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Winter 1998
In This Issue:
- BOP, DROP and SHOP: Planning
Success Story
- Flea Markets Are Great Outreach
Locations
- State Conservation Corps Helps
Local Programs
- Used Oil Planning Workshops
A Success
- Rural Activities: This Fair
Season
- Cool Corner
- CIWMB Grant Managers Are Here
to Help
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BOP, DROP and SHOP: Planning Success Story
BOP, Drop and Shop is the theme associated with
Santa Clara County's three new recycle-only facilities. Two years
in the making, Santa Clara's new facilities handle batteries,
oil and paint (BOP) and have met the expectations of its organizers
in the first six months of operation. County residents are able
to make an appointment to "drop" materials they want to dispose
of and "shop" for materials they need. Careful planning has been
the key to the development and implementation of this successful
project.
Planning and Needs
Assessment
County staff started with a basic needs assessment and five years
of data from mobile HHW events. After conducting nearly 70 mobile
events, surveying participants at the events, researching other
programs and successfully implementing California Integrated Waste
Management Board (CIWMB) grants, they determined that a permanent
facility would provide them with the infrastructure needed to
better handle and manage the long term disposal of Household Hazardous
Waste (HHW).
Sharon Dowell, Supervising Hazardous Materials
Specialist, recommends that other jurisdictions with temporary
drop off facilities consider three important questions when planning
recycle-only facilities:
<
- Do you think your recycle-only facilities will be expanded
to a permanent HHW facility? Is there room to expand to full
facility size? Is it architecturally possible?
- What are your service goals? What percent of the population
do you intend to reach?
- How much waste will you get if you reach your service goals?
The County selected two sites at solid waste
facilities, which are an extension of the existing services. The
third was sited at a City-owned corporation yard in San Jose,
its most densely populated area. County staff selected a 5% service
goal, 26,000 households, as their target service goal. They determined
how much waste they would receive by looking at numbers from previous
collection events and the numbers from other jurisdictions. Ultimately,
they estimated that they would receive two gallons of motor oil,
three gallons of latex paint, one gallon of antifreeze and one-half
car battery per car. The facility size coupled with the actual
amount of waste received, will determine the frequency of waste
pick-up.
Location
The County met two fundamental elements when selecting sites:
individual site characteristics and distance to the target audience.
County staff considered: ownership of the land, adjacent land
uses, zoning, geologic conditions (no faults), hydrologic conditions
(no wells), and the amount of work to prepare the site (including
grading and bringing power, septic, water to the site.) The site
location was selected to be convenient‹within 10 miles of
program participants. Surveys of previous event participants indicated
that 40% drove up to five miles, 25-30% drove six to ten miles,
15-20% drove 11-20 miles and 3% drove greater than 20 miles.
Partners
County staff developed a comprehensive project team that championed
the project. County staff involved key players including: the
planning department because of its involvement with land use permits,
public notices and hearings; the building department because of
its oversight of the plans; the fire department because of its
inspection requirements; the solid waste authority because of
its facilities and expertise; and the purchasing department because
of its contract expertise. Early involvement and education of
these team members about the importance of the project resulted
in a partnership where everyone was invested in the project's
success.
Timing
County staff still experienced unexpected project changes, hurdles
and new hoops to jump through. However, with their strong project
team, they benefited from expert advise on complex issues such
as zoning, CEQA, conditional use permits, streamlining the bidding
process and project construction and inspection management.
Implementation
Once the facilities were constructed, there were several techniques
County staff used to ensure their smooth operation. First, they
implemented an appointment system that minimized the amount of
time residents had to wait to drop off materials. The appointment
system is also a way to distribute and collect information from
event participants. Once a resident schedules an appointment,
they receive a confirmation packet, information on how to package
their materials, a map to the site and a survey. The appointment
system can also be used to ensure that the program does not exceed
the allocated budget.
Second, County staff implemented a reuse program.
The County is able to divert 500-800 pounds of waste per collection
and redistribute products at the BOPs. The County recently implemented
a colored dot system that allows it to track when items arrive.
