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Home My WebLink AboutSolid Waste Alternative Study-01 " PAML HO COUNTY" Solid Waste Alternative DCM COPY DCM COPY Please do not remove!!!!! Division of Coastal Management e LANDFILL BAYBORO THE PREPARATION OF THIS MAP WAS FINANCED IN PART THROUGH A GRANT PROVIDED BY THE NORTH CAROLINA COASTAL MANAGEMENT PROGRAM, THROUGH FUNDS PROVIDED BY THE COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT ACT OF 1972, AS AMENDED, WHICH IS ADMINISTERED BY THE OFFICE OF COASTAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT, NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION Study 12 Pamlico County Solid Waste Alternatives Study I. Data Base Page Amount of Solid Waste ........................ 1 Composition of Solid Waste ................... 2 Landfill Location ............................ 3 Future Conditions ............................ 5 Toxic Material ............................... b II. Analysis of Energy Market Current Usage ................................ 7 Expected Demands ............................. 9 III. Analysis of Environmental Consequences Current System ............................... 10 Future System Effects ........................ 10 IV. Implementation Financing and Operation ................ 13 Citizen Participation ........................ 14 Pamlico County Solid Waste Alternatives Study This report provides for Pamlico County a review of the Neuse River Waste to Energy Feasibility Study and offers imple- mentation strategies for the alternatives. The engineers study was prepared by Malcolm Pirnie, Inc. for eight counties within the -Mid -East Commission and Neuse River Council of Governments. The Malcolm Pirnie document offered a description of existing solid waste disposal systems, quantity projections and composi- tion estimates for the eight County area. DATA BASE Amount of Solid Waste The determination of the amount of solid waste requiring disposal is the first step in any waste disposal project. The waste generated in the County was determined by making use of generation rates developed by other units of government. A generation rate is an indicator of the amount of solid waste produced per capita. The estimated rate within the County is 3.5 pounds per capita. This rate is a compilation of typical rates in rural and urban areas. Also included in the rate determina- tion -was the actual rate used in Craven County, which regularly weighs trucks entering the landfill. The use of a generation factor in determining solid waste disposal needs is used in conjunction with population estimates provided by the North Carolina State Data Center. Waste quantity projections are; Tons Per Day County 1987 1992 1997 2002 2007 2012 Beaufort 79 85 90 96 101 106 Bert.ie 38 38 38 38 38 38 Carteret 92 106 120 134 147 161 Craven 147 163 179 195 210 225 Her .t-ford 43 44 44 44 44 44 Martin 46 46 46 46 45 44 Onslow 227 247 267 285 310 320 Pamlico 20 21 22 23 25 25 TOTALS 692 750 806 861 920 963 Before a final determination is made on a disposal alternative a provision should be made to weigh actual waste quantities at the landfill to insure the accuracy of the projects. Scales should be used for several months to establish accurate weight records. Composition of Solid Waste Equally important as the amount of solid waste generated in the County is the composition of the waste. The Malcolm Pirnie study attempted to determine the composition through a survey of landfill operators. Incomplete information and limited study time prevented an accurate assessment of waste composition. The engineers study used information gathered for other counties and communities. An examination of waste composition looks at waste genera- tors.and types of waste. Waste generation includes residential, commercial and industrial sources. The County residential waste comprises approximately 70% of the disposal needs, commercial waste is approximately 25% and industrial waste is approximately 3%. The volume of residential waste is important as it could become part of a recycling program. 2 The type of waste may include paper, plastics, textiles, construction material, organics and other material. The type of waste generated in the County must be considered when making a decision on a disposal alternative, especially since the effici- ency of many disposal technologies is dependent upon prior removal of noncombustible and recyclable material. The amount of paper and wood products will determine the level of success in an incineration process. In suburban areas, programs for point of generation recovery of recyclable material have been demonstrated to be capable of achieving upwards of 60% compliance levels. These levels, however, typically drop to below 20% for both rural and inner city wastestreams. This will be a major problem for the County in developing solid waste management programs. Some ways to address these difficulties include: a) Where feasible, the utilization of manned collection stations is disposal sites. Pitt County has initiat- ed this at one site using workers from Eastern Carolina Vocational Center. This method can be very successful if a monetary incentive is offered. For example, a reduction in dumping fees (assuming one is charged) for individuals bringing some pre-set amount (e.g. 5 lbs) of sorted recyclables. At unmanned sites, some voluntary compliance can be attained through the use of drop boxes. b) The County may encourage the towns or private haulers through financed or other means to develop monthly or bimonthly collection of sorted recyclables. The haulers may reduce charges based on a lower tipping fee. Towns or cities may give an adjustment in a garbage pick-up fee or be able to charge lower taxes. Landfill Location The location of the Pamlico County landfill is on the west side of N. C. 306 in Township One. The closest surface water is the East Fork of Goose Creek which flows into the north side of 3 SOLID WASTE ALTERNATIVES STUDY 0 N S L 0 1 HERTV0It �i1r11 ■ ' 1w0i11[ BERTIF� ■ . r�11t11 MARTIN An.