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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSWAB minutes 050108 Minutes Regular Meeting Solid Waste Advisory Board May 1 , 2008 Approved June 5, 2008 Attendance : Jan Sassaman, Bonnie Norwood, BJ Tipton, Remus Smith, Al Vickers, and Michelle Grunwald Staff: Blair Pollock, Wanda McCain, and Gayle Wilson 1 . Discussion and Approval of Interim Solid Waste Plan Sassaman states that not seeing any members of the public here we will dispense with the public hearing . Pollock states that after tonight we will be taking the plan around to the various boards over the next month . As they each have comments, hopefully they won' t be too contradictory or make us go back and forth too often . The only concern is if the comments contradict each other, we will list all the comments and bring it to the BOCC and hope for some kind of redaction. The Board has scheduled it for June 3rd and then we will be able to send it in as an approved plan . What will happen after that is that we will continue with our planning work as we were with the work group to resolve some of the issue we were working on like commercial and financing, convenience centers, how to pay for those, how to pay for commercial . This presentation will lay out those issues but not show the solutions as we don t have them yet. Sassaman states that my understanding of the next steps are, assuming we approve the interim plan wording, would be to send it on to the Towns and the Board of Commissioners . Vickers moves to do that. Smith 2nd , Smith states that staff did a wonderful job on the report. It is thorough, complete and written in 2nd grade language . It is a good plan. Grunwald states that may be the reason for a lack of response - because people understand it. Vote passes 5 -0 2 . Adoption of Minutes from April 3 SWAB meeting Norwood moves to accept. Vickers 2nd . Passes unanimously . 3 . Board Member Comments There zvas some discussion of Pail As You Throzv in Chapel Hill based on comments from the last meeting . Pollock noted that Hary Hozvard of Tozvn staff stated PAYT zvas still in Tozvn 's comprehensive plan as part of the sustainability element . 1 Minutes - Regular Meeting Solid Waste Advisory Board May 1 , 2008 Approved June 5, 2008 Vickers questioned the effectiveness of PAYT in stimulating more recycling at this stage in the County 's mature program, zvhich has heavy participation . Sassaman notes there is still excessive zvaste coming out of Chapel Hill 's residential sector. Wilson says that even zvith the mature program, PAYT zvould still squeeze out more zvaste . In zvealthier neighborhoods zvould PAYT be an incentive ? Thomas notes that using PAYT in some areas, especially rural areas might push people to burn or illegally dump, not recycle . Three people asked for her oil drum and said they zvould dump the diesel . Norwood suggests that wasteful individuals, with overflowing garbage could be educated by drivers or pinpointed . Pollock notes that as much as 10 % of homes overfill their 6& gallon carts in Chapel Hill every week . Norwood states that the new person at the [Eubanks Road] convenience center is excellent and the others aren ' t. The shed was so full it was dangerous . The others are not making an effort. Pollock states to Bonnie, thanks to your suggestion about the shred-aAhons, the [Chapel Hill] Police Department reports that it was better, and more people, than they' d ever had at any of them . They had over 300 people, they got over 21 , 000 pounds of paper . The next one is this Saturday . We put in as a budget recommendation four events . Good idea . 4 . Alternative Technologies Scope of Work Sassaman states that a while back the BOCC asked that we look at alternative technologies to dispose of solid waste in a loose charge to us . We spent a little time talking about some of the issues associated with evaluating technologies, we then asked Gayle if the Solid Waste Department could find a contractor who knew more about the alternative technologies [than we did] . Wilson states that one of our engineering contractors has sub-contracted with GBB (Gershman, Brickner and Bratton) to conduct the evaluation for us . Their scope includes most of what you all indicated might be important. The schedule is that the final report will be prepared on June 30 and be available . There will be a presentation to the Advisory Board at the August meeting . If that goes well, they will give a presentation to the BOCC at their September 2 meeting . 2 Minutes Regular Meeting Solid Waste Advisory Board May 1 , 2008 Approved June 5, 2008 Pollock states that you all had suggested six possible technologies and their reality check was there are only four generic technologies out there that are worth evaluating. Mixed solid waste composting is worthless, so that' s eliminated . Vickers asks what are the four . Pollock states that they are waste to energy with a direct burn or refuse derived fuel, a biological fuel production of some unspecified nature such as an anaerobic methane or methanol approach, pyrolysis, and plasma arc . Vickers notes plasma arc is very expensive and energy-intensive . 