Solid Waste Management on Tribal Lands

The Southern California Solid Waste Collaborative

La Jolla Band of Luiseño Indians.

January 15, 2008, 10:00 am - 2:00 pm

Attendees

Native American Environmental Protection Coalition (NAEPC): Nina Hapner

Rincon: Tiffany Wolfe

San Pasqual: Desiree Morales, Carol L. King

Cahuilla: Sheldon S.

Soboba: Erica Helms-Schenk, Steven Estrada

US EPA Region 9: Nancy Sockabasin, Caleb Shaffer,

Indian Health Service: Dave Robbins

Pechanga: Syndi Smallwood

Welcome and Introductions

John Flores gave a brief overview of what La Jolla has been going through after the fires. The Tribe has been able to utilize a company that has been hauling off electronics, burned in the fires or damaged (refrigerators) at no charge.

Roundtable

La Jolla Reservation:

• Transfer station is in operation and currently working on setting up a household hazardous waste collection area.
• Since the electronic waste collection has started, people are beginning to ask what they can do with their household hazardous waste.
• Another concern is green waste. Since the fires, there are a lot of burned trees still around, and ideally want to mulch and chip it so it can be used in gardens and landscaping.
• Started recycling in the tribal offices and want to extend this to the transfer station. John Flores has the grant announcement for participants.

San Pasqual:

• Has a lot of household hazardous waste;
• Don’t have certified employees to collect or transport; and,
• Need additional information on this section.

Rincon:

• Has a contract with the City of Ramona for household collection.
• Wants to expand this once the Conservation project takes off.
• There is some recycling in the tribal offices, but only one person deals with it, and it isn’t efficient.

Cahuilla:

• Opened transfer station a year ago.
• The goal is to get as many people involved as possible.
• It is getting used and opened Sunday – Thursday. Mondays are the busiest days. Members just need to know that it is there.
• Provide a 40-yd roll off quarterly.

Soboba:

• Contracts with an outside business to pick up trash but have problems with bulk items.
• Also have a lot of junk cars and did one cleanup, but had problems with storage and people stealing cars.
• Have concerns with household hazardous waste.
• There isn’t any recycling going on at the moment.

John Flores noted that there is a person who can help with becoming CRV certified.

Contact Information

Janis Peacher (Janis.peacher@conservation.ca.gov)
Recycling Specialist
State of California Department of Conservation, Division of Recycling
801 K Street, MS 17-01
Sacramento CA 95814
Ph. 916.322.1832; Fx. 916.322.8758

Abandoned Vehicles/Electronics

• The DMV will right off the vehicle if can find a VIN number.
• San Pasqual used Adam’s Steel to removed vehicles.
• Scrap metal is now about $100/ton. Will take trailers if have a lot of metal. On trailers, in some areas, the hauler may request that trailers be collapsed. Laura Mayo at Yurok has a technique on doing this and EPA has a copy.
• The quota for cars was about 100-120, but Adam’s Steel didn’t require one, just that all the cars be put in one spot.
• Adam’s Steel does take appliances.
• Initially La Jolla was finding lots of electronics in people’s yards and dumped on the reservation, but with the collection service, have seen an decrease in dumping by the community.

Illegal Dumping

• Some tribes have ordinances, but enforcing them is the hard part.
• Hopland has shared their ordinances with other tribes and John Flores has a copy and can share. They are short and concise and easy to follow.
• EPA has information on ordinances.
• Hoopa has a good program where they sort through a dump site and if find three pieces of paper with the same address, a warning letter is sent and they have had Council support, and one threat is to withhold revenue sharing.
• It was noted that pictures and evidence collection is important. Even if nothing will be done at that moment in time, something could be done in future.
• There is a component under the ANA grant and there is the Solid Waste Grant through EPA that is due January 22, 2008.

Clean Earth Recycling – E-cyclers 

• Started in 2004.
• Service all Southern California and slowing expanding to Northern California area.
• Started serving La Jolla and Pala in 2007.
• Offer free pickup and disposal, but sometimes if have to go to a remote area, may charge a small fee of $25.
• Usually ask for a minimum of 10 appliances.
• Services are fairly simple. If there is a transfer center, the company can provide bins.
• The company is part of a State Program that funds electronic waste pickup.
• If get a large quantity collected from the collections, the tribe can actually make money.
• If have people out of state, will try and find a partner in that area.
• Collection area does not have to be covered, but if area is going to be wet, let the dispatchers know so metal cages can be delivered, but ask the small items be in boxes to keep them together.
• Accept florescent lighting but charge $.05-.10 per foot, and lights must be in boxes. If the lights break or get crushed, just put in a five-gallon bucket. Once the bulb is broken it becomes hazardous waste, no longer universal waste.
• Also take car lead-acid batteries.
• Can come out and do events. Just need to supply the site and carry $3M liability coverage.
• Currently working on collecting tires, but there will be a charge because hard to find a buyer.
• Also working on paint and oil collection, but at the moment they don’t have permits to transport liquid waste.

Danny Molewski is the person to contact for setting up an event. Call his cell phone number, 909.767.8193.

