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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0066.011 2004-2006 ,1MtV ,os N~k' , ~~~I~r~%a. Barbara Bell Harry Kim Director Mrzyor - , ~ Nelson Ho •i'~:: a!.r~t' ~>E of e~'N Deputy Director l'LII1t1T~'~1 0{ ~tCflTtItL DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 25 Aupuoi Street, Room 210 • Hilo, Hawa~ i 96720-4252 (808) 961-8083 • Fax (808) 961-8086 email: cohdem(u~co.hawaii.hi.us DATE: August 31, 2005 TO: Stacy Higa, Council Chair and Council Members FROM: Barbara Bell, Directo~ _ RE: FINAL REPORT Name of Grant Program: Beverage Container Deposit Grant Federal or State Grantor: State Department of Health County Grantee Department or Agency: Environmental Management Grant No. (IF KNOWN): MOA dated 11/1/04 County Revenue & Expenditure Account Numbers: 085.3305.37 & 085.601.5607.01-.11 Amount of Grant: $250,000 Amount of County Match: N/A Grant Period (Commencement & Completion): 7/1/04 thru 6/30/05 Goals: Promote and establish redemption activities in Hawaii County Objectives: Provide redemption centers convenient for the public and achieve a recovery rate of 70% Outcomes or Results: Established 10 permanent permitted redemption centers in Hawaii County and reached a recovery rate of 67% for the period from January thru June 2005. Comm. No. I Ref. To: Huwai'i County is nn erluu! opportunity provider nr~d employer. R.:-f~ [j p}e Memorandum of Agreement between County of Hawaii, Department of Environmental Management, Solid Waste Division, and the State of Hawaii Department of Health. Yearly Report for Fisca12004-2005 Deposit Beverage Container Program Summary of activities from July-November, 2004 • Submitted proposal and budget to Department of Health (DOH), Solid and Hazardous Waste Branch (SHWB). • Developed guidelines for a County Beverage Container Grant Program to promote redemption centers. Requests for grant applications published in September, grant proposals accepted in November. • Created position descriptions for Recycling Specialists II and Civil Service recruited for 2 positions. Interviews conducted in November. • Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between the County and State fully executed November 2005. Summary of activities from December 2004 through June 2005 based on Scope of Services 1. The Contractor shall assist the State in establishing certified redemption centers including, but not limited to, the following: a) Assess site establishment of redemption centers for services to the public: The County of Hawaii contracted with The Arc of Hilo in December 2004 for professional services to promote and operate permitted redemption centers at specified County Solid Waste Transfer Stations and to encourage permitted redemption services in areas remote from the population centers of Hilo and Kailua-Kona. Currently there are a total often permitted redemption centers operating on the Big Island. Two centers are operated by Atlas Recycling Centers, LLC, at their permanent facilities in Kailua-Kona and Hilo. The remaining eight centers are operated by the ARC of Hilo at the Hilo, Kea'au, Kealakehe, and Waimea Transfer Stations (on a daily basis six days a week) and at the Keauhou, Pahoa, Puako, and Wai'ohinu Transfer Stations (on weekends only). b, c,d) Identify communities where redemption services are non-existent, in a gap or rural area, and prioritize gap or rural needs: Redemption centers were set up to service more remote areas of the Big Island and opened on the following dates: Wai'ohinu January 22, 2005 Keauhou January 29, 2005 Puako February 5, 2005 Pahoa March 5, 2005 Under the new contract for the next fiscal year, Arc of Hilo proposed to open an additional weekend site at Hawi in North Kohala. Other rural communities that may be added as redemption center sites are Honokaa, Volcano and Laupahoehoe. /2 e, f, g) Assist in preparing and securing sites for redemption operations, and provide other support as needed. Significant improvements to each of the County sponsored redemption centers operated by the Arc of Hilo were made to facilitate better ingress/egress, parking and processing of redeemed materials. More user-friendly tents, tables and bins were also installed for customer convenience. 2. and 3. The Contractor shall provide monitoring support and technical assistance to certified redemption centers. Using the "Certified Redemption Center Inspection Checklist," recycling specialists made 13 formal site visits to redemption centers with subsequent reports submitted to DOH. In addition, recycling specialists periodically visited sites to answer worker questions, check roll-offs, interact with the public, observe site operations and determine needs. As a result, more effective signage was installed, including: metal HIS Redemption signs attached to County Transfer Station signs, as well as No Parking, Parking, One Way, and Do Not Enter signs. In addition, suggestions for site improvements (regrading of walking surfaces, putting in bamers to block off unsafe exits, better placement of shed and bins) were presented and subsequently implemented. 