`— V licuusrol j BE4UFORT uswucrol CRAVEN ■ 11r1, all111■ PA!lLICO t1 O ■ +�clsolnu[ ■ 1t,/r011 ■ Landf i i I CARTERET ♦ Transfer Station A Incinerator THE PREPARATION OF THIS MAP WAS FINANCED IN PART THROUGH A GRANT PROVIDED BY THE NORTH CAROLINA COASTAL MANAGEMENT PROGRAM, THROUGH FUNDS PROVIDED BY THE COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT ACT OF 1972, AS AMENDED, WHICH IS ADMINISTERED BY THE OFFICE OF COASTAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT, NATTONAI OCFANTr• AA111 •T...�.,..� __ _ the Neuse River. The landfill site is approximately 39 acres. Approximately 5 acres has been used for solid waste disposal. The remaining 34 acres will be used in future years. Two wells are on the site to monitor leachate flow. The County has recently been given a five year operational permit for extending the use of the landfill. The permit allows the County to use an additional five acreas of the existing site. This will add several years to the landfill life. Reduction in the amount of waste as a result of changes in disposal methods could extend the landfill life. Future Conditions In preparing for the future of solid waste disposal Pamlico County must project needs for the immediate future and long range future. Projections must consider changes in federal and state regulations, size of population, level of recycling and amount of disposable waste. In addition, changes in the economy and technology must be predicted. The previous section on amount of solid waste in the County included a prediction of only a five ton increase over the next 25 years. The small growth in the tonnage of solid waste requiring disposal will be the result of a stable population and disposable material. Population projections for the County as provided by the N. C. Office of State Budget and Management is as follows: Estimated Year Population 1990 119854 1995 129485 2000 139096 2010 13,723 5 Toxic Material The generation, transportation, treatment, storage and disposal of toxic waste within the County are currently monitored by field representatives from the N. C. Department of Human Resources - Hazardous Waste Management Branch. The facilities that create the waste are divided into small and large genera- tors. Small generators are facilities that create less than 1000 kilograms per month. In Pamlico County the facilities are' classified as follows: SOLID AND HAZARDOUS WASTE MANAGEMENT HAZARDOUS WASTE FACILITIES FOR A SELECTED COUNTY Facility Name Hardy Chevrolet, Inc. Facility Address Highway 55 Facility Small City Generator Bayboro X Each of the generators must properly dispose of any waste. The County is not prepared to accept toxic waste at its landfill. This creates a need to dispose of the waste at sites outside the County. The current regulations do not require facilities that generate less than 100 kilograms per month to report their disposal needs. They must dispose of any toxic waste'in a proper manner, but the method is not traced. .,The acceptance of household waste at the County landfill will normally include small amounts of toxic waste. Items such as cleaning fluids, batteries, and paint may accumulate in sufficient quantities to create a problem. The mixture of the toxic waste with putrescible waste at individual homes make sep- arat'ion at the disposal difficult, it not impossible. The easiest way to remove household toxic wastes from the waste 6 stream is to not let it in at the start. The education of the general public on source separation should be part of a disposal plan. ANALYSIS OF ENERGY MARKET The economic success of any waste to energy system requires the participation of an energy buyer. Energy products include steam, electricity and Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF). Primary users' of the energy include industry, military installations and electrical utility companies. Current Usage The final product of the waste to energy facility would be a partial determinent in locating a disposal site. The genera- tion of steam would require location of the facility generally within two miles of a buyer. The buyer could be an industry such as National Spinning Company in Washington or military installations such as Cherry Point MCAS and Camp Lejune MCH. The purchase of steam would allow the buyer to avoid the repair or replacement of boilers. The generation of electricity for sale to an electrical utility company, a municipality or an industry will require an extensive set of agreements. Utility companies such as North Carolina Power or CP&L are required by federal guidelines to purchase electricity generated from waste to energy facilities. The minimum rate paid by the power companies is set by the North Carolina Utilities Commission. This rate may not be satisfactory to the local governments as it is designed to protect the power companies. Waste to energy plant operators should attempt to generate electricity at times that are most favorable to the power companies. The generation of electricity at peak hours will permit the negotiation of more favorable rates for local governments. 