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HomeMy WebLinkAbout06.28.18 SWAC Minutes Page 1 of 5 JEFFERSON COUNTY SOLID WASTE ADVISORY COMMITTEE (SWAC) SPECIAL MEETING MINUTES – Thursday, June 28, 2018 Tri Area Community Center, 10 West Valley Road, Chimacum, WA RECYCLING PROGRAM CHANGES – AFFECT OF CHINA MARKET COLLASPE ON JEFFERSON COUNTY OPENING BUSINESS Meeting called to order at 3:00 PM by Chris Giraldes, SWAC Vice Chair Chris Giraldes started the introductions by each of the SWAC members in attendance: Chris Giraldes, D.M. Disposal Jenifer Taylor, District 2 Citizen Representative Lisa Crosby, District 1 Citizen Representative Carol Cummins, District 1 Citizen Representative Alysa Russell, Skookum Contract Services Kathleen Kler, Board of County Commissioners Dave Zeller, City of Port Townsend Glenn Gately, Jefferson County Conservation District Jefferson County Staff Present: Tom Boatman, Public Works Solid Waste Manager Jerry Mingo, Public Works MRW Coordinator; Laura Tucker, Public Health, Education Chris Spall, Public Works Support Staff Members Absent: Bart Kale, SWAC Chair Facilitators: Sharon Hlavka, Green Solutions Rick Hlavka, Green Solutions Tom Boatman thanked SWAC members for responding positively to this special meeting about the recycling program and thanked the audience for attending. He said the County is interested in listening to SWAC members and the public on this very important issue and subject of the meeting. More than 50% of committee was there, so there is a quorum. Approval of May 24, 2018 minutes with correction of Steve Gilmore’s name from Gilbert to Gilmore. Chris Giraldes thanked everyone for attending and read the meeting agenda with schedule for each stage of it. Sharon Hlavka spoke saying this is a Solid Waste Advisory Committee meeting, made up of citizens, the recycler, County, City, and hauler; the stakeholders of the solid waste community. State law RCW 70.95.165 says SWAC is to act in an advisory role to the County, and each county shall establish a local solid waste advisory committee to assist in the development of programs and policies concerning solid waste handling and disposal and to review and comment upon proposed rules, policies, or ordinances prior to their adoption. Then she explained how the rest of the meeting would run: first Tom to talk about issues County is facing with recycling market; then certain SWAC members to speak about what they are facing now, and offering suggestions and solutions; next SWAC to start discussion of the situation; and finally public comment. If speaking must sign in and there is a three minute limit. May also comment by completing a comment card, or emailing Tom Boatman. Sharon said all information will be on the Solid Waste website. Meeting ground rules given were to listen and respect everyone, and stick to your point. The purpose of the meeting is to collect comments from SWAC and the public; no decisions will be made today. REVIEW OF LOCAL ISSUES by Tom Boatman First, Tom spoke to the SWAC about quorum and public meeting rules. Any time five or more SWAC members email or get together to discuss SWAC business it is a quorum and is subject to public meeting rules. Tom has asked Philip Hunsucker to give a presentation to SWAC about this. Next, Tom spoke about reason for the meeting – closure of recycling markets in China. Knew it was coming in September and worked with Skookum to develop a plan for public outreach and changes to our program. Waited until now because industry said it was still working and negotiations were on going. In June industry finally said the Chinese markets are gone. Effects are worldwide and new markets will take two or more years to develop. Collection must change and we must reduce contamination now. Recycling will be more expensive for everyone – nationally and internationally. What are the effects on our County? How will it Page 2 of 5 change what we are doing? The nonmarketable items include certain plastic products and certain mixed paper products, which make up about 40% of the 4000 tons of recyclables we currently process each year. The program has already changed and we have a very large budget deficit. How do we stop the bleeding? We also have stockpiled products which spoil over a long period of time and turn to trash. Right now the stockpile is about 400 tons of nonmarketable mixed plastics and mixed paper. Immediate concern is to stop loss of money beyond our budget - $100,000 is a big number, and is the reason this meeting was called early instead of waiting till the next scheduled meeting in July. The County proposes to stop collecting non-marketable