THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, May 9, 1996 TAG: 9605090001
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A16 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Opinion
SOURCE: By MEYERA E. OBERNDORF
LENGTH: Medium: 73 lines
In response to R. F. Sliwoski's ``More recycling facts'' (letter, May 3):
Q. What revenue is Virginia Beach generating from the existing recycling drop-off program?
A. Prior to September 1995, we had a contract that required Virginia Beach to pay $25 per ton to recycle paper from drop-off centers. This resulted in annual costs of $108,000. We rebid the program and now pay annual hauling costs of $90,000, saving $18,000, or 17 percent. The mixed recyclable drop-off centers cost $71,000 to operate. These centers have generated more than $3,000 in direct revenue during the past eight months and have avoided disposal costs of $161,000 during the past year. The net benefit to taxpayers has been no net cost for this program.
Q. What capital costs are you going to incur to expand the program?
A. There will be no capital costs to expand the drop-off program, because the service will be by contract. The additional contract cost to expand to 50 sites will be $90,000.
Q.What level of participation are you projecting for your new program? Is it realistic?
A. We now process 4,500 tons of material through the drop-off centers in Virginia Beach. SPSA collects 9,500 tons throughout the city with more than 48,000, or 50 percent, of the residences not participating. We anticipate 3,000 to 4,000 tons from the curbside program will be diverted to the drop-off centers.
Q. Considering the income your program is generating, what level of participation do you need to break even?
A. No recycling program's revenue covers costs of operation. However, the cost of operating the drop-off program is only 15 percent of the proposed SPSA recycling fee.
Q. How much more solid waste will be placed in the landfill based upon projected nonparticipation?
A. No additional tons will go to a landfill. Virginia Beach waste is delivered to a refuse-derived fuel plant in Portsmouth, where the waste is processed by removing recyclable materials. The remaining waste is burned to generate power for Norfolk Naval Shipyard.
Q. Why hasn't the ``special'' plant been built? Is SPSA that incompetent, or has one particular member of the SPSA board been skillfully erecting bureaucratic roadblocks?
A. SPSA has proposed to build a materials-recovery facility for several million dollars, owned by SPSA but located on private property. The SPSA board decided the capital expenditure was too great and requested staff to negotiate for a privately owned and operated facility. Negotiations are continuing.
Q. Why weren't the citizens of Virginia Beach allowed the opportunity to address this issue at a public meeting?
A. The information about SPSA's proposed fee was presented to the SPSA board of directors on March 27 as a proposal for consideration. The agenda for the SPSA board meeting for April 24 (received on April 19) called for a vote on the fee. I briefed City Council on April 23, the evening before the SPSA board meeting. No time was available to get this issue to a public meeting before the necessary SPSA board of directors decision.
All Virginia Beach citizens are welcome to express their views on the budget at the City Council meetings on May 9 and 14. Call the city clerk's office at 427-4303 to register to speak.
Mr. Sliwoski obviously was provided information on only one perspective of this issue. Virginia Beach has been and will continue to be a leader in recycling. I do not advocate spending $1.3 million of taxpayers' money to support an inefficient recycling program. We are evaluating a better, more cost-effective solution for curbside recycling that will be convenient for residents.
MEMO: Meyera Oberndorf is mayor of Virginia Beach. by CNB