7 The purchase of electricity by a municipality will require a special agreement with their supplier. The supplier normally demands an extended notice for any anticipated change in the purchase of' electricity. The North Carolina Eastern Municipal Power Agency and CP&L require an eight year notice for any change in power supply agreements. The municipality must be very certain that a new source of power,will be available on a constant basis. A reversal of plans could be a costly mistake. Industry and other major users may also purchase electricity from a waste to energy facility. The purchaser will require assurances that electricity will be available when needed. The revision of any agreement between a user and supplier may result in a higher rate for the user. The counties should remember that entering the electricity business is not a temporary function. Rates paid by utility companies will be based on regular availability and amount of electricity generated. Municipalities and industry will rely on the County for all or part of their electricity. This may require the county to use fuel to generate electricity. Expected Demands Population variation within the County and the surrounding area can be expected to create a change in the demand for energy. An increase in the cost or availability of traditional sources of energy may lead to the use of alternative sources. One source of additional energy could be from the waste to energy product known as RDF. This process will involve the creation of a product that can be delivered to another site for burning. RDF products are in a form, such as pellets, that are easily transportable. This will eliminate siting restrictions caused by cogeneration. RDF will also eliminate the County's responsibility for ash disposal. Recycling is an integral part of .RDF processing. This can also provide additional income for the County. ,_ 8 However, RDF facilities are not the perfect solution to a county's disposal problems. A market for the RDF must be found. Buyer's may require a BTU level that will be difficult to obtain. Pricing of the RDF must be low enough that it will be an attractive substitution for conventional fuels. Recycling may not be a complete success due to fluctuations in the scrap market. ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES Pamlico County must consider the environmental consequences of the existing disposal system or any future system. The disposal methods chosen will have varying effects upon water quality. Ground water and surface water, could be adversely affected by a poor choice. The approval by the Division of Health Services and Environmental Management Division of any change in disposal method will require a review of the effect on water quality. Current System The environmental integrity of the area surrounding land- fills is closely watched by the Division of Health Services representatives within the N. C. Department of Human Resources. The field representatives monitor leachate filtration throughout the area surrounding the landfill. Future System(s) `The disposal method recommended by Malcolm Pirnie includes incineration of the waste by one of several facility types. The types include waterwall, rotary waterwall and modular. The disposal facility chosen will require an ultimate location for the ash residue. VA One of the alternatives includes an incinerator in Craven County. The incinerator could be located in Havelock near the Cherry Point MCAS. Officials at Cherry Point have expressed an interest in buying steam that would be generated by the incineration plant. The use of an incinerator in Craven County could leave the County with responsibility for ash disposal. The ash will be a byproduct of any incinerator. Regulations under considera tion by the Environmental Protection Agency may designate ash produced by a solid waste incinerator as hazardous. This change could place an additional burden on Craven County if it retains ash disposal responsibility. The location of an incinerator in Craven County would not mean that the County must dispose of 100% of the ash. The operator of the incinerator would very likely be under contract with surrounding counties. This could leave Pamlico County responsible for its share of the ash. The environmental integrity of the area surrounding the Pamlico County landfill and the incinerator site should not be affected by the change in use. The landfill is monitored now for the leaching of both non -toxic and toxic wastes. The acceptance of ash would not require a change in landfill opera- tions unless the classification of the ash is revised. EPA officials anticipate a release of revised regulations soon for enforcement in 1992. The ash disposal problem can be partially avoided by an active recycling program. Incinerator boiler efficiency can be increased and gas emissions reduced by the removal of noncombus- tibles. This is believed to be due to more even and complete combustion. In addition the removal of noncombustibles will reduce the volume of final ash (through the removal of its own weight and volume, as well as the increased combustion efficienc- ies) that must be processed for disposal. This information 10 suggests that it is imperative for the County to implement a means to also provide point of disposal segregation and collec- tion of recyclable and noncombustible material. At present, there are two primary types of systems