5 . Solid Waste Management Plan Work Group Process Pollock states that we have several things that we will be looking at over the next few months . The one that is the furthest along in development is commercial recycling options . By the end of summer we will produce a report with the options . What we scoped out today with RRSI is that they are going to produce a couple of fairly specific commercial recycling options in terms of the who, the what and the how, including the financing . The other pieces follow on from the presentation on pages 8 and 9 ( of power point) . You can follow along . Financing the system will be a future issue; while we are fiscally sound now, the future of a transfer station will not provide as much cash as the landfill to support new programs . Reference tzvo pozver point slides belozv , For long-term plan . for 2009 . Not M current interim plan X Financing ■ Options to pay for expansions of services (if desired), ■ How. to integrate fees, taxes; revenue from materials sales, etc Regulatory Approaches : ■ More recycling mandates such as the existing Regulated Recyclable Materials Ordinance N Organic materials management: ■ Continue to contract and send out of County to process? OR X Develop alternatives for in-County collection and processing of food waste, etc, ■ Focus mostly on large commercial? x Consider adding residential? ■ Need to meet reduction goal and reduce methane gas emissions. 3 Minutes - Regular Meeting Solid Waste Advisory Board May 1 , 2008 Approved June 5, 2008 More Issues for consideration in I ong - term plan 14 Adding more materials to recycling ; U Changing collection containers to carts and single - stream recycling ( how to pay for carts ? ) ; . M Residential Pay - As - You - Throw . *t Transfer Station siting and development w ' ( Part of separate process now being led directly, by BOCC , but site could include other solid waste activities . ) Regulatory approaches will boil down to mandates and bans or using various economic incentives . Organics management will focus on do we focus on the remaining big generators like grocery stores . Do we want to capitalize our own composting plant. How much methane producing food waste do we want to extract. How to get more materials ? Do we change to single stream? Does the improved technology enable better sorting with less residual? We choose to keep fiber separate and get good prices . Also where will we get $1 . 5 million for 30, 000 carts ? Long term planning also includes transfer station and you took that on last year . If the Board gets 25 acres they could accommodate more activities at the site ? That could be a place where the advisory board plays a role . Does it make sense to put other activities there (or not) ? Sassaman asks regarding residential organic materials, in the past the department has sponsored the sale of compost bins, is there any sense of the percentage of households that might be actually, faithfully, diligently composting? Pollock states that the surveys we conducted when we sold the bins was half the people that bought bins indicated that a big part of the drive was that could now compost kitchen waste without having to worry about vermin . I don ' t know for certain. We have sold over the last six years about 2, 000 bins . If you think there are 38, 000 single family homes in the county is that extrapolating to what other people were doing beforehand or with chicken wire bins, can we say 10 percent. That is a reasonable number . Wilson states that it might be like 2 percent. Thomas asks what about worm bins, are those having an impact. 4 Minutes - Regular Meeting Solid Waste Advisory Board May 1 , 2008 Approved June 5, 2008 Vickers states there is concern about covenants that restrict how close to property lines you can put things might impact if composting bins can be placed in subdivisions like Lake Hogan farms . Tipton notes that there are now worm bins and composting bins in Morrison dorms . Wilson adds that we are discussing the possibility at the new Hwy 57 site of putting a food waste receptacle there . We still need to talk to the Health Department. We also would have to service it every other day . Norwood states that if there was some way to motivate people to use the compost bins instead of having them at the convenience centers I think the thing that stinks the most in your garbage is the stuff you can compost, so if that wasn' t in your garbage then you wouldn' t empty it as often which would mean less bags going through the system especially if they went to Pay-As-You-Throw . Tipton states that there is a difference between composting and collecting food waste . In a high-volume area to expect them to compost, is a big expectation . Collecting food waste to send it to a large scale composter is different. Vickers notes that stabilizing the compostable material so it doesn' t smell is a problem . Pollock states that most communities that have incorporated food waste into their curbside recycling have either been northern, like Toronto Canada, or they fold it into their yard waste like San Francisco or other cities where yard waste has to be contained and it goes to a composting facility, instead of a yard waste facility . I would make residential food waste collection a low priority but urge composting or other ways of food waste minimization instead . As prices go up the economics of composting may change . Smith states that I know two people that are actively composting but I know three people that are burning in a barrel . 6 . Programs/Services Update Solid Waste Operations Center Wilson states that construction is progressing . There has been a lot of rain interference and delay . There has also been a slight problem with the soil [not] meeting the compaction test which causes the need to raise the building up 18 inches and the parking lot a foot. This will cost about $150, 000 or so . We have to redesign that and have a big change order . The property is a lot damper than anyone thought, even at the upper [north] end . We will bring in soil and put matting down. The dirt we get for landfill cover would not qualify as structural fill . 