Recycling Feasibility Study

April 19, 2017

The economic concepts discussed in the articles on our website are used by solid waste agencies to help determine the economic feasibility of a particular project, to determine service rates adjustments, and in general plan for the financial health and longevity of operations.

 

SCS Management Services™ helps many of our clients’  incorporate economic planning, financial analysis, and feasibility studies into their master planning and have requested copies of our articles. All can be found and filtered by topic area, and we are always ready to help you find the information you need.

Our articles may be printed or shared using the icons on the left navigation bar. Or, you may share or email this page to keep it handy. SCS respects your privacy; we do not monitor or collect your email address or information.

Contact Vita Quinn for more information. Ms. Quinn is SCS Engineers’ National Expert on Solid Waste Finance and Rate Studies. She has 12 years of experience as a financial analyst and management consultant. She has extensive experience working for local government and has developed financial sustainability solutions for various general governments, special revenue funds, and utility enterprise funds. Ms. Quinn has an MBA in Finance and a Bachelor’s Degree in International Economics.

 

 

Sound Fiscal PlanningAn Exercise in Sound Fiscal Planning: A Rural County’s Public Works Professionals Evaluate Future Solid Waste Service Scenarios, Costs, and Financing Options

https://www.scsengineers.com/scs-articles/an-exercise-in-sound-fiscal-planning-a-rural-countys-public-works-professionals-evaluate-future-solid-waste-service-scenarios-costs-and-financing-options-by-marc-rogoff-karl/

 

 

Residential Automated Collection Makes Sense for Idaho Falls

https://www.scsengineers.com/scs-articles/residential-automated-collection-makes-sense-for-idaho-falls-by-marc-j-rogoff-chris-canfield-and-tony-arehart-waste-advantage-magazine-february-2015/

 

 

The Nuts and Bolts of Implementing a Residential Automated Collection Program

https://www.scsengineers.com/scs-articles/the-nuts-and-bolts-of-implementing-a-residential-automated-collection-program-by-marc-rogoff-scs-richard-e-lilyquist-city-of-lakeland-fl-jeffrey-l-wood-city-of-lakeland-fl-and-donald/

 

 

Conducting a Rate Analysis as Part of a Master Plan Study in Killeen, Texas

https://www.scsengineers.com/scs-articles/conducting-a-rate-analysis-as-part-of-a-master-plan-study/

 

 

Financial ToolsFinancial Tools Assist in Completing Cost of Service Studies

https://www.scsengineers.com/scs-articles/financial-tools-assist-in-completing-cost-of-service-studies-wasteadvantage-may-2016/

 

 

Conducting Solid Waste Rate Studies and Business Plans

https://www.scsengineers.com/conducting-solid-waste-rate-studies-and-business-plans/

 

 

Get a Firm Handle on Solid Waste Costs to Optimize Performance

https://www.scsengineers.com/get-a-firm-handle-on-solid-waste-costs-to-optimize-performance/

 

 

Cash Flow Analysis Forestalls Long-Term Debt

https://www.scsengineers.com/scs-articles/cash-flow-analysis-forestalls-long-term-debt-waste-advantage-magazine-december-2015/

 

 

Is Privatization the Answer? You Need to Consider Several Factors Before Making the Decision for Solid Waste Services

https://www.scsengineers.com/publications/articles/page/11/

 

 

Developing a Strategic Business Plan for Your Agency

https://www.scsengineers.com/scs-articles/developing-a-strategic-business-plan-for-your-agency-bymarc-rogoff-apwa-reporter/

 

 

Economic Feasibility 101 – Understanding the Tools of the Trade

https://www.scsengineers.com/scs-articles/economic-feasibility-101-understanding-the-tools-of-the-trade-by-marc-rogoff-msw-management/

 

 

Assessing a Solid Waste Agency’s Financial Health

https://www.scsengineers.com/scs-articles/assessing-a-solid-waste-agencys-financial-health-by-marc-rogoff-and-richard-allen-msw-management/

 

 

Are Your Rates Correct? Collection and Disposal Rate Studies are a Valuable Tool

https://www.scsengineers.com/scs-articles/are-your-rates-correct-collection-and-disposal-rate-studies-are-a-valuable-tool-marc-rogoff-public-works-magazine/

 

 

Integrating Financial Analysis into Solid Waste Operations Planning

https://www.scsengineers.com/scs-articles/integrating-financial-analysis-into-solid-waste-operations-planning-by-marc-rogoff-msw-management/

 

 

Glass RecyclingHigh Costs and Limited Markets Put a Crack in Glass Recycling

https://www.scsengineers.com/scs-articles/high-costs-and-limited-markets-put-a-crack-in-glass-recycling-msw-june-2016/

 

 Recycling Trends in the United States

https://www.scsengineers.com/scs-articles/6555/

 

 

Waste ConversionCalculated Decisions: An Engineer’s Feasibility Report Can Help Communities and Financiers Assess the Risk of a Waste Conversion Project

https://www.scsengineers.com/scs-articles/calculated-decisions-an-engineers-feasibility-report-can-help-communities-and-financiers-assess-the-risk-of-a-waste-conversion-project-by-mark-rogoff-rew-magazine-renewable-energy-from-wast/

 

 

Anaerobic Digester Economics

 

Give SCS a call or send an email to if you have questions. Find your local office here: https://www.scsengineers.com/locations/.   Visit our Solid Waste Planning Services page for additional information, articles, whitepapers, and case studies.