Over time it will be able to modify what is acceptable for reuse
based on its turnover.
The planning, development and construction of
the Santa Clara County BOPs provide some interesting and valuable
insight to consider as you plan your construction project. One
of the key elements in this project's success was careful planning.
For more information on the County's project, call Sharon Dowell
at (408) 299-6930.
Adapted from a Sharon Dowell speech
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Flea Markets Are Great Outreach Locations
Interns can be brilliant. One intern at the
Oakland Recycling Association (ORA) came up with the idea of distributing
used oil collection containers and used oil recycling kits at
the weekly flea market. Two years and 20,000 kits later, the program
is still going strong. Staff attends flea markets nearly every
weekend during the summer, in addition to participating in local
festivals, fairs and neighborhood events. They are now recognized
by Oakland residents as the "oil people." Staff speak English,
Spanish and Chinese, and distribute a recycling kit consisting
of a four- language brochure, jugs, and a funnel. They also provide
information on neighboring jurisdictions' oil programs. For more
information, call Selene Jaramillo of ORA at (510) 444-2997 or
e-mail ORA at ora@igc.org.
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State Conservation Corps Helps Local Programs
The California Conservation Corps (CCC) has
helped hundreds of local governments implement their used oil
and HHW programs. The CCC is available for programs and projects
including: storm drain stenciling, community outreach, HHW event
assistance, and staffing booths at fairs and public outreach events.
Additionally, the CCC is now customizing programs specifically
for communities that involve ethnic outreach. They will also be
available to help administer measurement techniques to document
the amount of used oil collected in selected areas throughout
the state.
To date, the CCC has reached over 131,000 California
school students with the oil recycling message through an interactive
CIWMB approved presentation. The CCC employs young men and women
who deliver the high energy program to high school students, and
will personalize the presentation to include local issues and
recycling opportunities. The CCC crews have also worked hundreds
of hours assisting local grantees with HHW events and public outreach.
For more information or to set up a meeting with the CCC, call
Cecile Rollinson at (916) 341-3152.
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Used Oil Planning Workshops A Success
Over 140 people attended six Program Planning
Workshops run by the Local Government Commission in September
and October. The workshops provided program managers with tools
to devise successful used oil programs. They also provided an
excellent opportunity for the participants to network with other
used oil professionals and representatives from the CIWMB.
Most of the workshops featured guest speakers
who are used oil professionals or public relations specialists.
All participants received a draft program planning workbook and
planning forms. An amended version of the workbook will be ready
soon.
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Rural Activities: This Fair Season
Spring and Summer are the time for County fairs!
This year the Regional Council of Rural Counties (RCRC) Environmental
Services Joint Powers Authority (ESJPA) staff joined with rural
counties, California Integrated Waste Management Board (CIWMB)
and California Conservation Corps (CCC) staff to conduct public
outreach for used oil recycling and household hazardous waste.
They attended a phenomenal seven county fairs, two car shows,
seven HHW events, one beach cleanup, and one home and garden show.
The fairs attended thus far were in Colusa, Tuolumne, Lassen,
Amador, Del Norte, Plumas and Modoc Counties, and four more will
be attended by Summer's end in Trinity, Inyo, Lake and Mariposa
Counties. It's been a productive four months of outreach, with
thousands of 15-quart oil drain pans, oil funnels, ice scrapers,
recycled denim and money pencils, and informative oil and HHW
program brochures given away to appreciative rural county residents.
This summer also saw the beginning of a wonderful cooperative
relationship between the ESJPA, its member counties, and the CCC,
which has become an important integral part of these public outreach
campaigns.
Give-Aways
The main attraction this year has been the free oil drain pans,
which were acquired from GEO Plastics, who informed the ESJPA
that this year's batch reached an all-time high of 60% recycled
content. At every event where RCRC and the CCC distributed the
containers on-site, they were rapidly transferred to the public.
The mere sight of the containers in people's hands stimulated
others to visit the booth. While space is at a premium at most
fairs and the drain pans take a lot of space, RCRC concludes that
the increase in traffic and appreciation created by distributing
the containers on-site more than compensates for the additional
time and energy spent on logistics.
