Recycling and Resource Conservation Advisory Board Meeting Minutes
7/13/05
Present: John Craft, Cindy Strecker, Laura Routh, Chris Cobb, Steve Hughes, Jeff Severin, Dickie Heckler, Kevin Dobbs
Staff: Michelle Crank, Mollie Mangerich, intern Kathy Woerner
Michelle was able to attend the Midwest Renewable Energy Fair in Wisconsin. The Lawrence Fair will be on October 9, Sunday, from 10 AM to 5 PM. She is leaning toward having the home tour on the same day, but is considering having two simultaneous tours in the afternoon, to boost attendance at workshops earlier in the day. The issue of acoustics is raised as a problem with having the workshops in the same area as the booths/vendors. Michelle has created a sign-up sheet for RRCAB members to choose the tasks they’d like to work on. Michelle will be on vacation from 7/23/05-8/15/05. Keynote speaker ideas include the author of Outside the Box, Bill Hanlon or Kirk Gaster, or David Dunfield. Other ideas for the fair include a workshop on energy auditing; highlighting the Reata development outside Stull; including gardening, xeriscaping and sustainability workshops to program; recognition of a builder practicing energy conservation in design/building; giving an opportunity for private sector or community organizations to provide food vending services. John and Steve will co-coordinate with Cindy.
Recycling Subcommittee met on Thursday, July 7, 2005. Jeff and Laura report that the subcommittee is developing a plan which includes data collection; obtaining feedback from citizens; development of a report to submit to the City Commission on recycling assessment and options. Jeff requests that Staff put an announcement in the next utility insert encouraging citizens to comment to the new RRCAB email address. Dickie has agreed to join the subcommittee, and Laura and Jeff indicate that they hope to meet again in the next two weeks.
Question (Steve Hughes): What would be the problem with having residents pay for recycling through their utility bills? Mangerich responded that this suggestion wouldn’t be feasible, nor appropriate, to provide billing functions for the 5 private curbside recycling services currently in business. Larger cities often look at franchising segments of their service area – and through that franchise (contractual) agreement – a government entity may include a recycling fee and that sometimes the recycling fee is imbedded within the sanitation fee. Steve Hughes: Could the City go out to bid for services? Mollie Mangerich: If directed to do so by our City Commissioners.
Historical Look at Curbside Recyclers in Lawrence: In 1996, a recycling hauler left customers without service and had stockpiled (plastic) material. In early 1997, the RRCAB established minimum service standards for Residential curbside recycling companies. As a result, the WRR Division Operations Supervisor now asks any recycling company to provide her with a copy of their business plan and commit to annual reporting before she will advertise their services on the City website and other marketing materials. Laura notes that an ordinance regulating hauling activities and mandating verified endpoints/tracking within the City could provide some controls over those providing recycling services.
Mollie states
that if the RRCAB is wishing to develop a recommendation regarding recycling,
she’s willing to take it up through the appropriate channels for
consideration.
Discussion of glass recycling: According to Mollie, Wal-Mart has been contracting all of their recycling through Deffenbaugh. The contract provides that the Wal-Mart center would receive $5 a ton for glass, even though the market price, after transportation costs, is below that in many cases. The Wal-Mart center generates 2 (40-yard) roll-offs of glass, in segmented boxes, a week. For now, until September, recycling residents will have to either trash their glass or hold on to it until the new center opens.
Laura expresses concern that the lack of an option for glass recycling will lower residents’ interest and belief in recycling, and feels that the City needs to provide some option in the interim, Jeff notes that a lot of glass will be generated between now and September.
Mollie informs the board that, in discussing this issue, there a few things to keep in mind:
a). loads of glass need to be monitored to minimize contamination
b). It will cost $ to recycle glass. Wal-Mart is being paid only because their contract includes other, higher value materials.
c). The area where glass recycling occurs would need to be staffed, monitored, locked after hours. The SWAN building location is not an option. Jeff Severin and Cindy Strecker thought KU would most likely not be feasible for a temporary site either.
Market options for glass include:
Delabach in Oklahoma: paying $20/ton for green; $30 for brown; $40 for clear. Transportation costs would be very high to get material to Oklahoma.
Stutsman, in Hutchison, takes mixed glass for manufacturing of fiberglass. They would pay $10/ton for mixed cullet.
Laura Routh requests a cost estimate; how much would it cost for the City, or anyone, to provide glass recycling in the interim while Wal-Mart is closed?
Note: August 16th; Mollie Mangerich sent memo about glass recycling costs to the RRCAB members.
The 12th and Haskell Bargain Center is considering taking glass, but feels that they would need to charge a penny a pound. Mollie asks what the Board thinks of this, and says that the Bargain Center would like the Board to provide a formal statement of support for the idea. Laura Routh states that she uncomfortable with the idea of the RRCAB endorsing any one provider or company, in part because they board has no control over the outcome, and it would look very bad if the idea failed or a vendor made a mess or did not do what they said they were going to do in recycling the material.
Of the private curbside providers, Home Recycling is accepting glass—it is thought they are taking it to Topeka.
The group agrees that having rotating responsibly for answering emails is a good idea. At each meeting, we will discuss the emails received and agree upon a response. Steve Hughes will be the first board member to respond to the 5 emails we have received thus far.