What's Inside?
Introducing the New Waste Watcher
Cleanup Agreement Near on Illegal San Luis Obispo Tire
Pile
30 Percent Diversion Reached in 1996
278 California Businesses Rewarded for Waste Reduction
Efforts
Waste Board, NASCAR Winning With Re-Refined Oil
Urban Green Waste to Farms Projects Provide Glimpse of
Future
$3 Million in Loans to Five Southern California
Recyclers
Recycled Newsprint Use Remains at High Levels in State
State Tackles Illegal Dumping in Four Counties
Waste Board to Clean Up San Francisco Disposal Problem
San Luis Obispo County Supervisor Ruth Brackett and her husband Jack, owners of one of the state's largest illegal tire piles, have agreed to allow the California Integrated Waste Management Board access to their Nipomo property so cleanup work can begin on the more than 1 million waste tires stockpiled there.
After years of legal wrangling, and the Attorney General's recent request on behalf of the Waste Board for an injunction against the Bracketts, the county supervisor and her husband agreed in early October to cooperate with the Waste Board. As a result, the State cancelled a hearing that had been scheduled for October 7 on the matter in San Luis Obispo County Superior Court.
The Waste Board is now actively working toward completing an agreement for full cleanup of the site and hopes to begin removing the environmental threat before winter rains begin.
In early September, a Waste Board contractor completed work to reduce the risk of fire on property adjacent to the site. The work included tree trimming, removing dry grass and wood debris, and installing water tanks.
The State has attempted to have the pile cleaned up since May 1995. In fact, the Bracketts were required to have a cleanup plan in place by June 1995, but never submitted anything to the Board. The Waste Board has issued numerous warning letters and two cleanup and abatement orders, but no tires have been removed.
Negotiations on how to eliminate the tire pile stalled after the Bracketts' refusal to allow access to the site.
The tire pile problem began in 1989 when the Bracketts signed a five-year lease with
the late Bud Steers and allowed him to operate a tire collection and recycling businesses
at the site. Tires were collected in the hope of selling them to the now defunct Rialto
Power Plant in Southern California. Steers eventually abandoned the site in 1991, leaving
behind the stockpile. 
A partnership of government, industry, environmental groups, and individual citizens helped push California's estimated waste diversion rate to 30 percent in 1996, closing the gap on mandated diversion levels for the year 2000 and putting California ahead of the national average.
"Last year's accomplishments demonstrate what can be done in waste management by a committed and concerted effort," said California Integrated Waste Management Board Chairman Daniel G. Pennington. "In boosting our waste diversion rates, we are preserving critical landfill space, helping create sustainable markets for valuable reusable materials in California, and saving valuable resources. I'm confident that this momentum will continue and that California will indeed cut its trash in half by 2000."
Legislation passed in 1989 requires California to divert 50 percent of its waste stream from landfills by 2000. The effort has helped extend the lives of landfills throughout the state by diverting millions of tons of trash and spawned new markets for items historically thrown away. By Waste Board estimates, California diverted twice as much waste from landfills in 1996 than it did in 1990.
Last year, businesses in California and throughout the world used nearly 14 million tons of discarded materials from companies in California as the state's waste diversion levels jumped from 14 percent in 1990 to 30 percent. In comparison, the estimated diversion level for the United States in 1996 was 28 percent.
California has increased its waste diversion tonnage and rates each year since 1990. In
1995, the state exceeded the interim target of 25 percent by diverting 26 percent of all
waste materials from landfills. From 1995 to 1996, California raised its waste diversion
level four percentage points, a significant increase reflecting local governments' and
businesses' successful waste reduction and recycling achievements.
As generators of more than half the state's waste, businesses play a major role in helping local governments cut the amount of garbage going to landfills. That is why the Waste Board has recognized 278 California businesses as winners of its 1997 Waste Reduction Awards Program (WRAP).
The Waste Board recognized the efforts of these businesses for the extraordinary ways they have reduced, reused, recycled, and purchased recycled products as part of their daily operations. In addition, the Waste Board gave special recognition to the following businesses, five-time winners of the WRAP program, which began in 1993.
