{"id":2981,"date":"2014-09-23T14:30:47","date_gmt":"2014-09-23T14:30:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wasteadvantagemag.com\/?p=2981"},"modified":"2014-09-23T14:30:47","modified_gmt":"2014-09-23T14:30:47","slug":"evolution-municipal-collection-systems-high-diversion-performance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wasteadvantagemag.com\/evolution-municipal-collection-systems-high-diversion-performance\/","title":{"rendered":"The Evolution of Municipal Collection Systems for High Diversion Performance"},"content":{"rendered":"

By wisely investing time and energy in the up-front planning processes to support competitive procurement of collection services as part of integrated residential waste management systems, a successful balance can be achieved between service level improvements, diversion improvements and collection efficiencies with associated cost savings.\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n

Janine Ralph<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

After the first flush of implementing new municipal diversion systems, comes performance review and adjustments.\u00a0 Collection services are the connecting link or interface, between the generator of waste materials and the processing or management systems used to find a home for diverted materials. Getting the collection system right is an essential part of a high-performance diversion program.<\/p>\n

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The large majority of municipalities in Ontario, Canada have three-stream curbside residential collection systems, designed to collect and divert recyclable and organic materials, sending the remaining garbage to disposal. While curbside collection of recyclables has been in effect in some form for over 20 years in most jurisdictions, curbside organics (food scrap) collection has been a recent adjustment to service delivery, with most programs coming into effect since 2005. At the same time, many jurisdictions have imposed some form of restriction on garbage collection in the form of limits to material quantities (e.g., limits on acceptable container sizes or number of bags set-out weekly) or changes to collection frequency by shifting to every-other-week pick-up.\u00a0 Program performance varies, with most large jurisdictions having three-stream residential programs in effect, diverting on average 47 percent of the total residential waste stream from disposal as of 2010 with around half of that attributed to recycling and half to organics diversion through curbside green bin collection.1<\/sup><\/p>\n

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Over the past four years, several Ontario municipalities have reviewed their three-stream programs from both a diversion and economic performance perspective. Average large municipal diversion performance increased to 50 percent as of 2012, with some jurisdictions such as Simcoe County achieving almost 58 percent diversion. Others, such as the City of Ottawa, lagged behind the others in performance in 2012 with a 43 percent diversion rate, but have implemented new programs resulting in significant improvements in 2013.2<\/sup> Through the remainder of this article, we will examine the approaches that municipalities have used to adjust their systems to achieve high diversion and improved collection efficiency resulting in reduced residential program costs.<\/p>\n

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The City of Ottawa<\/strong><\/p>\n

The City of Ottawa is Canada\u2019s capital city, with a population of almost 900,000, covering a region of over 1,000 square miles with the majority of its population concentrated in a single relatively contiguous urban area.\u00a0 The City serves in the order of 268,000 curbside collection units (stops).<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

As of 2010, the City of Ottawa implemented a green bin program to divert residential food and yard waste from disposal.\u00a0 This program was added to the City\u2019s existing residential system that included:<\/p>\n