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Alameda County, California – Waste Characterization Study

The Alameda County Waste Management Authority (ACWMA) encompasses the County's 14 incorporated communities, two Sanitary Districts, and County unincorporated areas. MSW Consultants principals Walt Davenport and John Culbertson jointly managed and performed this four-season county-wide waste characterization study. During the study, sampling/sorting events were held at each of the County’s six transfer and disposal facilities each of the four seasons. Mr. Culbertson was responsible for developing the proposed sampling plan based on the County’s prior waste composition study in 1995 and spent one or more weeks in the County at the outset of the each of the quarterly sorting events to assist with sort logistics, organize and train the sorting team and provide project oversight and client management. Mr. Davenport provided field supervision, sorter training, and crew chief services throughout the project. Mr. Culbertson was responsible for the detailed statistical analysis of results, which targeted over 1,700 samples of incoming residential, commercial, self-haul and roll-off deliveries from all jurisdictions in the County, and was the primary author and quality control officer for the comprehensive final report, found online at http://www.stopwaste.org/home/index.asp?page=590.