Partnering
CCC staff were invaluable with their seemingly endless supply
of energy and willingness to work. This year, RCRC staff was fortunate
to join forces with the CCC at all of the events, as well as with
the CIWMB and local staff at several of the events. This allowed
for normal workdays and enough people on hand to distribute material
and to talk with booth visitors. The CCC also brought their educational
display materials, providing an attractive and informative boost
to the display booths and prompting frequent questions and discussions
on various aspects of oil recycling processes and programs. The
CIWMB's presence provided added expertise on a range of recycling
and solid waste issues. A combined force of event staff from the
ESJPA, Counties, CIWMB and CCC staff, as well as local volunteers,
not only provides the numbers to keep the booth stocked with supplies
and the public filled with premiums and information, but also
allows for difficult questions to be answered satisfactorily.
This blending of staff has also stimulated considerable exchange
of ideas and knowledge that will help each organization with future
public outreach opportunities.
Contacts & Information
Exchange
Contacts with local business owners and community members was
a valuable benefit of fair outreach. At last year's Plumas County
Fair, ESJPA staff met Jeff Carroll, owner of Plumas Auto and Truck
Dismantlers. After talking with booth staff, Mr. Carroll decided
to opened Lassen County's third Certified Oil Recycling Center
and is now working to become Plumas County's first Certified Center.
Similar contacts were made in Modoc County, and at public outreach
events. Community members provided insight on making local programs
more effective. ESJPA staff learned about recycling center problems,
such as not paying the recycling incentive. ESJPA staff also received
suggestions which have been incorporated into program's plans,
such as the need for oil filter recycling and business hazardous
waste services in conjunction with HHW events. ESJPA staff also
received many suggestions for expanded collection services. Public
outreach is indeed a reciprocal activity. While the ESJPA plays
an vital role in educating the public about the importance of
used oil recycling and the proper handling of household hazardous
wastes, it has an equally important opportunity to pay attention
to what the public has to contribute to local programs. For more
information on rural outreach and these activities, call Cary
Bertoncini with RCRC's ESJPA at (916) 447-4806.
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to Top
Cool Corner
Five cool things currently happening
throughout the state:
Community College Curriculum -
Western Partnership for Education and Technology is working to
develop an environmental training program for auto repair instructors
covering: compliance, pollution prevention, re-refined oil, proper
management of fluids, and recycling.
Race Cars - Kern County Waste Management
Department races to promote re-refined oil. It recently shot a
television commercial at the race track were drivers were using
re-refined motor oil.
Four Wheel Drive - The 4-Wheel-Drive
Club Conservation and Education Foundation is designing, producing
and distributing materials specifically targeted to four-wheel
drive, off-highway vehicle users.
Cambodian Campaign - The Waste
Watch Center has undertaken an ambitious outreach campaign targeting
Cambodian-speaking DIYers.
Regional Media Buys - Major media buys have been coming together
throughout the state in the greater Los Angeles, San Francisco
Bay, and Monterey Bay areas.
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CIWMB Grant Managers Are Here to Help
CIWMB grant managers are great
resources for technical and administrative information on used
oil and HHW grants. Give them a call if you have questions about
your grant.
Brenda Saldana has joined CIWMB's
grant management team, working with grantees in Kern, Kings, Riverside,
San Luis Obispo, and Tulare Counties.
Keep an eye out for the Notices
of Funds Available for the Used Oil Opportunity Grant and the
Household Hazardous Waste Discretionary Grant‹to be mailed
mid- and late-September respectively. Grant manager's numbers
are:
Darlene Falconer, (916) 255-2657
Sally French, (916) 255-2344
Nora Keenan, (916) 255-4576
Debra Kustic, (916) 255-2136
Patricia McDermott, (916) 255-2586
Janet Page, (916) 255-2352
Brenda Saldana, (916) 255-2353
Anna Ward, (916) 255-2333
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1998: Winter | Spring
| Summer | Fall
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