Annual Collection and Disposal Assessment. All
owners of single family residential units within the System service area,
including condominiums, are assessed an Annual Collection and Disposal
Assessment (ACDA) which provides for almost all of that customer's solid
waste disposition needs for the entire year including curbside collection,
the Resource Recovery Facility, the Class I landfill, the household chemical
collection centers, the community collection centers, the yard waste processing
facilities, etc. The ACDA is billed as a non-ad valorem assessment on
the Ad Valorem Tax Bill. Condominiums receive a 25% discount for disposal
only. Senior citizens are eligible for a 25% discount for disposal only,
but must apply for the discount.
Solid Waste Integrated Management System. A critical
asset of any solid waste management system is its ability to accurately
track and monitor the type and volume of solid waste it receives.
The System accomplishes this through the utilization of the Solid
Waste Integrated Management System (SWIMS). The SWIMS includes a
computer network which is installed at each of the four (4) scale houses
and the Administrative Office. Customer identification, materials
delivered, weight delivered as well as other information is collected
and transmitted from the scale houses to the data base at the Administrative
Office.
Waste Profile Program. Ensuring that only acceptable
solid waste is received is a critical component of any solid waste
management system. In order to assist in ensuring that unacceptable
waste is not delivered to and/or accepted in the System, the SWMD
utilizes the Waste Profile Program to pre-screen potential customers.
Potential high risk commercial and industrial customers are required
to submit information on the type of waste they will deliver to the
System and, in many cases, may be required to have the waste analyzed
before it is accepted in the System.
Site Access. Entry to all service locations is controlled
by an attendant who is responsible for the initial screening of the
solid waste delivered and for recording certain information about
the customer and the solid waste delivered. Attendants at the scale houses,
which include scales and the SWIMS, weight vehicles in and out at
the RRF, the yard waste processing facilities, the transfer stations,
the Class I landfill, and the Waste Tire Processing Facility.
Waste Monitoring Program. The final safeguard to
ensure that only acceptable solid waste and properly separated solid
waste is accepted in the System is the Waste Monitoring Program.
At each tipping location where the solid waste is dumped, a SWMD
employee or contractor employee inspects the load as it is dumped
to ensure that the materials are suitable for acceptance at that
location.
Field Investigation. In order to ensure that citizens
and businesses properly dispose of their solid waste, the SWMD utilizes
four (4) Community Code Investigators to investigate potential ordinance
violations including improper disposal, illegal accumulation, etc.
Customers who violate the ordinance are encouraged to comply through
public education and, when necessary, forced to comply through enforcement.
Environmental Enforcement Unit. For those ordinance
and law violations which represent a greater environmental risk or require
a more intensive investigation process, the SWMD utilizes the services
of Environmental Enforcement Unit Deputies (EEUD) which are Sheriff Deputies
assigned full time to the investigation of solid waste issues. The SWMD
reimburses the Sheriff's Office directly for the nine (9) deputies provided.
Right-of-Way Clean-up. When a field investigation
reveals that illegal dumping has occurred on County right-of-way,
the SWMD issues a clean-up order to the Roadway Maintenance Division
(RMD). Quarterly, the SWMD reimburses the RMD for the right-of-way
clean-ups performed at the request of the SWMD.
Leachate Treatment Plant. To provide for the long-term
management of leachate (water which comes in contact with solid
waste) generated from open and closed landfills, the SWMD utilizes
a Leachate Treatment Plant at the Southeast County Facility which
is designed to process 60,000 to 120,000 gallons of leachate per
day.
Closed Landfill Maintenance. As a result of consent
orders and other agreements with State and Federal regulatory agencies,
the SWMD performs routine maintenance on five (5) closed landfills
- the Northwest County Landfill and the Northwest County Trashfill
at the Northwest County Facility and the Taylor Road Landfill,
the DOT 10.6 Landfill, and the Hillsborough Heights Landfill at
the Hillsborough Heights Facility. This routine maintenance includes
vegetation control, cap and cover maintenance, stormwater drainage
system maintenance, methane gas collection system maintenance,
site access maintenance, and leachate collection, transportation
and disposal.
Closed Landfill Investigation Program. In addition
to the landfill maintenance responsibility for the landfills identified
above, the SWMD is also responsible for making a determination
if any of the fifteen (15) closed landfills, either owned and/or
operated previously by the County, represent environmental risks.
The Closed Landfill Investigation Program, which was developed
in conjunction with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection
and the Hillsborough County Environmental Protection Commission,
provides the framework by which groundwater and methane gas investigations
are conducted for eleven (11) of the closed landfills.
Environmental Monitoring. For many of the System
facilities including the closed landfill sites, the SWMD is required
to monitor surface water and groundwater to determine if there
is any potential for groundwater contamination. To accomplish this,
the SWMD installs sampling wells when necessary, collects groundwater
samples, and delivers the samples to a private laboratory for analysis.
The results of this testing are reported to the appropriate regulatory
agencies.
Recycling Task Force. The County provides partial
funding, office space and staff assistance for the Recycling Task
Force (RTF). The RTF is a not-for-profit organization created by
the Hillsborough County Council of Governments to coordinate countywide
recycling activities in Hillsborough County. The RTF is a volunteer
group with representatives from the County, the cities of Tampa,
Plant City and Temple Terrace, the School Board, the Cooperative
Extension Service, local commercial recyclers and haulers, local
businesses, environmental and civic groups, local media and interested
citizens.
Keep Hillsborough County Beautiful. The County
provides funding for the Keep Hillsborough County Beautiful (KHCB)
organization. KHCB is a not-for-profit litter prevention organization
which provides education, recycling and beautification programs.
KHCB is a volunteer organization with representatives from County
and public agencies, local businesses, civic and environmental
organizations, and local Chambers of Commerce.
Rate Study. Each year, the SWMD conducts a rate
review in connection with the development of the annual budget.
A rate recommendation is developed and must be approved by the
Board of County Commissioners.
| Annual Operation Indicators. |
| |
Solid Waste Incinerated |
400,000 tons
|
| |
Solid Waste Landfilled |
360,000 tons
|
| |
Yard Waste Processed |
50,000 tons
|
| |
Solid Waste Recycled |
40,000 tons
|
| |
Tires Processed |
450,000 tons
|
| |
Solid Waste Transferred |
260,000 tons
|
|
|
