HomeMy WebLinkAbout2002-03-26 - AGENDA REPORTS - HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE GRAN (2)CITY OF SANTA CLARITA
AGENDA REPORT
CONSENT CALENDAR City Manager Approval:
Item to be presented by: Beniamin Lucha
DATE: March 26, 2002
SUBJECT: RESOLUTION FOR THE CALIFORNIA INTEGRATED WASTE
MANAGEMENT BOARD HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE
GRANT
DEPARTMENT: Planning and Building Services
RECOMMENDED ACTION
City Council adopt a Resolution for the California Integrated Waste Management Board
Household Hazardous Waste Grant in the amount of $48,000 for the collection and
recycling of waste electronic equipment.
BACKGROUND
The City seeks to apply for a grant to decrease the amount of household hazardous waste
(HHW) disposed of at solid waste landfills from the California Integrated Waste
Management Board. In an effort to address an emerging problem due to the lack of an
electronic equipment waste -recycling program, the City proposes using the grant funds to
provide for the collection of electronic equipment waste, which is known as e -waste.
E -waste has been an issue of growing concern in the past year. E -waste may contain a
large assortment of hazardous materials such as lead, mercury, cadmium, chromium, and
other hazardous materials. There are very little recycling options for e -waste, while
technology trends have shortened the lifespan of the equipment. For example, according to
a report from the Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition, in 1997 the average lifespan of a computer
tower was 4-6 years and for computer monitors 6-7 years, yet by the year 2005 it is
anticipated that the lifespan of both will go down to two years. The problem was
augmented in August of 2001 when the Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC)
placed cathode ray tubes (CRTs), which are picture tubes used in televisions and computer
monitors, under Universal Waste Regulations. These regulations caused CRTs to be
categorized as a hazardous waste, thus making the transportation, recycling, and disposal
of the materials more difficult and more expensive. The new regulations created liability
issues that made it difficult to find an a -waste recycler. Additionally, the problem received
more negative attention when several environmental groups released a report on the
damage exported a -waste has caused to the health of a -waste recycling workers in Asia.
City staff has been unsuccessful in developing an inexpensive way to recycle a -waste since
no local collector or hauler currently collects the materials. On average, staff receives 20 to
d[� 6 2 -4 i Agenda Item •
25 calls per week from frustrated residents who are trying to dispose of their e -waste.
Although staff does provide information on where the residents can take their materials for
recycling, due to the distance and inconvenience of their options, staff fears that many
residents may resort to illegal disposal methods for the materials.
To address the a -waste issue, staff will request $48,000 in grant funds for a door-to-door e -
waste collection program. With the grant funds, the City will amend its current service
agreement with its HHW hauler, Curbside, Inc., to include the collection and recycling of e -
waste. Curbside will follow the same procedures it currently implements with the City's
door-to-door HHW collection program for the collection of a -waste in order to provide a safe
and convenient recycling option for e -waste. The anticipated cost for a household door-to-
door collection of a -waste will be $30 per stop, plus a disposal charge that will vary
depending on the materials collected. Additionally, Curbside proposes to waive the $30 per
stop fee for the collection of the a -waste if the resident has also requested a collection of
HHW at the same time.
Although the grant does not require matching funds, to make the application more
competitive, the City will provide advertising for the program. The City will advertise the
e -waste collection program while advertising the City's current HHW program using the
existing HHW outreach and advertisement budget.
ALTERNATIVE ACTIONS
1. Other action as determined by the Council.
FISCAL IMPACT
The grant application requests an amount of $48,000, and does not require matching funds.
Administration of the grant will not exceed the base budget funds. Funds will be
appropriated if grant is awarded in the future.
ATTACHMENTS
Resolution
JAF:HLM:BAL:sm
S:\PBS\ENVSRVCS\SOLWAST2\COUNCIL\2002\HHW Grant Agenda.doe