Resource Recycling Advisory Council

Resource Recycling Advisory Commission Meeting of November 23, 2020 7:00 p.m. Via Webex Members Present: Stephan Allison, Alison Johnson, Rebecca MacLachlan, Krishna Winston, Tisha Zawisky. Members not present: Monica Belyea, Bessie Bianco, Chantel DeArmitt, Harold Panciera, Debbie Stanley. Members of the Public: Jeff Myjak Public Works Staff Present: Kim O’Rourke, Recycling Coordinator Ms. Winston called the meeting to order at 7:05 p.m. There was no public comment. Due to a lack of quorum, the October minutes will have to be approved at the next meeting. Ms. O’Rourke reported that she was still waiting for the purchasing office to issue the RFP on the food waste collection in the Sanitation District. It should happen very soon. She said is also waiting to hear back from DEEP regarding a food waste drop off in the south end of town. She requested approval from them on Nov. 4, 2020. Ms. MacLachlan and Ms. O’Rourke reviewed the signage at the Recycling Center and thought A frame signs with removal arrows would be helpful. Mr. Allison offered his assistance as well and they decided to visit the recycling center to review options. Ms. O’Rourke is hoping to get support from the Mayor to join the Northeast Recycling Council’s (NERC) Recycling Demand Champion program. This program is focused on increasing the purchase of plastic products made out of recycled content. NERC offers technical assistance to municipalities to increase these purchases. The Middletown Garden Club is helping to plant a garden at City Hall. We hope to cover the area with woodchips in the next couple weeks, so it will be ready for planting in the spring. We hope to have vegetables, flowers and shrubs growing and also put the city hall compost bins in there and develop some signage for those. Ms. O’Rourke reviewed the work of the CT Coalition of Sustainable Materials Management (CCSMM). The four working groups, Organics, Increasing Recycling, Unit Based Pricing and Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) continue to meet to review options. A full meeting is scheduled in December and they hope to come up with proposals to address the trash issue. Ms. O’Rourke said she does expect some legislative proposals to be recommended and these include: updating the bottle bill, EPR for tires, gas cylinders and paper and packaging and some recommendations to improve the current organics law. She said she was also scheduled to attend the National Zero Waste conference on Dec. 1-3. Ms. Winston reported that she did reach out to Ms. Sherwood regarding her position on the Commission and hopes to hear back from her by Dec. 1st. She also said she and Ms. Bianco need to be reappointed. Ms. Winston said she recently attended an on-line meeting of the CT Conference of Municipalities and they offered some great information on using recycled glass in cement. She felt this might be something worth researching and the City should also consider source separating glass containers. Members said they would like to know how to proceed with the Swap Shack. Ms. O’Rourke said she was waiting to hear from Mr. Russo on how to proceed. She met with the building inspector and he felt the building had a good solid structure and would just need new siding, walls, roof and windows. Overall, he felt it would be cheaper. Also, a prefab building would not fit perfectly on the pad. Ms. Winston felt it would be good to make it bigger and we should refer back to her list. Ms. Johnson said although she loves the idea of having a bigger building, she is also concerned that that will make a bigger mess. Members felt it would be better if we could have it staffed and have some screening. Potential legislation from the CCSMM was discussed above. Ms. O’Rourke said the CT Product Stewardship Council (CTPSC) is introducing Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) legislation on gas cylinders. Getting rid of cylinders is quite costly for some communities and they are extremely dangerous for truck drivers and facility workers. When they are disposed incorrectly, they have blown up on trucks and at facilities, putting workers at risk. CTPSC introduced legislation last year, but it was stalled due to COVID. This year they are hoping to work more with the national Product Stewardship Institute (PSI)to develop a more comprehensive bill and include all the stakeholders. They are currently seeking funding to continue work with PSI. Ms. O’Rourke said she will be asking ECRRA for funding for this project. Ms. O’Rourke said she her next Walk in the Park will be down Main Street. She will highlight businesses that sell recycled products or have a sustainable focus. With no other business, the meeting ,adjourned at 8:30 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Kim O’Rourke Kim O’Rourke Recycling Coordinator