Evaluating Multi-Use / Multi-Tenant Commercial Recycling Programs

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Evaluating Multi-Use / Multi-Tenant Commercial
Recycling Programs
Presented By

• James Madden Preston Schultz
• HDR/BVA SAIC
• 415-434-0900 x 142 510-466-7130
• james.madden_at_hdrinc.com william.p.schultz_at_saic.com

Sponsored By
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Eastmont Town CenterOakland, California

• Multi-Use / Multi-Tenant
• Commercial Recycling Program

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Eastmont Town CenterStopWaste.Org Program
Baseline Waste Disposal 2,856 cubic
yards/year CO2 emissions 28 tons/year Identif
ied Waste Prevention and Recycling
Potential 2,276 cubic yards/year CO2
emissions -319 tons/year 80 reduction /
Cost Savings 26,600 Annual
Eastmont Stats 606,000 square foot mixed use
project Former Mall re-branded as a Town
Center Includes, police substation, library,
medical center, retail stores, governmental
offices, day care, senior center, charter school
and more.
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Plan Elements

• Assurance of property managers buy in and their
  understanding of requirements
• Coordinate with janitorial services, facilities
  management, and County Services
• Determine size and amount of recycling bins
  required.
• Convert 40 cubic yard unused compactor to
  centralized commingled recycling
• Expand bottle and can and paper recycling program
  to all tenant suites
• Track and measure results

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Implementation of Plan

• Design survey form for tenant recycling bin
  requirements
• Design Program Monitoring forms for janitors
• Create Program Announcement Letter, Program
  Roll-out Notice, Recycling Bin Tenant Agreement,
  and Recycling How To sheet
• Work with local hauler to right size service and
  establish single stream recycling compactor
  service
• Phased roll-out

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Implementation of Plan

• Conduct training for janitorial staff
  (bi-lingual)
• Used opportunity to overhauled entire garbage
  system
• Distribute and place recycling bins and conduct
  tenant training. Bins funded by StopWaste.Org
• Organize roll-out event with media, city council
  member and county district representative
• Coordinate with County General Services

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Challenges

• Finding consensus with multiple stakeholders
  facilities manager, property managers, building
  owner, and janitorial services and local hauler.
• Timing!!!
• Stopping scavenged cardboard service
• Implementing retail strip recycling plan,
  (delayed due to holiday), converting them from
  tossing cardboard in alley way

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Challenges

• Securing dumpsters and compactors and
  re-designation of unused compactor
• Tenants who didnt want to participate and
  training of those who did
• Monitoring and contamination
• Janitorial contract language
• Tenant agreement addendums

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Challenges Resolved

• Multiple meetings with all stakeholders
• Flexibility!!!
• Understanding stakeholders limitations
• Youre the driver
• Give them the rewards

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Results

• Program has continued to increase diversion as
  tenets have become used to program
• Reduced cost to facility is now 26,600.00
• Since program began Nov 2006 have diverted
  72,000 lbs or 36 tons of materials from landfill
• Annual projection is 96,000lbs or 48TPY

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Strengths / Weaknesses

• Strengths
• Total support of Property Management and
  Facilities
• Saw program as opportune time to re-do entire
  garbage system in conjunction with implementation
  of recycling

• Weaknesses
• Lacking consistent program monitoring
• Little feed back to tenant on program progress
• Slow to come up with tenant recognition

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What I Would Do Differently

• Greater emphasis for property management to
  formalize program into standard operating
  procedures SOPs
• Urge property managers to issue addendums to
  tenant agreements for expectations of
  participation in recycling program

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Three Other Programs

• Bay StreetEmeryville, California
• Emeryville Public MarketEmeryville, California
• 580 Market PlaceCastro Valley, California

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Bay Street

• High end, mixed-use retail village with broad
  range of retail, restaurants and entertainment

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Emeryville Public Market

• 25 restaurant food court anchored by bookstore
  and coffee cafes

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580 Market Place
Strip mall in suburban setting anchored by PW
Market grocery store
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Overview

• Bay Street
• Increased cardboard, paper and bottle can
  capture
• Implemented organics program
• Emeryville Public Market
• Implemented organics program at 25-tenant
  facility
• 580 Market Place
• Complex had no prior recycling
• Implemented mixed recycling and organics program

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Implement Plan Bay Street

• Worked with site management
• Improved existing programs
• Two 30-cubic yard compactors installed for
  organics (StopWaste.Org provided funding)
• Team provided rollout training and Emeryville
  provided bins to tenants

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Implement Plan Public Market

• Worked closely with property management,
  janitorial staff and hauler
• Performed survey of tenants
• Provided containers (from City) and training to
  all tenants
• Performed multiple follow ups

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Implement Plan 580 Market Place

• Worked closely with management and hauler
• Performed survey of tenants and purchased bins
  (StopWaste.Org provided funding)
• Held pre-rollout event
• Rolled out individually with each tenant
• Numerous follow-ups

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Challenges Bay Street

• Coordinating multiple stakeholders
• Ensuring tenants placed materials in proper bins
• Ensuring organics streams were clean
• Contamination issues with organics
• halted collection for a few months

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Challenges Public Market

• Program generally well received
• Multiple follow-ups required
• Need to build trust and cooperation between
  tenants and custodial staff

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Challenges 580 Market Place

• Getting service levels right
• Ensuring tenant participation, particularly with
  organics
• Ensuring organics streams were clean
• Addressing tenant questions

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Results Bay Street

• Approx. 20 tons/month organics starting April
  2006
• 15 increase in diversion
• No associated additional cost
• Increase in cardboard and bottles cans

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Results Public Market

• Added approx. 12 tons organics/month
• 53 increase in recycling
• No associated additional cost
• Custodial participation was key
• Tenants monitor each other

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Results 580 Market Place

• Started collection of multiple streams mid-May
  (approx. 10 tons/month total)
• 40 increase in recycling
• 6,000/year in cost savings (plan to pass savings
  to tenants)
• Multiple collection points required adjustment of
  service levels
• Required numerous return visits to
• monitor service levels, contamination

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Lessons Learned

• Management support
• Identify all stakeholders
• Expectations up frontbe realistic
• Inform tenants (multiple times!)
• Low turnover is a plus

• Make educated guess on service levels
• Multiple follow-ups!
• Signage is key
• Anticipate challenges
• Seek funding sources
• Consider local hauling rates