by Urban Woodswalker
Although large quantities of recyclable materials are generated in the San Diego area, many of these materials find their way into area landfills.
However, as collection programs are expanded and consuming markets are developed in the proposed San Diego RMDZ, the amounts of recovered materials are expected to increase over the coming years. Using current recovery information and waste characterization data from each of the area’s landfills, projections have been made as to the types and quantities of recovered secondary materials that will be available to local remanufacturers and processors through the year 2005, as shown in the table below.
| Table 4 | ||||||
| Estimated Potential Recoverable Materials Available in San Diego County (Figures reported in tons) |
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| Commodity
Cardboard Total Potential Recoverables Total Waste Generated |
1990
507,414 3,527,092 4,510,348 |
1995
527,217 3,664,744 4,686,374 |
2000
558,290 3,880,735 4,962,577 |
2005
606,237 4,214,018 5,388,770 |
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| These figures include collected recyclable materials plus disposed recyclable materials.
Construction Materials include: soils, concrete, asphalt, drywall and roofing. Metals include: CRV aluminium, bi-metal cans, ferrous, non-ferrous, tin cans, white goods and mixed metals. |
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Since 1988, both the County and the City of San Diego have conducted waste characterization studies at each of the regional landfills. The results of these studies are being continuously updated by the efforts of the County of San Diego at each of the County-run landfills, and on behalf of the City at the Miramar Landfill. These studies include a breakdown of waste stream components that is more detailed than that required by the Source Reduction and Recycling Element guidelines created under the Integrated Waste Management Act of 1989. The overall results of the most recent study (fall 1991) are shown in Chart 1 (p. 9a).
Waste composition studies performed by the County are supervised by two full time field staff and performed by contract labor and prison honor camp crews. This system of performing waste characterization studies rather than consultant contracting enables the County to easily modify its protocol to conduct special sub-sorts, called “designer sorts”. Designer sorts enable selected materials to be quantified to determine their availability as a remanufacturing feedstock. For example, a designer sort was recently conducted for twelve different plastic container types. This information will be used to attract plastics processors and remanufacturers.
Attracting Business Through Feedstock Information
Because detailed information about San Diego’s wastestream and materials recovery has already been developed, it will be possible to assist remanufacturing and processing businesses in expanding or locating within the proposed San Diego RMDZ. In fact, several firms using innovative technologies have already expressed a preliminary interest to site within the RMDZ if it is designated. These firms include a nonhazardous medical waste recycling facility which will consume 15,00020,000 tons of plastics and fibers annually, and a plastics reprocessing company which would process 3,000-6,000 tons annually of plastic to produce pelletized resins. n addition, one business has proposed siting a materials recovery facility within the Zone (described in the letter of support from Mr. George Schleuter found after this section).
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