Annual Report Summary - (Printer Friendly Version)

This section of the annual report presents the methods in which your agency informed both employees and customers served that a recycling program was being implemented. Below are identified the programs you reported were continued or implemented during 2006.

This section of the annual report presents your compliance with the State Agency Buy Recycled Campaign (SABRC). The activities identified below were reported as implemented or continued during 2006. (Note: Completing this section does not meet the SABRC reporting requirements (PCC Section 12162(b)).

The waste stream will continue to decrease as this Agency continues to develop new programs to reduce waste.

A sample of a new practice is in our Construction program. Caltrans, by statute, requires contractors to submit a "Solid Waste Disposal and Recycling Report". If the contractors don`t submit that report, they are fined $10,000. per job. This Coordinator received a total of 26 CEM 4041 waste diversion reports. Last year only three were received.

Paper recycling, double sided copies via District 1 policy, paperless systems by District 1 Permits Branch, continued beverage container recycling by Adopt A Highway volunteers and rest area contractors, food compost recycling at District Office cafeteria, asphalt and concrete recycling in Maintenance and Construction programs, and brown goods recycling by Maintenance forces.

Other types of materials are generated as a result of a large vehicle fleet owned by Caltrans. Some of these materials include motor oil, antifreeze, engine lubricants and solvents. The Shop additionally reports the re-treading of approximately 1000 tires last year. Even though these products are not counted toward our waste diversion rate, they are still being recycled.

Over the years, the Department has gone through the "Greening the Fleet" and departmental employees are provided with Hybrids and Propane operated vehicles to lower emissions. More information can be found at:

http://dot.ca.gov/hq/eqsc/CleanAir/greenfleet.htm.

Actual disposal rates, actual recycling receipts and weigh tickets, extrapolation from last years report, verbal and written reports from employees and recycle vendors, and reports generated by contract.

All of the above were calcluated based on volume to weight conversion tables from the US EPA and CIWMB.

The following web sites provided proper conversion rates:

http://www.convert-me.com/en/convert/weight2volume

http://www.ciwmb.ca.gov/lglibrary/DSG/IMetal.htm

http://www.ciwmb.ca.gov/lglibrary/DSG/ICandD.htm

Activities included in each of the reported programs are-

Business Source Reduction-

The Department encourages the use of e-mail, double-sided copies, paperless systems, reusable boxes and envelopes, laundered shop rags and carpets.

Beverage Containers -

The Caltrans Adopt-A-Highway coordinator continues to manage the beverage container recycling program by roadside volunteers. This program has been extended state-wide. The Rest Area contractors continue to recycle beverage containers and provide weighted receipts to this Department. However, four (4) of District 1`s rest areas were closed for approximately six months each to complete a major renovation of those facilities. The drop in beverage container recycling weights is a direct result of the closures. The largest portion of beverage containers are collected during the Summer months and four of these rest areas were closed during the Summer.

There are beverage container recycling containers in various locations throughout our offices, maintenance yards and construction offices. The change in Management of the District Office Cafeteria has resulted in less recycling of food waste, beverage containers and newspapers.

Cardboard -

Continued collection of cardboard at multiple locations by contract haulers. The quantities are determined by container size, monthly pickup schedules, and routine observation of the quantities in the container on pickup day. Some offices pulled reported various quantities of recycled cardboard and the tonnages were determined by extrapolating those results.

There is a large drop in collected, recycled cardboard and most likely this is due to fewer purchases with cardboard packaging, including modular furniture in which there were no purchases of this nature in 2006.

Office Paper-

Continued collection of office paper at all locations throughout the District except for a few offices too rural to make feasible. The decrease in white paper recycling is most likely due to the mandated two sided-copy policy implemented in District 1 in 2006. The Permits Branch also went to a "paperless" system.

Newspaper -

The prior Cafeteria Manager used to sell newspapers at the cafeteria and the new manager does not sell newspapers, therefore there was a reduction in the amount of paers being recycled. Prior to the change in Cafe Managers, the newspapers recycled by her have been reported based on extrapolation methods from last years report.

Scrap metals -

Includes self generated scrap metals. These items are collected under a revenue earning contract held by by local scrap and salvage companies. The vendors provide scale tickets and a percentage of the daily quote for scrap based on the American Metal Market (AMM). Checks are deposited in the State Highway Account.

Contractors also provide weigh tickets for scrap metal via Construction and Demolotion reporting form CEM-4041.

The increase in salvaged metal is a result of the Construction program`s requirement to recycle and divert solid waste and report those activities to this Department.

Special Collection -

District 1 continues to recycle all old phone books from all employees for the previous year.

Organic Food Waste -

As of July 2006, The Cafeteria Manager changed and the new manager does not recycle food waste at the same quantities as the former Cafeteria Manager.

Tires and Woodwaste -

Caltrans maintenance forces continue to recycle tires discarded by the public collected from our right of way. All of the Shops within District 1 continue to recycle tires and re-treaded approximately 1000 tires last year.

Some lumber was reported through our Construction program as recycled through a local recycle vendor and weigh tickets were reported on Form CEM 4041.

The pressure treated lumber is recycled through our HazMat Manager as it is considered hazardous waste.

Onsite Composting/Mulching -

Most tree work is performed on site and the wood is chipped up leaving compost on the right of way as a weed barrier. White/Brown Goods -

On a regular basis, the public disposes of items no longer needed on our state right of way in the form of illegal dumping. A total of 61 appliances were removed and recycled from the State Right of Way in 2006. Some Maintenance facilities provide recycle receipts for appliances and some don`t. Last year brown goods were calculated and quantified but the count included furniture pieces also dumped on our right of way. Those tonnages were not counted toward our diversion rates in 2005.

Concrete/Asphalt-

Recycling and re-use of asphalt and concrete occurs primarily by our Maintenance Forces and Construction Contractors. A large majority of recycled asphalt comes directly from the construction contractors as reported on Form CEM-2025 and CEM-4401.

Material Exchange-

Two compressors and a generator were dontated to local non profits/schools. Other office equipment items were also donated to local non

Mandated two sided copies from our reprographics unit unless otherwise approved for special projects.

As of January 1, 2007, Caltrans has committed to the Adopt-A-Highway Beverage Container Recycling program statewide and has purchased recyled content (100% eco-spun) recyling bags for volunteers to use while cleaning the roadsides of litter and debris. All recycleable items (beyond beverage containers) are encouraged to be collected by volunteers. This includes items such as milk jugs, bleach containers, tires, hard plastics, and other items of a recylable nature.

Due to Caltrans Storm Water requirements, these recycled items are no longer collected by Maintenance forces, rather the volunteers are encouraged to take their recycling home to their own recycling stream and report them to the statewide Coordinators via quarterly summary reports. This activity continually educates the public volunteers about the importance of recycling and has encouraged many volunteers to begin a recycling program in their homes as a result of this education.

More beverage containers are being recycled than reported to local Adopt-A-Highway Coordinators as evidenced by the California`s Coastal Comissions Coastal Cleanup events reports.