recyclables by the end of July. This will take a large outreach program - education, news releases, signage, depot personnel, and mail - which we are prepared to start now. Over time the recycling program will have to change and it will never will be the same as it is now. Is this a crisis or an opportunity? When shopping/buying people are starting to look at the packaging and consider if it is really recyclable. Can’t just throw items into recycling bin and be sure it will be recycled; lots of recyclables end up in the ocean. After collecting all comments and suggestions, there will be a summary report for the SWAC to comment on and accept at the next meeting on July 26, and it will be available on our dashboard. Today, we are looking for SWAC discussion about how to address the problem. Do we stop collection of nonmarketable plastic and mixed paper? We are here to listen to SWAC and the public for comments and alternative solutions we might not have thought of. Tom read from email sent to SWAC Saturday, July 23, 2018, in response to questions about what can be done. Some rural counties are discontinuing recycling programs and landfilling stockpiles of non-marketable materials. Some counties are changing programs by not collecting some recyclables and reducing contamination. Some are using other options available to those counties. Why the special meeting and why now? Assuming markets don’t recover for two years or more, Jefferson County is facing significant recycling budget shortfalls this year and in the future, without immediate changes. As a result of the lack of recycling markets, the county is projecting solid waste annual losses in excess of $100,000 per year, due to collection of non- marketable plastics and certain mixed paper products. The County’s aim is to stop budget losses from continued collection of the non-marketable products. Jefferson County proposes discontinuing collection of the non-marketable plastics and paper that we know are not going to be accepted at the next stop, the Materials Recovery Facility (MRF.) Relying on the SWAC, because it was the SWAC who really produced the Solid Waste Management Plan (SWMP) and in it there is a list of recycling products which has been accepted by the State. First stop is to hear from SWAC about the proposed changes, and there will be more changes down the road as we adjust our abilities within our means to collect and recycle available products. COMMITTEE UPDATES Sharon asked some SWAC members to give input as to how this crisis is affecting them.  Kris Kidd, Skookum. Skookum has served Port Townsend (PT) for almost 30 years. It is not a recycling company; primary mission is to provide opportunities for persons with disabilities. Managing PTs recycling contract is one way Skookum creates opportunity. As a small recycler the global crisis has hit Skookum’ operations very hard. Skookum has been able to access global markets thru regional recycling facilities, by using reputable brokers. Regional facilities typically used are in the Seattle-Tacoma area and those facilities have stopped accepting mixed residential paper and comingled Tin-Aluminum-Plastics (TAP) bundles. The supply of recyclables exceeds the regions capacity for it. Hoping a market would open up, but no such market has opened up. Skookum has no infrastructure in place to process product and must rely on larger recyclers that are now no longer accepting product. Skookum has exceeded capacity to store the product, and there is a health hazard risk from continued storage. Chris said Skookum is committed to partnering with the community to find the best available solutions. Alysa Russell spoke about the technical challenges Skookum is facing. Mixed residential paper, which includes bulk junk mail, envelopes with windows and without, copy paper, newspaper, and magazines, becomes contaminated when mixed with brown paper bags, cereal boxes, chipboard boxes. There is a market for brown paper bags and corrugated cardboard, but there is no room to store it at this time. Don’t have ability to store TAP and not able to recycle it unless collected separately. Still unable to recycle plastics 3-7. Glass, OCC and brown paper bags are moving. #1 bottles and #2 jugs can be recycled, #3-7 plastics cannot.  