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Cuyahoga County Solid Waste District
2003 Annual Report
From the Director
In thinking back over the District�s accomplishments in 2003, my mind keeps
coming back to one thing: TIRES! One hundred seven thousand three hundred and
twenty-three of them to be exact, dumped illegally down ravines, on vacant lots,
in back alleys and along city streets. They seemed to be everywhere and now they
are gone, cleaned up and recycled as part of a
Scrap Tire Sweep sponsored by the
Solid Waste District in 2003.
The District organized the Scrap Tire Sweep after the
West Nile Virus appeared in
Cuyahoga County in 2002. That year, 218 people were afflicted with the virus
including 13 people who died. Because abandoned tires provide a breeding ground
for mosquitoes, the District convened a Task Force of city and county agencies
who organized a major scrap tire cleanup in the spring and summer of 2003. With
the cooperation of the Cleveland departments of
Public Health
and Public Service,
Court Community Service Inc., and the
County Board of Health, a total of 327 tire
dumps in 23 cities were cleaned up.
Other notable news on the waste management front from 2003...
The District published its second annual
Residential Recycling Report which showed that 41
communities improved their recycling rates in 2002 and a total of 171,210 tons
of materials were recycled through community curbside and drop-off programs.
Computer recycling capabilities expanded with the opening of
RET3 Job Corp. in Cleveland. RET3 is a
nonprofit recycler that is creating jobs while recycling millions of pounds of
electronic waste produced in Cuyahoga County. The District assisted RET3 in
establishing this year-round computer recycling site.
Paper recycling opportunities also grew with the
Paper Retriever Program sponsored
by Abitibi Consolidated, a recycled paper manufacturer. There are now more than
100 Paper Retriever recycling bins in the parking lots of schools, churches,
parks and recreation centers across the county. The magazines, catalogs and other
household paper collected in the bins earns money for these organizations.
I am pleased that last year every community in the county was served by one or
more of the District�s programs. Whether it was through our special waste
round-ups, our litter collection program, the
Recycle, Ohio! Grant, our newspaper marketing
cooperative, or our education programs, we work to
provide high quality, needed services that benefit local governments, residents,
businesses, and the environment.
This year we begin to update the Cuyahoga County Solid Waste Management Plan and
we want to learn which of our services are the most valuable to you and what new
services might be needed in your community. To be part of the discussion, just
give me a call or plan to attend one of our Trash Talk Luncheons. Our partnership
with you helps us more effectively meet the needs of the public and we sincerely
appreciate your support. Thank you.
District Finances 2003
The Solid Waste District is funded by a "generation fee," which is a $1.00
charge levied on each ton of solid waste generated in Cuyahoga County and
landfilled in Ohio. This revenue is used to implement the Cuyahoga County Solid
Waste Management Plan through programs and services provided to the community.
| Total Revenue |
$1,938,115 |
** |
| Total Expenditures
| $1,614,074 |
|
| Expense Breakdown |
| 1. |
Personnel |
$301,157 |
|
| 2. |
District Programs and Services |
$566,299 |
|
| 3. |
District Operating Expenses |
$134,549 |
|
| 4. |
Solid Waste Planning Services |
$99,961 |
|
| 5. |
Solid Waste Facility Inspections |
$476,314 |
|
| 6. |
Indirect County Fees |
$35,794 |
|
| ** Revenue figure does not include all December fees. |
2003 Collection Programs
The Solid Waste District sponsors county-wide recycling collection events for
various "special wastes" that are not usually handled by community collection
programs.
2003 Education Services
Educating children, the public, and local officials about recycling and waste
management is an important function of the Solid Waste District. Our
environmental educator offers recycling presentations for audiences of all ages
and environmental workshops and materials for teachers. We also offer a variety
of printed materials, a recycling hotline, web site and technical services to
increase recycling awareness and participation.
Recycling Hotline: Staff responded to 3,967 recycling inquiries via the
District�s Recycling Hotline.
Presentations: Staff conducted 104 recycling presentations for 10,553
attendees.
Publications: Staff distributed 62,263 copies of its recycling brochures
and educational materials to the public.
Web Site: The District received 224,592 "hits" on its web site.
Contests: 2,334 students from 63 schools participated in the District's
three recycling contests: The Earth Day to Earth Day Poster Contest,
The Poetree Contest, and The Zero Waste Lunch Challenge.
Seminars: The District hosted two Trash Talk Lunch seminars for local
wastemanagement officials. Twenty communities participated.
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