Testimony of William O. Howland Jr.
Director of the DC Department of Public Works
On “The Status of Commercial Recycling in the District of Columbia”
Before the Committee on Public Works and Transportation
Wednesday, January 13, 2010, 11 am
INTRODUCTION
• Good morning, Chairman Graham, members of the Committee on Public Works and Transportation, and staff. I am William O. Howland Jr., Director of the Department of Public Works. Thank you for this opportunity to discuss the status of commercial recycling in the District of Columbia.
• The Department of Public Works is charged with enforcing the regulations guiding the District’s commercial recycling program, established by DC Code Title 8, Chapter 10. These regulations apply to approximately 20,000 commercial establishments.
• DPW’s Office of Recycling educates commercial property owners and property managers about the requirements under the law. The staff also provides technical assistance with developing and implementing a recycling plan.
• In general, commercial establishments must have a recycling plan, separate their recyclables from their trash, and provide sufficient containers and a minimum of two collections per month.
• DPW’s Office of Recycling makes sure businesses are recycling.
HOW COMMERCIAL RECYCLING ENFORCEMENT WORKS
• The Office of Recycling staff consists of a chief, three investigators, a recycling educator and one administrative program assistant.
• Education is the core strategy used by the recycling staff to achieve compliance with the recycling requirements.
• Commercial entities receive the “Commercial Recycling Guide,” which is published in English and Spanish and offers an overview of the importance of recycling and how to set up a recycling program. A more detailed publication is the “Commercial Business Recycling Technical Assistance Guide,” which provides information specific to building managers and owners, tenants and small businesses.
• Print materials are supplemented by meetings with individual property owners, managers and tenants; business owners; the Business Improvement Districts; as well as representatives of the Apartment and Office Building Owners. In addition to scheduled meetings, drop-in visits occur frequently.
• We believe that face-to-face educational efforts build relationships that lead to voluntary compliance. Of course, these efforts do not supplant our on-site enforcement role.
• Every day, the investigators fan out across the District, conducting site visits, inspecting dumpsters and following up on reports of businesses that do not recycle.
• As people become more aware of the importance of recycling, and practice it in their homes, they are more alert to the lack of recycling in the workplace and let us know there is a problem.
• Overall, the investigators are looking for evidence that a recycling program is in place or is being pursued.
• To maximize their resources, the staff concentrates on large office buildings where the effort invested yields the greatest results in terms of recyclables to be diverted from the waste stream.
• I would like to quote the “Public Report on Recycling, Fiscal Year 2008,” issued recently by the DC Department of the Environment. “5,171 commercial inspections - resulting in 1,410 violations - were conducted to ensure compliance with District recycling laws, which is the highest number of inspections to date since 2003.”
WHO DOES WHAT
• Our investigators are the backbone of the District’s commercial recycling program, working with their partners – the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs and the Office of Administrative Hearings – to ensure the program operates fairly.
• The commercial recycling program, just like the residential recycling program relies on removing items from the source to a collection site. While DPW collects recyclables from single family homes and apartment buildings with no more than three living units, commercial haulers perform the same function for other entities, such as churches, universities, office buildings, bars and restaurants and apartment buildings with four or more units.
• The Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs licenses these haulers and the DPW Office of Recycling then registers them and provides a list of registered haulers to commercial entities.
• The third partner is the Office of Administrative Hearings, which adjudicates tickets we write that are challenged by the property owners.
CONCLUSION
• I would like to conclude my remarks by saying our commercial recycling program is an open system. We do not require haulers to bring either their trash or recyclables to the Ft. Totten or Benning Road Transfer Station.
• We rely on the haulers to report monthly what they collect, which can be taken to private transfer stations or nearby materials recycling facilities. Since our enforcement powers do not extend beyond the District’s boundaries, we must accept these reports at face value.
• We do capture the tonnage that is brought to either transfer station, which totaled about 3,000 tons in FY 2009.
• We believe the best way to ensure recycling is taking place is to work with the entities that generate recyclables – the businesses themselves. Our investigators are on the job everyday ensuring the businesses are complying with the law.
• Again, quoting the recent report on recycling, since FY 2004, when haulers reported 47,000 tons collected, commercial recycling has almost tripled to 128,000 tons in FY 2008.
• Thank you, again, for the opportunity to discuss our commercial recycling program. I am happy to answer your questions.