Among the 278 winners statewide were Anheuser Busch, Bank of America, Disney, Hewlett Packard, and all Target Stores. Many of the winners saved millions of dollars in 1996 by reducing the amount of garbage they sent to landfills. For example, Bank of America recycled 13,000 tons of paper, saving them $500,000 in disposal costs. And, in Roseville, Hewlett Packard kept 93 percent of its waste out of landfills, saving the company nearly $1.5 million in 1996.
The Waste Board's WRAP program is designed to recognize companies that develop creative
and aggressive programs to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfills. Winners are given
an award certificate and free use of the WRAP logo for advertising and promotional
purposes.
SEARS POINT--The Waste Board joined the Golden West Motorsports NASCAR racing team at Sears Point Raceway in October to remind motorists that 2,300 certified oil collection centers around the state can help home garage mechanics protect the environment by giving them convenient, safe places to recycle their used oil.
On October 5, the Golden West racing team fielded its race car--one that runs and wins exclusively on re-refined motor oil--at Sears Point during the Kragen NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series weekend event. In 1995, Golden West Motorsports won the NASCAR Southwest Tour Season Championship using re-refined oil.
Re-refining motor oil reduces the need to tap limited virgin crude resources and allows environmentally conscious motorists the opportunity to "close the recycling loop" when they turn in used motor oil and purchase recycled oil. A single gallon of used motor oil has the potential to foul 1 million gallons of water, the equivalent of a year's supply of drinking water for 50 families.
The Waste Board-certified used oil collection centers offer convenient places to bring in old motor oil in exchange for recycling rebates. The centers include auto parts stores, quick oil change businesses, service stations, and auto repair facilities. For example, more than 220 Kragen Auto Parts Stores throughout California accept used oil. Kragen collects approximately 1.2 million gallons of old motor oil yearly. To locate these centers, contact the Waste Board at 1-800-CLEANUP (253-2687) or visit the Board's Web site at www.calrecycle.ca.gov/UsedOil/.
The most successful use of old motor oil is to re-refine it. Modern re-refining processes return old motor oil to a like-new condition by removing dirt and contaminants before injecting lubricating additives to protect engines. All major car manufacturers have approved the use of American Petroleum Institute (API) stamped re-refined oil in their vehicles.
As proof of re-refined oil's quality performance, the Golden West Motorsports NASCAR Racing Team has run its race cars exclusively on the product since 1995, subjecting its engines to race day stresses the average automobile may never experience.
Waste Board Chairman Daniel G. Pennington was on hand for the last Super-Modified car race of the season at the Mesa Marin Speedway near Bakersfield in September to present an award from Kern County and a $100 check to the driver of the highest-finishing car using re-refined motor oil.
Pennington attended the race where 14 of 22 race cars ran on re-refined motor oil.
Since 1994, the Waste Board has allocated two used oil grants to Kern County totaling
$193,033 for various collection and recycling programs, including the purchase of used oil
collection tanks and drums, safety equipment, initiating oil filter collection centers,
and public education events.
Using compost made from organic materials, such as yard trimmings, on California farmlands can increase crop productivity and soil organic content, improve moisture retention, and, in certain cases, suppress crop disease.
Five demonstration projects aimed at showing California farmers how to recycle organic materials such as yard trimmings have reported their results to the Waste Board. Cosponsored and funded by the Waste Board since 1994, the projects are part of a comprehensive program to develop markets for some 10 million tons of organic materials the state seeks to divert from landfills.
According to Paul Relis, Chairman of the Waste Board's Market Development Committee, California agriculture represents the largest and most logical home for composted and mulched organic materials generated in urban California. To test whether composts and mulches produced from urban organics are useful and productive to agriculture, a partnership was forged between the Waste Board, UC Cooperative Extension, farmers, composters, and cities in seven of California's agriculturally productive counties. For three years, composts produced in compliance with the Waste Board's regulatory standards were applied to a broad spectrum of California crops, including tomatoes, lettuce, peaches, cotton, and sweet corn.
