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HomeMy WebLinkAbout11/20/1997 - Solid Waste Abatement CommissionAGENDA SOLID WASTE ABATEMENT COMMISSION EAGAN, MINNESOTA Municipal Center Conference Rooms 2 A & B THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 1997 5:30 I. ROLL CALL AND ADOPTION OF AGENDA II. APPROVAL OF AUGUST 21, 1997 MINUTES APPROVAL OF OCTOBER 16, 1997 MINUTES III. VISITORS TO BE HEARD IV. OLD BUSINESS V. NEW BUSINESS VI. INFORMATIVE A. Community Education Issues 1. Business Program Format— a. Business Newsletter—Eco-Site Grand Opening/ Recycling Opportunities for businesses b. Recognition Program—discussion at Local Solid Waste Staff Meeting on December 1, 1997 2. Community Evaluation Program— a. Determine Statistical Sample b. Review/Revise Sample Questions A. Recap America Recycles Day/ Eco -Site Grand Opening Event B. Request to consider limiting the number of construction/demolition hauling licenses C. January Member Term Expirations VII. NEXT MEETING — December 18, 1997 VIII. ADJOURNMENT Auxiliary aids for disabled persons are available upon request at least 96 hours in advance. If a notice of less than 96 hours is received, the City of Eagan will make every attempt to provide the aids, however this may not be possible with short notice. Please contact Administration at 681-4600 with requests. MEMO TO: MEMBERS OF THE EAGAN SOLID WASTE ABATEMENT COMMISSION FROM: COMMUNICATIONS/RECYCLING COORDINATOR FOOTE DATE: NOVEMBER 13, 1997 SUBJECT: EAGAN SOLID WASTE ABATEMENT COMMISSION MEETING OF NOVEMBER 20, 1997 A regular meeting of the Eagan Solid Waste Abatement Commission will be held on Thursday November 20, from 5:30 p.m. until 7:00 p.m., at the Eagan Municipal Center. Please contact Joanna Foote or Amy Larkin by Wednesday, November 19, at 681-4611 to indicate if you cannot attend. I. ROLL CALL AND ADOPTION OF AGENDA The agenda, as presented or modified, requires adoption by the Commission. II. APPROVAL OF MINUTES A copy of the minutes of the Solid Waste Abatement Commission meeting of August 21 and October 16 are included for review. ACTION TO BE CONSIDERED ON THIS ITEM: Approve, deny or modify. III. VISITORS TO BE HEARD IV. OLD BUSINESS A. Community Education Issues ACTION TO BE CONSIDERED ON THIS ITEM: discussion and review FACTS: Business Program Format—Business Newsletter – Eco -Site Grand Opening/ Recycling opportunities for businesses The December issue of the "Eagan Business News" will include a story regarding the opening of the new Dakota County Eco -Site with photos from the Grand Opening Celebration. Staff has also requested that the article include information about recycling opportunities available to businesses at this site. Staff hopes to have a draft copy of the article for review at our meeting. FACTS: Business Program Format—Recognition Program Eagan Staff has discussed with Dakota County Staff, the ideas brought forth by the commission regarding a recognition program for businesses that have recycling programs in place. The County staff is generally interested in the idea, as are several local staff members from other Dakota County communities. Dakota County Staff would like to discuss this idea for possible incorporation on a county -wide basis. This discussion will take place at the Local Solid Waste Staff meeting on December 1, 1997. The ideas being brought forth are a window sticker or decal that could be placed in the business window that denotes that this business has a recycling program in place. The Commission has also discussed purchasing annual ad space in the local newspaper or utilizing a business newsletter or Chamber of Commerce publications to recognize these businesses as well. The Commission may have other ideas, which the Local Solid Waste Staff should consider FACTS: Community Evaluation Program As required by the Dakota County Grant, Eagan is preparing a resident survey regarding recycling/solid waste management issues to be conducted by phone. Sample questions are included for review on page . The survey will be conducted by calling 125 Eagan residents as the statistical sample, which will be compiled by utilizing the Eagan telephone directory. Calls will be conducted within the first two weeks of December. V. NEW BUSINESS VI. INFORMATIVE A. America Recycles Day/Eco Site Grand Opening Event FACTS: The City of Eagan is participating in the Grand Opening Event at the Dakota County Eco -Site on November 15, which is one of three confirmed events for Minnesota's recognition of America Recycles Day. This event will have taken place by the time the Commission meets. Staff, member Tapper and others may wish to recap the experience. If you are taking photos at the event, you are encouraged to bring them to our meeting. B. Request to consider limiting the number of construction/demolition hauling licenses FACTS: Member Hiar has asked that the Commission consider setting a cap on the number of licensed haulers in the category of construction/demolition. If the chair and commission agree that this issue should be brought forth for discussion, it can be moved to new business at this