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C 1 V. Contingency Funding for SRRE Implementation: u 11 n 11 n C I C The proposed funding sources for implementation of the County's SRRE are all forms of user fees, whether assessed as tipping fee increases, County Service Area fees, or surcharges on disposal bills. User fees are the most direct way to make residents and businesses aware of solid waste and its ramifications. Since per capita waste generation seems to be increasing, it is important to keep the public aware of the costs of disposing of wastes. If these forms of user fees which affect residents and businesses directly cannot be increased sufficiently to fund all of the programs necessary to reach the diversion goals, another option would be to assess fees on those who create the products and packaging which contribute to the disposal problem. Advanced disposal fees could be assessed for products or packaging which create disposal problems due to the nature or volume of that product or packaging. That fee revenue could then be returned to the counties and cities or to landfill owners and recyclers to be applied to the costs of recycling or disposal. Ideally, manufacturers would redesign their products or reduce their packaging to reduce or eliminate the fees, giving them an economic advantage, and competitors would have to make similar changes or go out of business. The County would either have less waste to deal with due to source reduction, or would get additional funding through the advanced disposal fees to pay for waste diversion. If advanced disposal fees are placed on numerous low- priced items like disposable diapers and other paper and plastic products and packaging which make up much of the waste stream, fees would be too small to influence the consumer. Also, the administrative costs would be so great Chapter 9 - Funding 15