The U.C. Cooperative Extension Study in Fresno County studied the use of green material compost to grow commercial peaches that were indistinguishable in consumer taste tests from peaches grown using traditional fertilizers. Fruit yields, size, and quality were comparable among all the fertilized plots. Peaches grown in the compost plots showed a significant reduction in brown rot disease during one season.
In the Monterey Bay region, another Waste Board demonstration project showed yield increases on some fields of onions and lettuce, while significant suppression of some common onion diseases was observed during one season. On farms in Alameda, Fresno, Monterey, San Benito, Santa Clara, Stanislaus, and Tulare counties, compost was used to successfully grow various crops, including tomatoes, sweet corn, cotton, peaches, apricots, cherries, wine grapes, landscaping shrubs, and Christmas trees.
On the heels of such findings, the Waste Board, City of San Diego, City of Los Angeles, and County of Santa Barbara have agreed to finance a sixth mulch and compost demonstration project in a four-county area of Southern California.
The Waste Board is also working with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to obtain federal cost-sharing funds for eligible farmers who use compost and mulch as a conservation practice on their lands, and with Caltrans on the use of mulch for erosion control.
Because organic materials make up approximately 25 to 30 percent of all wastes
generated each year in California, redirecting it from landfills would substantially help
California divert half its solid waste by 2000, as required by State law.
Businesses in Los Angeles and Ventura counties received $3 million in financial incentives in September in the form of five recycling loans from the Waste Board that will help boost the overall statewide landfill diversion tonnage.
The loans will help divert an additional 26,200 tons of waste yearly from landfills and create 66 new jobs in Waste Board-designated Recycling Market Development Zones (RMDZ) within the two counties. RMDZ loans help finance recycling and waste reduction operations within the geographic boundaries of 40 zones around the state.
The loans feature fixed low-interest rates for up to 10 years, amounting to half the cost of a project, up to a maximum of $1 million. The money can be used to purchase machinery, equipment, or land, or used as working capital. The five loans have attracted additional outside investments of approximately $8,318,020 into the affected RMDZs.
Descriptions of September loan recipients
Who: Crown Poly, Inc.--Los Angeles area
Amount: $486,000 loan for working capital
Additional Waste Diverted: 5,500 tons of plastic
Jobs: 30 new jobs created
Description: Manufactures a unique produce bag--which is thinner and lighter than
conventional bags--from recycled plastic.
Who: Marfred Industries, Inc.--Sun Valley
Amount: $1 million loan for equipment, working capital
Additional Waste Diverted: 1,850 tons of paper
Jobs: 12 new jobs created
Description: Manufactures store packaging and displays from recycled corrugated and
chipboard paper.
Who: Marspring Corporation--Vernon
Amount: $600,000 loan for new equipment
Additional Waste Diverted: 17,500 tons of fabric
Jobs: 12 new jobs created
Description: Reprocesses leftover fabric materials to be sold and reused by other
companies.
Who: O.E. Clark Paper Box Company, O.E. Clark Printed Specialties Company, and
Central City Box & Paper Company--Los Angeles area
Amount: $610,000 loan for new equipment
Additional Waste Diverted: 1,000 tons of paperboard
Jobs: Three new jobs created
Description: Manufactures rigid and folding paper boxes from recycled paperboard.
Who: Marplast, Inc.--Moorpark
Amount: $334,000 loan to purchase building, machines and equipment, and for working
capital.
Additional Waste Diverted: 350 tons of plastic
Jobs: Nine new jobs created
Description: Produces a variety of products, including toilet plungers, toys,
specialty cups, medical components, and industrial parts from recycled plastic.
California's newspapers and printers continued using recycled-content newsprint at a high rate in 1996, and the Waste Board and representatives of the newspaper industry, including the California Newspapers Publishers Association and Printing Industries of California have agreed to work closely together to ensure that users file their certification reports in a timely fashion.