Tire Collection

• La Jolla did a tire collection with the assistance of CIWMB. Can go to the website and apply for the grant. It is called the Tire Cleanup Program.
• La Jolla used Los Reyes tire shop in San Diego; removed about 3,000 tires.
• La Jolla had a tire amnesty day, no questions asked; community members were able to bring tires.

Funding Sources

• CIWMB – Tire Cleanup Program
• Beverage Recycling Program – CA Dept of Conservation – it is in two phases. It isn’t a long, lengthy process. Fill out the first two pages, if you make it, mail it back and if you make it, than you move to the 2^nd phase. The questions are pre-defined. The CRV license is based on the number of CRV containers being taken in. The quota for rural areas is lower than the cities; falls in a different category. Will need a bailer and scales; don’t know if grant pays for the bailers. Hopland has a CRV center, maybe Tule River, and Hoopa is working on it. It is only competitive in California.
• ANA Grant – Ordinance writing
• EPA Solid Waste Grant – Ordinance writing
• I.H.S. does an interagency grant with EPA-national solid waste grant
• Department of Agriculture
• NRCS if threat to water
• Resource Conservation Challenge Grant – can’t pay for implementation but can cover the planning.

Upcoming training and certification for recycling – two day training. EPA funded, and there are five slots open for tribes, February 4-5, 2008; training is free, just cost of travel and hotel. Let Caleb Shaffer (Shaffer.caleb@epa.gov) know if interested in attended. One of the trainings will be in San Diego, CA.

After the fires, there were lots of steel around, and the Tribe was willing to pay or give it away. Instead, Adam’s Steel came in and hauled it away, and the Tribe made some funds that help pay the FEMA match.

EPA Brownfields – Glenn Kistner

Mr. Kistner manages grants and does outreach and has been with the program since October 2007.

• Most of the time with EPA has been as remedial manager for superfund.
• Brownfields began in 1995 as an initiative.
• In 2002, the Brownfields Revitalization Act formalized. Sites include mine sites and meth labs.

Key change for tribes:

• Brownfields went from urban areas to rural areas addressing open dumps or littered areas, abandoned houses and mobile homes.
• There are five areas: targeted assessments, brownfields tribal tech assessment, assessment RLF & cleanup grants, job training grants, 128(a) State and Tribal Response Program.

Targeted Brownfields Assessments:

• No funds are supplied, but EPA comes out and does a phase I assessment including ownership check.
• Phase II environmental assessment and establishment of cleanup options.

Completive Grants 104(k):

• Under CERCLA – Assessment, cleanup and revolving loan fund.
• Addresses hazardous substances and petroleum sites, even if co-mingled.
• The assessment and Cleanup grants do not require payback.

Assessment Grants:

• Can be community wide or site specific.
• Some tribes or communities will do a community wide grant to help identify a specific site. Other tribes know their specific sites. Money for specific sites can only be used on the site.
• Two (2) proposals per year, both hazardous and petroleum, no matching funds; $200,000 waiver to $350,000.

Cleanup Grant:

• Phase II must be completed or on the way.
• Typically given for a 3-year period and must be acquiring ownership of property.
• Can have three (3) per year funded; 20% matching funds can be in-kind funds.

RLF:

• The most difficult of the funding programs and not recommended for tribes to apply for.

128(a) Tribal Response:

• CERCLA non-competitive, authorized $50M/year nationwide.
• Geared toward enhancing for developing a response program.
• Funds cannot be used for site specific funding. Ex. Hazmat/spill response teams, emergency response, training, equipment; establish & maintain public record.
• Tribe defines their own program and what is best for the tribal community. Program examples: UST/LUST, meth labs, spill response, etc.
• No matching funds required; similar to block grant funding.
• Can fund positions, equipment, etc.
• States and Tribes are eligible.
• To apply, must show either have a program or taking steps to develop one and be a party to a voluntary response Memorandum of Agreement with EPA. Plus, tribes must establish and maintain a public record of sites.
• Fours elements plus one:
• Survey and inventory of brownfield sites
• Oversight and enforcement authorities, mechanisms and resources
• Public participation
• Cleanup plan approval, verification and certification process
• Public record

Superfund cannot address petroleum unless comingled with hazardous materials. Brownfields will deal with it as long as it is low level of petroleum. If considered high, than goes to another program.

New in Region 9 where tribes are using Brownfields to clean up solid waste, but Region 8 tribes have been doing it for years. If site is on the allotment, there may be some difficulties because it should be tribal community lands; note there are two types of allotments: fee and trust. At Torres Martinez to do that Targeted Brownfields Assessment, had to have the permission of the trustee before cleanup could begin.

Transfer Stations

• La Jolla station is about 3 years old, small to medium size.
• Funded by the Department of Agriculture.
• Has space for 2 40-yard bins that are dumped once a week.
• The recycling center and bailer will be put in the same location.
• It is good to have the station out of the main sight of the community. It is important to keep area clean because of rats and flies.
• It can take some time to get the community involved, but once that happens, the community will start to use it.
• The station collects tires, e-waste, and recyclables.
• Have big signs indicating time of operation. Keep children out of the transfer station.
• It is good to HAZWOPER and CPR/first aid training. Make sure wearing appropriate safety gear.

Anymore solid waste transfer station training? EPA typically does a training every year.