Facility or Source Dry Tons, per year
Port Townsend WWTP 270
Sequim Land Applications 83
Bainbridge Island Land Applications 69
Port Ludlow Land Applications 30
Kitsap County Biosolids 24
Total Annual Amount 476 tons
Notes: Data is from Jefferson County Health Department and the City. Port Townsend and Kitsap County figures are 1999 totals for the amount of material handled at the City’s Biosolids Compost Facility. The data for Sequim is from 1997, and for Bainbridge Island and Port Ludlow the data is from 1998.
has occasionally been refused because of excessive volumes, and is also rejected if it contains substantial amounts of grease (see also the discussion of grease in Section 9.7).
9.5.3 Alternatives for Biosolids
Current methods of handling septage are probably the best option for handling increased quantities in the future, although biosolids and septage are under the authority of wastewater treatment programs and only need to be addressed here to the extent that these being are co-managed with solid wastes (i.e., yard debris). Options include using other facilities for septage disposal, rejecting out-of-county septage, increasing the capacity of the Compost Facility, land-applying septage, and sending the liquid portion of septage to the City’s wastewater treatment plant. Using other
facilities for septage disposal would be difficult since the only other facilities are located a significant distance out of the County (other facilities are located in Kitsap or Mason Counties). Septage disposal alternatives for other counties (particularly Clallam County) are also not very accessible. The acceptance of out-of-county septage by the Port Townsend Biosolids Compost Facility is a good example of a regional solution to a waste disposal problem, and is an activity that financially benefits the Compost Facility since the septage is accepted for a fee. Land-applying septage is permitted under current State and Federal regulations, although not without meeting requirements for screening, covering (injecting or burying), and lime treatment. The large amount of forest lands in the County could facilitate increased beneficial use of treated septage.
9.5.4 Recommendations for Biosolids
The following recommendation is made for septage wastes (see also Recommendation C1): S2) The City of Port Townsend and Jefferson County, with assistance from the SWAC, should
continue to contribute to the discussion of septage disposal issues and problems. This recommendation has been given a low priority for implementation (see also Table E.3).
9.6 CONSTRUCTION, DEMOLITION AND LAND-CLEARING (CDL) WASTES
9.6.1 Existing Conditions for CDL Wastes
Construction, demolition and land-clearing (CDL) wastes consist primarily of new and used building materials (wood, sheetrock, pipe and other metals, shingles, etc.), concrete, asphalt, soil, and natural woods such as stumps and brush. The last few materials (soil and natural woods) essentially make up land-clearing wastes. To the extent these materials are removed from the work site (which rarely happens), these could be taken to the Compost Facility or other sites.
A category closely related to CDL is “inert wastes”. Inert wastes are defined to include concrete, asphalt and soil, as well as certain other materials (such as glass). The regulatory status of inert wastes is currently undergoing review and revision as part of the State’s revision of WAC 173-304, with the expectation that these wastes can be disposed in the future with less permitting required. The total amount of CDL waste generated in Jefferson County is unknown, but most communities generate CDL in quantities equal to half or more of the regular solid waste stream. CDL wastes are generated at a rate proportional to construction activity in the County, and so annual amounts will vary depending on population growth, the economic climate and other factors. Large commercial and other one-time projects have a significant impact on annual amounts. The level of construction activity in the County has been fairly stable over the past few years, with year-to-date figures through August 1999 for construction permits totaling $30 million for 544 permits issued versus $31.5 million for 501 permits in the same eight-month period of 1998. Figures for the amount of construction in the past ten years are shown in Table 9.3.
Construction and demolition waste is handled in a variety of ways. Some of this waste is reused or recycled, some of it is handled on-site at the construction site, and a portion of it is brought to the Transfer Station for disposal through waste export. Reuse activities include a retail store in Port Townsend, SWAC-SWAP events, diversion of material from the tipping floor of the Transfer Station by County staff (the general public is not allowed to salvage materials from the tipping floor), and private efforts by construction companies and others. Material handled on-site is sometimes burned or buried, although these are not approved practices. In some cases, however, wood scraps are legitimately being diverted for use as firewood.
The inert landfill on Indian Island is the only disposal facility specifically permitted in the County to handle CDL, and this is only for wastes generated on-site by Naval activities. Other disposal facilities in the region that accept CDL wastes include the Jefferson County Transfer Station, the Port Angeles Landfill, and the Olympic View Landfill (south of Bremerton).
9.6.2 Needs and Opportunities for CDL Wastes
There are three needs and opportunities associated with CDL waste:
➤ recycling opportunities are lacking for several of the large-volume materials in the CDL waste stream, specifically clean (untreated) wood waste and possibly sheetrock (at least a portion of the sheetrock might be currently recycled through take-back programs of sheetrock suppliers). ➤ more CDL waste could be handled by existing reuse and recycling opportunities.