Item 006 - Director's Report — original pdf

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To: Zero Waste Advisory Commission From: Ron Romero, Assistant Director, Austin Resource Recovery Date: April 9, 2025 Subject: Director’s Monthly Report to the Zero Waste Advisory Commission Universal Recycling Ordinance The Universal Recycling Ordinance annual reporting period is open each fiscal year from October 1 through February 1. This year the department migrated to the public facing an online reporting system to a new software and database system. There is always concern when launching a new software platform, but this inaugural run was largely incident free, and the software programs are running smoothly and effectively. Public reporting rates continue to lag behind the anticipated performance. As of January 30, 43% of URO affected properties have been reported. Staff plan to take additional measures throughout the fiscal year to improve online submission rates. A strategic plan has been developed to deliver outreach, including email or mailed letters to non-submitting properties throughout the summer. Outreach is also being coordinated with the Austin Apartment Association, including a February 13 webinar. More information at: www.austinaptassoc.com/events. Circular Accelerator and Showcase applications open The Circular Austin Showcase provides the opportunity for circular economy businesses and entrepreneurs to compete for a cash prize in August each year. The Circular Austin Accelerator helps entrepreneurs improve their circular business ideas through workshops and 1:1 technical assistance. Applications were extended thru March 30. Learn more at: www.austintexas.gov/circularshowcase. Fix-It Austin – Household Item Repair On April 5, a Fix-It Clinic will be held at St. John’s Library (7500 Blessing Ave; 78752) from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Residents can bring broken household items and learn to fix them with guidance from skilled coaches. There will be a drop-off period the week leading up to the clinic, for those who need something fixed but are unable to attend the event. Learn more at: www.austintexas.gov/FixIt. Fix-It Austin – Textile Mending Services and Education On April 19, The Windsor Park Library (5833 Westminster, 78723) is hosting a Fix-It Austin Partner event offering mending services and education as a part of their Earth Day celebration. Residents can bring torn, ripped, or otherwise damaged textile items and learn how to fix them alongside skilled sewing coaches. Library staff will lead this event with ARR providing sewing machines, tools, and supplies. Learn more at: www.austintexas.gov/FixIt.  Electric Vehicle Purchase Austin Resource Recovery recently took delivery of the department’s first electric collection vehicle, an important step in helping the City meet established climate goals. Employees were able to trial the vehicle and feedback was solicited before moving forward with the purchase. ARR plans to use the vehicle within the downtown litter operations group beginning later this month. Brush Collection at Emergency Service District 4 Starting in January 2025, ARR commenced its annual collection of brush within Emergency Service District 4. This annual collection occurs in five(5) areas outside of the City of Austin residential service area. In partnership with AFD, Travis County and other stakeholders the collection provides wildfire mitigation for areas deemed high-risk for wildfires. This year’s collection was another successful venture to pre-emptively avoid the devastation caused by wildfires. Crews collected a total of 411 brush setouts weighing 111.6 tons. Below is a breakdown for the individual areas serviced. ESD4 2025 Section A- 174 setouts, 22.05 tons Section B- 10 setouts, 1.47 tons Section C/D - 19 setouts, 6.65 tons Section E- 208 setouts, 81.43 tons   Preparing for Council: • N/A  Published: • N/A ARR Solicitation Updates As of March 31, 2025 ZWAC Meeting April 9, 2025  Expected to be Published Within 90 days: • Compost Processing Services: The Contractor shall provide complete processing, sorting, and composting of organics, yard waste, food scraps, and food-/oil-soiled compostable paper, as well as marketing services to include detailed data reporting to support the City’s residential curbside compost materials collection services. Link to the current contract. • Central Business District Collection Services: The Contractor shall provide complete collection, transporting, processing, and disposal services