available to accomplish this. The first type of system is referred to as Air Density Separation (ADS). With ADS, bulk refuse is conveyed into a rotating conical bin which is connected to an air blower. Low density materials (primarily lightweight paper and plastic products, fabric and food wastes) are suspended in the airstream and conducted directly into an incinerator. Denser materials fall to the bottom of the bin where they are recovered and then sorted to remove noncombustible and recyclable materials. Any combustibles remaining after the sorting process are then incinerated. A more advanced method of separation is found in the recently developed wet processing system. In these systems the refuse is finely shredded, suspended in water and then separated and automatically recovered. Some of the advantages of this kind of system include: (a) The recovered by-products are cleaned by this process, which should facilitate handling and enhancing their resale value. (b) The homogenous nature of the resulting incinerator fuel promotes more complete combustion. (c) Many of these systems include the capacity to continu- ously monitor the processed wastestream for the presence of hazardous materials. The materials can them be diverted from the incinerator and processed for alternative disposal. (d) Demineralizers are incorporated into many of these systems which help to reduce heavy metal contamination of residual incinerator ash. This type of processing will add water to the waste and should therefore be followed by a pyrolysis stage. The Malcolm it Pirnie study did not recommend pyrolysis. However, as a precom- bustion stage pyrolysis would use water to drive oxygen from the waste, which is then heated to generate burnable gases. These gases are conducted into the incinerator where they are util-ized as supplemental fuel, offsetting any combustion ineffic- iency attributable to the added moisture in the refuse. IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGIES The adoption of a particular strategy by Pamlico County will involve the commitment of staff, time, money, equipment and resources such as land and water. The alternative chosen will require the County to decide on construction, ownership and operation of the disposal facility. Financing and Operation Construction of an alternative disposal facility may be paid.for by one county, several counties, or the private sector. Pamlico County may choose to construct a facility by itself. This would make the County responsible for any financing package. The money could be obtained from locally generated revenue, or combinations of State and Federal money. Local revenue could include funding from a capital reserve fund and general obliga- tion or revenue bonds. The capital reserve fund would probably not be usable due to the large amount of money (perhaps as muchas $30 million) necessary for construction. In 1983, the General Assembly authorized units of government to issue revenue bonds for the collection, treatment and disposal of solid waste. .State or Federal money may come in the form of grants or loans. Grants are the ideal source of money, but they are difficult to obtain. Loans will require a repayment method. TFi'e most logical choice of repayment funding for a disposal facility is the use of tipping fees. These fees may be charged to 12 haulers bringing waste to the facility. Both private and public haulers may be charged a fee based on weight. A tipping fee by itself may not generate sufficient revenue to ..cover the cost of operating and capital expenses. The various types of energy buyers discussed earlier will be an additional source of revenue. One other source of revenue is property tax, which could be increased to provide revenue for the facility. All of the combined revenue sources may not generate sufficient revenue if one county attempts to construct a waste disposal facility. The ability to assume several million dollars of debt may be more than a county can financially or politically afford. This may require the creation of a regional sanitary district. A sanitary district could combine several counties into a group that could affordably operate a facility. The district could be held responsible for construction and operation financ- ing. One other implementation strategy could be the use of private sector money in the development of the project. Private industry may participate in the construction or operation of a facility if the economic benefits are high enough. The General Assembly permits counties to contract with private firms for the development of a solid waste disposal facility. The contract may be based on factors other than cost, such as facility design, operational experience, system reliability, energy production efficiency, long-term operational costs, compatibility with source separation and other recycling systems, environmental impact and operational guarantees. The construction of a facility outside Pamlico County could result in increased transportation and tipping fees. The County must weigh these costs carefully when entering a contract. 