Sanitary Disposal District Commission

City of Middletown SANITATION COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING MINUTES Tuesday, January 23, 2024 Time: 5:00 PM Members Present: John Porter, Committee Member Stephan Allison, Committee Member Tom Goglia, Committee Member Monica Belyea, Committee Member Staff Present: Christopher M. Holden, P.E., Director of Public Works Kim O’Rourke- Recycling Coordinator Others Present: Kristen Brown- Consultant Mark Dancy- Consultant Members of the Public: Susan McMahon, Ed McKeon 1. John Porter opens meeting at 5:00 PM. 2. Minutes – Approval of the minutes from the November 28, 2023 meeting. Tom Goglia made a motion to approve the minutes. Stephan Allison seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. 3. Correspondence – Director Holden stated there was an FOI from Mr. Sienna that they are gathering information for. The FOI was in regards to Wesleyan and Middlesex Health properties and their service or opt out of. 4. Public Comment a. Susan McMahon – Questioned whether the free bags they received was considered a three months’ supply. Director Holden responded that the pack came with 13 orange bags and 13 green bags. Kim O’Rourke explained it is a one-time giveaway of bags to get people started on the program. Tom Goglia questioned why it wasn’t a three months’ supply like Council recommended. It was stated that the Council only recommended giving away bags, not a certain month’s supply of them, and they have given away bags based on what the budget can afford to do. Kim O’Rourke also stated that if residents feel like they are using too many bags, she can do a free waste audit and help them reduce the amount of waste they are producing. Susan McMahon questioned where the grant money was going and Kim O’Rourke stated that there is an outline that shows where the money is being spent and that can certainly be shared and that everything has gone through the City’s purchasing department and legal departments. Susan McMahon questioned what happens if the cost of purchasing the bags exceeds the discount that was given on the bill. Director Holden stated the resident is responsible for purchasing the bags they need.  5. Old Business a. Update on the Sustainable Materials Management Grant, Save As You Throw- Mark Dancy gave an update on the program. He said that the key number they have been looking at is the average disposal per capita, which in the State of CT is 729 lbs. Each of those pounds costs the City and its taxpayers .06 cents. The week before the meeting the average was 441 pounds. The 4 week average, because Wesleyan is on break and it probably took a dip, was 491 pounds per capita. He stated that the free starter kits of bags were given out at Price Chopper and Stop & Shop as well as at City Hall. He also stated that they made bags available for online purchase. About 15% of households claimed their free bags and the starter packs are still available at City Hall. There have been 14 online orders for bags. Tagging began for carts not using the orange bags. There were 16 streets covered on a Tuesday, 18 of which were not properly using the orange bags. Since the tagging, there were only 2 of those residences out of the original 18 that were still not complying. Director Holden interjected to clarify what the process of tagging the carts is. Tom Goglia stated he doesn’t think its right to not pick up the garbage. He thinks there should be a different way to get people to comply rather than not picking up their garbage. He thinks the entire program is a problem and not picking up peoples garbage is creating an entirely new issue. John Porter clarified that not picking up the trash is in lieu of Common Council creating an ordinance to fine residents who are not complying. Ed McKeon does think there is still an issue with communicating this program to residents. Mark Dancy spoke to the tagging efforts and its tie back to educating the public about the program and trying to reach people where they are. He said the intention is to look for people who are habitually violating the rules. Ed McKeon thinks that the information presented today and how the tagging is presented at this commission meeting be shared with the Common Council. Director Holden confirmed there will be a presentation on the subject at the next Council meeting. Tom Goglia shared that he has seen an increase in what he is recycling and suggested making recycling pick up once per week instead of biweekly. Director Holden stated that at the moment the Sanitation Division doesn’t have enough trucks or man power to be able to do recycling once per week. Tom Goglia brought up landlord and tenant issues and how this program impacts both and brought up concerns about someone who isn’t complying dumping unauthorized bags into someone else’s trash cart. John Porter brought up the bag assistance program. Kim stated that the bag assistance program application is available online or in office. To date, they have received 34 requests for assistance. b. Recycling Coordinator Report- Kim O’Rourke shared that her full report is in the packet distributed to committee members. She shared that she is putting together a trip to Quantum Bio Power for committee members and State and local elected officials. It will be on February 6th at 2:30 PM if anyone is interested in attending. c. Other 6. Other- Nothing additional. Monica Belyea made a motion to adjourn. Stephan Allison seconded the motion. The meeting adjourned at 5:29 PM