of trash, bulk materials, recycling, compost, and daily litter cleanups, within the CBD. Link to the current contract. • Residential Dumpster Collection Services: The Contractor shall provide complete collection, transportation, maintenance, and clean-up of refuse materials generated by residential multi-unit customers located within specific metropolitan areas of the city. Link the current contract. Definitions: CCO CO-OP ILA IFB RFI RFQ RFQS RFP (Capital Contracting Office): Administers the procurement of professional and construction services. (Cooperative Contract): A contract that has been competitively bid and issued by another government or purchasing alliance with the intention of sharing it with other governmental entities. (Interlocal Agreement): A collaborative contract between local government entities (for example, ARR and a county, state, or school district) to provide more efficient and less costly services, where any payments are made from current revenues. (Invitation for Bid): Formal bidding documents inviting suppliers to submit pricing for goods or services. (Request for Information): Used to obtain industry input, feedback, or reactions from potential suppliers prior to issuing a solicitation. (Request for Quotation): Informal request to suppliers to provide quotes on specific goods or services. (Request for Qualifications): Formal solicitation used when qualifications are the main criteria for professional services. (Request for Proposals): Formal request for a supplier to provide a solution and cost estimate to a complex need. Page 1 of 1 d e s o p s D s n o T i i d e t r e v D s n o T Austin Resource Recovery Curbside Collection and Drop Off Center Operations LAST FISCAL YEAR-FY24 CURRENT FISCAL YEAR-FY25 Description of Services FY2023 FY2024 Jan 2024 Feb 2024 Jan 2025 Feb 2025 FY24 YTD (Oct 23-Feb 24) Tons of Curbside Trash Tons of Curbside Bulk Disposed HHW Operations Tons Disposed Estimated Tons of Curbside Recycling Residuals (1) Total Disposed Tons Collected Curbside and from Drop Off Center Operations 132,867 8,383 540 136,713 9,366 484 10,553 10,610 12,412 761 35 971 11,071 821 45 837 57,276 3,502 179 4,573 12,141 242 43 978 10,413 380 28 784 (1) Estimated tons of curbside recycling processed by vendors as residual - based on bi-annual sample route audit 152,343 157,173 14,178 12,774 65,531 13,404 11,604 63,481 152,490 FY25 YTD (Oct 24-Feb 25) 56,329 2,590 171 FY 2025 Goal 135,000 6,216 409 4,391 10,865 Tons of Drop Off Center Collections Recycled/Reused 1,691 1,948 Total Tons of Recyclables Collected RRC Tons Recycled/Reused RRC Tons of Brush Collected HHW Operations Tons Recycled/Reused Tons of Curbside Compost Collected Tons of Curbside Bulk Recycled Tons of Curbside Brush Collected Tons of Curbside Textiles Collected Tons of Carts Recycled Total Diverted Tons Collected Curbside and from Drop Off Center Operations Total Tons Collected Curbside and from Drop Off Center Operations Estimated Percent of Curbside Collected Materials Diverted from Landfills by ARR 53,839 1,528 0 384 44,445 221 175,089 58 124 42,315 1,811 0 344 42,716 206 6,713 46 177 4,113 3,465 18,390 3,748 3,012 16,998 51,135 149 0 43 176 3,410 16 659 3 0 145 0 34 163 16 485 5 16 702 0 146 767 2,916 81 14 55 137 0 26 135 28 109 4 15 103 0 26 99 30 198 3 24 654 0 133 688 1,769 99 16 71 1,570 0 320 1,652 34,519 238 4,246 39 172 3,896 17,131 3,098 1,853 14,383 275,466 94,122 8,377 8,046 39,353 7,137 5,217 34,025 92,000 427,809 251,294 22,555 20,820 104,884 20,541 16,822 97,506 244,491 63.42% 37.04% 36.70% 38.25% 37.12% 34.38% 30.66% 34.49% 34.35% Pounds of Trash Collected per Customer per Pickup 23.76 24.39 26.50 23.69 24.78 26.79 21.84 24.13 24.08 Number of Trash and Recycling Customers 215,063 215,723 216,341 215,864 213,481 209,360 220,200 215,662 215,662 Pounds of Recycled Materials Collected per Customer per Pickup (every other week) Pounds of Curbside Compost Collected per Customer per Week 19.37 15.19 17.67 14.92 16.02 16.64 12.71 14.65 18.35 8.00 7.67 7.33 8.39 7.46 6.88 3.91 6.20 6.19 Number of Curbside Compost Customers 213,758 214,366 214,967 214,505 212,114 208,072 218,901 214,363 214,363 Total Tons of Dead Animals Collected from COA Rights-of-Way and the Animal Shelter 71 55 4 5 28 6 5 29 70 25,000 20,000 15,000 10,000 5,000 0 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% 70.00% 60.00% 50.00% 40.00% 30.00% 20.00% 10.00% 0.00% Austin Resource Recovery Curbside Collection and Drop Off Center Operations 22,555 20,820 20,541 16,822 8,377 8,046 7,137 0 5,217 Jan 2024 Feb 