RE: [GreenYes] Landfill Tipping Fees

["Brennan, Terry" <tbrennan@ciwmb.ca.gov>]

Working for an agency that has grappled with measurement for many years, I'd like to add my 2 cents.

 

We have estimated statewide that commercial waste (which may be defined differently in different states) made up over 50% of disposal in 1999, but this varies greatly from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, and will undoubtedly vary from state to state depending on economy and population.

 

When we started trying to measure diversion and disposal in 1990, many landfills didn't have scales, so estimates were made based on volume and conversion factors, which is problematic.  Volume to weight conversion factors for MSW don't always work well (is it that 40 yard container full of feathers or concrete?).  I would think that many facilities across the US still don't have scales, and would have to rely on conversions.

 

Comparing different states' rates is further complicated by:

different measurement methods - purchasing, disposal, generation through waste sorts, diversion, recycling, etc;

different definitions - what is considered "hazardous," "industrial," "C&D," "MSW," "commercial," "self-haul," "special wastes," etc.; and

different regulation - how are these categories must be disposed).

 

I've seen college students use State of CA data down to the umpteenth decimal point.  While it is as good as we can get it, in general, I would say the more sources you are drawing data from, the fuzzier the numbers can get.  We try to use a + or - X% to qualify our numbers, and to supply definitions of terms as we use them.  Because of the issues listed above (and perhaps many more) I can see why US EPA might choose to look at purchasing rather than disposal and diversion.  Nonetheless, they most likely only give you a ball park idea of disposal or generation.

 

That said, here's a page from our waste characterization database with overview tables for CA 1999 disposal data http://www.ciwmb.ca.gov/WasteChar/Study1999/default.htm#Tables , one from our  disposal reporting system with landfill tonnage http://www.ciwmb.ca.gov/Landfills/Tonnage/, one with tipping fee info http://www.ciwmb.ca.gov/Landfills/TipFees/TFSums.htm, and another helpful site with a variety of disposal and diversion info http://www.ciwmb.ca.gov/LGCentral/Rates/.

 

Terry S. Brennan
Integrated Waste Management Specialist
California Integrated Waste Management Board
phone (916) 341-6578
fax (916) 319-7474
e-mail tbrennan@ciwmb.ca.gov

-----Original Message-----  
From: Michele Raymond [mailto:michele@raymond.com]
Sent: Wednesday, April 10, 2002 12:12 PM
To: Justin Stockdale; Helen Spiegelman
Cc: GreenYes
Subject: Re: [GreenYes] Landfill Tipping Fees

You know, the EPA figures are not based on waste sorts --

they are based on estimates of what US manufacturers MADE

then what we consumed --  not what states actually REPORT

They do not include MUCH commercial, sludge, small industrial, etc. stuff that goes into MSW landfills.

I'd say the 4.4 pounds is WAY TOO LOW

FYI

Michele

At 10:35 AM 4/10/02 -0600, Justin Stockdale wrote:

I can't give any clues to what is happening in VA, but it is good to know, or at least suspect that New Mexico is not the only state posting numbers over 8 pounds per person per day.
Justin Stockdale

Helen Spiegelman wrote:

 At 11:27 AM 04/10/2002 -0400, Terri quoted:
21,796,507 tons of solid waste
were received at Virginia's permitted solid waste management facilities
during calendar year 2000.  Of this total, 17,324,961 tons originated in the
Commonwealth,

VA's population in 2000 was 7,078,515, working out to a waste generation rate of 2.45 tons per capita, or 13.4 pounds per day. According to the report 2/3 of this was MSW, amounting to 8.85 pounds per day. Compare this to the national average percapita generation of municipal solid waste in 1997 reported by EPA (Characterization update) of 4.44 pounds per person per day. Please check my numbers. If they're right, does anyone have any ideas about this?

Helen.
 
 
 
 

Michele Raymond
Publisher
Recycling Laws International/ State Recycling Laws Update
5111 Berwyn Rd. Ste 115 College Park, MD 20740)
301/345-4237   Fax 345-4768
http://www.raymond.com