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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSWAG agenda 021720Dinner will be served Solid Waste Advisory Group Agenda Location:Southern Human Services Center Board Room 2501 Homestead Rd, Chapel Hill, NC 27516 Date: February 17 th, 2020 Time: 6:00 PM I. Call to Order II. Approval of November 4, 2019 Meeting Summary III. Action Items (OCSWM Director) x Conducting a feasibility survey for textiles – Commissioner Mark Marcoplos x WasteZero Presentation – Alice Koehler, Senior VP x WasteZero impact on area Non-Profits x Operating costs needed to accommodate WasteZero IV. Orange County Solid Waste Master Plan Discussion x Definition of ‘Zero Waste’ Memo x Objectives V. Next Meeting VI. Public Comment VII. Adjourn Attachments: x November 4, 2019 Meeting Summary x Working definition of Zero Waste x Master Plan Objectives DRAFT 1 Solid Waste Advisory Group Meeting Summary DATE: November 4, 2019 LOCATION: Solid Waste Administration Training Room ____________________________________________________________________________ MEMBERS PRESENT: County Commissioner Mark Marcoplos, County Commissioner Penny Rich, Chapel Hill Mayor Pam Hemminger, Carrboro Mayor Lydia Lavelle, Chapel Hill Council Member Donna Bell, Carrboro Alderman Randee Haven-O’Donnell, UNC-Healthcare Representative Mel Hurston MEMBERS ABSENT: Hillsborough Commissioner Mark Bell, Hillsborough Commissioner Matt Hughes STAFF PRESENT: County Solid Waste Director Robert Williams, Hillsborough Public Works Director Ken Hines, Carrboro Public Works Director Joe Guckavan, County Solid Waste Staff: Bruce Woody, Evan Brown, Blair Pollock, Cheryl Young, Wanda McCain, Kristina Witosky Chapel Hill Public Works Staff Wendy Simmons, UNC-Chapel Hill Solid Waste BJ Tipton ____________________________________________________________________________ Call to Order Approval of June 17, 2019 Meeting Summary Approved Entsorga Plant Tour Update Lavelle states that as traditional solid waste facilities have a lot of regulations are there any know regulations for something like this. Williams states that they mentioned meeting the environmental specs for air quality which is lower than burning coal. I’m not sure what the state of North Carolina requires. Berkley County, SC has a facility similar to Entsorga. Haven-O’Donnell states that as part of the conversation the County should be thinking in terms of taking care of our own waste. Pollock states that in regards to State regulations, they are aware of this type technology and it is not permitted as a solid waste burner. The National EPA found this product of Entsorga’s to be a fuel and not a waste product. Organics Town of Chapel Hill – New Organics, Compost Pilot Program - Laura Selmer Rich asks if there have been surveys on how many people compost. Selmer states that there haven’t been any surveys for staff on their personal habits. From a facilities standpoint, others facilities in the Town have tried to do composting. We can explore that in our climate action plan. Town of Carrboro – Organics Pilot Program - Deferred Orange County Update – Blair Pollock Lavelle asks to clarify what it means to come off our program. Did they pay us to have it done? Pollock states that we paid for the service for them. To come off our program means they would pay Brooks for the service. The larger ones have some considerable economic incentive to do this because they save enough on their waste tipping fees. DRAFT 2 Recycling Right NC Rich asks if clam shells are accepted back into recycling. Pollock states that there was no market for it before. The company that we pay to take the recycling now has a market they can feed those into the remanufacturing process for a clamshell making factory they own. Marcoplos asks if the information is being announced at the Waste & Recycling centers. Brown sates that we are in the process of making brochures and will be making mass mailings for the urban and rural recycling routes. Recycling Sort Data Haven-O’Donnell asks what the potential of banning plastic bags is. Pollock states this has come up repeatedly. The only model would be the Regulated Recycling Materials Ordinance and was able to enforce our rules against landfilling of certain materials. The State doesn’t enforce their statutory bans on aluminum cans and plastic bottles. Shred Center Lavelle asks are people bringing it there to shred. Woody states that after the resident makes an appointment, they can watch the material being shredded or leave it and we shred it later. Haven-O’Donnell asks what is recommended for residents that shred paper at home. Woody states that residents that shred at home should take it to a Shred-A-Thon because they may have more than paper such as CD in their material. Pollock sates that shredded paper is no longer accepted in the curbside recycling. Next Meeting Marcoplos states that the next meeting will be January or February. Hemminger states that there have been a lot of inquiries about the Simple Recycling orange bag program since it aired on Live Spectrum. Raleigh and Morrisville are doing it, Durham is starting it. Where are we? Williams states that in the June meeting the SWAG board was tasked to reach out to the non-profits to invite them here to hear what our plans were and get there thoughts. The plan now for the next meeting is to invite WasteZero and the leaders from the non-profits to hear the presentation to find out if what we are doing will impact their operations. The other thing to consider is while Orange County has the technology in the trucks there will be an additional cost for us to add a button to the trucks that allows the driver to indicate collection for this service. Hemminger states that it will reduce the tipping fee because there will be less waste going to the landfill. Williams states that that will benefit the Towns. The Towns will approve and authorize this. The only thing the County will do is hit the button. The next meeting will have a full agenda. WasteZero will be invited back to refresh us, the non-profits, potentially Entsorga and possibly someone from Berkley County, SC. Rich states that we should get a cost analysis for the program and the additional amount it would cost the County. Why does it have to follow the recycling truck? Williams states that they label it as a recycling diversion. Rich states that with Entsorga we may also want to get information on if the end product could be burned at the coal plant. Public Comment – None Meeting adjourned at: 7:19 pm Name of Minute Taker