City of Lawrence                                        

Solid Waste Task Force

January 19, 2012 (6:00 PM) Meeting Minutes

Commission Room, City Hall, 6 East 6th Street

 

MEMBERS PRESENT:

Mayor Cromwell, Billy Beeson, Suzi Cammon, Joe Harkins, Sam Porritt, Daniel Poull, Ralph Reed, Charlie Sedlock, Jeff Severin, Christine Tomlin, Dan Wethington

 

MEMBERS ABSENT:

 

STAFF PRESENT:

Dave Corliss, Tammy Bennett, Michael Eglinski, Megan Gilliland, Eileen Horn, Craig Pruett, Kathy Richardson, Chuck Soules

 

GUESTS PRESENT:

 

PUBLIC PRESENT:

Ken Baldwin, Jessica Beeson, Joanne Bergman, Catherine Bolton, Tom Boxberger, Ted Boyle, Eugenia Bryan, Barbara Buck, Rick Carrier, Steve Cochran, Tom Coffman, Marshall Crawther, Paul Davis, Tom Douglas, James Dunn, Armond Enclarde, Marci Francisco, Gary Garr, David Gundy, Michelle Gundy, Kris Hicks, Shaun Hittle, Dorothy Hoyt-Reed, Steve Hughes, Carol Hurst, Jimmy James, Bob Johnson, Jeff Joseph, Carol Klinknett, Mary Ellen Knigh, Karen Kressin, Robert Lewis, Chad Luce, Sean Mawhirter, Bill Mitchell, Jim Mullins, Bryan Neppl, Barbara Paschke, Bill Paschke, David Pentlin, Calvin Rice, Greg Seibel, Leo Shaw, Aaron Shepard, Ian Spomer, Alan Swartz, Margene Swartz, Jo Unruh, Roland Unruh, Marvin Voth

 

CALL MEETING TO ORDER - Mayor Aron Cromwell

 

REVIEW AND APPROVE MEETING MINUTES

 

Motion and second to approve the January 5, 2012 meeting minutes (Poull/Cammon).

Vote was passed unanimously.

 

TASK FORCE REVIEW OF ANY FINAL COMMENTS ON DRAFT REPORT

 

Tammy Bennett provided a draft of the Solid Waste Task Force report for review and discussion. She incorporated and highlighted comments and edit suggestions that were emailed to her by task force members prior to tonight’s meeting.

 

The task force did not discuss the new draft of the report instead they agreed to listen to public comment first.   

 

PUBLIC COMMENT

 

Prior to opening up the meeting to public comment, Dave Corliss gave a presentation on the Solid Waste Task Force process and draft recommendations to the City Commission.

 

Bill Mitchell commented that he has concerns about the cart sizes and believes the carts on display at the meeting tonight are too big. He would like the standard cart size to be 30 gallons and he would like the City to implement “significant” rate differences, not “modest”, for larger cart sizes. This will provide the incentive to reduce waste. He also mentioned that City should charge a fee on garbage disposals to incentivize people to compost their food scraps. He asked the task force if they thought about what would happen to the yard trimmings collection when all the trucks are automated and the crew is reduced to one driver and no loaders.

 

Jimmy James stated that two carts will not fit inside people’s garages and elderly people will not be able to pull out the carts to the street. He has concerns about three trucks going down the neighborhood streets on collection day (one for trash, another for yard trimmings, another for recycling). He wondered what type of charges would be incurred by homeowners for “clean outs” when all their trash does not fit in the trash cart and believed this system may create a lot of administrative fees for program management. He asked several questions: If you are reducing the number of employees assigned to each truck (from 3 to 1), what will happen to the employees who have worked so diligently with the city? Why would you be proposing to charge residents a fee for recycling if residents are already recycling for free at the Wal-Mart Community Recycling Center and other drop off locations? How will KU student “move out” or other excess trash days be handled?

 

In response to questions posed tonight, Mayor Aron Cromwell explained:

·                                  Automated trucks will slowly be incorporated into the city’s fleet in phases. There would be no lay-offs instead it would be managed through attrition.

·                                  The task force discussed the occasional household “clean out” and student “move out” trash and learned how other communities handle this excess trash. The City currently has a policy on excess trash and at this time the policy will not change.

·                                  Full automation isn’t the end-all solution. It may work for many neighborhoods, most of the time. The Solid Waste Division will have all types of trucks in its fleet necessary to get the job done.

·                                  The task force is proposing a major education campaign to let citizens know about the trash and recycling changes. The City of Olathe did a great job with their public outreach and Lawrence would do the same.

 

Catherin Bolton thanked the Solid Waste Task Force for volunteering their time to draft the recommendations, but she stated that she does not agree with their proposal. She takes care of her recycling for free, composts, and sets out an 8-gallon bag of trash once a month. She mentioned even the smallest trash cart will be too big for her and she would only set it out twice a year. She would like to continue to be able to set out her yard trimmings in her five trash cans and not be forced to use one cart for this material.

