Tahoe Production House just wrapped production on the latest South Tahoe Refuse and Recycling training video, specifically about the MRF, or the Materials Recovery Facility. We filmed with the wonderful employees of STR and walked through their day while working at STR.
SCRIPT
“Welcome to the South Tahoe Refuse & Recycling MRF Line Safety Video. In this video we will review safety clothing, safety within our facility and safety working on the recycling line.
Safety vests and hardhat are worn on the Transfer Station/MRF floor, while exiting and entering the line enclosure.
Boots with good tread and ankle support protect against trips, slips and falls.
Safety glasses, aprons, sleeves and gloves are required. Dust masks and back belts are voluntary and available.
Be sure to clock in and clock out.
There are many activities going on at the Transfer Station/MRF facility. Watch out for customers unloading their vehicles, for materials on the floor and for the conveyor lines.
Be careful on the stairs and watch for tripping hazards.
The line moves at several speeds, depending on the materials being sorted, mixed waste or blue bags.
Employees at the beginning of the line will remove heavy objects and open bags as much as possible.
Take care opening bags, do not extend your hands into bags.
Lots of materials are sorted for recycling and some hazardous materials, too, like cell phones and household batteries.
Employees take two 15-minute breaks, with 5 extra minutes to move back and forth from the breaks and one-half hour lunch in an 8 hour shift.
An additional “exercise break” is provided to walk around the block.
No cell phones while working, no talking, no texting.
Check your phone for messages during your breaks.
Everyone shares in keeping our facility clean. Do not throw litter and pick up litter when you see it.
Fridays are extra clean up days for the line enclosure.
Be sure to clock out.
Thank you for watching this safety video. By following these procedures we will all have a successful day at South Tahoe Refuse and Recycling.”
During the early 1990s, the South Lake Tahoe Solid Waste Joint Powers Agency (JPA), comprised of elected representatives from Douglas and El Dorado Counties and the City of South Lake Tahoe, reviewed alternatives to address the mandates of AB 939. The JPA reviewed the characteristics of our local waste stream and balanced costs, benefits, practicality, and future planning in making their decision.
The JPA is responsible for directing which recycling programs we implement. After a year of study the JPA approved a system with the technology and flexibility to meet today’s needs and address our future goals.
The cornerstone of our local recycling plan is our Materials Recovery Facility, which opened in May, 1995. Referred to as the MRF, collected materials are sorted for the larger recyclables, such as wood, steel and tires. The waste is then loaded onto a conveyor belt where glass, aluminum, tin, plastics, and 5 grades of paper are separated, baled, and stored until transported to market.
Centralized processing of mixed municipal solid waste achieves both a significant reduction in landfill usage and a maximum rate of recycling. The MRF has allowed STR to implement a diverse range of programs addressing both residential and commercial sectors to steadily increase our material recovery rate without increasing traffic in our neighborhoods.
In 2008, STR began a Blue Bag recycling program in cooperation with our local agencies. Blue Bag recycling provides recycling for families who want to recycle at home. It reduces contamination and makes us more efficient. Blue Bag recycling was expanded to all of our schools in 2009, so that children can practice their recycling ethic at home and at school. Blue Bag recycling compliments the MRF system, as materials from the Blue Bags are sorted by type, while resort and other waste streams are still sorted as well.
STR has developed on-site recycling programs for large volume businesses, particularly for businesses with compacted or “wet” trash. STR provides separation containers for targeted materials to many of our largest generators. Over 300 smaller local businesses reduce their garbage bills by recycling their cardboard at no charge at the Transfer Station and recycling beverage containers at the STR Buy-Back Center. Fees at the MRF and RRF are reduced for clean loads of metal, wood, asphalt and concrete.
The MRF and RRF provide the capability to sort and store materials for markets ranging from glass, aluminum, plastic and paper reprocessing, to local concrete and asphalt recycling, to composting of wood waste in the Carson Valley. Markets shift, quality specifications tighten and material prices fluctuate. The worldwide economic slowdown has effected both export and domestic demand for scrap material.
But STR is in the recycling business for the long run. Markets are stabilizing and new technologies will create new markets. Our MRF and RRF provide us with the flexibility to implement the programs that best suit our individual community now and in the future.
In addition, residents who wish to receive their California Redemption Value (CRV) for glass, aluminum and plastic #1 – #7, can redeem those materials, as well as drop off all of our other recyclable materials at the South Tahoe Recycling Center, located down the street from the Transfer Station/MRF facility on Ruth Avenue.
