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  Cuyahoga County Solid Waste District
2004 Annual Report

From the Director
2004 marked the Cuyahoga County Solid Waste District's tenth year in operation. We are very proud of our accomplishments during our first decade. At our formation we set out to provide innovative and high quality recycling programs for the communities, residents, and businesses of Cuyahoga County. Listed below are a few of our "firsts":

  • 1993     Phone book recycling program created.
  • 1994     Cooperative marketing program for recyclables created.
  • 1995     Household hazardous waste collection program created.
  • 1998     Scrap tire recycling program created.
  • 1999     Mercury collection program created.
  • 2000     Computer recycling program created.
  • 2002     Thermometer exchange program created.
  • 2003     Scrap Tire Sweep created.
  • 2004     Trash Oscar awards created

All of our programs were designed to increase recycling opportunities and build on the existing waste management services of local governments and the private sector. Many of our programs served as a model for other waste districts in Ohio. As a result, the Cuyahoga County Solid Waste District was honored for these achievements by receiving the Outstanding Organization Leadership Award at the Ohio Partners for Sustainability conference last October.

forklift This year, the Solid Waste District must submit its updated Solid Waste Management Plan to the Ohio EPA for approval. As we prepare the Plan, we will need to decide what role the District will play in the next decade. As we consider our future role, we will be guided by our Solid Waste Policy Committee and Technical Advisory Committee. We will also use the feedback provided by service directors and recycling managers at our Trash Talk lunch last August. Our steadfast commitment remains to expand recycling opportunities through cutting edge programming and to increase recycling participation, educate waste generators about the importance and value of recycling, and help provide for the most cost-effective and environmentally safe solid waste system for Cuyahoga County.

2004 Highlights
And the Oscar goes to...
oscars The Solid Waste District staff got to play the role of the "Academy" when we held our inaugural Trash Oscars in April. We awarded ten Oscars to communities and service department employees whose recycling activities and 2003 Recycling Report exhibited leadership and quality.

During a light-hearted awards luncheon that spoofed the Academy Awards, winners accepted their awards while Oscar the Grouch sang "I Love Trash". Each winner received an Oscar the Grouch trophy and a declaration from the County Commissioners.

And the winners were...
Ed Butler, City of Solon Lifetime Recycling Achievement Award
City of Pepper Pike Lead Community in a Recycling Role
Village of Cuyahoga Heights Best Adaptation of a Recycling Program
Village of Moreland Hills Best Supporting Community in a Recycling Role
Karen Ortiz (City of Berea) Best Supporting Actress in a Recycling Role
Dennis Weber (City of Brecksville) Best Supporting Actor in a Recycling Role
Barb McGinty, City of Lakewood Best Art Direction in a Recycling Program
City of Bay Village Best Visual Effects for a Recycling Report
City of Cleveland Heights Best Original Screenplay on a Recycling Report
Bob Zahuranec (Village of Glenwillow) Honorary Oscar for a Recycling Report

Residential Recycling Report
thermometer In April, the Solid Waste District published its third annual Residential Recycling Report for Cuyahoga County. The report documented the recycling rates of the 59 communities in Cuyahoga County so public officials and residents could see their community compares with others and how they contribute to meeting Ohio's 25% recycling goal.

The report showed that communities recycled more than 192,342 tons of materials like paper, plastic, glass, cans and yard waste in 2003. This translated to a 21.75% recycling rate.

Since we first started publishing the report in 2001, community recycling increased by 42,113 tons annually. We attribute this to the friendly competition started among communities to out recycle their neighbors. Way to go!

Trash Talk Lunch
Eat Lunch. Talk Trash. Share and Compare. Network and Learn. This was the idea behind the Trash Talk Lunch. These mini workshops, hosted by the Solid Waste District, bring together municipal service directors and recycling managers to learn about the latest trends in recycling and waste management.

In 2004, we hosted three lunches that were attended by representatives of forty cities. Topics raged from automated collection trends and safety campaigns to motor oil recycling and deer composting...yum! Our trashy lunches have proven to be a popular way for those of us in the solid waste management industry to learn from each other and encourage excellence in the field.