meeting for discussion only. If the commission wishes to act upon this item, it will need to be published as an agenda action item (as the item was not included on the copy of the November agenda which was published in the newspaper) and affected parties All need to be notified. The re -licensing process has already begun for 1998. C. January Member Term Expirations FACTS: The terms of the following members will expire at the end of January 1998: Ron Moening, Hauler Representative James Orcutt, Resident Representative B.A. (Al) Swenseid, Business Representative These members are welcome to re -apply for another three-year term. Staff All provide application information to interested parties, at the commission meeting. If members are aware of individuals who may be interested in applying for commission membership, the alternate member (one -year -term) also remains vacant. VII. NEXT MEETING FACTS: The next meeting of the Eagan Solid Waste Abatement Commission will be held on Thursday, December 18, 1997 at 5:30 p.m. IX. ADJOURNMENT Subiect to Approval MINUTES OF THE SOLID WASTE ABATEMENT COMMISSION Eagan, Minnesota August 21, 1997 A regular meeting of the Eagan Solid Waste Abatement Commission was held on Thursday, August 21, 1997 at 5:30 p.m. in upper level Conference Rooms A and B of the Eagan Municipal Center. Those present were Susan Bast, Dan Breva, Floyd Hiar, James Orcutt, Rick Patraw, and Al Swenseid. Also present was Joanna Foote, Communications/Recycling Coordinator. Those absent were Ron Moening, John Tapper and Jim Weinzettel. AGENDA Upon motion by Bast, seconded by Orcutt, all members voting in favor, the agenda was approved as presented. MINUTES The minutes of the June 19, 1997 meeting were reviewed. Hiar moved, Swenseid seconded, to approve the minutes, as presented. OLD BUSINESS A. Community Education Issues - 1. Multi -Family Program Format— Foote stated that the Dakota County Green Sheet was being sent to all the haulers. She stated that she did receive a call from Jennifer Klennert of Waste Management expressing interested in receiving a list of multifamily management addresses from the City. Foote continued that she is concerned that this may result in bidding wars between haulers if she provides the list although she stated she is not sure whether this can be withheld or if it is public information. She stated that she is looking into this. Foote continued that the Green sheets were sent along with a letter indicating that the City could provide assistance to multi -family housing complexes on an as -heeded basis. Hiar asked what the City is trying to accomplish through this mailing. Foote responded that cities are required by the County to address multifamily recycling within their programs in 1997. Cities are required to send information to all multifamily residents. The City newsletter and the mailing of the Green sheets fulfill this requirement at this time. Foote also indicate that she would like to have a better knowledge of how the recycling programs are working in the area of multifamily and how the City recycling program might better address these residents. Hiar stated that the first thing that needs to be done to get multifamily recycling going is to communicate to the people who live there. We've already accomplished that and now we need to step back before spending more time and money on what has already been done. Bast stated that it's not so much starting up the program with multifamily, but increasing participation and at the same time decreasing contamination. Commission members discussed the idea of providing under -counter -recycling bags within multifamily units (as shown in the Green Sheet). There was consensus that they probably would not be used or maintained well. Foote stated that the County also has a sample basket for people to place under sinks to use for recycling, which might be another option to explore. Hiar stated that it's important to educate multifamily residents first. He continued that one of the problems is the high turnover rate in multifamily complexes. It will take continual education efforts to encourage multifamily residents to recycle. Solid Waste Abatement Commission Minutes August 21, 1997/Page 2 Breva asked what type of program could be put together to encourage people living in multi- family housing to recycle. Foote stated that Eagan's ordinance requires that all residents of multifamily dwellings be provided the same recycling opportunities as single family residents. She also stated that she believes that in many cases the ordinance is the only reason the opportunity is provided. Hiar stated mailing literature directly is one of the important ways to educate residents on recycling. The children are important but the parents are the ones that need to be more informed. Hiar stated that haulers are concerned that there is a continued emphasis on recycling new types of items rather than strengthening the eiasting programs. He continued, it's also important to get residents to recycle as much as possible, not just newspapers, but cans and plastics, etc. He added that somehow