SCS Engineers to Conduct Waste Characterization Study for Sonoma County Waste Management Agency

April 16, 2014

 

 

PASADENA, Calif. – Environmental consulting firm SCS Engineers has been chosen to complete a waste characterization study (WCS) for the Sonoma County Waste Management Agency. SCS’s findings will be used to evaluate the impact of mandates set forth by the State, and to help monitor the progress of the countywide Integrated Waste Management Plan toward reducing the volume of waste sent to landfills.

SCS’s scope of work for the project will include waste sorting and sampling, characterizing and recording waste sample components, and noting unique or unusual characteristics from samples.

“We will provide a framework similar to the previous WCS conducted in 2006 so the Agency can easily compare the results,” said Project Manager and SCS Engineers Vice President Michelle Leonard. “The depth and detail of our study data will provide the Agency with the information necessary to further increase waste diversion activities and programs.”

The 2006 waste characterization study of Sonoma County indicated that 500,000 tons of landfill materials were generated annually. In 2012 the amount decreased to 306,000 tons, reflecting a trend visible across almost all of California’s approximate 370 landfills due to increased recycling efforts and decline in the economy. SCS’s work in Sonoma County will benchmark current waste composition and guide plans for further waste diversion programs.

SCS is one of only a few firms in the country that has conducted solid waste composition studies on a local, regional, and national basis for many years, and the firm is nationally recognized for its waste characterization experience. SCS has conducted more than 250 similar studies across the country for municipal clients since the 1970s.