5 Minutes - Regular Meeting Solid Waste Advisory Board May 1 , 2008 Approved June 5, 2008 Landfill Leachate Sezver Project Wilson states that there is an agreement from the property owners . The attorney is drawing up the final document for them to sign . It is possible that we could go out to bid by the end of the month . How much the sewer will improve the odor is unclear but it could help in the summer time and would keep us from pumping and hauling it. The sewer will also serve the Animal Shelter . Orange County Comprehensive Plan Pollock states that the public meetings were held on the 9th and 23rd of April . There is a public hearing on the 19th in front of the BOCC . The way the plan is set up one of the chapters pertains to public services . You can view on line or at the County Planning Office those chapters concerned with solid waste and environmental services . You can view or make comments on line at the County ' s url followed by/ planning/ compre . cpupdate . From a narrow perspective they 've captured your concerns expressed last year . We want to make sure as they create zoning districts they don' t zone out solid waste activities . When putting a transfer station on a landfill site is not deemed a solid waste activity, that' s where politics and zoning intersect. If we wanted to site a composting facility right now in Orange County, I am not sure where we could do that. If you' re interested check the County' s web site . Landfill Gas Recovery Pollock states that the University and Orange County hope to complete their agreement this summer . That means that they should get underway with construction of a system that will enable them to flare gas next year . The year after that if it goes through the Chapel Hill Planning process they will have some kind of thing to pump the gas, set up a generator set to make electricity, or they can run a gas pipe line from the landfill to Carolina North . There are three paths for that and they can then do direct combustion at Carolina North or make a cogeneration plant at Carolina North . It looks like they' ll have a deal and the carbon credits are worth more than the fuel or electricity value . There is going to be landfill gas recovery . Smith asks if 50 percent of the landfill gas is collected, how big of a building would that heat. Pollock replies that they were talking about it making 400 cubic feet/ minute for the next 20 years . I' m not sure . One of the issues arose was how much is this going to do for Carolina North . It will only be a supplement; it will not fire the whole campus . Vickers states that the drive behind it seems to be being green or claiming green credits . 6 Minutes - Regular Meeting Solid Waste Advisory Board May 1 , 2008 Approved June 5, 2008 Norwood states that since there is no way to get to Carolina North from the landfill without somehow affecting our neighborhood, it would be interesting to see the proposed paths . Pollock states that the understanding is one is along the railroad tracks, the second is the road network with the DOT rights -of-way which would be rather circuitous, or a direct shot which would skirt the east edge of the neighborhood . They would have to negotiate with property owners and go through the Green Tract and some private property owners . Tipton states that the gas could be sent to Carolina North where it is converted or the electricity could be generated at the landfill and run over a line . Norwood asks how much room would they need for the generator . Pollock replies that they are not that big . Sassaman asks has co- generation been ruled out. Pollock replies that if they do a gen [erator] set they would do it at Carolina North [to capture the heat] . It' s more complicated but it gets more use of the energy . If it were built at the landfill, the generator set would be enclosed . Tipton asks with the gas credits [carbon credits] what pot of money will it go into [on the Orange County side] . Would it go into the operations budget? Pollock replies it is unclear how they would budget that income . The gas buyer is supposed to cover all the construction costs . Sassaman asks how the system will be maintained and what will happen when the gas is gone and the system begins to deteriorate while it' s embedded in the landfill. As it degrades it will affect the cap of the landfill . That happened at a capped landfill inWestchester, New York . Other None 7 . Other Business Vickers asks if the methane or regular pipeline gas could be used to produce compressed natural gas as a vehicle fuel and that chemical waste management was doing that with pipeline gas . The County has not looked at that as a replacement for diesel fuel . Norwood asks when the Town closes down or the University for street fairs, ball games, is all the stuff picked up and recycled . ? 7 Minutes - Regular Meeting Solid Waste Advisory Board May 1 , 2008 Approved June 5, 2008 Pollock replies unless we engage in the street fairs like Apple Chill, I don' t think so . If they close for game celebrations, I don t think they do . Norwood states that the reason I ask is because I can see a couple of fraternities or sororities Carolina bluing a couple of dumpsters to park on the street when they do those things to get them to throw the cans and bottles into the dumpster while it' s going on. Pollock state that it is going more that way . They are going for zero waste for Hog will be compostable or recyclable . Day, everything Tipton states that I can see it in UNC ' s future, if things go as planned for us to have a little rolloff truck to use at football games instead of the one provided by the contractor . Tailgating is a different story . Norwood moves to adjourn Adjourn: 8 : 15 pm Next meeting : June 5, 2008 Southern Human Services, Chapel Hill 8