Dave Zeller, City of Port Townsend - introduced Greg Lanning from PT Public Works. PT has contract to pick up recyclables in town and haul to Skookum, and that contract is up for renewal next year. Residents pay for a full package (trash, recycling, yard waste, Christmas tree removal, spring cleanup) when they pay their bill every two months. Contract says the recyclables go to Transfer Station and Skookum processes them. Billing done by contractor. Contractor pays the same amount regardless of the market. Solutions – PT involved in the conversation with residents and contractors. Take away is that the City is dependent upon these regional solutions just as everyone else is. Page 3 of 5  Carol Cummins – Like to look at this situation as an opportunity, and think there are lots of things to discuss together as a community and even make recycling feasibly better in the long term; opportunity to find environmentally and financially sound ways to deal with our recyclables. There is a real need to inform citizens and businesses about current situation in more detail, especially on the west coast. As well as educating our community in terms of the whys and hows of the whole thing. Back to basics: reduce, reuse, and recycle. Look at contamination because our recyclables are garbage if they are contaminated. Please don’t put in the clamshells. Need to know what we can recycle and stop putting in what we can’t be recycled. Clean and dry. Recycling costs money and will increase over time. Hate to see bales landfilled because they do have valuable recyclable materials in them. Metals, aluminum, copy paper, newspaper and uncontaminated bales of acceptable plastics all have value. As a citizen advisor need a lot more info as to relative financial and environmental merits looking at landfilling and recycling.  Lisa Crosby – Be careful with the words marketable and nonmarketable. It could be that mixed paper costs money to recycle and this might imply that it’s not marketable, so instead of marketable let’s use the word cost effective. When it comes to cost to local residents, it could well be cheaper to recycle mixed paper compared to tipping fee costs to landfill it. Real question when deciding whether or not to continue collection of mixed paper and #1& 2 plastics, is first is the material domestically recyclable and second how much does it cost to recycle it compared to the landfill cost. If it is possible to recycle it domestically and in an environmentally sound manner, and it is cheaper to recycle it than to landfill it, then it makes sense to continue collecting it. We as SWAC cannot make decisions or recommendations about changes to future collection without information about recyclability and cost to recycle vs landfill. Even if we don’t collect it to recycle, we still collect it. If the stockpiled material can be recycled, then decision should be based on this same criteria. SWAC DISCUSSION Jennifer Taylor — 3 issues: what is collected and we pay to dump, cheaper to recycle than dump. How do we get people to realize we have to make changes to reduce contamination? Chris Giraldes — market has changed forever, and it will cost more to recycle, but less than cost of disposal as garbage. Clallam and Island County are moving material. It costs money, but there is a market. Would be more expensive to landfill it. Kathleen Kler asked for clarification on $100K figure. Skookum is absorbing some of the cost, want discussion on this and where the loss is. Tom Boatman — how we collect TAP and mixed paper makes items in them unmarketable. Planning to discuss changes in the next meeting. Know there are recoverable materials in our stockpiles but because they are comingled it makes them unmarketable. Sitting on 400 tons which will cost $25k to send to the landfill. Figure how much unmarketable material we receive every day comes out to about $8999 a month, a rolling average. About $10K per month. Carol Cummins — thinks we are ahead of the curve because we source separate. Look at further separating to focus on things that are marketable. Lisa Crosby — process used to create TAP bundles makes the metals in them unmarketable. Glad China closed market to our plastics. Metal is highly recyclable but is bound up in a way that puts us in a predicament. Before citizens asked to weigh in want more information on the $100K. If we discontinue taking items, it will cost citizens more to landfill it. Need more financial info to feel well informed. Jennifer Taylor — asked, if Clallam can recycle why can’t we use the same resource that they are using? Tom Boatman — Waste Connections and other regional landfill partners, all saying they can market the unmarketable items. Yet same firms are now throwing away 100K tons because they cannot use the markets in China anymore. Kathleen Kler — said it would help to discuss steps to recycle and the pieces that SWAC takes for granted but the community may not understand, where we are having problems. How many steps and at what point there is a problem. You can