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Home My WebLink About03.23.2023 SWAC Minutes JEFFERSON COUNTY Solid Waste Advisory Committee (SWAC) Minutes Regular Meeting, Thursday, March 23, 2023, 3:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. Public Works Office, 623 Sheridan St., Port Townsend, WA Hybrid Meeting Audio and video recordings posted under Meeting Recordings on this website https://www.co.jefferson.wa.us/483/Solid-Waste -Advisory-Committee Opening Business Meeting agenda posted on website on March 20, 2023. Call to Order and Roll Call – Lisa Crosby, Chair Committee Members Present: Heidi, County Commissioner Lisa Crosby, Chair & District #1 Bart Kale, Citizen at Large Tracy Grisman, Vice-Chair & District #1 Tim Deverin, District #3 Glenn Gately, Conservation District Joey Deese, Waste Connections Committee Members Absent Alysa Thomas, Skookum Steve King, City of Port Townsend Brian Tate, Waste Connection Bliss Morris, City of Port Townsend Staff Present Al Cairns, Solid Waste Manager Chris Spall, Public Works Support Staff Laura Tucker, Public Health, Education and Outreach Guests/Visitors: Polly Lyle, Port Townsend StyroCyclers, Nick Lawlor, JCPH There is a quorum. Public Comment: None Approval/Correction of 1/26/2023 Meeting minutes. Bart moved, Glen seconded, and motion carried to accept minutes as written. Committee Reports – No sub committees at this time Staff report Al talked about some items on the report: • The HHW event scheduled for April 15 may be postponed to June due to processing capacity limits at the facilities that accept the collected waste. Al’s waiting to get more info on this. • Being closed on Monday’s to the public continues to be beneficial to the operations at the Transfer Station. Tuesday is a heavy day but demand is starting to spread out over the week. • About 45% of self-haul customers bring in less than the 120 lb. limit for the $10 minimum. Raising the minimum fee would encourage fewer trips with heavier loads. Plan to workshop with the BoCC to develop an ordinance allowing fee schedule changes by resolution. • Washington Recycling and Packaging (WRAP) Act died in committee after heavy lobbying by industry groups. Al disappointed in this news but not surprised. In the roles of SWAC member or staff we can’t lobby legislature on bills. But as individuals speaking for ourselves there are opportunities to be involved. Old Business: None New Business a. Guest Speaker – Polly Lyle, Port Townsend StyroCyclers. • This volunteer group, A Local 20/20 Beyond Waste (501c (3) nonprofit) project, runs an expanded polystyrene (EPS) recycling program in East Jefferson County • Goal is to keep what is commonly called “Styrofoam,” out of the environment and reduce the amount of plastic produced. • Updated process set up by Christopher Overman, who is still involved. Now as part of a nonprofit, the group can accept donations to help cover its expenses. • Accepts EPS pieces: white, rigid, clean, dry, and all tape and labels removed; and EPS food containers: white, clean, dry, and unstained. Also accepts packing peanuts (squishy, crispy, mixture) for reuse by local businesses. • Drop-off collection events are held twice a month at Fort Worden and every other month in Port Ludlow. The StyroCyclers also pick up at the hospital, pharmacies, Fredrickson Electric, and motor cases from Westside Marine. Everything is inspected at the time of collection. • Collected EPS is processed and stored in Fort Worden Battery Putnam, near Alexander’s Castle, courtesy of Fort Worden PDA. Banana bags are densely packed 3.5 ft. wide and 6 ft. tall, 22.5 lbs./bag (45 cubic ft.) • Bags transported by OlyCap to its facility on Otto Street. OlyCAP charges for gas and driver time to cover its cost for this service. Once a month transported to Styro Recyle in Kent, courtesy of Northwest Harvest in an empty tractor trailer from a food delivery to OlyCap. Tractor trailer is 53 ft. long and can hold 53 bags (approx. 1200 lbs.) • EPS delivered to Styro Recycle in Kent, where a machine grinds it and extrudes it (using heat) as a paste that is cools into blocks of polystyrene that are sold for molding into picture frames and construction materials. As of the last transfer to Kent, 495 bags and 82 motor cases totaling 11,985 lbs. have been recycled. • Outreach is done on Facebook, Next Door, in newsletters, and outreach to businesses. • Grateful for and dependent upon partners Fort Worden PDA, Local 20/20, OlyCAP, Styro Recycle, and 30 volunteers. b. Guest Speaker – Taylor Webster, Cascade Community Connections Taylor was travelling and not able to make it to the meeting. Partner Updates: a. Skookum (Alysa Thomas) – Absent b. Waste Connections/Olympic Disposal (Joey Dees) –No updates at this time. c. City of Port Townsend solid waste/recycling/composting (Bliss Morris) – Absent d. Jefferson County Public Health (Laura Tucker) • LSWFA grant update final audit in June with a flyer about it going out in April PUD bills. • Food Security Summit April 24, 8:30 AM to Noon at Finnriver. Event to connect those with surplus food (grocery stores, restaurants, farms, etc.) with those in need of food (food banks, shelters, churches, schools) • Composting classes will be held online April 18 & 19, in-person April 29 at Finn River, and in-person, sponsored by the Food Coop, April 18 & 20. Composting diverts 78-312 tons of food waste from the landfill each year. • Developing a Safe alternative to HHW waste flyer that will be ready for the April 15th collection event. Will include recipes for homemade household cleaners. e. Artist in Residency (AIRE) program (Tracy Grisman) – Coming out of winter team of 3 getting onto site goal to choose artist by today for June – aug semester, by may mtg will introduce them. Will introduce to team at Transfer Station. There was discussion about the accuracy of recycling information Waste Connections gives out. From this a suggestion was made that at the September meeting the SWAC should review for accuracy the recycling letter Waste Connections normally mails out in January. Future Agenda Items – No suggestions given: Meeting adjourned at 4:23 pm.. Next Meeting Date: May 25. 2023 Regular Meetings Thursday, January 26 March 23 May 25 July 27 September 28 December 7