Annual Report Summary - (Printer Friendly Version)

This section of the annual report presents the methods in which your agency informed both employees and customers served that a recycling program was being implemented. Below are identified the programs you reported were continued or implemented during 2006.

This section of the annual report presents your compliance with the State Agency Buy Recycled Campaign (SABRC). The activities identified below were reported as implemented or continued during 2006. (Note: Completing this section does not meet the SABRC reporting requirements (PCC Section 12162(b)).

The Department is continually looking into other ways to decrease the amount of materials disposed in landfills. The waste stream should begin to decrease due to new waste diversion programs along with more accurate reporting since the implementation of the Integrated Waste Management Plan.

Waste diversion programs are in place to capture mixed paper, beverage containers, cardboard, scrap metal, wood waste, furniture and equipment. Numerous collection containers for "Blue Cart Recycling" are placed throughout the buildings for ease of recycling.

Another source of material that Caltrans generates is a result from our construction and maintenance projects. This construction and demolition (C&D) waste debris can vary in type and amount depending on project description and location. Typical C&D waste debris may include concrete, asphalt, steel, guard railing, and vegetation.

Amounts of materials disposed and diverted were determined by a variety of methods. For materials generated throughout the District, which are recycled, the documentation was achieved by reviewing the actual receipts from the vendors who supply this service. In cases where obtaining actual receipts was not feasible, estimates were used by extrapolating the size and weight of containers and multiplying by the frequency of service. For materials, which were disposed of, the primary source for documentation was to extrapolate by determining the approximate average weight of the material in the disposal containers multiplied by the frequency of service. For determining the weights of the C&D debris the construction contractor supplied Caltrans with the information. Weight conversion charts from the CIWMB were also used to convert volumes to tons.

Source reduction includes recycled toner cartridges. The Department does encourage the use of email, double-sided photocopying, and the reuse of envelopes. While these activities are included in the programs, they do not figure into the diversion calculations. Material Exchange includes furniture and tools donated to schools and charitable organizations. Recycling includes aluminum cans, glass and plastics from Rest Areas and the District Office, cardboard, mixed recycle, and white office paper picked up by the City of Redding. Special Waste includes miscellaneous aluminum and lights poles taken to the scrap yard, cooking oil from the cafeteria. Hazardous Materials include e-waste, batteries, used oil, antifreeze, solvent, carb cleaner, fluorescent lamps and bulbs.

The Department has identified one recycling coordinator in the District to gather information and report on AB 75. No additional PY`s are allocated for these positions. The recycling coordinators have the responsibility to report on AB 75 in addition to their normal duties.