only push so much thru a pipe before you get a backup. Not sure it financially makes sense to pull the metals out of the bundles – not sure we have the time or energy to undo the bundles to pick out the metal. Sharon Hlavka —sounds like there is an immediate problem of what you do with what you have now. Carol Cummins — it would be helpful for community to understand where the money goes. If MRF can take apart bales and sort them for us, why is it not being done? Kris Kidd — Skookum has offered to give it away but has found no markets. Skookum does not have access to MRFs that big markets do. Lisa Crosby — asked Kris Kidd Skookum has spoken to Republic and asked if they would take TAP bales. Dave Zeller — said Skookum is at capacity. Instead of $100k to get rid of it garbage, build more infrastructure that will allow them to separate the items. Chris Giraldes — 3-7 plastics is not a good material, mixed paper has issues as well. Need to keep material clean and dry. Style of recycling we do in Jefferson County does not keep it clean and dry. Lidded bins do. One of China’s cutoffs because material is wet and it molds and rots. Long term solutions – need to look at entire program – collection, storage, what we are collecting and adjust it. Sharon Hlavka — asked SWAC, where do you want to go from here? Short term, long term, what do you want to do? Chris Giraldes — for short term, want to help Skookum move material (what is clean and dry.) Kathleen Kler — get message out that each individual Page 4 of 5 choice has a cost – to you, neighbor and environment. That is the primary educational goal of recycling. But we have gotten sloppy with our recycling and China has stopped accepting because of the contamination. Up to us to look at how we buy, use, and clean things before we throw them away. Yes, it takes time and effort, but it either takes that or a lot more money. Jenifer Taylor — suggested using the $25k to buy a big tent and break down the bales. PUBLIC COMMENT SESSION – SOME OF THE COMMENTS Sharon said this challenge is hitting every part of the industry and this conversation is going on throughout the state and nation. Will go down list of citizens and reminded the 3 min limit. Will not respond today but will listen to questions and concerns. Andrew Eisenberg — Guarantee things will not work out if we continue down same path. Lot to consider. Volunteer to sort a bale. We are the opportunity. Problem of disconnection, disassociation with waste we produce with our lifestyle. Sending our garbage away was not a good idea, throwing it away is not a good idea. Recycling is not to make money, but to keep oceans, lands clean. Serious issue of garbage keeps coming. Propose we empower the willing and capable. Committed to recycle (process plastic it so it can be used) do it here as a community. Creating machinery to be able to do it. Big things start small. Not going to be able to negotiate this problem if money is the main issue. Juri Jennings. — Comes from Japan where people sort like crazy and get feedback if doing anything wrong when recycling. Mission to find solution. So many talented people in this community that can help solve this problem and possibly create job opportunities for younger generation. Ruth — would be great if Leader had more about education on this topic. Remembered when McDonalds came and community said no Styrofoam. Why can’t we ask grocery stores to stop using plastic? Henri Eisenhower – Lived here most of life. Personal choices about reducing garbage that we create. Want to know what we can still recycle. Communicate that with the public. Willing to sort a bale with Andy. Put money and effort where you believe. Coworkers at Maritime Center committed to plastic free events. Took dishes to Victoria to reduce waste. Each make choices every day to reduce and educate our neighbors about what we can recycle. Reduce and educate. Tracy Grisman – Beyond waster. We live in a very special place. Appreciate all the hard work dealing with our waste. Can we be reassured that intentions are to protect the environment first over profit. What can we do to help and will help unbale. Learn from smaller communities facing this issue. Single stream vs source separation. Greg Brotherton — asked about burning paper like his neighbors. Contamination issue big. Suggest going into the schools to speak and will get traction. Happy to pay for recycling. Mariah Nodeau— never had any idea that you should not put cereal boxes, brown paper, toilet paper roles with mixed paper. Can’t do what we don’t know. Break down – haulers trucks had problems and dumping everything together. Need to have backup