CRRA2019

Consultant

Principal

Garth Schultz is a Pricincipal with R3 Consulting Group, leading the firms Berkeley office. His  areas of expertise include rate setting and rate adjustment, C&D facility evaluations, financial planning, legislative compliance, and performance audits. He has four years of experience as a consultant with R3, preceeded by 8 years of local solid waste and enviromental management. He has worked for haulers, universities, non-profits, and fundraising organizations.

As California adjusts to the new market realities of China's National Sword, the requirements of SB 1383 and other state legislation, and continued growth in the amout of waste generated per capita, local governments will be faced with the need to increase rates charged to customers for solid waste collection services. 

Many local governments have recently considered and passed large rate increases, with many of those rate increases being in the range of 10% to 60% or more in a single year. This presentation will present and discuss the best practices for evaluation, elected body consideration, and successful passage of such large rate increases while minimizing public criticism and protest. Best practices to be presented and discussed include but are not limited to:

- Establish fair and meaningful comparisons of rates accross communities and clearly identifying reasons for different rates in different areas; 

- Review the efficiency of solid waste operations in advance of rate increases, including opportunities to increase efficiency; 

- Detail what rate-payers are getting for their rates, and strive for high-customer satisfaction with the services provided; 

- Clearly describe the key reasons for the rate increases, and what if any alternatives their are; 

- Be a "bean counter" but not only a bean counter - present findings and recommendations in ways that policy makers and community members can understand; 

- Be in front of policy makers and community members more often - and well before the rate increases are necessary! 

We are open to making a full panel out of this topic if desired.

Director North America

Sarah Edwards, the Director of Eunomia Research & Consulting North America is based in New York City and has over 20 years experience in the sector.  She has a masters degree is waste management and has worked to mitigate the impact of waste in the US, UK and Africa through progress policy and innovate collection and treatment options solutons. Sarah overseas projects that range from determining the benefit to the economy from the recycling sector to reviewing EPR program performance in Canada and redesigning recycling transfer stations in Massachusettes.

“What Can California Learn from the EU’s Approach to Single Use Plastic and the Circular Economy?”

Plastic packaging accounts for nearly half of all plastic waste globally, and much of it is thrown away within just a few minutes of its first use. Much plastic may be single-use, but that does not mean it is easily disposable. 

The EU is considered a leader in the transition to a circular economy due to its Circular Economy Package and the newly adopted Directive on Single Use Plastics and Fishing Gear.  Now the North American Director of the research consultancy at the center of these conversations in Europe, Eunomia Research & Consulting, will share her team’s insights into what went on behind the scenes.  Eunomia was a lead advisor to the European Commission on its circular economy and plastics strategy and provided policy recommendations for the Directive on Single Use Plastic. 

Based on Eunomia’s experience with EU policymakers, Sarah will share research on different policy measures that were evaluated and how the Top Ten Single-Use Plastic items to target were identified. Finally, Sarah will connect Europe’s effort to what is currently in place in California to draw out inspiration for what more could be done and how (e.g. enhanced container deposit programs).

Vice President

Marva Sheehan is vice president of HF&H and brings 40 years of financial and accounting experience. For the past 25 years, Ms. Sheehan has worked as a consultant and controller in the solid waste industry.  During her 14 years with HF&H, she has managed rate review projects, rate surveys, billing and franchise fee audits, procurement and contract negotiations, and financial and operational reviews for jurisdictions throughout California. 

2018 presented our industry with a number of new challenges, China’s Blue Sky policy, and resulting market impacts being among the top. As the market value of post-consumer recycled commodities remains at historical lows, more and more haulers are asking local jurisdictions for financial and/or operational relief. How are local agencies responding? How have franchise agreements changed to address recycling market volatility? When (if ever) should you permit your hauler to dispose of recyclables that can’t be marketed? Are there funding mechanisms that can help jurisdictions address commodity value fluctuations over time? What tools might you already have in your agreement that can help? Answers to these questions will be at the forefront of this presentation. Since the market downturn, HF&H has helped a number of agencies procure new, or modify current franchise agreements to address the current state of recycling markets; several case studies will be presented. 

This presentation will:

• Provide a high-level overview of the current state of recycling markets and their impact to local jurisdictions and haulers in California.
• Educate the audience on current strategies being utilized by local jurisdictions to address fluctuating commodity values.
• Showcase new funding mechanisms that can help offset rising processing costs, without giving up future “upside” if and when the markets recover.