 

Rick Carrier stated he is very appreciative of the Solid Waste Division. He is okay with the recommendations but what personally affects him is a forcible recycling system. He has recycled for 20 years for free at the Wal-Mart Community Recycling Center. He stated he is a good steward of the environment and he is happy with his way of recycling. Is it ethical to push a mandatory program like this? He would like to see an “opt-out” option for this curbside recycling program.

 

Mayor Cromwell mentioned that the goal of the task force was to create a system that works for Lawrence, KS (90,000+ people). There are some Lawrence residents who already recycle and generate minimal trash, but the average person is not recycling. The task force would like to provide the opportunity to make recycling easier for the greater audience. With residents paying a few dollars more per month, the task force believes the City would be able to establish a system that will give everyone the chance to participate in recycling.

 

Barbara Buck distributed a hand out to the task force that lists her concerns and questions. She also mentioned that the City needs more community recycling drop off sites.

 

Steve Cochran commented that he would not physically be able to wheel a cart out to the street for trash or recycling collection. He also has financial concerns and mentioned he would not be able to afford a monthly solid waste rate increase to cover the proposed curbside recycling program. He reiterated that it is tough on people with fixed income.

 

Armond Enclarde with D.R.A.W. Services informed the task force that his business provides recycling services to apartment complexes in Lawrence, but he has not been able to sign up many customers. Over the past year, he informed City staff and a Lawrence Journal World reporter about changes he would like to see to the City Code regarding billing for trash services. He asked the task force if they could respond to this issue. Mayor Cromwell responded by stating that the task force is not addressing or making specific recommendations for commercial entities at this time. The Mayor asked Mr. Enclarde to email him directly to set up a time for the two of them to discuss his issue with the City Code.

 

Calvin Rice thanked the task force for their work. His bottom line is that he would like the City to keep costs down and not implement a rate increase. He stated that he does not need anyone to pick up his recycling because he said he can do it himself.

 

Barb Paschke mentioned that it seems like everyone in the room tonight shares the goal of reducing trash and increase recycling, but she is hearing the task force is say that one size fits all. There may be other ways to do this. Her recommendation is to start with the goal of reducing workers’ comp by using carts and automating trucks. She also stated to implement one thing at a time, charge more for larger amounts of trash, and increase the number of recycling outlets. She stated that there are private companies in Lawrence now and residents may sign up for curbside recycling service if they choose to. She does not believe that mandatory pay curbside recycling is something the city should do.

 

Jeff Joseph with Jeff’s Curbside Recycling commented that he has been in the curbside recycling business since October 2001. He has residential and commercial customers. His concerns are that residents may not be able to afford the increased costs and that the City may not choose to collect all the recyclables including glass in the new curbside recycling program.  He mentioned that he attended the city’s Sustainability Advisory Board meetings a couple years ago and board members agreed that the City should focus on outreach and education of the current recycling services and efforts. He would like the City to continue partnering with the local curbside recycling businesses instead of putting him and others out of business.

 

Tom Boxberger stated that his family of four already recycles and generates little trash. He would like to see an option for a smaller cart for a smaller fee. He also would like to remind everyone that it is important to reduce and reuse before you recycle.

 

Chad Luce, on behalf of the city’s Sustainability Advisory Board (SAB), stated that SAB supports the task force recommendations and likes their goal of 50% recycling rate by 2020. He mentioned that there is citizen support for curbside recycling (i.e. 79% of Lawrence residents responded that they would support curbside recycling on the 2008 city’s recycling survey). He also mentioned that residents in the City of Olathe had similar concerns with carts but over time those concerns were eliminated. The SAB agrees that containerization will reduce workers’ comp costs and will create a safer working environment for City staff. SAB would like commercial recycling services to be included in the city’s Request for Proposals (RFP).

 

Bill Paschke stated that his household does not generate much trash and they recycle a fair amount. He also stated that smaller trash containers are a good idea and an “opt out” option for curbside recycling is also a good idea.

 

Leo Shaw asked if residents were going to be asked to put trash and recycling in same container. Mayor Cromwell clarified that the recommendation is for two carts (one for trash and the other for recycling).

 

Karen Kressin commented on the term “curbside” for the recommended curbside recycling program. She urged the task force to make sure trash and recycling collections continues in alleys where alley collection is already in place. She is concerned that if a private company gets the contract for curbside recycling that they will not want to pick up recyclables in her alley. She would like the City to include this in the Request for Proposals (RFP).

 

Mayor Cromwell informed the public that any recycling effort would have the same high level of customer service that Lawrence has now with trash collection.

 

Eugenia Bryan commended the task force for their work drafting the recommendations and the City staff for the extra services she has received. She mentioned that she was not aware until tonight that the monthly solid waste fee funded services such as the yard trimmings collection, the household hazardous waste program, and the paper recycling drop-offs. She usually sets out less than half a bag of trash because she composts and recycles. Even though she does not set out a lot of trash, she feels that she is getting more value for her money with the other programs.