13 Citizen Participation A final non -technical consideration in the development of a waste to energy is the probability of public opposition. Much of the hold-up in constructing solid waste disposal facilities is the result of well organized public resistance campaigns. Public opposition is often the result of two primary factors: (a) Although armed with a considerable number of facts, most lay people do not have the technical training to use these facts in forming an objective opinion. They are easily swayed by emotionally charged arguments which are based upon either technical impossibilities or worst case scenarios. (b) Many in the general public believe that public offic- ials will promote projects that do not necessarily serve the public interest. The failure of the federal government, until recently, to protect the public from chemical hazards has given support to this argument. The County should implement immediately an effective public relations and information program if a disposal facility is to be completed in a timely fashion. A well informed public will probably be a supportive public. One major mistake in other parts of the country was the exclusion of the public from the planning, siting and development process. In many cases, all significant decisions were made behind closed doors with politi- cal decisions overriding public service ones. The public hearings were held after all the major decisions had been reached. This attitude has tied up many units of government in litigation over siting and construction. Private individuals should be encouraged to serve on committees and participate in all _phases of the development process. A consensus among opinion leaders on the criteria for selecting a site long before a site is even unofficially chosen can play an important part in the success of the project. The involvement of citizens in the planning process should include representatives of environmental action groups. These 14 groups have proven themselves to be formidable opponents to refuse disposal facilities. If carefully cultivated these same groups could become strong proponents of a disposal system. This will involve approaching them early in the planning process and asking for their opinions and creative input. Their techno- phobia can be overcome by showing a project package that includes a certain technological overkill in areas of air and water quality. A note of caution is that the groups should not be used unless their opinions will be listened to in the planning process. Simply paying lip service to the groups could create problems at a later date. All citizens of the County cannot be on a planning commit- tee. The soundest environmentally safe plan is useless if proposals and progress on a disposal facility are not communi- cated to the public periodically from day one. Newsletters, slide shows, media coverage and newspaper inserts can be used to develop an informed public and vividly portray the good neighbor aspects of a disposal facility. The particular method of communicating is not as important as its style. It must be straight forward and demystify high technology solutions. It must not be a slick sell. Going to people at their regularly scheduled meeting can head off the venting of frustrations at a public hearing. The public information program must be personalized and dialogue must be continual. The public should be able to feel they..know the county person responsible for the project. The crucial characteristic of acceptance of information has been found to be the credibility of the source, of which the two most important ingredients are expertise and trustworthiness. It is much easier to trust individuals than institutions. For most citizens, the press account of a public meeting is its reality. A reporters decision to give balanced coverage to all points of view or to sensationalize the events by giving disproportionate space to opponents charges can make or break a project. 15 The role of supportive editorials is important, but not nearly so much as what is on news pages and on television broadcasts. The person in charge of the project for the county should be accessible and have clear, knowledgeable answers to any questions. Successful projects come after many hours spent in educating reporters about the issue. Public information and participation should be built into environmental and engineering contracts. The key is a conscious effort to earn the public trust. If the effort is serioys from the beginning of the project, then knowing how to overcome opposition to waste disposal facilities may become an unnecessary skill. The county must get the message across that it has the ability to supervise the design and operation of a solid waste disposal facility; that the added risk is unmeasurable and insignificant in comparison to risks we readily accept in modern life; and that these are the conclusions of people both with expertise to make such judgments and those with a long commit- ment to public interest. Most of all the county should take the whole process of public acceptance as seriously as financing and vendor selection, for without it their will be no project. The county should be sure that the engineers involved in the project make their findings relevant and intelligible to people outside their discipline and to call on those who can help them do so. Finally, there is a need to acknowledge the benefit of citizens participation. Without it, many facilities would not be as carefully designed, would not be as well equipped with monitoring and reporting systems, would not have rigorous training programs for operators,would not have the scrubbers which provide acid gas control or fly ash removal systems. In addition, citizen support is required to implement a recycling program which reduces the overall disposal burden and will ultimately reduce the cost of waste disposal and the depletion of natural resources. 16