Wanda McCain SSOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT 1207 Eubanks Road Phone (919) 968-2788 PO Box 17177 Fax (919) 932-2900 Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27516 www.orangecountync.gov/recycling Below is a draft of the key objectives of the Solid Waste Master Plan for SWAGs consideration. Once finalized, these objectives will form the basis for the development of a Scope of Work used to seek a consulting firm to assist the County with developing a Solid Waste Master Plan that will plot out how to achieve these goals. The objective is to: x Develop a comprehensive and easily understandable Solid Waste Master plan, with identifiable action items and a plan summary; x Develop a comprehensive strategy that by 2045 will lead to “Zero Waste,” as defined by the County; x Integrate the Plan’s efforts with the ongoing climate action plans of the County, the Municipalities, the University and the University Health Care system. x Select a sustainable business model that incorporates the financial, social and environmental; including carbon footprint reduction impacts on our community; x Identify future programs, initiatives, facilities, and infrastructure to achieve the “Zero Waste” goal, as defined by the County while ensuring the long-term financial stability of the County’s solid waste and recycling program; x Identify strategies to increase public education and participation in waste reduction and waste diversion programs through awareness of reduction, reuse, recycling and composting; while addressing ordinance and enforcement requirements; x Develop and include an equitable comprehensive public engagement process that effectively includes input by the general public and key interest groups, including the municipal and university partners, and keeps the public informed and updated on the process; and x Ensure all proposed programs and policies are in regulatory compliance with local, state and federal requirements. SSOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT 1207 Eubanks Road Phone (919) 968-2788 PO Box 17177 Fax (919) 932-2900 Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27516 www.orangecountync.gov/recycling To: Solid Waste Advisory Group From: Robert Williams, Orange County SWM Director Subject: Defining Zero Waste Date: February 17, 2020. This memorandum outlines the key objectives of the Solid Waste Master Plan for SWAGs review. Once finalized by SWAG, those objectives will form the basis for development of the Scope of Work to seek a consulting firm to assist the County with developing a plan that will lead to the implementation of a Solid Waste Master Plan designed to meet all objectives as outlined. The Scope of Work will be presented to SWAG at a future meeting before issuance of the RFP. A key proposed objective for inclusion in the Solid Waste Master Plan is to achieve Zero Waste by 2045.This memorandum is provided to share with you the options for how the term Zero Waste is defined and a recommendation of how Orange County should define Zero Waste. What is Zero Waste Since the term ‘Zero Waste’ was first discussed as an aspirational goal, various definitions have been offered. The term still means different things to different people; however, the Zero Waste concept continues to evolve. Originally, Zero Waste was formulated as a means of preserving landfill space and reducing landfill gas (methane) generation. 2 It is now evolving into a more inclusive concept to push a community toward emphasizing redesign, reduction, reuse, recycling and composting. The Zero Waste Training Course offered by the Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) emphasizes that each community needs to define the meaning of ‘Zero Waste’ for itself.It is clearly noted, as fact, that it will remain physically impossible to not have waste that must be landfilled. An ultimate goal of the County’s definition of “Zero Waste” should include language ensuring that whatever residuals must be landfilled are ‘stabilized and inert’ so as not to cause future harm once buried via leaching. The balance of this memorandum offers information on defining Zero Waste and a definition of Zero Waste for the Orange County Solid Waste Master Plan. The Zero Waste International Association defines Zero Waste as:“The conservation of all resources by means of responsible production, consumption, reuse, and recovery of products, packaging, and materials without burning and with no discharges to land, water, or air that threaten the environment or human health.”(Last updated December 20th, 2018). This definition is viewed by the Department as prohibiting the use of any type of technology that utilizes burning material as processing or results in a product that is burned. The Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) definition takes a much less definitive and more flexible approach that does not discuss the broader concepts included in the above definition but focuses on reducing solid waste: SWANA defines Zero Waste as “efforts to reduce solid waste generation waste to nothing, or as close to nothing as possible, by 3 minimizing excess consumption and maximizing the recovery of solid waste through recycling and composting.” There are also other definitions, for example such as that used by Subaru that adds a key phrase to the term Zero Waste by stating the goal as “Zero Waste to Landfill”. Thus implying that technical solutions in addition to reducing, reusing, recycling and composting may be employed in ensuring that zero waste (or as little as possible) is landfilled. Defining Zero Waste: An Approach for Orange County Having reviewed several approaches and definitions as exemplified above, staff recommends that SWAG endorse a hybrid and flexible definition of Zero Waste that allows for consideration of technologies like ‘trash-to-fuel’ or “plastics-to-oil”, wherein the County might produce but not be directly involved in combustion of an engineered fuel or production of intermediate chemicals that could be derived from waste. Those products could be used by other facilities such as cement kilns, ‘green power’ producers and the chemical industry. Recommendation: Using the above research on alternative definitions, we propose an integrated approach where we define “Zero Waste” in a prescriptive way that focuses on reducing waste, reuse of material and recycling/composting, while explicitly allowing for the incorporation of technologies that lead to 80% or greater of the material collected within Orange County being diverted from a landfill.