Master planning for solid waste | Creating a VV equivalent for solid waste management and service operating at the metropolitan scale

VVs, or Verkehrsverbund, are German "transport associations" that are organized at the regional scale to plan, coordinate, and deliver transit services in an integrated fashion. 

--"Verkehrsverbund: The evolution and spread of fully integrated regional public transport in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland," Ralph Buehler, John Pucher & Oliver Dümmler, International Journal of Sustainable Transportation (2018)
-- Transport Alliances - – Promoting Cooperation and Integration to offer a more attractive and efficient Public Transport, VDV, the trade association for German transport associations.  

 

One of my points about master planning is that for functional areas: transportation; parks and recreation; culture; etc., it tends to not be master planning in reality, but planning for what the agency is responsible for.

That means in parks planning, other parks and open spaces within a jurisdiction are not likely to be addressed even though they serve residents, whose interests should be represented. For example, in DC it means that federally controlled parks are rarely covered in "local parks plans" (("Federal shutdown as another example of why local jurisdictions should have more robust contingency and master planning processes," 2013, "DC, parks planning, and golf,"2020)

In recreation planning, it means that for profit entities, like fitness centers, yoga instructors, and other uses like boxing ("Another example of the need to do comprehensive parks, recreation and civic assets planning at multiple scales, including neighborhoods like Columbia Heights," 2019) are not likely to be addressed.

In transportation, it means that private parking resources are usually not addressed in parking planning ("Testimony on parking policy in DC," 2012), private sector operators aren't addressed in planning for various modes.

In solid waste, it means that the agency only plans wrt residential waste pickup for houses of 1-4 units.  Multiunit residential and commercial properties are covered by the private sector, and for the most part, solid waste planning doesn't address those elements of waste generation.

In terms of overall waste reduction planning, it's essential to include all properties in a jurisdiction within planning ("More on zero waste practice (and DC)," 2015).

WRT solid waste and recycling it's pretty much the same.  The city is responsible for certain types of recycling.  And it imposes rules on the other properties, but doesn't do too much enforcement and oversight on recycling from multiunit residential and commercial properties ("Reformulating building regulations to promote sustainability," 2016).  

(This also came up in comments on a recent Post article on composting, "Composting in NYC is hard."  It would be easy for DC to impose composting requirements on apartment buildings and would be a great way to reduce the waste stream.)

Even though there are tremendous opportunities for waste diversion and reduction.

Inquirer photo.

This comes up because a building materials recycling and resale organization in Philadelphia, Philly Reclaim, is shutting down because it was behind in rent, has organizational management issues, and the building is being sold ("Tacony salvage shop needs to move by Monday. It’s giving away sinks, lumber, and more," Philadelphia Inquirer).  It has to be out of the property by Monday, and is giving everything away as a way to try to empty the property.

Most communities have a number of organizations that are involved in recycling items that aren't part of the traditional municipal recycling waste stream of paper, metal, glass, and plastic.  For example, this list of other organizations that deal with "Hard to Recyle" items in Salt Lake County lists more than 40 organizations.

But they aren't organized into an overarching association, in a manner comparable to how Germany organizes regional transport associations to coordinate the planning and delivery of transit services.  

Sometimes a local government may make grants to organizations in this space that are nonprofits, but the groups are generally a mix of for profits and nonprofits.  And it's not particularly systematic.

According to the Inquirer article, a house typically is comprised of 60,000 pounds of materials, so materials that are diverted from the waste stream--and typically building materials make up 33% of the waste stream--reduced the overall stream in significant ways ("Construction and demolition waste," European Commission).

If the waste industry was organized like a German VV, then Philadelphia and area solid waste agencies would have known that Philly Reclaim  was in trouble, and that the overarching planning unit needed to step in and assist Philly Reclaim both in terms of building their organizational capacity, as well as finding a new location, even perhaps providing city facilities for it, given the value the group provides in diverting materials from the waste stream.

From the standpoint of master planning, it would behoove solid waste agencies to initiate a broader master planning and service integration approach.

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In Greater Salt Lake, governments mostly don't do glass recycling directly.  There is a separate company, Momentum Recycling, that does it.  The area is fortunate that there is an insulation manufacturing plant in the region, so it will take glass and make it into insulation fiber.

 At an event yesterday, I asked and they estimated that probably 10% or less of glass is recycled in the area.  In Salt Lake City you either pay for a separate can and pickup, or you can drop it off at various glass collection stations around the city and county.

 Glass collection container in Sugar House Park, Salt Lake City

I gave them a bunch of ideas.  Putting messages on the area garbage trucks, sponsoring NPR, promoting events, etc.  But they need planners too.

Salt Lake City sanitation/garbage trucks carry "ads" promoting recycling and waste diversion