2008-05-19 Work Session
NEW HANOVER COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS BOOK 31
WORK SESSION OF MAY 19, 2008 PAGE 384
ASSEMBLY
The New Hanover County Board of Commissioners met for a Work Session on Monday, May 19, 2008, at
1:25 p.m. in the Assembly Room of the New Hanover County Courthouse, 24 North Third Street, Wilmington,
North Carolina.
Members present were: Chairman Robert G. Greer; Vice-Chairman William A. Caster; Commissioner Ted
Davis, Jr.; Commissioner William A. Kopp; Commissioner Nancy H. Pritchett; County Attorney Wanda M. Copley;
Deputy Clerk to the Board Teresa P. Elmore; and County Manager Bruce T. Shell.
Chairman Greer called the meeting to order and welcomed everyone present. He stated that the purpose is
to receive presentations on strategies for the management of the County's solid waste. Initial letters were sent in
October soliciting proposals on innovative ways to handle the solid waste stream. Four proposals were received and
scheduled for presentation as follows:
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New Hanover County Department of Environmental Management (WASTEC)
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Waste Management of the Carolinas
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Waste Industries, Inc.
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Republic Services of NC, LLC
New Hanover County Department of Environmental Management (WASTEC)
John Hubbard, Director of the New Hanover County Department of Environmental Management, presented
the following major points concerning the Environmental Management Department.
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New Hanover County is noted for its advanced integrated solid waste program and cutting-edge technology
First lined landfill in NC
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First Waste-to-Energy plant in NC
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Award-winning constructed wetlands for the treatment of landfill leachate
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Responsibilities of Local Government (GS 130A-309A)
Ensure adequacy of collection services and disposal capacity in meeting local needs
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Protect human health and the environment
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Maintain a 10-year solid waste plan, updated every three years
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Recent Changes Affecting Solid Waste Collection and Disposal
Recent State regulations ? Senate Bill 1492
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Soaring prices of fuel
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Legal cases
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Emphasis on reducing greenhouse gases and efforts to go green
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Tipping Fees
Provides funding for four sections of the Department and various other programs
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Landfill, WASTEC, Recycling, Administration, and Keep America Beautiful
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Sam Hawes, Landfill Manager, presented information on the operations of the Landfill.
Facility Information
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689 Acres - 310 usable acres
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Opened in 1981
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17 Full time staff
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36 Years of life
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4 Million tons disposed
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Objectives
Provide a valuable solid waste disposal location and services to the citizens of the County
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Protect New Hanover County from liability
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Protect the environment: air, surface waters, groundwater
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Extension of the life of the facility
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Keys to Success: Facilities Life Extension
Maintain local service area
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Waste compaction
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Alternative daily cover
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Increased waste diversion
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Continued operation of WASTEC
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Innovative engineering design and use of airspace
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Leave all options open
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Keys to Success: Liability Protection
Continued use of alternatively designed landfill cells
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Secured financial assurance
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Employment of highly trained and experienced staff
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Continued local government operation
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Keys to Success: Permitting
Southern property expansion
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Vertical expansion
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Future needs
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NEW HANOVER COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS BOOK 31
WORK SESSION OF MAY 19, 2008 PAGE 385
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Capital and Operational Considerations
Raw materials cost
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Construction soils
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Daily and intermediate cover
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Liner systems
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Leachate recirculation
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Capital Projects
Landfill Gas Collection System - $1.5 - $4 million
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$1.4 million carbon credit sales
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$380,000 a year cash flow from local partner through 2023
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Construction and Demolition Waste Processing - $4 - $6 million
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7.3 years of life
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$30 million net revenue increase over life of site
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Maintenance Shop and Weigh Station Relocation - $1.5 - $2 million
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10 years of added life
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$90 million net revenue increase over life of site
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Landfill Life Estimate
Landfill alone ? 14 years
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With WASTEC ? 26 years
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Relocation ? 36 years
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With C&D ? 43 years
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Summing It Up
Commitment
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Long-term perspective
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Funding
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Al Canady, Plant Manager, presented information on the WASTEC Facility.
