SOLID WASTE RECYCLING REPORT

Enjoy this Press Release from the Department of Environmental Protection on Solid Waste Recycling. Is your county listed in the top 10?

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 19, 2013

CONTACT: DEP Press Office, 850.245.2112, DEPNews@dep.state.fl.us

ANNUAL SOLID WASTE RECYCLING REPORT SHOWS RECYCLING RATE REMAINED STEADY IN 2011

~Department encourages businesses, schools and groups to report recycling rates~

TALLAHASSEE – Updated recycling data released today by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection shows that 23 counties reported a 30 percent or higher recycling rate and Florida has maintained at least a 30 percent recycling rate for a second consecutive year. The data shows that nine counties had a recycling rate of 40 percent or more.

Recycling rates are calculated by dividing the total weight of recycled municipal solid waste by the total weight of municipal solid waste. The 2011 data is the most up to date. Under previous statute, counties had until November to report the previous year's data. Under new staturtory deadlines, counties must report data by April 1 each year. After review, the Department anticipates having the 2012 data available this July.

“Florida is making strides to reach the 2020 recycling goal of 75 percent," said Jorge Caspary, Director of DEP’s Division of Waste Management. “However, Florida’s businesses must become more involved in recycling in order for us to achieve success.”

In November, the Department expanded its Recycling Recognition Program to encourage the commercial sector, schools, public groups and residents not only to recycle more, but also to increase reporting. The Department has an easy tool for companies to track and compare its recycling efforts to that of other businesses -- the Florida DEP Business Recycling Tracking Tool. Through the website, which includes free registration, companies can track different types of recycling efforts and produce reports on how those efforts are helping to shrink their carbon footprint. The tracking will help the Department to recognized companies that are doing more to go green.

Recycling provides a direct cost savings to most businesses because the more that is recycled means less waste generated and thus there are lower operating cost for waste management. Residents have motivation to recycle because it allows for reuse of household products and also cuts down on the amount and cost of waste sent to local landfills. The Department encourages residents to recycle at home and find out what recycling efforts are underway at their local schools, their workplace and their community groups. County recycling coordinators can help businesses, institutions and community groups create or improve their recycling efforts.

According to the updated report, Alachua County remains No. 1 in the state for recycling for the second year in a row. Gilchrist County was the most improved county in Florida, increasing its recycling rate from 17 percent in 2010 to 30 percent in 2011.

The top 10 counties based on recycling rate are:

         1. Alachua County - 50 percent 
         2. Lee County - 45 percent         
         2. Brevard County - 45 percent         
         2. Marion County - 45 percent         
         5. Escambia County - 43 percent         
         6. Martin County - 42 percent         
         6. Sarasota County - 42 percent         
         8. Leon County - 41 percent         
         9. Collier County - 40 percent        
       10. Madison County - 39 percent 

In 2008, the Florida Legislature enacted Florida Statute 403.7032, which established a new statewide recycling goal of 75 percent to be achieved by 2020. Recycling rates have been climbing slowly since 2006. These positive trends are the result of increased awareness by the public and businesses of the benefits of recycling. Recycling materials cuts down on landfill waste, sparks economic activity and reuses products that otherwise would become trash.

To see the complete 2011 Solid Waste Management Report visit http://www.dep.state.fl.us/waste/categories/recycling/SWreportdata/11_data.htm

For more information about the Florida DEP Recycling Recognition Program visit http://www.dep.state.fl.us/waste/categories/recycling/pages/recognition.htm

Building Commissioning Saves Money and Energy

By John Chyz

Due to the nature of construction, virtually every building is a unique, one-off design, including the design of complex mechanical and electrical systems and their control systems.  The consequence of this sophistication and complexity is that high-performance buildings need to be carefully tuned and calibrated to ensure that their operation is as designed.  The commissioning process has been shown to be invaluable in providing a high degree of quality assurance for buildings with sophisticated energy and conditioning systems and is now virtually standard practice for green building certification. 

The world’s largest database of commissioning cost-benefit case studies was assembled by Dr. Evan Mills and his team at the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab in 2004 and updated in 2009.  The results of the ensuing meta-analysis were eye opening.  Of data gathered for 643 buildings across 26 states, the median normalized cost to deliver commissioning was $0.30/ft2for existing buildings and $1.16/ft2 for new construction projects.  All told, according to Dr. Mills this represented an average of 0.4% of the overall construction cost.  Through the rectification of the 10,000+ deficiencies discovered, a median energy savings of 13% was realized for the new construction projects and 16% for the existing buildings and payback times of 4.2 years and 1.1 years respectively.  Furthermore, project teams that elected to implement a comprehensive commissioning process enjoyed nearly twice the overall median energy savings.

Perhaps the most compelling figures derived from Dr. Mills fall out of a simple extrapolation from the current stock of commercial buildings in the United States.  Applying the median energy savings derived from the control group nationally results in a projected energy savings of $30 billion by 2030, the equivalent of approximately 340 megatons of CO2 each year.  According to Dr. Mills, if each existing building in the U.S. were retro-commissioned every 5 years the commissioning industry would quickly swell to $4 billion per year, requiring an additional 1,500 – 25,000 full-time equivalent employees.

Rather than simply acting as a tool for the realization of energy savings, a well-executed building commissioning process may be more accurately described as a risk management strategy.  It ensures that building owners have been delivered with a building that meets with their expectations within the specified budget and provides insurance for policy managers that their initiatives accurately meet targeted goals.  Furthermore, the building commissioning process serves to detect and rectify issues that would eventually prove far more costly to the owner in the future from the standpoint of operation, maintenance, safety and unwanted litigation. 

John Chyz is Managing Director of the Cross Creek Initiative, a non-profit/university joint venture seeking to drive research initiatives and pioneer solutions for sustainable built environments.

As an Engineer, Green Globes Assessor (GGA), ASHRAE Certified Commissioning Process Management Professional (CPMP) and AEE Certified Energy Auditor (CEA), John brings a comprehensive skill-set to the Cross Creek team and each individual client.

John is the instructor and course developer of the UF TREEO Introduction to Building Commissioning course being taught April 17, 2013 in Gainesville.