BEST PRACTICES: MULTI-UNIT WASTE AND RECYCLING CASE STUDIES: Case Study 1: Small/Medium Apartment Building Scenario 1 Case Study 2: Small/Medium Apartment Building Scenario 2 Case Study 3: Large Apartment/Condo Complex Scenario 1 Case Study 4: Large Apartment/Condo Complex Scenario 2 Case Study 5: Townhouses Scenario 1 Case Study 6: Townhouses Scenario 2 One of these case studies is probably similar to the situation in your building. In each case, the current waste collection service is examined, as well the space available for recycling. In all instances, the multi-unit complex developed ways to include recycling and waste collection services for their residents. The scenarios here should help you get started planning a recycling program for your building/complex by the June 1, 2015 deadline. If you would like to meet with Waste & Recycling staff before getting started, contact us to set up an appointment: Ph: 403-851-2277 [email protected]

Note: these case studies are fictional. Any resemblance to actual multi-unit complexes in Cochrane is coincidental.

Case Study 1: Small/Medium Apartment Building Scenario 1 Building Description: Cochrane View Apartments is a 40-unit rental apartment complex. Prior to the introduction of the multi-unit recycling requirements, the complex received weekly waste collection of a 6-yard waste dumpster. The property is self-managed with a live in property manager. The live-in property manager wanted tenants to recycle, so he set up a small recycling station in the building lobby and hauled the recycling to the Cochrane Eco Centre. Some tenants participated; some did not. Waste Collection System: •

•

There were two years remaining on the waste collection contract; the building owner did not want to risk financial penalty by cancelling the contract to look for another collection company. Chose to keep the 6-yard waste dumpster with weekly collection.

Recycling Collection System: •

•

•

With space limited onsite for the storage and collection of recyclables, pricing was sought for what the property manager thought would work best: – four to six recycling carts that would fit in the enclosure. Pricing was submitted by five companies. Being a relatively small building, cost was a significant factor. Knowing that some companies would charge less for sorted recycling versus co-mingled (unsorted) it was important to seek out pricing for both options. Three companies provided an option for sorted cart recycling. The owner chose to go with four recycling carts (two for paper/cardboard; two for plastic/tin), which fit in the enclosure and would be emptied weekly.

Conclusions: •

• •

Make a note to remind yourself when contract terms are ending to ensure that the contract does not automatically roll over to a new term without you having the opportunity to renew it. There are potential savings in having the same company provide you with both waste and recycling services that should be explored. Align contract end dates so that they expire at the same time. Monitor bin size and collection frequency. There may be opportunity to reduce waste dumpster size to 4 yards or to change collection frequency to every other week if residents are diverting more waste through the onsite recycling program.

Case Study 2: Small/Medium Apartment Building Scenario 2 Building Description: Cochrane Sunnyview Apartments is a 40-unit apartment condo complex. Prior to the introduction of the multi-unit recycling requirements, the complex received weekly waste collection of a 6-yard waste dumpster. The property is self-managed with a live-in property manager. Waste Collection System: •

•

There were two years remaining on the waste collection contract. The building owner did not want to risk financial penalty by cancelling the contract to look for another collection company. Chose to keep the 6-yard waste dumpster with weekly collection.

Recycling Collection System: •

• •

The condo board asked the property manager to get pricing for a 6-yard recycling dumpster that could be placed adjacent to the waste enclosure until the enclosure could be expanded to fit both bins. The condo board wanted the recycling program to be easy and convenient; they wanted pricing only for co-mingled (unsorted) recycling systems. The property manager received pricing from four companies that could provide comingled recycling in a 6-yard bin. The best price was offered by the existing waste collector.

Conclusions: •

• •

Make a note to remind yourself when contract terms are ending to ensure that the contract does not automatically roll over to a new term without the opportunity to renew it: there are potential savings in having the same company provide both waste and recycling services. Align contract end dates so that they expire at the same time. Monitor bin size and collection frequency. There may be opportunities to reduce dumpster size or to reduce collection frequency if residents are diverting more waste through the onsite recycling program.

Case Study 3: Large Apartment/Condo Complex Scenario 1 Garbage Buildings Building Description: Chinook Heights Condos is a multi-building apartment condo complex. Each building of 150 units has its own designated garbage Building. Each building contains numerous small front-load waste dumpsters; the bins are emptied once per week whether or not they are full. Residents of each building haul their own waste to their garbage building. Waste Collection System: •

•

The waste collection contract was expiring in 60 days. The property management company sent a request for pricing on both waste and recycling, preferring to work with a single vendor. The garbage building system limited the type of services primarily to small wheeled dumpsters.

Recycling Collection System: •

•

•

Knowing that with such a large number of residents, participation in recycling would be highly dependent on making it easy and convenient. The property manager asked only for quotes of co-mingled (unsorted) recycling. Space in the garbage buildings limited services primarily to small wheeled dumpsters, though some proposals and pricing were submitted that suggested using 360 L recycling carts. The property manager decided that moving 40% of the small waste dumpsters and replacing them with similar sized recycling dumpsters would work best.

