Concord’s DropOff-SwapOff Program

Prepared By:

Rod Robison, Environmental Services Program Administrator

Fred Serr, REUSIT President

Sponsored By Concord Public Works and REUSIT

What is DropOff-SwapOff?

Semi-annual one-day event Opportunity for Concord residents to reuse,

recycle or dispose of items they no longer need Typically draws more than 900 households The SwapOff

Leave-it-or-take-it portion of the event Opportunity for residents to pass on useful, working

items to friends and neighbors The DropOff

Accepts a wide variety of items for reuse, recycling or disposal

Items that can not be recycled at the curb

A Brief History

REUSIT operated a Swap Shed at Concord’s landfill for many years, dating back to the 1970’s

The Town’s landfill (and Swap Shed) closed in the mid 1990’s

The closure of the landfill resulted in a municipal curbside trash & recycling program

REUSIT organized small-scale Swap events and occasional styrofoam collections over the next few years

Concord’s DropOff-SwapOff program was established in 1998

Organization

Concord Public Works and REUSIT…a perfect partnership

A Team Effort… Concord Public Works - Schedules and manages vendors

- Provides site, site preparation & advertising

- Coordinates Traffic Plan

REUSIT - Recruits, schedules and manages upwards of 140

volunteers

- Develops job descriptions and provides training

Joint - Pre- and post-event planning and feedback

Site Map

SwapOff

Acceptable Items:

Furniture Toys Sports Equipment Patio Items Household Items Electronics

No charge for SwapOff—everything is free

Restrictions

Residents only until 1:00pm No parking (spaces for unloading only) Only volunteers unload vehicles Items need to be in clean working order No children’s car seats, broken furniture,

outdated athletic equipment, exercise equipment, building materials, mattresses

DropOff

Items Collected Bikes Household Goods & Furniture Reusable Building Materials Children’s Equipment & Toys Unwanted Medication & SHARPS Electronics Carpet Mattresses Upholstered Furniture Scrap Metal & Appliances Toilets Styrofoam Block Oversized Waste

Items Collected…continued Books Backpacks Athletic Shoes Printer Cartridges Cell Phones CD’s, VHS, DVD’s, Floppy Disks Crayons Batteries Fluorescent Bulbs Plastic Bags Rags & Towels Tyvek

Pricing

Goal: Event is self-funding; income covers costs

Charge for items that incur costs for recycling/disposal

Vendors

Other Vendors…

Medical Waste Disposal Company Inc. We Get Rid Of It ACT Recycling NIKE Veolia Conigliaro

DropOff Collection Statistics

Recyclable Materials Collected 1998-2010: Scrap Metal 275 Tons Electronics 232 Tons C & D Materials 218 Tons Styrofoam 3,271 55 gal. bags Appliances 1,437 units Bicycles 976 units Plastic Bags 540 55 gal. bags Carpeting 36 Tons Cell Phones 1,106 units

Still More “Vendors”….

The Sculptor

The Band

The Radio Station

Advertising

Concord Journal Website Flyer Signage Word of Mouth

The Volunteer Effort…

Volunteer Coordination Volunteers stationed in each area, focused on

one task Divide the day into 2-3 hour “shifts” Use on-line sign-up and scheduling to ensure

coverage of all areas Volunteers can sign up for one or several shifts ~100 DropOff volunteers, ~40 for SwapOff Designated Team Leaders for most areas

Volunteers stationed in each area

Volunteer Positions: DropOff Traffic (5) Check In (2) Check Out (3-4) Pricers (4) Scrap Metal, Appliance & Propane Tanks (4-5) Oversized Waste (6-7) Carpets & Furniture (2-3) Small Stuff (6-7) Styrofoam (6-7) Electronics (4-5) Bikes Not Bombs (1-2) Volunteer Sign-In & Information Table (1)

Volunteer Positions: SwapOff Unloading/Traffic (12-15) Sorting (4) Electronics SwapOff (4-5) Check-in & Holding Zone (2-3)

Volunteer Responsibilities

What do all those volunteers do?

Volunteer Responsibilities...continued Check in at sign-in desk Wear safety vest Direct attendees to appropriate area Remind parents: kids under 10 remain in car Answer questions Clean up Provide feedback at wrap up meeting HAVE FUN!

Volunteer Training

Volunteer letter w/ job description Pre-event training Mentoring Team Leader assistance

Volunteer Recruitment

E-mail & mailings to previous volunteers CCHS Volunteer Fair & Environmental Club Concord Journal REUSIT Website Town Website Flyer Phone

Business Recycling Event

Business Recycling

This semi-annual event provides Concord businesses with a safe and low-cost opportunity to properly dispose of computers, monitors, printers, TV’s, fax machines, other electronics and fluorescent bulbs. The event is co-sponsored by Concord Public Works and Complete Recycling Solutions, and is held at the 300 Baker Ave. Ext. parking lot thanks to Normandy Real Estate.

2010 Business Recycling Highlights

6,604 linear feet of fluorescent bulbs and 13,301 lbs of computers and electronics were collected from businesses at the April and October business recycling events.

Advertising

Concord Journal Website Chamber of Commerce E-mail Signage

Questions & Answers