the information as to how and what can be recycled is not getting to everyone. Foote reiterated that her goal with multifamily is just to get a better handle on what's going on within the City's multifamily housing with regard to recycling. She said she hears a lot of different stories about how recycling is provided. Systems vary by how the units are built; whom they're serving, who the residents or management are. Hiar suggested that management companies that manage multiple housing units be sent the Eagan Business Newsletter. Bast stated that this is a good idea. The group might look at providing information about what works and doesn't work for multifamily sites throughout the community. Hiar suggested that the ne)d mailing of the City newsletter should include a comment saying "If your management company doesn't have recycling, call us." 2. Community Evaluation Program— Foote stated that the County is requiring that the City have some sort of evaluation of our program. This could be as simple as a questionnaire handed out at an event or specific location, a phone survey or as sophisticated as calling in a company to do a full, scientific survey. She continued that the survey done in 1996 would not fulfill the requirement for 1997. Foote stated that the County is looking for something directed at single family residential. Foote stated that at some point she is hoping to combine an environmental survey with a recycling survey which might result in some grant money and/or assistance from other departments, allowing a survey to be done that would cover a variety of environmental issues. This would not however be feasible yet in 1997. Commission members discussed a number of ways to inform the community of how and what can be recycled and to encourage them to recycle more. Breva suggested the survey could either be designed to determine if people are understanding and utilizing the recycling system that is in place and if our programs are effective overall, or to solicit specific information about what materials are being recycled and how often. 3. Business Program Format – Business Newsletter Items Foote stated that they could include information in the Eagan Business Newsletter regarding recycling tips for businesses. Breva stated he thought the business newsletter is a great vehicle and adding recycling messages will help inform businesses about recycling. She suggested in the future during Earth Day or on America Recycles Day, we might consider providing awards to certain individuals or companies who are doing a great job in the area of recycling. Hiar stated that he does have concerns about using the business newsletter to educate about recycling. He said that the commission might not want to tell businesses what to do but rather be players, contributors or partners in this project. Hiar stated its important that the haulers have the services available and are willing to assist businesses with their recycling programs and businesses should contact their hauler if interested in doing it. He suggested putting the names of active recycling business participants in the business newsletter. Patraw stated that the city of Worthington (Nobles County) has one of the best business recycling programs around. He said they do recognize businesses for participating. He suggested Foote Solid Waste Abatement Commission Minutes August 21, 1997/Page 3 give them a call for more information. Hiar stated that to a degree this type of program should really come from the County level. That way each of the cities would be uniform in the way they commend businesses and the program would be more regional. INFORMATIVE Foote stated that the County is designing the "Green Guide" for distribution to all residents of Dakota County. She stated that Eagan staff is making minor revisions to prepare for a reprinting of the Materials Disposal Guide, which was distributed to residents last spring. Foote said that this has proven to be a very popular handout and the City receives numerous requests from city residents for it. She also provided an updated list of Construction/Demolition haulers recently licensed by the City. She informed the commission that the Minnesota Office of Environmental Assistance is recommending that Minnesota Cities become involved in "America Recycles Day" on November 15. The City does plan to become involved in this event as a part of the Grand Opening of the Eco -Site at Gopher Resources. More information will be provided at a later date and the Commission can determine how it would like to be involved. ADJOURNMENT Upon motion by Patraw, seconded by Bast, the meeting was adjourned at 7:00 p.m. Chair 3 Date JEH Subject tqApproval MINUTES OF THE SOLID WASTE ABATEMENT COMMISSION Eagan, Minnesota October 16, 1997 A regular meeting of the Eagan Solid Waste Abatement Commission was held on Thursday, October 16, 1997 at 5:30 p.m. at the Dakota County Eco -Site. Those present were Dan Breva, John Tapper, Susan Bast, Floyd Hiar, and James Orcutt. Also present was Joanna Foote, Communications/ Recycling Coordinator. Those absent were Rick Patraw, Ron