Sustainability and Energy Action Plan

CONSUMPTION AND MATERIALS GRANTS PASS SUSTAINABILITY AND ENERGY ACTION PLAN CM-2-2. Create a Tailored Waste Reduction Plan Once baseline data for the WARM calculator has been established, calculations can be run to develop a tailor - made plan for reducing the City’s solid waste emissions, considering what materials need to be dealt with and how best to deal with them. Including the staff using current materials in the selection of alternative materials and practices is recommended. Project CM -3. Pursue Improvements in Waste Disposal The City currently spends $340,000 on waste disposal.75 There is little being recycled, sludge from the Water Restoration Plant is hauled away with high water content, and hauling of waste makes up a large percentage of both emissions and spending in this arena. Thus, there is the potential for sizeable improvement in waste disposal. Furthermore, the 2021 Recycling Modernization Act (RMA) will lead to significant improvements in recycling opportunities in rural areas like Grants Pass beginning in 2025. 76 It is recommended that the City leverage these opportunities as much as possible to reduce solid waste emissions.CM-3-2. Explore Options to Reduce Waste Hauling Emissions associated with solid waste by the City’s operations are, in large part, generated from hauling waste to White City, and in some cases, to Portland. Hauling to these locations is also costly, and potentially problematic for resiliency as well. While not an easy problem to tackle, looking into possible options for more localized waste disposal should be something the City collaborates on with haulers, and potentially larger regional partnership bodies. In particular, encouraging the establishment of a Southern Oregon Recycling Center following the RMA changes in 2025 is recommended. Another recommended strategy to reduce hauling emissions is to encourage fuel efficiency and/or the use of biodiesel, and the adoption of ZEVs by haulers, especially as renewable hydrogen trucks become more readily available . The largest contribution to the City’s Consumption and Materials emissions and costs is the hauling of sludge from the W ater Restoration Plant to the landfill. Significant cost and energy reductions could be achieved if sludge drying and/or hauling technologies and practices improve. Continued research into the latest findings in sludge management will likely prove important for City staff and potentially the standing Sustainability and Energy Committee, in order to make GHG and cost management targets. CM-3-1. Increase Availability of Recycling at City Facilities The only recycling currently available at City facilities is for cardboard. Extending the range of what can be recycled could allow for waste to be diverted from landfills. After 2025, this should be more financially feasible for the City as a result of RMA requirements.77 The Recycling Modernization Act (RMA ) is a 2021 State Senate Bill measure (OR SB 582) to expand access to recycling services and upgrade recycling facilities. 71