Earth Day to Earth Day Poster Contest
640 students submitted their best environmental artwork for the District's inaugural Earth Day Poster Contest. Contest winners will be made into an Earth Day calendar to be published in honor of Earth Day, 2005. The eight winners include:

Kevin Russell, Pearl Road Elementary, Parma Heights 1st Grade Winner
Lausha Cruz, West Side Boys & Girls Club, Cleveland 2nd Grade Winner
Gabby Schubert, St. Thomas More School, Brooklyn 3rd Grade Winner
Nicholas Labate, St. Richard School, North Olmsted 4th Grade Winner
Joey Bates, Pleasant Valley Elementary, Parma 5th Grade Winner
Caij Dixon, Randallwood School, Warrensville Heights 6th Grade Winner
Julia Wolf, Holy Family School, Parma 7th Grade Winner
Danielle Flemister, St. Adalbert School, Cleveland 8th Grade Winner

Paper Marketing Cooperative
newspaper 2004 was the tenth year of the Paper Marketing Cooperative. This coop was organized by the District to collectively market newspapers, magazines and other household paper collected by city recycling programs. By collectively selling the paper to a recycler, participating cities are able to get better prices than they would on their own. During the first ten years, the fourteen cities who comprise the cooperative recycled 72,412 tons of paper and earned $1.3 million in revenue. In 2004, the contract was re-bid and the community members will be earning more than ever for their paper, up to $45 per ton.

Scrap Tire Sweep
With a grant from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, the Solid Waste District conducted a mini Scrap Tire Sweep to clean up illegally dumped tires in the City of Cleveland. Working with the community development corporations to identify the location of tire dumps, the District coordinated the removal of 6,566 tires from 128 dump sites in twelve wards. To help in this effort, Court Community Service provided the labor to pick up the tires while Liberty Tire Services of Ohio provided transportation and recycling services.

Tires collected during the Sweep were recycled into playground surface products by GroundScape Technologies in Brooklyn Heights. This mini tire sweep followed a larger tire clean up held in 2003 where over 107,000 tires were removed from 327 dump sites in Cuyahoga County.

District Finances 2004
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.

expense breakdown
Total "Generation Fee" Revenue $2,046,320.19
Total District Expenditures $1,819,172.00
Expense Breakdown
1. Personnel $326,065.28
2. District Programs and Services $637,291.48
3. District Operating Expenses $123,159.48
4. Solid Waste Planning $205,463.51
5. Solid Waste Facility Inspections $476,314.00
6. Indirect County Fees $50,878.33

2004 Collection Stats
The Solid Waste District sponsors county-wide recycling collection events for various "special wastes". Here is what we recycled in 2004.

Household Hazardous
Waste Round-Up
317 tons of hazardous waste collected
46 community participants
Computer Round-Up 230.34 tons of computers recycled
46 community participants
Scrap Tire Round-Up / Sweep 261.52 tons of tires recycled
44 community participants
Litter Collection Program 14,621 bags of litter collected
51 community participants
Mercury Collection Program 1,686 pounds collected
998 households served
Phone Book Recycling Campaign 335.45 tons recycled
Paper Marketing Cooperative 6,722 tons recycled
14 community members
2004 Education Stats
reading Educating children, the public, and local officials about recycling and waste management are important functions of the Solid Waste District.

Our Environmental Education Specialist offers recycling presentations for audiences of all ages and environmental workshops and materials for teachers. We provide recycling information through printed materials, a recycling hotline, web site and other technical services designed to increase recycling awareness and participation.

Recycling Hotline: Staff responded to 4,432 recycling inquiries via the District's Recycling Hotline.

Presentations: Staff conducted 147 recycling presentations for 12,638 students and adults.

Publications: Staff distributed 66,086 copies of its recycling brochures and educational materials to the public.

Web Site: The District received 224,592 "hits" on its web site.

Contests: 2,675 students from 56 schools participated in the District's contests and special events including: the Earth Day to Earth Day Poster Contest, the Zero Waste Lunch Challenge, and the Plant Pride Not Litter Clean Up.

Seminars: The District hosted three Trash Talk Lunch seminars for local waste management officials from 40 cities.

Home Cuyahoga County
Solid Waste District

323 Lakeside Ave W, Suite 400
Cleveland, Ohio 44113-1009
Tel: 216-443-3749
Fax: 216-443-3737
[email protected]