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WASTEC - Waste-to-Energy Facility
Opened in 1984, expanded in 1991 to 500 tons per day
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Open 24 hours a day
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Operates on its own power
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Debt service decreasing
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Reduce volume of waste by 90%
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Valuable asset to the County
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130,000 tons of municipal solid waste burned per year
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2,364,542 tons of trash burned to date
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30,000 megawatt hours of electricity sold to Progress Energy annually
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Provides enough energy to power 2500 homes per month
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Equals to 208,000 barrels of oil
Impact of WASTEC
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WASTEC has saved 3,948,785 cubic yards of space at the landfill
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The same as 6-cubic yard waste containers lined up from Wilmington to Mobile,
Alabama (775 miles)
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Ash
Used as daily and intermediate cover at the landfill
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Only three inches of ash required versus six inches of soil
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Preserves use of on-site soils
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841,147 tons of ash has been sent to landfill since 1984
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Not merely a waste product, but beneficial in numerous ways
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Healthy 24 Year Old Facility
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Progress Energy plants built in 1954, 1955, 1972
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Tube replacement plan in place
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New boiler tubes restore availability
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Bring all three units to over 92% availability
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EPA Considers Waste-to-Energy Part of the Future
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Burning municipal solid waste is regarded as a renewable energy source
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Considered cleaner with regards to environmental emissions (less CO2, SO2, NOX)
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Biomass, solar, wind, and MSW must be considered as potential resources for future
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development
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Conclusion: Looking Toward the Future
Debt service decreasing to less than $500,000
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Potential new contract with Progress Energy equates to about $500,000 increase per year in
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electrical sales
Operational and maintenance plan in place
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Lynn Bestul, Solid Waste Planner/Recycling, presented information on the County?s recycling programs.
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Recycling Division
Responsibility to make every effort possible to extend the life of the existing landfill
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Recycling Performance: 2141 tons in FY06-07
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NEW HANOVER COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS BOOK 31
WORK SESSION OF MAY 19, 2008 PAGE 386
Materials Comparison: increasing each year
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Total Commodity Sales Year to Date: $211,948
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Recycling Division Duties
Service the drop-off sites
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Provide waste reduction advice to NHC citizens and businesses
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Provide educational information to students
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Provide an outlet for private haulers to bring recyclables for processing
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Cardboard, plastic, paper, baler facility, aluminum, glass, electronics recycling
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Provide NHC citizens an outlet to properly dispose of computers and televisions
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Schedule and manage the Christmas tree recycling program
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Mulch used for County parks
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Paul Marlow, Environmental Programs Manager, presented information on the County?s environmental
programs.
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Waste Screening
Random inspection of solid waste for prohibited items
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Includes: liquid waste, tires, lead acid batteries, medical waste, chemicals
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Constructed Wetlands for the Treatment of Landfill Leachate
Approximately 6 acres of man-made wetlands
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Designed to treat up to 60,000 gallons per day
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Effluent spray irrigated on closed landfill areas
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Efficient low-cost treatment of landfill leachate
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Reduces discharge to the Northeast Cape Fear River
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Special Waste
Disposal of waste from business, industry, and homeowners
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Landfill: Asbestos and contaminated soils
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WASTEC: Customs condemned goods, law enforcement evidence and records, and
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industrial waste
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Wastewater Treatment
Operation and maintenance of landfill leachate treatment facilities
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Support for WASTEC wastewater treatment operation
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Pump and haul operations following hurricane events
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Environmental Assessment and Remediation
Conduct pre-buy environmental assessment of County properties
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Coordinate underground storage tank removals at Wilmington International Airport
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Oversee remediation of EPA Superfund site
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Clean up of Sherriff?s Department firing range
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Household Hazardous Waste
Coordinate annual drop-off event for homeowners
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Includes: drain cleaner, batteries, fluorescent lights
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Permitting and Reporting
Prepare applications and secure operating permits
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Ensure monitoring is completed and limits met
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Prepare and submit required reports
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Accompany regulatory officials on inspections
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Correspond and negotiate with regulatory agencies
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Disaster Debris Management
Ensure pre-event contract in place for debris removal
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Coordinate debris collection and disposal
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Collect and maintain required records for FEMA reimbursement
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Jennifer O'Keefe, Keep America Beautiful Coordinator, presented information on the County?s Keep
America Beautiful program.
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Bringing the Community Together
Beautification
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Cigarette Litter Prevention Program
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Great American Cleanup
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Benefits to the Community
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5,473 volunteers for the value of $88,000
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50,000 flowers planted and 14,000 trees planted
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Presentations to 820 students and 70 adults
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$1/$4.30 cost/benefit ratio
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In conclusion, Mr. Hubbard reported that the Environmental Management Department offers:
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Integrated Solid Waste Program for a Multitude of Services
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Green Programs
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Projects to Further Extend the Life of the Landfill
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Continued Operation of Existing Facilities
NEW HANOVER COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS BOOK 31
WORK SESSION OF MAY 19, 2008 PAGE 387
Waste Management of the Carolinas
Greg Peverall, Director of Market Area Development of Waste Management, presented the following
proposal.
