Resource Recycling Advisory Council

Middletown Resource Recycling Advisory Commission Regular Meeting via Webex 1/23/2023 Members Present: Krishna Winston, Nicole Charles, Deb Stanley, Stephan Allison, Eleanor Nettleton, Rebecca MacLachlan (joined at 7:20), Alison Johnson Also Present: Kimberly O’Rourke I. Call to Order The Chair called the meeting to order at 7:03 pm. II. Public Comment No one from the public was present. III. Minutes The minutes of the November 28, 2022 were accepted as presented. IV. Recycling Coordinator’s Report K. O’Rourke reported that the cost of single-stream recycling continued to go up, with recycling now costsing more to dispose of than trash. The City’s contract would expire on Feb. 7, and the Department was pursuing a one-year renewal with Murphy Road Recycling (MRR). Ms. O’Rourke reviewed the details of the single-stream and cardboard recycling contracts. She was also working on packaging-EPR policy. EPR legislation pending in the General Assembly would shift the financing of and accountability for residential recycling to producers and save the City over $200,000 annually. K. Winston asked about expanding glass separation at the Recycling Center and possibly curbside. Because of its weight, it would be advantageous to remove as much glass as possible from the recycling stream. MRR charged the City a fixed price of $70/ton for glass, determined to constitute 18.4% of our stream and creating the second largest financial burden in the stream, with contamination/residue the biggest. K.O’Rourke announced she had received permission to rehire Kate Gendrich as a summer worker for June–August. She also said she was trying to find a home for 40 pallets of plastic isolation gowns from Middlesex Hospital. She was working with Center for Ecotechnology. Members brainstormed ideas for finding users for the gowns. V. Chair’s Report K. Winston reviewed the EPR-for-packaging issue, summarizing the likely contents of this session’s bill, the opposition to the previous year’s bill from the packaging industry, waste haulers, and environmentalists, and the controversy over chemical recycling. She said the Jonah Center had hosted a meeting with environmentalists opposed to the bill to try to get them to stop letting the perfect be the enemy of the good. E. Nettleton mentioned that she had had some success with contacting companies to suggest improvements on how they packaged their products. VI. Swap Shack Members discussed the Swap Shack and volunteered for the weekly clean-up: Jan. 25 – K. Winston  2 Feb. 1 – S. Allison Feb. 8 or Sat. 11 – D. Stanley Feb. 15 – R. MacLachlan Feb. 22 – E. Nettleton K. Winston felt the labeling needs to be re-done. K. O’Rourke said she had someone in her office who could produce new laminated labels. K. O’Rourke relayed a resident’s complaint about the design of the Swap Shack. VII. Food-Waste Diversion Pilot Project K. O’Rourke reported on the Co-Collection Food Waste Program. She said residents were participating, but contamination in the green bags was running at 22%, the result of residents’ putting in packaging. Educational tagging had started on Jan. 23. She was receiving a considerable number of calls from residents with questions. The project consultant would be reporting at the Directors’ meeting before the Common Council meeting on Feb. 6th. K. Winston mentioned the food-waste -collection video featuring students recruited by N. Charles. VIII. Other Business Members discussed reducing single-use items at City meetings and events. It was decided that this issue could be pursued as a sustainability effort and part of a larger program. K. Winston felt it was best to put this effort on hold for now. K. Winston mentioned she and Anna Salo-Markowski, Chair of the Clean Energy Task Force, had sent a letter to the Mayor about the need for adding energy and sustainability coordinators to City staff. She said they were still waiting for a response. She felt many things could not move forward without people in those positions. K. O’Rourke reviewed other relevant legislation that had been introduced. Topics included EPR for tires and smoke detectors, limits on the release of balloons, reduction of single-use items, and a ban on polystyrene trays and foodware in schools. IX. Upcoming Events: Road Race–April 2: volunteers needed for 11:30–1:30 to staff the trash and recycling stations. Sustainability pop-up tables Shred Day–April 15, location to be determined Earth Day–April 22: Eco Fest at Harbor Park X. Adjournment S. Allison made and E. Nettleton seconded a motion to adjourn at 8:15 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Kim O’Rourke Recycling Coordinator