4. The Contractor shall provide education and public outreach. a) Provide educational and outreach support to promote and increase participation in recycling of deposit beverage containers: Educational Outreach - Elementary Schools: DeSilva (2 5`h grade classes); Waiakeaweana (ls` Grade); Kapiolani (all grades, 200 students), The HIS Magic Show Earth Day Fair: On UHH/HawCC campus -all-day with approximately 700-750 students and community members coming by display. Other: HIS posters sent out to schools/teachers requesting them. Public Outreach: Retailers: Visited approximately 95 Big Island retailers for signage, proper labeling of HIS containers, and charging of fees. Presentations: Waimea Community Association Environmental Management Commission Community Resource Team Hawaii County Council Environmental Management Commission Green Hotel Forum at Fairmont Orchid Mauna Lani Newspapers: Weekly (at times bi-weekly) ad in local newspapers giving redemption center hours/location information. HIS Recycling tips (every Wednesdays) since early April Radio: Live radio remotes at redemption center openings; 30 and 60 second ads on-going each month to increase public participation /3 TV: Public access tapings at HIS redemption centers (3) Other: Postings: Laminated sheets of redemption center hours/locations posted at atl transfer station bulletin boards. Weekly update of redemption center information provided to County of Hawaii e-newsletter (approx. 4000 readers); Responses: Answer questions and provide information to public via daily calls and emails (estimated at 750-800 for the 6 month period). 5. The Contractor shall obtain staff to conduct monitoring support, technical assistance, and education outreach activities including, but not limited to, activities stated in the Scope of Services. The County of Hawaii hired two recycling specialists to assist with implementation, promotion, and monitoring of the Deposit Beverage Container Program (DBCP) for the Big Island. 6. The Contractor shall prepare quarterly reports to include, but not be limited to, the following: a) Evaluation of program success: The County of Hawai'i's HIS Program has been successful. The County reported a 62% redemption return rate for the first 6 months of the program. An estimated 30,125,411 containers were redeemed at certified redemption centers that returned approximately $1.5 million to Big Island residents. This also resulted in the diversion of over 1,800 tons of material from County landfills. A total often certified redemption centers have been established on the Big Island and are situated at convenient locations throughout the County so that they serve both the major population areas as well as more rural communities. Our school presentations have reached over 1,100 students and provided them with hands-on activities, important information on how to prepare containers for proper redemption, as well as stressing the importance of DBC recycling. All advertising efforts have proven successful and can be measured by the phone calls, emails or face-to-face comments we received, such as: "Oh I heard on the radio... I read in the newspaper.... or thanks for the pencil, I'll try this website b) Recommendations for improvement: Continue advertising and help open more redemption centers. Support Big Island retailers or other parties who respond to the State's RFP and Rebate offers to establish redemption activities in the County of Hawaii. Revise the DBCPAdministrative Rules for clearer guidelines and more equitable consideration of the different needs of each county to promote the HIS program. 7. Budget A summary of the actual budget versus actual expenditures is included. Also included are the worksheets supporting each budget line item. Copies of each invoice paid are also provided as an appendix in the final report sent to the Department of Health. It should be noted that the County expended slightly more than the grant amount on the beverage container deposit program activities in Hawai i County. Excess expenditures were covered by the County of Hawaii and resulted from the need to direct more funds toward advertising than originally budgeted. This was due to the fact that the State originally intended to cover the expense of a statewide media campaign, but due to logistical problems, shifted that responsibility to the Counties after the grant awards were made. One expense not reflected in the budget summary is the accrual of overtime as compensatory time off (CTO) by the two Recycling Specialists hired under the grant program funding. A total of 59 hours in overtime was accrued by the two staff members, which represents $1,543.00 that is not included in the expenditure summary.