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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSWAB minutes 121103 Minutes - Regular Meeting Solid Waste Advisory Board December 11 , 2003 Approved January 8 , 2004 Attendance : Bonnie Norwood , Randy Kabrick, Jan Sassaman, Al Vickers , Phil Haas , and BJ Tipton Staff : Blair Pollock, Rebecca Holdway, and Terry Edmonson 1 . Consideration of new Chairman/Vice Chairman Vickers moves to nominate Jan Sassaman as chair . Norwood 2nd Passes unanimously . Norwood moves to nominate Al Vickers as vice - chair . Haas 211cl Passes unanimously . 2 . Adoption of Minutes from November 13, 2003 Kabrick moves to accept the minutes as corrected at some later point . Vickers 2nd . Passes unanimously . 3 . Solid Waste Management Plan Revisions Proposed to BOCC Solid Waste Management Plan 3 - Year State Update Approval Process Vickers states that, regarding the letter from the SWAB to BOCC, Rod Visser wanted to request that we not send it . My response was that it had already been sent and that I was sending it as the board ' s decision and I couldn' t modify that . Sassaman states that there were two votes to send the letter — at the September meeting and again at the November meeting . This was the position of the SWAB . Vickers states that the letter went out after the work session . I didn' t change it . The only issues in there were the tipping fee and the goal and whether they ' re going to change the solid waste plan . That ' s something the County Commissioners are going to have to think about - how they ' re going to change the plan [but keep the goal ] . Sassaman states that implied in all of this is the MRF . It is going to be difficult to reach the 61 % goal without it . From an environmental standpoint, the MRF would allow us to recycle more classes of material . Vickers states that the MRF is just the means to an end and may be the most economical way to meet the goal . Tipton states that from a commercial standpoint it is much easier to have one bin for all plastics , glass and steel . That is where there is potential . Pollock states that the key questions for you are to either wait until you get the copy of the revised solid waste management plan in your January meeting to further comment or continue to press your agenda with the BOCC . In response to Randy in the decoupling of the plan and the fees , in the plan we are required to show how we _ 1 Minutes - Regular Meeting Solid Waste Advisory Board December 11 , 2003 Approved January 8 , 2004 are going to provide financing . Our intent is to use our marching orders from the Board to show what it will look like financially . Including the tipping fees with the resulting deficit and the availability fees to make that up , then come back to the Commissioners with an action item . Sassaman states that we should wait until we get the plan and comment as we see fit . A lot of what is in Gayle ' s memo is what we wrestled with before . The goal is something we may never reach . Pollock states that we are the only County in the state that begs the state to go out and look for more garbage . We did that and compared tonnage from 2001 - 02 to 2002 - 03 . Calculating it their way we are at 46 % waste reduction, if we net out the C & D waste recycled at private facilities , we are at50 % 48 % . We are successful and we are making progress . Tipton remarks that UNC ' s recycling percentage has also increased similarly in last year . Kabrick moves that the SWAB wait to comment on the plan . I would like one point of clarification . Did Gayle call you [Vickers] and ask you not to send the letter ? Vickers states that he [ Gayle ] was following direction from the county . Kabrick states that it seems to be a little out of line . Vickers states that he asked that I consider not sending it, not telling me not to send it . Sassaman states that that is appropriate . A lot has gone through my mind since it was first drafted . It seems that there was a preamble in the letter that stated that this was a body appointed by the Towns and that we are bring the Towns ' concerns to the BOCC . Vickers 211a the motion to wait for the solid waste management plan to come back and comment then . Norwood states that there was a concern of getting this to the state late . Vickers states that it came up at the work session where the Board was advised that it was going to be late . Pollock states that there is one consequence where we are going to submit a grant for a glass crusher . If your affairs are not in order , you are not going to get proper 2 Minutes - Regular Meeting Solid Waste Advisory Board December 11 , 2003 Approved January 8 , 2004 consideration for the grant . The grant proposal is due next week . We will not have the plan in by then . I don' t know how they are going to react to our plan [meaning proposal] . Sassaman asks if there is something we can do to speed up the process . Pollock states that the Board isn' t going to consider it until its next meeting on January 26 , 2004 . They will still have to set a public hearing, at least one . Sassaman asks if this group [SWAB ] is part of the hold up by reviewing the plan on January 8 ? Pollock replies no . Kabrick asks if there is a 30 - day notice requirement ? Pollock replies it' s unclear if it' s 48 hours or 30 days . If it' s not driven by legislation it' s probably less than 30 days . Motion passes unanimously . 4 . Programs/Services Updates Christmas Holiday Schedules . Pollock states that the department is sending out a postcard to everyone that has a Thursday recycling collection to let them know they will not have Christmas or New Years collection but the make up is Saturday, December 27, 2003 for urban collection . For those that have rural recycling on New Years their make up day will be on January 3 , 2004 . [Terry] Edmonson states that the solid waste convenience centers which are normally closed on Wednesday will also be closed on Thursday for Christmas and reopen on Friday . Electronics Recycling at Convenience Centers . Pollock states that we have been collecting electronics at the landfill site on a permanent basis since last May . Over the summer we have started collecting them at the convenient centers . We have struggled to keep the quality of materials where it needs to be since the collection point was started informally . The contractor is starting to complain about the materials . We are working with Public Works to improve collections capabilities at the convenience centers . Edmonson states that the electronics recycling program is not mandated . Due to budgetary and other reasons we are having difficulties but we are working with the 3 Minutes - Regular Meeting Solid Waste Advisory Board December 11 , 2003 Approved January 8 , 2004 solid waste management staff as we do in other programs . We have changed some of our collection processes by putting pallets on the ground . We also have the issues of scavenging causing breakage and contamination and breakage due to transporting it to the landfill . In the upcoming budget we are talking about adding enclosed buildings or cabinets that would not allow scavenging and other techniques to improve collections . There is a tradeoff between dumpsters and space for more recycling activities . We also try to encourage citizens to take electronics directly to the landfill . Sassaman asks what is the financing of this . Pollock states that we pay $4 . 75 for monitors and make a little money on the metals . Sassaman asks have alternatives been looked at i . e . shipping overseas ? Pollock states that last year during the one - day collection there was an outfit, which worked with West African countries to bridge the digital divide with them . Between our first and second collection they returned about 25 % of what they took . Since we ' ve set up the permanent collection we ' ve less able to do things at the site . The protocol is to direct the public to divert Pentium 1 or better to the PTA Thrift Shops . Regulated Recyclable Materials Ordinance - One Year Update Pollock states that the key points are detailed in the memo you received a copy of . We set up a system to regulate corrugated cardboard, scrap metal and clean wood waste from all sectors except single family residential . We are also regulating builders, haulers even if you go out of county . With a staff of two - and - a - half, we ' re getting over 90 % compliance . Materials are not escaping the system, but are getting shifted from disposal to recycling [as a result of the ordinance] . Kabrick asks if it' s self- policing ? What about UNC ' s C & D waste doesn ' t it go elsewhere . Tipton responds that UNC polices the C & D waste from campus and enforces the County ' s rules and that the contractor report back its waste disposal practices . Pollock states that we are happy with this . We are submitting an article for publication in the February issue of Resource Recycling . There will be a write -up in the Chapel Hill News in the monthly Watching Our Wasteline column . 5 . Other Business - Pollock state the BOCC will have their retreat on January 31 , 2004 . You are invited to submit two items by January 9, 2004 . 4 Minutes - Regular Meeting Solid Waste Advisory Board December 11 , 2003 Approved January 8 , 2004 Adjourn 8 : 25 pm Next meeting January 8 , 2004 Government Services Center , Hillsborough 5