returned to use in the form of raw materials or products. SOLID WASTE includes sludge from a waste treatment works, water supply treatment plant, or air pollution control facility or garbage, rubbish, refuse, or other discarded materials, including solid, liquid, semisolid, or contained gaseous material resulting from domestic, industrial, commercial, mining, agricultural, or governmental operations. The following classifications of solid wastes indicate general characteristics of the materials and their sources of generation: RESIDENTIAL WASTE is a mixture of garbage and trash from household activities, including yard wastes, generated by the general population. COMMERCIAL WASTE is waste generated by commercial and institutional activities. They consist largely of combustible materials in the form of paper and food waste from offices, restaurants, retail establishments, schools, hospitals, motels, and churches. Physical characteristics of these wastes are similar to those of residential wastes. INDUSTRIAL WASTE includes waste generated by industrial processes and manufacturing operations, excluding hazardous wastes. These wastes also include general industrial housekeeping and support activity wastes

2 SPECIAL WASTE requires special handling, and includes abandoned automobiles, dead animals, oversized bulky wastes and wastes from construction projects. TRANSFER STATION is a facility for the temporary collection of solid waste from several small vehicles, transfer of the waste into a larger vehicle to transport to a processing plant or to a final disposal site. PROCESSING PLANT is a facility designed for the reduction of solid waste prior to its final disposal. The facilities include incineration, resource recovery or recycling facilities. LANDFILL refers to the final disposal site of solid wastes, and as it implies, involves burial of the wastes. Landfills are classified for regulatory purposes according to the characteristics of the wastes they are permitted to receive. This element will address only the type identified as a Class I landfill, which can receive the solid wastes typically generated in the City of Ocoee. CLASS I LANDFILL is one which receives 20 tons or more of refuse per day. These sites should receive an initial cover at the end of each working day in accordance with Florida Administrative Code Rule. Class II and III landfills receive less refuse per day. RESOURCE RECOVERY AND MANAGEMENT FACILITY is any solid waste disposal area, volume reduction facility or other for the purpose of resource recovery, disposal, recycling, and/or processing of solid wastes. C. Regulatory Framework The potential environmental impacts of solid waste facilities require extensive permitting at the Federal and State level. Impacts on air and water quality are reviewed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), and where dredging and filling might occur, by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE). The St. Johns River Water Management District (SJRWMD) also provides state level review for water quality and quantity impacts. Processing plants that generate electrical power and require tall emission stacks, require DEP and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) permitting. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) regulates the storage, collection, transportation, separation, processing, recycling and disposal of solid waste as authorized by Chapter62-701, Florida Administrative Code (FAC). Chapter , Florida Statutes (FS), was designed to implement the provisions of the Florida Resource Recovery and Management Act. This Act was amended in 1988 and now mandates a 30 percent reduction in the volume of landfill disposal. This Act also provides for developing and implementing programs for hazardous waste management. DEP also monitors impacts of solid waste facilities on air and water quality and is the permitting agency for construction and operation of solid 4.2-2

3 waste facilities. Chapters 17-3 and 17-4, FAC, provide the water quality standards the landfill must achieve. The required monitoring is to evaluate the movement and composition of the discharge plume. The Resource Recovery and Management Act stipulates that counties must reduce the quantity of specified wastes disposed in landfills. All used tires and white goods are restricted from landfill disposal after July 1, 1989 and January 1, 1990 respectively. Used tires are collected in a transfer facility in Winter Garden and are periodically transported to the Orange County landfill recycling facility for chipping and procession for various uses. White goods such as refrigerators and stoves are picked up by Orange County where they are stored until they can be stripped of usable parts before disposal. Furthermore, used oil and lead-acid batteries are restricted from landfill disposal after October 1, 1988 and January 1, 1989 respectively. The City of Ocoee receives used oil and periodically delivers it to recyclers. Lead-acid batteries are required to be returned by the owner to the place of purchase or taken to an Orange County hazardous waste disposal facility. The legislation also stipulates that yard trash is restricted from Class I landfill disposal after January 1, Provisions in the amendment require local governments to reduce their waste stream by 30 percent by December 31, No more than one-half of this reduction may be met with a reduction in yard trash, white goods, construction and demolition debris and tires. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection establishes, maintains, and promotes a cooperative state program of planning and technical assistance for resource recovery and management, and encourages and requires particular counties to participate. In addition, the department regulates the construction and operation of solid waste facilities. At the county level, the Orange County Utilities Department, Solid Waste Division, is responsible for planning and management of the solid waste facilities serving the County which include the City of Ocoee among others. This includes processing permit applications for new facilities and ensuring that existing facilities are operated in conformance with permit requirements and in compliance with water quality objectives. At the city level, the City of Ocoee operates the solid waste collection system for residential garbage and transports the waste to the transfer station. The City also contracts out other solid waste collection services. In September 2001, the City contracted with Superior/Onyx to collect all commercial and institutional accounts as well as yard waste

