Town passes new C&D ordinance
The Town of Mammoth Lakes took a step closer to fulfilling its State-mandated recycling diversion requirement by approving a new construction and demolition (C&D) waste management ordinance at Wednesday’s Council meeting.
Mammoth has struggled to meet the State’s ambitious goals for waste diversion and recycling. Assembly Bill 341, adopted in 2011 and effective in 2012, mandates that commercial and multi-family properties institute recycling programs with the intent to increase landfill diversion rates to 75 percent by 2020.
When CalRecycle last assessed Mammoth’s solid waste recycling programs in 2011, the Town’s diversion rate was 27%. CalRecyle’s waste diversion goal at that time was 50%.
“In the last few years, CalRecycle has strongly encouraged the Town to adopt an ordinance related to C&D to help us get our diversion [rate] up,” explained Public Works Director Grady Dutton.
However, when the Town first proposed a C&D ordinance last month, which would require contractors to submit a Waste Management Plan for review and approval, and a security deposit to ensure compliance, and would penalize violators with possible prison time, contractors balked.
“The construction industry wanted to have an opportunity to vet this with their whole group,” said Dutton. After meetings with the Mammoth Lakes Contractors Association (MLCA) and a contractor stakeholder group, Dutton said both parties had come to an agreement on a revised ordinance.
As it stands, contractors will submit a Waste Management Plan as part of the application packet for a building permit. The Plan will calculate the estimated volume or weight of C&D material, with separate listings for each type of material; the volume or weight of material that can be diverted, with separate listings, the volume or weight of material that will be landfilled, the vendor or facility that will collect or receive the C&D material, and the estimated commencement date for C&D work.
“The big change over the last few weeks is rather than have contractors write that [security deposit] check when they submit their building permit application, we’re going to calculate the amount, and when they come in for a certificate of occupancy, if they haven’t done it [the C&D diversion] and they need additional time, they have to give the deposit and then they have 90 days to fulfill the requirement,” Dutton said.
The security deposit will be one percent of the building permit construction cost estimate for single family projects equal or smaller than 3,500 square feet, or a maximum of $5,000. The deposit will be two percent of the building permit construction estimate for multi-family, single family over 3,500 square feet, and commercial projects, or $7,000 maximum.
Another change: “We thought violators didn’t need to be incarcerated,” Dutton said. “We went with a maximum $1,000 fine.”
MLCA President Jesse Baldwin thanked Town staff for its effort. “This will actually be saving us money,” he said.
As Mammoth Disposal General Manager Rick Vahl explained, mixed C&D costs $74 per ton to dispose of at Benton Crossing Landfill. But if separated, mixed concrete and asphalt costs $33 a ton, clean wood costs $17.25 per ton, and clean dirt, gravel, or soil costs only $5 per load.
Baldwin said general contractor Tim Flynn attested to the savings, even after paying for the man hours to sort and separate C&D material.
Town Council approved the C&D ordinance 5-0.