 

Ted Boyle stated that the Solid Waste Division does an excellent job. He discussed the task force recommendations with others in the North Lawrence neighborhood. They agreed that containers (trash carts) are a good deal and will help possums, dogs, and other animals stay out of the trash. He has seen Deffenbaugh operate their one person trucks. The driver has to get out at every stop to move the cart close to the truck to be tipped. He would like Lawrence keep two people per truck for increased efficiency (second person not driver moves cart to truck’s tipper) and safety (second person directs driver when backing up). He stated that the most opposition from North Lawrence residents is paying for curbside recycling. They believe it should be a choice to pay for and participate in this proposed service.

 

Marci Francisco commented that she pays a single family rate but her neighborhood (mostly multi-family housing) is set up with trash dumpsters in the alley. She would like the task force to include solid waste multi-family service recommendations in the report. She pointed out that the current draft report does not mention any multi-family service recommendations under the commercial section. She also stressed that the City drop-off recycling sites should continue to be available during the transition to a curbside recycling program.

 

Carol Klinknett stated that she believes in not fixing what is not broken. If the goal is to increase recycling, there are businesses in town that already offer curbside recycling services and there are drop-off locations for recyclables. She stated that she would not like the City to put the local companies out of business. Over the years, the City has promoted all of these recycling services and she believes that those people who want to recycle are already recycling. The goal should be higher diversion by giving people a real incentive to recycle.

 

Sean Mawhirter wondered how Lawrence compares to other communities in regards to containerization and automation. He also asked if the City would compensate staff for doing more work with less staff. Mayor Cromwell mentioned that in Lawrence the main injuries for Solid Waste staff are related to lifting containers and emptying the contents of these trash containers into the truck and that many communities have switched to automation and reaped benefits from the perspective of workers’ comp (i.e. saving money but also avoiding injuries).  Mayor Cromwell also stated that there has not been any discussion on increasing wages based on fewer staff needed to do the job.

 

Jim Mullins stated that he is disconcerted about the fact that the task force did not look at the privatization of trash collection in Lawrence. He mentioned that commissioners last year wanted the task force to look at privatizing the whole trash and recycling operation. Mr. Mullins has lived in Lawrence for 27 years and he likes the service he gets from the Solid Waste Division, but the City still needs to look at privatization.  Privatizing the operation would get rid of the workers’ comp costs and risk management. He would also like to see the City of Lawrence bid against the private companies like Deffenbaugh, Waste Connection, and Waste Management.

 

Carol Hurst stated that the size of the carts is an issue to her because of where she lives. She urged that task force to take into account customer’s different situations such as family size/age, conditions of the streets they live in, etc.

 

Greg Siebel commented that he already recycles and does not generate very much trash, but he would be willing to pay a little more per month to support curbside recycling in Lawrence. He believes there is a way to provide curbside recycling without raising the rates mainly by the savings in workers’ comp as the City fleet moves to more automation. He asked if there was some way to offer once a month trash collection for customers who generate very little trash. He believes this could also save money. He stated that he would like to see an investigation of dual stream versus single stream recycling because he is concerned about contamination in single stream recycling. In addition, he mentioned he would like the City to work with the current private recycling haulers but would not like to see multiple trash haulers driving down residential streets. He will submit additional comments through the online feedback form.

 

Mayor Cromwell thanked all those in attendance at tonight’s public meeting. The task force appreciated all the comments they heard tonight but also those comments submitted through the online form.

 

Daniel Poull clarified that the task force was not proposing changes to the current yard trimmings collection and composting program. He also thanked everyone who actively participates in reducing their trash by reusing, recycling, and composting. The goal of the task force is to recommend a system that will make it easier for all residents to participate in recycling.

 

Ralph Reed agreed that there needs to be more education on current recycling services.

 

Billy Beeson responded to tonight’s equity concerns. There is no equity in the current system but the task force recommendations would move the system towards one that would provide equity.

 

Sam Porritt stated that it seemed like many concerns the task force heard tonight were based on rumors and speculation. He wanted to clarify that the task force did not make recommendations based on personal opinion, but instead they drafted recommendations based on research, studies, and trends in the industry.

 

Ralph Reed reminded everyone that all the presentations, information, etc. from the Solid Waste Task Force meetings are posted on the city’s website, http://www.lawrenceks.org/swtf/home.

 

CONSIDER ADOPTION OF FINAL DRAFT REPORT WITH ANY APPROVED AMENDMENTS

 

The task force members agreed to schedule another meeting next week to discuss and consider adoption of the final draft of the Solid Waste Task Force report.

 

PLANNING FOR FUTURE MEETINGS

 

Date

Topics

Thursday, January 26th

Jayhawk Room, Fire-Medical Administration, 1911 Stewart Avenue.

Consider adoption of final draft SWTF report.

 

Adjourned at 8:00 p.m.