Beverly Waste Reduction Committee

CITY OF BEYERLY WASTE REDUCTION COMMITTEE DRAFT Meeting Minutes Thursday, June 15, 2023 at 6:30 PM Beverly Public Library, Sohier Room, 32 Essex Street Call to order: 6:33 p.m. Committee members present: Sandy Burgess, Bonnie Dean, John Swain, Lisa Willwerth, Amy Henderson (Chair) Committee members absent: NIA Invited participants and guests: Erina Keefe (City of Beverly), Benjamin Hacker, Amy Murphy Review minutes for March 2, 2023 and March 14, 2023 meetings - VOTE to approve Willwerth moved to approve the May 4, 2023 meeting minutes; Swain seconds. The motion carried (5-0). Administrative Updates and Status Reports a. Update on new committee member status: Keefe included a Call for Volunteers interest form in the April 2023 Resilient Together newsletter and shared with the Rotary Club, as their Special Committee seeks volunteering projects. Henderson will connect with interested residents, write a letter to the Salem News editor, and meet with Green Beverly for recommendations. Henderson has also posted on social media. b. Discuss Summer Meeting Dates (July 6, August 3): Members discussed holding the July 6 meeting. MOTION: Swain makes a motion to hold the meeting on July 6 and skip the August 3 meeting, as it is scheduled just after Homecoming events. Willwerth seconds, the motion carries (5-0). c. Discuss Summer/Fall Internship with college student: Willwerth and Henderson connected with a UNH senior student majoring in Communications to create social media posts this summer. The Engineering Dept Twitter account and MyBeverly01915 can repost relevant posts. MOTION: Swain makes a motion to hire student for confirmed 1-2 posts per week on Instagram and Facebook at $15/post up to $240. Burgess seconds and motion carries (5- 0). d. Recording Secretary - The hiring process is managed by the Planning Dept, who has initiated interviews with applicants. Page 1 of2  e. In the fall, the Committee will review the website and revisit project concepts, including those "low-hanging fruit" items that would yield Recycling Dividends Program (RDP) points. City Updates a. Keefe shared information about the 6/24 Styrofoam event, including advanced drop-off at the library, and requested BWRC members sign up for a volunteer shift b. Paper shredding facility in Salem has closed, so City is directing people to facilities in Danvers and Peabody to shred for $.75/lb. c. A draft recycling postcard was circulated to members and are attached to these meeting minutes. d. Arts Fest will not have recycling, but will have volunteers monitoring and bringing full bags to the City's trash packer. e. In the future, the City will consider tasks that are typically staffed by volunteers to be supplemented by the Senior tax work-off program. f. Keefe inquired about promoting the BWRC and other committees with vacancies using pictures of members staffing zero waste stations and Styrofoam recycling events for a social media story series. Members consented to the use of photos. g. Mom Ball will follow a Carry In Carry Out policy this year. Hacker may be interested in setting up aluminum can recycling. Lobsterfest a. Henderson shared language for event organizers to send to vendors to discourage single- use "zero-use" items. b. Hacker and Burgess raised concerns that film plastic recycling poses a burden on grocery stores and may not consistently take place. The end destination for film plastic is Trex. c. 4-6 volunteers for a 2-hr(4 hr?) shift worked well; the Homecoming Committee will provide their own volunteers for the waste station. d. The Terracycle bin purchased for Lobsterfest and Senior Day was ¾ full following the Homecoming events and the box was provided to Unpacked Living for the broader community to use at their own pace. MOTION: Burgess makes a motion to spend up to $250 to on a TerraCycle box and any supplies to support a sanitary station for Homecoming events. Willwerth seconds, Motion carries (5-0) e. Senior Day - Keefe will work with SeniorCare caterers to coordinate on the use of compostable materials provided by the City. Typically, the cooking team uses equipment to pre-package food, and the City will request that side salads are served on compostable wares and/or served directly onto plates at the event. Upcoming events a. Arts Fest Beverly (6/17/23, 10am-4pm) b. Mass. Product Stewardship Council meeting in June c. LobsterFest (8/2/23 from 12-8pm) d. Senior Day (8/3/23 from 11-1 pm) Other updates and discussion items by Committee members: Page 2 of2 • Willwerth attended the May 20 Repair Cafe in Salem and praised the well-run operation and the high energy of the event. Sewists, IT repair, bike repair, mechanical/electrical repair were available to tinker with residents' wonky items. NEXT MEETING: July 6 Page 3 of2