Tours

CRRA is offering five interesting and educational tours this year. Register early, as tours are filled on a first come, first served basis.

All tours will be held on Wednesday, August 9 from 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., with transportation included. Cost for tours is $30.

Tour #1 Processing
Green Team processes recyclables collected as part of the San José single stream collection program and has a relatively low residue rate. Next door is the GreenWaste Recovery MRF (GWR), where Portola Valley and Woodside materials are processed. GWR collects only recyclables and compostables from these communities. No separate “garbage” is collected. The recyclables are processed at Green Team and the compostables are transferred to Z-Best for composting, to achieve a 77% diversion rate. Yard waste from San José, C & D waste and other material are also processed here.

Tour #2 High Tech
The Sunnyvale Materials Recovery and Transfer Station (SMaRT®) is a partnership of the cities of Mountain View, Palo Alto and Sunnyvale. Recyclables are recovered from residential waste, after curbside collection of recyclables, and from commercial garbage, using material recovery equipment and a sort line. Over 18% of the garbage received is diverted from disposal.

Just a couple of blocks away is the Sunnyvale location of the Computer Recycling Center (CRC). This non-profit, founded in 1991, is one of the oldest and largest computer recyclers in the country. CRC accepts computers and other consumer electronics from businesses and the public. Reuse of entire units is given highest priority, followed by disassembly for reuse of parts, and finally recycling for the unusable remaining items.

Tour #3 Making Paper and Materials Reuse
See first hand how the Santa Clara Smurfit-Stone Carton Plant takes discarded paper, adds water and energy to make the recycled paperboard that is part of all of our lives. While papermaking is a water intensive process, this full scale paper mill reuses its water up to seven times.

Find out how Resource Area for Teaching (RAFT) reuses manufacturing waste as tools for teaching. Many businesses view their discards differently after just one visit to RAFT. Learn why some of Silicon Valley’s trash, including CDs and jewel cases, are treasured at RAFT. Other prized materials include old business cards and plastic widgets. This colorful and well organized “creativity warehouse” is a local resource for teachers.

Tour #4 University Campus
See for yourself what makes Stanford University’s recycling program an award winner. Observe how paper and beverage containers are being recycled in each building on campus. See how recycling works in student housing units and find out how food waste is being diverted from campus dining areas. Visit Stanford’s recycling drop off center, popular with those at Stanford and the surrounding community. Tour extras may include a preview of the new stadium and its recycling program, a panoramic view of the campus from the top of Hoover Tower and a visit to the main quad/Memorial Church. Go to the Stanford University's website for more information about the campus at http://www.stanford.edu/ .

Tour #5 C & D
See state of the art processing of C & D materials and learn how Zanker Materials Processing Facility and Zanker Road Landfill is able to recover the high amount it does. Included on this tour is the Zanker Recycling Facility, right next door. This yard waste composting facility also makes wood chip mulches used in the landscape industry, converts sheet rock to agricultural gypsum, and makes base rock from recycled concrete.

Workshops

Sunday Workshops

9:00 – 11:45 CCRC HOSTS: COLLEGE & UNIVERSITY CASE STUDIES AND BEST PRACTICES
This two-part workshop will investigate recycling and waste reduction practices at
the Community College, CSU and UC levels. The first part will feature case study presentations on campuses from each of the three systems. After a break, the workshop will open up to a roundtable discussions of best practices. This workshop is sponsored by the California Collegiate Recycling Council
Speakers: Robyn Difalco, CSU Chico, AS Recycling; Lin King, UC Davis, R4 Recycling; Madeline Brodie, Santa Monica College, Facilities Department; Jon Root, CSU Long Beach, Facilities Management

10:00 – 11:45 INTRO TO RECYCLING FROM A LOCAL GOVERNMENT PERSPECTIVE
The Local Agency Technical Council will be sponsoring a Sunday morning workshop
for those new to the recycling field. This workshop will not discuss why we recycle but rather what a typical local government recycling specialist might do in the course of their day. Historical recycling perspective; compliance and reporting; partnerships; solid waste ordinances as policy strategies; resources for the government recycler; and new directions in recycling are presented by our panel in a methodical, interactive manner intended to build your knowledge of government recycling. If you have been recently assigned recycling duties, or are new to governmental recycling programs this workshop will help build your knowledge base and make the rest of the Conference more pertinent and enjoyable.
Moderator: Bob Nelson, City of Santa Cruz Speakers: John Davis, MD&MRA; Dan DeGrassi, County of Santa Cruz; Tom Padia, StopWaste.org; Gary Liss, Gary Liss & Associates

12:30 – 2:00 BEST PRACTICES IN SINGLE STREAM RECYCLING
If you are a waste management decision maker then this workshop is for you. This
informative workshop highlights the ‘Best Practices’ in program design, collection systems, processing systems, materials marketing, program education and information, and contracting for services.
Workshop presented by Richard Gertman of Environmental Planning Consultants, and Susan Kinsella of Conservatree. The Best Practices Manual is available electronically in advance of the workshop. Contact: richard@environplan.com

2:15 – 3:45 GRC AND EWASTE COUNCIL U-WASTE ROUNDTABLE
This session is planned as a fishbowl discussion between representatives of local government and private companies familiar with the challenges of identifying, processing and marketing universal and electronic discards. This discussion will include assessments of the effectiveness of the CRT recovery system established under SB 20, and the pro and con arguments of extending or modifying this system to incorporate other U-waste discards. The ideas and opinions generated during this session will be distilled into a policy position and/or comment on legislation.
Moderator: Tedd Ward, of GRC and the Del Norte Solid Waste Management Authority.
Participant: Brian Hamlin, E-waste Technical Council, E*Waste Strategic Thinking

Following workshops cost is included in basic registration fees.

Tuesday Workshops
Registering for “Tuesday only” provides access to the following workshops:

10:15 – 12:00 AMERICAN PLASTIC COUNCIL (APC) HOSTS: FILM AND BAG RECOVERY & RECYCLING WORKSHOP
Did you know that clean film is worth more than cardboard right now? Learn about the market for scrap film and bags and the best way to reduce plastics in the waste stream. Learn how you can set up a recovery program in your area. Don’t miss the opportunity to ask experienced recyclers, manufacturers, and coordinators about their challenges and recommendations.
Moderator: Nina Bellucci, Moore Recycling Associates, Inc. Speakers: Christine Flowers, CIWMB; Lois Courchaine, Central Contra Costa County Solid Waste Authority; Doug Brooks, AERT.