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Waste Management Green Goals (2020)
Increase recyclables to 20 million tons
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Double waste-based energy
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Increase wildlife habitat to 25,000 acres
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Increase fleet's fuel efficiency/reduce emission 15%
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Local Company
Member of New Hanover County community since 1972
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Employ 48+ people
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Operate 35 trucks
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Provide 9 essential services
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9,000 tons recovered (2008 data)
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8,600+ customers
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Industry leadership in solid waste, recycling, landfill, waste to energy, and green programs
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Waste to Energy (WTE) Facilities
International waste disposal method ? 659 facilities
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87 WTE plants in US disposing 95,000 tons per day
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Generating clean energy for about 23 million homes
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24 States and the District of Columbia redefined WTE as renewable portfolio standard
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NC 12.5% by 2021
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WTE lowest emissions than all electric generating facilities
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US EPA ? WTE is one of the cleanest sources of power generation
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Wheelabrator Facilities
Industry leader since 1975 (first successful US WTE facility in Saugus, MA)
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916 employees
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16 WTE facilities
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21,840 tons MSW = 609 megawatts (approximately 600,000 households) daily
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5 alternative energy facilities: 3500 tpd generating 227 megawatts of power
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11 material transfer stations and 1 material recycling facility
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3 ash landfills
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Wheelabrator Partnership
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30+ years experience
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Safety culture and OSHA-Voluntary Protections Program site
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Environmental sustainability
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?Operational Excellence? ? Employee engagement and training
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Contractor relationships/protocols: maintenance costs and outage reductions
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Maximize: reliability, processing capacity, and energy revenues
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WASTEC
Evaluation to maximize facility
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Improve utilization capacity of facility
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Reduce process ton cost
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Stabilize employment
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State's renewable standards
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Waste Management - Landfill Operations
Largest network of landfills in its industry
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283 active landfills nationwide; managing >125 million tpy
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6 active landfills in market area
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10 research bioreactor landfills
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14 Next Generation Technology sustainability projects
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All facilities meet or exceed local, state and federal regulations
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New Hanover County Recycling Contract Initiatives
C&D recycling facility
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Single stream recycling facility
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Renewable energy component
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LEED Certification (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design - Green Building Rating
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System)
Automated recycling center program
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Dropoff centers
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Control initiatives
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Sustainable services: lamp tracker, E-cycling, E-scrap tracker, Sony take-it-back, Green
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Squad
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Program Development
Scope of Services Negotiations
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Presentation to Board of Commissioners
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Community awareness
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Site visits
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Agreement negotiations
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Implementation Plan
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NEW HANOVER COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS BOOK 31
WORK SESSION OF MAY 19, 2008 PAGE 388
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Program Funding and Pricing
Tipping fees, electrical sales, recyclable sales, waste to energy, gas to energy, other green park
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initiatives
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New Hanover County Benefits
Inter-local Agreement
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Control local rate
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Eliminate capital expenses and permitting costs
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Income: host and operational
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Features, Advantages, and Benefits with Waste Management
Industry leader (national expertise)
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Environmental stewardship
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Maintain/Expand local infrastructure
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Expanded services
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Maintain employment
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Reduce costs
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Enhanced revenue
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Republic Services of NC, LLC
Ed Joran, Business Development Director of Republic Services, Inc. introduced Vince Sanudo, General
Manager, Eastern North Carolina Group in Wilmington. Mr. Joran presented the following information:
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Republic owns 4 of 7 privately held landfills in North Carolina
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Public/private partnerships with four County governments
Bertie, Caldwell, Montgomery, and Person Counties
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Extensive relationship with NC DENR.
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Evaluate the County?s solid waste management programs to determine each component of solid waste
management functioning in an economic and environmental manner
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Republic experienced and capable of providing management of programs
No unmanned recycling centers
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Four large material recovering/recycling facilities in North Carolina
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In conclusion, Mr. Joran suggested that the Board develop a Request for Proposal document asking the
vendors for specific components of solid waste management. A detailed proposal from each company would allow
the County to compare the services and operations more concisely.
Waste Industries, Inc.
