Day in and day out, in neighborhoods all around Orange County, families separate recyclables from trash. Haulers deliver the trash and recyclables to their respective destinations—landfills and material recovery facilities. Recyclable materials get processed for their next life. Trash is compacted and buried at the landfills, only to be recycled as landfill gas that provides energy. A falcon soars above the landfill, an instinctive reminder to thousands of crows and seagulls to stay away. Landfill employees assist commercial haulers and residents dispose of their waste, and they even pick up every scrap of litter. Students implement school-wide recycling programs and gardens, and they learn about the waste stream by taking tours of the landfills. Nonprofit organizations bring recycling and environmental stewardship alive for thousands of Orange County residents. Local, regional and state regulating agencies monitor and chart the course for waste management.

And by implementing a strategic plan built on collaboration, OC Waste & Recycling manages and coordinates the County’s solid waste disposal system.

OC Waste & Recycling provides waste management services, protects the environment, and promotes recycling in order to ensure a safe and healthy community for current and future generations.

Our vision is to be the best waste management system in America.

In 2016 OC Waste & Recycling achieved a major strategic plan milestone in renegotiating an amendment to the Waste Disposal Agreements (WDA)—the arrangement through which cities bring their waste to Orange County’s landfills in exchange for low, predictable disposal rates. An amendment to the WDA was needed to allow for continued waste importation, which would have ended in June 2016 without proper consent. Additionally, the financial stability offered by the amended WDA allows the department to manage disposal operations and maintain needed landfill capacity.

This complex win-win achievement was a direct result of collaboration among all of the cities, with significant involvement by the Orange County City Managers’ Association. The amended WDA also introduced revenue-sharing with the County’s 34 cities, as well as additional revenue for landfill “host cities” to offset their costs associated with landfill impacts.

Orange County’s three active landfills are located in areas that were once remote. Now, some new neighborhoods find themselves in clear view of and downwind from landfill operations. OC Waste & Recycling is strategically proactive in building two-way, Good Neighbor relationships.

OCWR goes beyond compliance in our approach to neighbors’ concerns; we meet them where they are and we listen. Then we respond. Responses have come in the form of operational changes at the landfill, in-person visits and meaningful Neighborhood Briefings designed to inform and clarify. We also enhanced our online complaint reporting system to ensure timely support and responses for neighbors, and we commissioned an odor study to get a better understanding of an ongoing odor issue in one neighborhood.

One of the most visible efforts completed in 2016 was remediation of a landslide at Bowerman. The risk was serious: the potential loss of future fill capacity. Over many months, crews moved more than seven million cubic yards of dirt, which relieved pressure that could cause additional slides. To mitigate the scar left on the hillside by the remediation, fertile dirt has been placed over the exposed rock and to allow native plants to take hold.

Another highly visible, highly collaborative major operational feat completed in 2016 was the opening of the La Pata gap connector, which runs directly through the heart of the Prima Deshecha Landfill. To support this project, OCWR coordinated the unearthing and relocation of 750,000 cubic yards of buried waste to make way for the new road.

Permitted future landfill capacity is one of OCWR’s greatest assets. Likewise, the landfill gas produced by decomposing refuse is a valuable renewable fuel, and in March 2016, the Bowerman Power Landfill Gas-to-Energy Project powered up. Today, this project delivers 20-megawatts of renewable energy to the City of Anaheim Public Utilities—enough to serve 14,700 homes. The Bowerman Power Project is the second OCWR power plant to partner with Anaheim Public Utilities. The reliability and close proximity of the renewable power source helps Anaheim maintain low rates while reducing reliance on imported energy.

As good stewards of public resources, OC Waste & Recycling continues to explore ways to make the best use of available assets–far beyond landfill gas-to-energy plants. From technologies to treat organic waste, to those harnessing renewable natural gas and even solar power, we’re making great progress on our comprehensive examination of options to increase the department’s portfolio of renewable technologies.

We’re also focused on the coming ban on organic materials. OCWR staff is developing options for renewable energy projects to be implemented in the next three years and beyond.

Landfill development projects require mitigation for disturbed habitat. Currently there are 13 mitigation projects that are thriving at OCWR landfills and off-site locations. All of the mitigation seeks to achieve a common goal—to help protect, nurture and sustain our environment.

In Santiago Oaks Regional Park, nearly 150 oak trees planted in 2011 are now thriving. The trees were planted to compensate for development at the Olinda Landfill. This win-win project came about as OC Parks looked for ways to replace oak trees that were destroyed by fire. At the Puente Hills Reserve in Whittier, 15 acres of coastal sage scrub are thriving in another successful off-site mitigation project.

At the Prima Deshecha Landfill, 450 rare and endangered thread-leaved brodiaea plants were moved out of harm’s way (La Pata construction) and relocated to new digs, where they are now well established.

New waste diversion requirements call for rigorous outreach to engage residents at the source—in their homes and workplaces. Individual actions to reduce, reuse and recycle are integral to increasing waste diversion. Yet inspiring individuals to action often calls for collaboration. OC Waste & Recycling has partnered with some of the best to achieve the greatest reach with meaningful and actionable messages.

OCWR’s successful and productive four-year collaboration with Discovery Cube OC, Angels Baseball and the Ducks grew to new levels of success in 2016, reaching even more students with in-class learning about the three Rs.

Project Zero Waste is an outcome of another OCWR collaboration, with Inside the Outdoors (ITO). An educational nonprofit that aims to inspire in children a lifelong enthusiasm for the environment, ITO reaches more than 40,000 students annually through a range of hands-on activities. Among them is the award-winning Project Zero Waste, which empowers students to launch recycling programs, plant school gardens and more.

2016 marked a new beginning for landfill tours. We formalized, standardized and revitalized our efforts, creating a landfill tour program that enabled us to maximize the value of our opportunity to connect with and engage members of the public.

First, we professionalized the handling of tour requests through an online system. Next, we produced a pre-tour video with key strategic messaging, and created tour maps and interactive handouts— to help enhance the educational experience for landfill visitors. Finally, our landfill tour guides were trained and given resource books, and an online survey tracks the experiences of the participants after their tours.

We use every opportunity to educate Orange County residents about how their own small steps can make a big difference for the environment.

During 2016, OCWR also embraced new regional leadership opportunities. Orange County Recycling Coordinators are the conduit for reaching cities and providing leadership about recycling. In addition to quarterly meetings, OCWR initiated a campaign to engage all Orange County cities in “America Recycles Day” (ARD) utilizing social media to promote ARD activities county-wide.

We also provided the Board of Supervisors with an opportunity to recognize all Orange County cities through presentation of a resolution for each city. Thanks to the availability of funds earmarked for waste diversion efforts, OC Waste & Recycling also released the Regional Recycling and Waste Reduction grant program. Winning proposals in this competitive process will develop sustainable programs that support compliance with state-mandated waste diversion. We look forward to supporting our partners in their pursuit of waste diversion goals.

The 10-Year Forecast projects OCWR's tonnage, revenues and expenditures. Variables such as population growth, legislative and regulatory impacts and significant capital project costs are included in the projection.

OCWR's financial statements include the Independent Auditor's Report and a narrative for Management's Discussion and Analysis of the agency's fiscal activities for the year ended June 30, 2016.

The Orange County Board of Supervisors oversees the management of County government and many special districts. The Board develops public policy to implement and, as necessary, refine the local application of state law. The five supervisors are elected by the voters of their district to four-year terms.

The Orange County Waste Management Commission advises the Board of Supervisors on matters relating to the County's solid waste disposal system and serves as the designated Local Task Force, assisting with Orange County's waste diversion and recycling efforts.