4 II. INVENTORY The City of Ocoee is currently disposing its solid waste in the Orange County landfill. Waste Management, Inc., owns and operates a Class III Landfill (Keene Road Landfill), which is being utilized by the City for yard waste and street sweepings. The landfill receives approximately 1,300 tons of trash per day. The Class III landfill is approximately 170 acres and is expected to be in operation through No known problems exist concerning the operation of the Keene Road landfill. No privately owned or operated landfills exist within the City of Ocoee. The Orange County landfill is a Class I landfill, located on Young Pine Road. Solid waste is collected and transported to the Porter Transfer Station prior to final disposal at the County landfill. The landfill is 5,000 acres in size and according to the Orange County Utilities Department; it will provide capacity up to the year Orange County operates the landfill, which serves the municipalities of Ocoee, Apopka, Orlando and Winter Garden, as well as franchise and private collection companies in unincorporated Orange County. The average solid waste generation by the City of Ocoee for the past 6 years has been reduced from 0.45 to 0.43 tons per capita per day, which meets Objective 2 in the Goals, Objectives, and Policies section of this Sub-element. Waste generation in the City is composed of 95 percent residential waste and 5 percent commercial waste. Orange County and Ocoee have adopted a level of service of 6.0 pounds per person per day. In the City, the actual residential waste produced is less than 3 pounds per person per day. Based on countywide population projections, Orange County has projected sufficient landfill capacity through the year Residential garbage solid waste and recycling collection service is provided by the City of Ocoee. Residential garbage is transported to the Porter Transfer Station on Good Homes Road, which is operated by Orange County. Recycling material is transported to the McCormick Road recycling facility, which is operated by Waste Management and Recycle America. Collection is bi-weekly for residential accounts. Street sweeping is provided by the City. Street sweepings are transported to the Keene Road semi-hazardous waste facility, which is operated by Waste Management. Commercial collection varies weekly. The City s solid waste program operates under Ordinance No The monthly sanitation charge is $16.00 for residential units and the rate varies for commercial dumpsters, based on cubic yards collected and frequency of pick-up. User fees provide revenue for collection services. The number of residential accounts is 8,146 and there are approximately 300 commercial accounts. Table 4 provides the City of Ocoee s residential refuse generation from 1996 to It includes the annual tonnage of refuse delivered to the landfill, the City population, and the per capita refuse generation rate

5 Table 4 Historical Residential Refuse Generation Year Tons Population Tons per Capita ,333 18, ,799 20, ,576 21, ,984 22, ,673 24, ,153 25, Source: City of Ocoee Public Works Department. The Orange County Environmental Protection Division monitors the occurrence and disposal of hazardous waste within the County. This division also assists the DEP in implementing applicable Federal and State legislation providing for the handling of hazardous waste. In accordance with Section , Florida Statutes, the Local Hazardous Waste Management Assessment Program for Orange County was completed in 1987 and published by DEP. This report provided the amount and types of hazardous waste generated in Orange County, and hazardous waste disposal methods. The City will continue to participate and cooperate with the assessment program. Since 95 percent of the solid waste generated in the City is from residential users, hazardous waste generation by the City is very low. In accordance with the Waste Quality Assurance Act of 1983 and Chapter , Florida Administrative Code, Orange County designated areas in which a hazardous waste temporary storage facility could be cited. The main purpose of this facility is to store consolidated shipments of hazardous waste until it may be loaded and taken to a permanent treatment, recycling or disposal site III. NEEDS ASSESSMENT Forecasts of waste generation and population changes during the next 20 years will be used as a basis for assessing the need for new disposal facilities and for other analyses to be performed as part of the plan. Table 5 represents future solid waste generation totals through the planning period, based on the average historical tons per capita. By applying the tons per capita multiplier (0.43) to the projected population totals through 2020, estimates of generation totals are provided. The projected area to be served is the City of Ocoee-Orange County Joint Planning Area