David W. Pepper, Landfill Division Operations Manager, reported that Waste Industries is a regional solid
waste services company providing solid waste collection, transfer, disposal and recycling services to more than
870,000 customers in six southeastern States. Their operations consist of 37 collection operations, 29 transfer
stations, 10 landfills, 72 convenience sites, and 12 recycling facilities. They have provided services in New Hanover
County since 1972 with the following business principles:
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To treat all employees with dignity and respect
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To actively promote a spirit of employee/employer partnership at all times and at all levels
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To conduct business affairs with honesty and integrity
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To maintain a customer focused policy
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To operate efficiently through attention to details at all levels while preserving and protecting employees,
equipment, financial resources, and environment
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To establish and maintain a positive attitude and confidence in ability to face change and manage its impact
upon the future
Mr. Pepper introduced Thomas Winstead, East Division Vice President with 23 years of service, Jerry
Johnson, Landfill Division Vice President with 31 years of service; Randy Gainey, Branch Manager of Wilmington
Branch, with 23 years of service; Bryan Wuester, Branch Manager of Sampson County Landfill with 7 years of
service, and Mr. Pepper has 21 years of service. Also in attendance were Jim Auten and Harry Habets from the
Raleigh office.
Mr. Pepper continued with his presentation:
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Understanding of County Priorities
Reduction of costs for current program (save money for taxpayers)
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County wants to maintain control of the program
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Protection of the County regarding environmental liability
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Enhancement/expansion of the current recycling program
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Preservation of the current landfill capacity
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Financial Comparison of Programs
New Hanover County (landfill and incineration) $89.82 per capita
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SPSA (Southeastern VA ? landfill and incineration) $90.51 per capita
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Charleston County, SC (landfill and incineration) $114.21 per capita
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? Currently discussing whether to close the incinerator
Brunswick County, NC (landfill) $59.43 per capita
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NEW HANOVER COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS BOOK 31
WORK SESSION OF MAY 19, 2008 PAGE 389
? Waste is being hauled out of county
Pitt County, NC (landfill) $52.24 per capita
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Sampson County Disposal, Inc.
Permitted Subtitle D MSW Landfill
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45 Million cubic yards of available permitted capacity
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40 years of remaining life
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The largest remaining capacity landfill in North Carolina
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Provides significant long-term disposal capacity for 16 counties in the Piedmont and Coastal
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Regions
Exceptional record of environmental compliance
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Great host community relationship
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Proposal:
Recommend mothballing current landfill and incinerator (preserve 20-year disposal capacity for
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future usage)
Waste Industries will assist County with construction of a C&D recycling area at County landfill
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(Value up to $300,000)
Waste Industries will provide a recycling facility to match the level of recycling in New Hanover
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County if County commits recyclables
Waste Industries will construct a transfer station at County landfill
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Waste Industries will operate and transfer waste to Sampson County for disposal
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New Hanover County will control scale-house and rates billed to customers
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Waste Industries willing to contract for 20 year disposal capacity at Sampson County Landfill
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Waste Industries will provide a level of indemnification to protect the County during the term of
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agreement
Cost: As low as $37.50/ton
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Proposal Provides County:
A minimum of 20 years of solid waste disposal capacity in a state of the art, Subtitle D Landfill
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Reduction in disposal costs to the citizens of New Hanover County by a minimum of $78 million
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over the 20-year term of the proposed agreement compared to current cost structure
Expansion of solid waste services like enhanced recycling by utilizing some of the savings
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Preservation of vital disposal infrastructure (landfill and incinerator) for future usage when
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disposal capacity will be much more valuable
Avoidance or postponement of further capital investment into current disposal facilities (landfill &
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incinerator)
C&D recycling area construction assistance (value up to $300,000)
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A general discussion of the proposals followed the presentations. Commissioner Kopp said that he
preferred to take a more comprehensive look at the proposals after the budget process in July. Commissioner Davis
was in agreement.
Chairman Greer responded that although staff is doing a very good job, one company is proposing to save
the County money and another is proposing a new concept for a green community. He urged the Board to consider
new and better ways of saving money for County taxpayers and preserving our landfills.
Commissioner Pritchett suggested that the Board should receive public participation before developing a
comprehensive plan. In past years, the public has been very vocal in its support of maintaining operations of
WASTEC and preserving landfill capacity. She anticipated that in 20 years the County may not be burying garbage
as the industry develops new technologies.
In further discussion, Mr. Joran, Republic Services, Inc., suggested that the County may want to hire an
engineering firm to develop a request for proposal document to allow each company an opportunity to submit
proposals based on the County?s specific objective for each component of solid waste management.
In a consensus, the Board agreed to discuss the proposals again in July to decide whether to pursue any of
the proposals.
Chairman Greer expressed appreciation for the informative presentations and the work prepared by each
presenter for the proposals.
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business, Chairman Greer adjourned the meeting at 4:35 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Teresa P. Elmore
Deputy Clerk to the Board