CC SR 20200616 02 - LA County Sanitation Districts Recycling Presentation
CITY COUNCIL MEETING DATE: 06/16/2020
AGENDA REPORT AGENDA HEADING: Regular Business
AGENDA TITLE:
Consideration and possible action to receive and file a recycling presentation by the Los
Angeles County Sanitation Districts.
RECOMMENDED COUNCIL ACTION:
(1) Receive and file a recycling presentation by the Los Angeles County Sanitation
Districts.
FISCAL IMPACT: None
Amount Budgeted: N/A
Additional Appropriation: N/A
Account Number(s): N/A
ORIGINATED BY: Lauren Ramezani, Senior Administrative Analyst
REVIEWED BY: Elias Sassoon, P.E., Director of Public Works
APPROVED BY: Ara Mihranian, AICP, City Manager
ATTACHED SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS:
A. State of Recycling PowerPoint Presentation by the Los Angeles County
Sanitation District (page A-1)
BACKGROUND AND DISCUSSION:
The Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts (Sanitation Districts) serves an area
covering approximately 850 square miles and encompassing 78 cities and
unincorporated areas in the county, serving about 5.6 million people. In the 1950s, the
Sanitation Districts were responsible for solid waste management (excluding trash
pickup). The agency’s solid waste management system currently provides about one-
fourth of the countywide solid waste disposal services through two sanitary landfills,
three materials recovery/transfer facilities, and a refuse -to-energy facility. The Sanitation
Districts also have two facilities that convert landfill gas into renewable energy. The
Sanitation Districts also conducts the Household Hazardous Waste and Electronic
Waste Collection Program, including the free annual roundup held in the City of Rancho
Palos Verdes.
1
The primary function of the Sanitation Districts is solid waste management, including the
transmission and processing of waste water. The agency is focused on converting
waste into resources, such as recycled water, energy, and recycled materials. The
agency consists of 24 independent special districts governed by a Board of Directors
consisting of the mayors of each city within the districts and the Chair of the County
Board of Supervisors for unincorporated county territory. Mayor Cruikshank is the City’s
delegate and Councilman Bradley is the City’s alternate delegate.
At the May 5, 2020 City Council meeting, Mayor Cruikshank requested a recycling
presentation from the Los Angeles County Sanitation District to understand how
recycled waste is processed. In response, Robert Asgian, Department Head of the Solid
Waste Management Department for the Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts,
confirmed his participation at tonight’s meeting to discuss the “State of Recycling”
amidst the recent China ban and COVID-19. Specifically, the presentation will
encompass the way recycling material is brought to the Sanitation Districts’ facilities for
processing, as well as the impacts to local recycling from import bans and other
restrictions on recyclables that have been implemented by China and other
countries. These bans have significantly changed what can be recycled, the amount
that is recycled and the cost of recycling. Mr. Asgian will discuss how the Sanitation
Districts and others are responding to these changing requirements and its impacts on
local jurisdictions.
.
2
State of Recycling:
China Ban & COVID-19
Robert Asgian
rasgian@lacsd.org
June 2020
A-1
Districts’ Solid Waste Facilities
2A-2
Districts’ MRFs
Puente Hills Materials
Recovery Facility
Downey Area
Recycling and
Transfer Facility
(DART)
A-3
What happens to your recyclables?
Landfill
Materials Recovery Facility (MRF)
Recycle Markets
MRF
A-4
Where Does Recycling Really
Happen?
Recycling
vs
Separation
5A-5
6
Pacific Rim Trade Imbalance
A-6
Access to Export Markets
7A-7
8
U.S. PAPER & PLASTIC
EXPORTS 2016
China
79%
Others
21%
17.6 million tons
A-8
Recycling business model broken?
Public education –what is and is not
recyclable.
9
2013
CSD paid hauler
$60.48 per ton
2018
Hauler paid CSD
$13.60 per ton
Contamination in Recyclables
A-9
Contamination in Recyclables
10A-10
PREVIOUS ACTIONS BY CHINA
2013: China launches
Green Fence to stop
poor quality recyclables
from entering country.
2015: Crack down
on imports
and importer
practices.
11A-11
2017 –NATIONAL SWORD
Goals of the National Sword (AKA
“China Ban”)
–Reduce pollution in China by reducing
importation of contaminated recyclables
–Improve domestic recycling
12A-12
2017 –NATIONAL SWORD
Feb. 2017 –National Sword announced
July 2017 –China proposes 0.3% max
contamination for paper, bans plastics
Nov. 2017 –China increases allowable
contamination from 0.3% to 0.5%.
Mar. 2018 –China Ban officially takes
effect. Other countries begin to adopt
China’s
13A-13
Official and Informal Bans on
Recyclables
14A-14
INDUSTRY’S RESPONSE
Slower production to increase quality
Increased staff for more quality control
Increased disposal
–Contaminated material
–“Commodities” that no longer have a
market
Investment in processing equipment
15A-15
MIXEDPAPER –Material Selection
Before
16
After A-16
CARDBOARD –Material Selection
17
Before
After
A-17
PLASTICS –Material Selection
Before
After
18A-18
19
Dramatic change in U.S. Exports
of Paper & Plastics
China
22%
Others
78%
72% decrease
in tons exported
Others
21%
China
79%
2016
17.6 million tons
2019
5.7 million tons
A-19
RESULTS OF CHINA BAN
Increased disposal
Reduced revenue from commodities.
Increased processing and handling costs.
Uncertain future exports to China and
possibly Southeast Asia.
Increased costs passed on to the pubic
20A-20
COMMODITY PRICES ($/ton)
$0
-$50
National
Sword
Announced
21A-21
PHMRF Price for Blue Bin Material
22
($/ton)
A-22
75% RECYCLING GOAL
23
AB 939 goal
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020
AB 341 goal
of 75%
Statewide recycling rate
A-23
PHMRF INSTALLATION OF NEW
PROCESSING EQUIPMENT
24A-24
COVID-19: Initial Uncertainties
How is the virus transmitted and how can
it be prevented?
Supply chain for personal protective
equipment (PPE)
Hospital capacity
25A-25
COVID-19: Facility Responses
Responses by MRF operators based on
site-specific conditions and company risk
factors
–Some closed (including PHMRF from mid -
March to mid-May)
–Some remained open at reduced capacity
–Some had no changes to capacity or
processing 26A-26
COVID-19: What happened to
recyclables?
For MRFs that closed or ran at reduced
capacity
–Recyclables directed to other MRFs
–Recyclables disposed
•Some continued to be collected separately
•Some were collected in the same truck with
trash
27A-27
COVID-19: What is going on now?
Most MRFs in the region are operational
Recyclables are being processed
New operational measures implemented
for worker health and safety
28A-28
COVID-19: New Practices at MRFs
29
Before
After
A-29
COVID-19: What is going on now?
Residential waste generation is up
Commercial waste generation is down
30A-30
Questions?
Robert Asgian
rasgian@lacsd.org
A-31