 

 

 

Posted by Diane Samuels at 1:30 pm

March 15, 2017

recycling technology
New tools, new technologies can work well when integrated into a plan using feasibility studies first.

Increasingly, solid waste and recycling agencies are being asked by their political decision makers to improve efficiency, focus on customers, and reduce increased costs. Many agencies are managed with a combination of manual processes, desktop computer tools, limited vehicle and cart tracking and management tools, and custom databases. While effective, these methodologies often entail more effort, labor, and costs.

Smart technologies are expected to grow substantially over the next decade as agencies attempt to minimize their overall costs in solid waste collection and recycling and increase overall efficiency. As discussed briefly in this article, smart technologies have advantages and disadvantages. As agencies investigate technology to help support their service, ensure continued quality service delivery and meet demanding business requirements, it is important to conduct feasibility assessments to evaluate the economic costs to implement and update the use of new technologies in a sustainable manner.

Read the full article here.

Marc J. Rogoff and Laurel Urena of SCS Engineers.

 

 

Posted by Diane Samuels at 3:00 am

January 25, 2016

 

by Tracie Onstad Bills, Northern California Director, Sustainable Materials Management at SCS Engineers

For many years source separation was the primary method for recycling. However, technology has changed how recyclables are collected and processed. China, the largest importer of materials for recycling now strictly enforces regulations on importing contaminated materials for recycling into the country. China’s Operation Green Fence puts restrictions on what material China will accept, rejecting materials that don’t meet higher standards of cleanliness; that means rejected materials get buried in a landfill instead of being recycled.

Regardless of the type of recycling program, the biggest challenge here at home is now minimizing contaminated recycling material. Communities are struggling to meet diversion goals and provide materials to local recyclers that are free of common contaminants such as liquids left in containers or motor oil. My SCS team has assisted communities in the last few years to address contamination issues and I’d like to share what works best to kick start addressing the issue at home.

Recycling Assessments: Conduct a visual and physical characterization study to identify contamination levels using one of these two methods for the evaluation:

  • Recycling Routes: Material from front, side, and rear-load trucks are assessed to determine which routes and days of the week contain the largest volume of contamination. This information is used to target geographic areas for implementation of behavior change programs.
  • Recycling Containers: Material from compactor, roll-off, front-load containers or carts are assessed to identify which customers have severe contamination. This information is used to target customers who need additional assistance to clean up their recycling.

Recycling Technical Assistance: Meet with local businesses and perform a walk-through of their facility to collect baseline waste assessment and material collection infrastructure information. This information can then be used to provide customized recycling and composting recommendations, and implementation support such as employee training sessions, providing signage and collateral, referrals, and multi-lingual outreach services.

Review and Analysis of Community Recycling Programs: Review and analyze your recycling program. An environmental engineer can provide recommendations and assessments on how a recycling program can be enhanced to reduce the quantity of contaminated materials. Services typically include everything from examining outreach materials to the flow of the recycling from generation to transport to processing.

Planning and Implementation of Behavior Change Programs: There is value in providing comprehensive programs and explicit outreach materials for increasing the probability of cleaner recycling. Behavior change programs focus on planning and implementing programs that identify key triggers to encourage action in the community. These programs help communicate the importance and value of specific activities to the community and cross any age and cultural barriers.

Contamination is a global problem and is challenging, but there are steps to minimize the problem in your community.

Tracie Bills
Tracie Bills, SCS Engineers

About Tracie Onstad Bills
Tracie Onstad Bills has been in the Environmental and Resource Material Management Field for over 20 years. Her expertise revolves around commercial recycling technical assistance, environmental purchasing, large venue and event zero waste programs, research and sustainability planning, garbage hauler franchise compliance and review, construction and demolition program / ordinance analysis and writing, climate inventory compilation, research and feasibility studies to help clients with comprehensive waste prevention and zero waste programs. Ms. Bills has a BA in Environmental Science from San Jose State University, is a CRRA Board member and belongs to the SWANA Gold Rush Chapter, National Recycling Coalition and the Northern California Recycling Association. Contact Tracie here.

Learn more on the SCS service pages and read  SCS project case studies from across the nation to help fine tune your program:

Posted by Diane Samuels at 6:00 am