New recycling program showcases county’s commitment to waste prevention, fiscal responsibility
Wildfires. Droughts. Soaring energy, food, and material costs.
Understanding why environmental sustainability and waste prevention matters is vital because real-world, climate change-related impacts are here and now. Like everyone, Lane County Government is navigating these burdens, too.
Simply put, things just cost more, so we must do more to prevent waste whenever possible because taxpayers depend on us to be good stewards of the public trust.
In 2024, Waste Management reached out to Capital Planning & Facilities to gauge how to begin improvements to our recycling, composting, and waste management programs at County-owned facilities. Every year, Lane County reports to the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) how we did in our efforts to reach our 63% recovery rate goal. The recovery rate is the total amount of recycling, compost, and energy recovery residents, commercial businesses, schools, and public institutions collect. Sadly, a recent audit by staff showed that Lane County-owned facilities and parks only recycle 30% of what is thrown away. However, this also means there’s an opportunity to do better.
In addition to improving our recovery rate, the Board of Commissioners has approved three planning documents that support the spirit of this work: the Solid Waste Management Plan, Climate Action Plan and recently updated Lane County Strategic Plan.
Recently, Waste Management surveyed over 1,800 Lane County employees to gauge their knowledge of internal recycling programs, what can and cannot be recycled, and their desire to do more. More than 100 employees responded.
- When asked whether their facility has adequate recycling, more than half of the respondents said recycling is “not adequate” or only “somewhat adequate.”
- Approximately one-third of employees reported taking recycling home because their workplace doesn’t have a recycling program.
A new program to curb waste and promote fiscal responsibility
To address these concerns, Lane County issued a formal, public Request for Proposal, and Sanipac and Garten Services were responsive bidders. We are launching a new and improved recycling and waste management program beginning Sept. 1, 2024. The new program will improve the recovery of valuable recyclable materials, save the organization money, and enable employees to reduce the impact on the local community and our landfill.
Sanipac, Inc. will handle waste, recycling, and composting services, while Garten Services will provide confidential shredding services.
Changes to Budget Coding
Coding will be defined for waste management and shredding services per department to achieve consistency in coding, budgeting, and invoicing. Financial managers in each department will be contacted in the next couple of weeks to define the applicable codes for: Waste & Recycling Services (Sanipac) and Confidential Shredding Services (Garten Services). Please use the following department coding for waste management services to achieve consistency in coding, budgeting, and invoicing.
We want you for our new “Green Team”
Organizational change can be tricky and especially challenging with big organizations like Lane County Government.
Breaking through the status quo requires building trust, establishing relationships, and showing that the proposed modification is a positive move.
Speaking plainly, waste prevention is a rare nonpartisan, “win-win” issue, regardless of how you view it. It reduces greenhouse gases contributing to climate change while reducing costs contributing to higher county costs and taxpayer burden.
In this spirit of shared interest and diverse viewpoints, we hope to form a “Green Team” to help us spread the word about the program and how employees in all departments can get involved. Team members will learn about waste prevention and new protocols and champion the program’s efforts in their own departments.
To make this work, we need representation in all Departments. Whether you work for the Sheriff’s Department, the Roads Division, help manage our park system, or contribute to any other part of the county, we want your help!
Every Lane County employee is eligible.
We will be kicking off the program in the coming months, so please get in touch with Daniel Hiestand, Lane County Waste Reduction Outreach Coordinator, at [email protected] if you are interested in participating.