6 Table 5 Projected Refuse Collection, 2020 Year Population Tons/Capita Tons , , ,062* ,567 *Ocoee-Orange County Joint Planning Area population projection. Source: Ocoee City Planning Department. IV. CONCLUSION Based on data provided by the Orange County Utilities Department Solid Waste Division, the Orange County Landfill has experienced a tremendous increase in the amount of waste deposited since operations began. However, Orange County has purchased additional property to maintain capacity. The County landfill covers 5,000 acres and has a remaining expected service life of at least 30 years, according to Orange County officials. The City of Ocoee has an interlocal agreement with the County that insures future capacity to meet Ocoee s disposal needs. In addition, Ocoee operates recycling programs that assist in preserving resources and extending the life of landfills. The City of Ocoee has achieved its Objective 2 of reducing per capita generation of solid waste to 0.43 tons per capita per annum through recycling and intends to continue meeting this objective

7 V. GOALS, OBJECTIVES, AND POLICIES GOAL TO PROTECT THE PUBLIC HEALTH, SAFETY AND WELFARE BY INSURING THAT THE VOLUME OF SOLID WASTES, INCLUDING HAZARDOUS WASTE BE REDUCED AND PROPERLY MANAGED AND THAT A SAFE AND EFFICIENT SYSTEM PROVIDE ADEQUATE FACILITIES AND PROVIDE FOR GROWTH AND EXPANSION. Objective 1 The City shall coordinate with Orange County to ensure that development permits are issued only when there is adequate facility capacity available to serve the development. Policy 1.1 Policy 1.2 Policy 1.3 Policy 1.4 Objective 2 The level of service standard for solid waste shall be 6.0 pounds per capita daily. This is consistent to the LOS utilized by Orange County and includes both residential and non-residential. The development, expansion, replacement or modification of solid waste facilities shall be compatible with the City's level of service standards. The City shall fund solid waste services by means of user fees, program oriented State funds and Federal grants if available. The City shall maintain full service refuse disposal throughout the City in accordance with Ordinance Residential household garbage service and recycling is provided by City employees while commercial service and yard waste is provided by the City through a private contractor. The City shall maintain its per capita generation of solid waste at 0.43 tons per capita per annum. Policy 2.1 The City shall continue its recovery/recycling practices to reduce the volume of solid waste production

8 Policy 2.2 Policy 2.3 Policy 2.4 Objective 3 Policy 3.1 Policy 3.2 Policy 3.3 Objective 4 The City shall continue to coordinate with Orange County in the resource recovery plan that encourages residents to recycle glass, aluminum, steel cans, and newspaper waste products. The City shall require the private sector to participate in resource recovery systems to the maximum extent feasible. The City shall continue the review of alternatives to decrease refuse volume. The City shall monitor the generation and disposal of hazardous waste in the City to insure safe and environmentally sound management. The City shall continue to support hazardous waste management procedures and applicable ordinances of Orange County and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). The City shall support the Florida Department of Environmental Protection s (DEP) efforts to identify and improve the handling of hazardous waste in households by supporting programs such as Amnesty Days for collecting common household hazardous waste. The City shall cooperate with all state and federal authorities in the regulation and disposal of hazardous waste. The City shall continue to provide solid waste services in an efficient and effective manner. Policy 4.1 The City shall continue to properly operate the solid waste collection service

9 Policy 4.2 Policy 4.3 The City shall cooperate with the County to properly operate and maintain the landfill and transfer stations. The City shall monitor the present private franchise system for residential and commercial solid waste collection to ensure that the most efficient and costeffective service is being provided. O:\Comprehensive Plan\ EAR-based\Elements\Solid Waste Sub.DOC 4.2-9

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