trucks. Week link to be addressed. Let people know how they should be sorting their paper. Val Johnstone – 20/20 member. Average citizen in PT does not know how far away our garbage goes. Encourage SWAC to emphasize when you do education. Yogurt containers, wash them and take to food bank. Reuse plastics. Karen Richards — never gotten feedback on if she is doing her recycling right or not. Sarah Hadlock — Heard about this on Facebook. If there is stuff that still has a market tell me how to handle the recycling. Don’t want everything to go to the landfill. Why is solution to stop collecting? Think creatively. Can we talk about food waste too? Cindy — Own B&B in PT. Need guidance. Need a 4th recycling bin for cans. Modify trucks. Clear indication things are changing and we need education. Louise — we are responsible for waste stream, would like analysis to see incremental cost for recycling. Control volume we put out in garbage. Total cost of managing our waste flow. Sharon thanked community for input and said it will be summarized and put on the website. Committee Discussion, Comments & Solutions Carol Cummins — asked if garbage goes to Roosevelt Landfill over 360 miles. ‘Oops feedback tags’ not being used by collectors. Carol said she’s never seen them used. Need for education paramount. Those tags would let people know and educate them. Helpful to use those. Kathleen Kler — what can and can’t be recycled needs to be part of education outreach. We need lot of education about what to do with the stuff we throw away. Lisa Crosby — said she is stockpiling her metals at home. Bin of aluminum at transfer station. Mixed paper pulling out office paper. Cardboard goes to paper mill in town. Glass recyclable. Try not to use plastic. Chris Giraldes — not many communities still doing a three bin recycling program. Trucks not being made for this anymore. One of the reasons Page 5 of 5 there is a problem when DM’s trucks breakdown. Recycle market negative. Won’t hurt for DM to take Skookum’s stockpile. Industry has moved to single stream, automated sorting systems at large MRFs because they are more efficient and easier and the user and hauler. Average weight less with no glass. Still contamination but can re-educate people. Waiting for decisions on what is the new criteria? Sharon — what advice does SWAC have for the County on policies and programs to implement? Kathleen Kler — heard comment about money not being first, but no one wants fees or taxes raised. How to we pay for this service to the earth? If County being asked to subsidize this, then where do we take the money from to pay for it? Money is involved. Lisa Crosby — hoping to see analysis of cost of full handling of our waste. Not pitting recycling against parks, what it costs to recycle mixed paper vs disposing it. Right now no fee for recycling, because recycling is including in the tipping fees. Where does the money come from recycling when it does not come from the sale of the commodity? Carol Cummins — we do have a program to educate kids in the schools, but we need to know what we need to tell them. Jenifer Taylor —lives in the county and every other week finds garbage dumped in the lane. If cost for recycling is increased, will people recycle or just dump it in the road? Will be an issue for fair number of people in the County. Sharon asked what do you advise the county on what to do with the non-marketable items? Lisa offered to break up the bales. 150 tons of metal landfilled instead of being recycled. Chris Giraldes — get to a decision on education quickly so people can do the right thing. Have a suggested list – white paper and cardboard, beverage type containers. Change to make a difference that is what we need to do. Will get mixed in with what big MRFs are doing. Skookum should ask for rate relief because they can’t survive in the market as it is. Laura Tucker — announced that PT High School wrote a bill for a 5 cent deposit on plastic soda bottles. Five for the future Facebook page. Need cheering support. Carol Cummins — wants to get back to environmental and ethical decisions – take out #5 plastics. Do the right thing as citizens. Lisa Crosby — addressed Tom, would like financials for the mixed paper. Separate collection of metals and plastics (specific 1s and 2s). Don’t need financials for that. Jenifer Taylor — remembers the 5 cent deposit being profitable. Chris Giraldes — said it goes thru the big MRFS and is sorted there. Lisa Crosby — said single stream contamination – source separation plug to PT. If market for what we are separating. All comes at a cost. ADJOURNMENT at 5 pm Next Meeting will be Thursday, July 26, 2018.