2024 Jan 2025 Feb 2025 Total Diverted Tons Collected Curbside and from Drop Off Center Operations Total Tons Collected Curbside and from Drop Off Center Operations Estimated Percent of Curbside Collected Materials Diverted from Landfills by ARR 0 0 34% 34% 34% 31% Jan 2025 Feb 2025 FY25 YTD (Oct 24-Feb 25) FY 2025 Goal Reporting Status and Diversion Results for All Categories of Waste Generation 2020-21 Actual 41.96% * 2021-22 Actual 38.32% * 2022-23 Actual 63.42% * 2023-24 Actual 37.04% * 2024-25 Goal 34.35% * 2024-25 Current 34.49% * *As prescribed in the (1) 2023 Austin Resource Recovery Comprehensive Plan, the Department shall conduct a detailed waste assessment study every five years to determine progress toward our Zero Waste goal. This plan is an update to the (2) 2011 Master Plan (see link below).The first such study was published in (3) 2015, titled Austin’s 2015 Community Diversion Study (see link below). The study focused on estimating diversion from both ARR-serviced properties and commercial properties. Commercial properties include retail businesses, food service establishments, professional offices, industrial properties, institutional facilities, government facilities and multifamily properties five units and larger. According to Austin's 2015 Community Diversion Study, Residential Waste Diversion Rate (City-serviced accounts) represents approximately 15% and the Community Diversion Rate (accounts serviced by private waste haulers) represents approximately 85% of the total citywide. Category of Waste Generation Residential Waste Diversion (city serviced accounts) Community Diversion Rate (1) 2023 Austin Recovery Comprehensive Plan (2) 2011 Master Plan (3) Austin's 2015 Community Diversion Study Residential Waste Diversion (City-serviced accounts) 63.42% 41.96% 38.32% 37.04% 34.35% 34.49% 2020-21 Actual 2021-22 Actual 2022-23 Actual 2023-24 Actual 2024-25 Goal 2024-25 Current Category of Waste Generation Commercial Tons Landfilled** Commercial Tons Recycled** Commercial Organics Tons** FY 2019-20 1,359,207 435,875 81,436 FY 2020-21 1,558,819 471,492 95,840 FY 2021-22 1,358,344 454,031 87,896 ** Numbers reported here are compiled from self-reported data submitted by licensed private waste haulers via semi-annual tonnage reports required under Section 15-6-3 of the City Code on a calendar year basis and as such, ARR does not attest to the accuracy of these amounts. These numbers reflect data from 100-200 licensed haulers (number of haulers varies over time), and include haulers servicing dumpsters, roll-offs, construction and demolition debris, landscaping debris, and metal scrap. These numbers do not reflect all data sources included in Austin's 2015 Community Diversion Study. Zero Waste Advisory Commission Meeting - April 2025 Single Stream Recycling Statistical Report FY25: October thru February Texas Disposal Systems (TDS) and Balcones Resources, Inc. (BRI) Month and Year Contractor Tons Delivered Contractor Payments Net Value to the City Landfill Cost Avoidance Revenue Processing Cost Net Value Net Amount * Due/(Owed) $ per ton value Cost Per Ton Total October 2024 November 2024 December 2024 January 2025 February 2025 March 2025 April 2025 May 2025 June 2025 July 2025 August 2025 September 2025 TDS BRI TDS BRI TDS BRI TDS BRI TDS BRI TDS BRI TDS BRI TDS BRI TDS BRI TDS BRI TDS BRI TDS BRI 2,144.93 2,065.32 $4,210 1,877.78 2,230.55 4,108.33 2,287.96 2,261.93 4,549.89 1,951.48 2,779.03 4,730.51 1,748.80 2,046.62 3,795.42 Total Total Total Total Total Total 0.00 Total 0.00 Total 0.00 Total 0.00 Total 0.00 Total 0.00 Total 0.00 36,850.76 232,267.97 $269,119 107,246.50 202,401.46 $309,648 ($70,395.74) $29,866.51 ($40,529) ($70,395.74) $22,399.88 ($47,996) ($32.82) $10.85 $28.34 $28.34 $30,199 $240,920 $271,118 $35,936 $233,022 $268,957 $30,218 $294,123 $324,341 $27,198 $210,298 $237,497 $93,889 $218,594 $312,483 $114,398 $221,669 $336,067 $97,574 $272,345 $369,919 $87,440 $200,569 $288,009 ($63,690) $22,326 ($41,365) ($78,462) $11,353 ($67,110) ($67,356) $21,778 ($45,578) ($60,242) $9,730 ($50,512) ($63,690) $16,744 ($46,946) ($78,462) $8,515 ($69,948) ($67,356) $16,333 ($51,022) ($60,242) $7,297 ($52,945) ($33.92) $7.51 $28.34 $28.34 ($34.29) $3.76 $28.34 $28.34 ($34.52) $5.88 $28.34 $28.34 ($34.45) $3.57 $28.34 $28.34 $60,787 $58,531 $119,318 $53,216 $63,214 $116,430 $64,841 $64,103 $128,944 $55,305 $78,758 $134,063 $49,561 $58,001 $107,562 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 FY25 Totals 21,394.40 $1,371,032 $1,616,125 ($245,093) ($268,856) $606,317