Moening, At Swenseid and Jim Weinzettel. AGENDA Upon motion by Bast, seconded by Hiar, all members voting in favor, the agenda was approved as presented. MINUTES An "early draft" copy of the minutes of the August 20, 1997 was inadvertently included in the packet so these minutes were tabled until the corrected copy can be distributed with the next packet. A copy of the September 18 ,1997 meeting minutes were approved with one change, the minutes were amended to read that Tapper moved approval of the Agenda rather than Orcutt as was noted. Bast moved, Hiar seconded, to approve the minutes, as amended. OLD BUSINESS A. Community Education Issues - 1. Business Program Format-- Business Newsletter Items The Commission discussed how to design and implement a business recognition program for those Eagan businesses that have recycling programs in place. As discussed at previous meetings, the group would like to design a decal that could be placed in the windows of businesses that recycle. The group discussed whether or not the County should be encouraged to take the lead on this program rather than having each of the cities creating its own program. The group also discussed how this program should then be funded, should it be left to each city to fund or should the County take the lead here as well. Other ideas for recognition include developing annual ads for the local newspapers or for Eagan Business newsletter, Resident newsletter or Chamber newsletters, to recognize those businesses that have a recycling program in place. Another idea recommended is to post the businesses on a board at the Eco - Site for recognition. The Commission also expressed concern that the program not become "paperwork or documentation" oriented. Rather, businesses should just notify the City if they have a program in place and receive recognition. Another way to identify businesses that are recycling, might be through those companies who are utilizing the Eco -Site. Foote indicated that she has been contacted by a company that wishes to become a licensed commercial hauler in Eagan so they can pick up the food wastes from the Eagan Byerly's for use on their hog farm for a feeding program. 2. Community Evaluation Program— Solid Waste Abatement Commission Minutes August 21, 1997/Page 2 Foote indicated that the City is required by its Dakota County grant to conduct some sort of recycling program evaluation in 1997. The Commission has discussed this previously and determined that staff should coordinate a telephone survey. Members continued to discuss the options and question types in further depth. Discussion focused on whether the survey should focus on if people are recycling and how much or how often, or if the survey should focus more on problems with the system or how individuals might recycle more. The following example question areas were discussed: • Are people clear on what to recycle and how to sort materials? • What materials are you recycling currently? • Where do you get information about recycling? • Do you remember any specific informational pieces? • What information, equipment, etc. might help you to recycle more? The members asked staff to compile a list of sample questions and research information about how the survey might be conducted, and have this information available at the November meeting. Chair Breva indicated that he would be willing to assist with the survey calling. OTHER BUSINESS Bast mentioned that the City of Burnsville is using new manhole covers that are made from recycled materials. She will bring information about these covers to the next meeting. Foote mentioned that the Dakota County Grant Application for 1998 funding has been submitted and approved by the City Council. She will include a copy of this item in the next meeting packet. Chair Breva mentioned that he discussed the concept of an "Eco -park" with Lee Markel, the Chair of the Advisory Parks Commission. Markel felt that this idea might be feasible and should be discussed further by the two commissions if the land in question is indeed purchased by the City of Eagan. If the park is purchased, members discussed using ideas such as recycled content picnic tables, benches, etc. for the structures within the park; using wood chip or compostable materials within the park, recycled paint and other materials for backstops and other structures and creating an "environmentally friendly/conscious park. ADJOURNMENT Upon motion by Hiar, seconded by Bast, the meeting was adjourned at 7:00 p.m. The tour of the Eco -Site immediately followed adjournment. Chair —50 Date Potential surve�E questions Do you recycle in your home? Which items do you currently recycle? What would help to increase your participation? Why don't you recycle more than you currently do? Would you recycle additional items if the option was available? How often do you set your recycling out? Where do you get your information regarding recycling? Do you remember any specific information pieces? Do you feel well informed about recycling in Eagan? Are you satisfied with the recycling program in Eagan? Do you buy recycled products?