Conclusions: •

Monitor the number of bins needed and the frequency of collection required to ensure you are maximizing your value for dollar and service level.

Case Study 4: Large Apartment/Condo Complex Scenario 2 Building Description: Creekside Condos is a condo complex with an underground parking garage, which is also where the waste dumpsters are located. The waste dumpsters are on wheels; the collection company wheels the dumpsters out of the garage service door in order to empty them each week. Waste Collection System: •

•

There was one year remaining on the waste collection contract. The Property manager did not want to risk financial penalty by cancelling the contract to look for another collection company. Chose to keep the multiple 6-yard dumpsters with weekly collection.

Recycling Collection System: •

• •

The property manager was unsure what they most suitable type of collection system would be. She asked a number of companies to review the space available in the underground parking garage prior to submitting proposals and pricing. The property manager received a range of service options and pricing including both sorted and unsorted cart systems and 4-yard wheeled recycling dumpsters. As the recycling space available was limited to an area along one garage wall, she selected a cart collection system. Since condo owners were concerned about the cost of service, she selected a company that required the recycling to be sorted into certain categories (paper/cardboard and plastic/tin) which resulted in cost savings.

Conclusions: • •

There is a range of collection systems available. Limited space may be the determining factor when selecting the right one for your building. Monitor bin size and collection frequency. There may be opportunities to reduce waste dumpsters to a smaller size or to change collection frequency if residents are diverting more waste through the onsite recycling program.

Case Study 5: Townhouses Scenario 1 Cart Collection Building Description: Cochrane Townhouses are condominium-style attached townhomes with garages. There are 200 townhouse units in the complex with a range of residents from families to single occupants. Prior to the introduction of the multi-unit recycling requirements, the complex had curbside manual waste collection from each unit completed on a weekly basis. Waste was in bags. Waste Collection System: Curbside Collection (Bags) •

•

Complex received quotes for both manual and cart waste collection. The condo board concluded that while the waste carts would be nice they did not want to spend the capital on waste carts at this time (they had the opportunity to rent carts from the collector or purchase carts outright). Space in the single car garages was also a factor

Recycling Collection System: Curbside Collection (Carts) •

• •

•

Complex determined that they would like a cart-based recycling collection system because of the convenience and tidiness. They also wanted a system that allowed residents to put all acceptable recyclable materials in one receptacle for collection (co-mingled recycling). Complex asked for pricing on renting carts from the collector and purchasing the carts at the collector’s rate; the collector also provided a rent-to-own rate. The condo board concluded that the rent-to-own option was best: it allowed the cost of the cart purchase to be spread over a number of years and would eventually lead to program savings as the condo corporation would own the carts. The condo board also concluded that residents would be more likely to recycle if they could keep their carts their garage. The balance was struck that they could justify one collection cart in the garage but not two, hence the blended manual waste collection system with the cart recycling collection system.

Conclusions: •

•

The type of collection services can be blended. A complex can have manual waste collection and cart collection for recycling, balancing what works budge-wise and also meets the unique circumstances of the multi-unit complex. Had the garages been bigger, the condo board would have selected cart collection for both waste and recycling as it is tidy and convenient. Townhouse complexes of this density are more suited to a smaller collection vehicle. Clarify that the collection company’s trucks will be able to maneuver successfully through the complex.

Case Study 6: Townhouses Scenario 2 Centralized Collection Building Description: Cochrane View Townhouses are condominium-style attached townhomes. There are 100 townhouse units in the complex with residents ranging from families to single occupants. Prior to the introduction of the multi-unit recycling requirements, the complex had a waste enclosure at either end of the complex (two enclosures in total). Each enclosure had two 6-yard waste dumpsters; the enclosures were fenced and gated. The four waste dumpsters were emptied on a weekly basis. The property management company was responsible for getting quotes and arranging waste and recycling services. Waste Collection System: Centralized Collection •

There were two years remaining on the waste collection contract so the property management company informed the condo board that they would not be seeking quotes for waste services at this time.

Recycling Collection System: Centralized Collection •

•

The property management company chose to seek pricing for recycling services based on the existing infrastructure (enclosure areas). They concluded that they would have the waste collection company remove one of the 6-yard waste dumpsters from each of the two enclosures to provide space for a recycling bin. Pricing was received from a number of companies including the current waste collector to provide two 6-yard recycling dumpsters for co-mingled recycling (paper, cardboard, plastic and tin) that would be collected weekly.

Conclusions: • • •

Your can successfully reduce the number of waste bins on site by increasing the number of recycling bins and educating your residents. A 1-to-1 ratio for waste to recycling bins is a good place to start. If space is limited for bins, seek pricing for different frequencies of collection or different bin sizes.