For the second straight year, about half the newsprint used by printers and publishers was made from recycled content-more than 800,000 tons out of a total of 1.6 million tons of newsprint statewide in 1996. The rate, 49.3 percent, surpasses the required minimum recycled newsprint use rate of 35 percent set for last year and represents the industryÕs successful recycling efforts. The graduated minimum use standards are determined by the Recycled-Content Newsprint Law, which tops out at 50 percent in the year 2000.
State law requires all commercial printers who use newsprint to use recycled newsprint and report on their compliance annually to the Waste Board. All but a few printers have complied with use and reporting requirements. But delinquent printers now face fines of up to $1,000 per violation from the Waste Board, which will consider in December ways to work with the industry to obtain more timely submittal of such reports. By law, recycled newsprint must consist of at least 40 percent recycled paper fiber.
Use of recycled-content newsprint in 1996 was marginally down from 1995 when the use rate was 50.5 percent. In 1995, newspaper publishers and printers used more than 900,000 tons of recycled newsprint out of a total 1.7 million tons of newsprint.
But the industry faced some significant hurdles in 1996 as a number of newspaper companies were unable to obtain recycled newsprint at competitive prices, in a timely manner, or at the needed quality levels after a major supplier stopped manufacturing recycled newsprint. The situation contributed to the 1996 decline in recycled newsprint use as shortages of the available material occurred. The problem appears now to have been resolved and recycled newsprint is again expected to be available in sufficient quantities.
Of more immediate concern to the Waste Board is the number of late reports. Last year, 51 companies filed reports at least 45 days delinquent. The Board and industry associations have pledged to work together to improve compliance, and the Board is expected to consider pursuing enforcement actions against one company that has not filed at all.
The Waste Board recognized the efforts of the state's newspaper publishers, noting that all but one of the 10 largest publishing companies met or exceeded the 35 percent level:
Three former dumps now eroding and polluting creeks and streams in San Luis Obispo, San Mateo, and Yolo counties will soon be eliminated using up to $800,000 in funding approved in August by the Waste Board.
"Our cleanup program is making a difference for Californians put at risk by old, abandoned, or illegal dumping grounds," said Waste Board Chairman Daniel G. Pennington. "These latest projects will eliminate these dumpsite hazards to protect the public and environment from pollution and contamination."
The Waste Board voted to allocate money from its Solid Waste Disposal and Codisposal Site Cleanup Program to the following locations:
Thousands of cubic yards of construction debris, allegedly abandoned by a San Francisco disposal service, will now be cleaned up by a $300,000 grant provided by the Waste Board in September.
"This situation demands action to protect the public's health in San Francisco from the hazards of exposed and unsecured garbage dumped virtually in their front yards," said Waste Board Chairman Daniel G. Pennington.
San Franciso officials said Mobile Debris Box Disposal Service has ignored repeated orders to comply with solid waste management ordinances and has a history of leaving its own rental debris boxes, packed with demolition debris and refuse, on sites around the city.
The Waste Board will spend up to $300,000 to have the rental boxes removed and their
garbage disposed properly in permitted landfills. Moreover, cost recovery actions by the
Waste Board to assist the City and County of San Francisco Bureau of Environmental Health
Services in getting Mobile Debris Box Disposal Service to voluntarily comply with waste
management laws were recommended.
In our continuing effort to improve our informational and public education materials, the Waste Board's Office of Public Affairs has revamped its quarterly newsletter as The Waste Watcher.
This new version takes the place of News At A Glance, which had gone to a four-page quarterly earlier this year. As did News At A Glance, The Waste Watcher will provide news on recent actions and activities the Waste Board is involved in. The Waste Watcher will also serve as a medium to highlight the efforts of those in local government and the solid waste industry.
Fall 1997, Publication #530-97-010
The Waste Watcher is published by the Integrated Waste Management Board's (IWMB) Office of Public Affairs, 8800 Cal Center Drive, MS 12, Sacramento, CA 95826. Reach us on line at www.calrecycle.ca.gov