Appointed Committees

RECYCLING AD HOC COMMITTEE March 23, 2016 at 11:30 a.m. Page 1 Committee Members Present: Borgi Beeler, John Reynolds, Miranda Schuler, Dave Schwengler, Jason Sorenson, Shannon Straight, Sean Weeks, Shelly Weppler Members Absent Kevin Connole, Julie Haro, Dave Shomento Others Present: Kelly Matalka, Donna Bye, Mia Dillard, Nancy Simpson, Jill Schramm, Josh Wolsky Chairperson Schuler brought the meeting to order at 11:30 a.m. After a brief introduction by all of the committee members, Chairperson Schuler stated the first item to discuss would be to clarify the objectives of the committee. Jason Sorenson, Assistant Public Works Director stated the landfill currently has less than ten years left in its life expectancy. If the City implements a recycling program, the amount of waste could be reduced. John Reynolds, Sanitation Superintendent, explained the results of a survey taken by 1,000 Minot residents through a Facebook poll. He stated, 97% of respondents agreed, yes recycling is good for the community, and 72% said yes, they would like to see Minot recycle. Of those who responded to the survey, 89.31% owned their homes. Upon questioning by Chairperson Schuler as to whether or not Kalix would be negatively affected by a city wide recycling program, Borgi Beeler, CEO of Kalix replied by saying they are not concerned about losing the general recycling business. They would continue with other aspects of recycling, concentrating on lines of business that have more opportunities for employment of people with disabilities, such as confidential document destruction and electronics recycling. John Reynolds clarified several misconceptions of automated trucks, including their size and maneuverability. He stated, automated trucks would be able to take the same routes as the current ones, the arms would not extend beyond the height of the truck and it would not be obstructed by powerlines or vehicles any more than the current trucks. He also stated some benefits to automation such as, less employee injuries while lifting bins, less damages to bins and overall cleaner neighborhoods without bins and trash blowing into the streets. There is also the option of outsourcing the collection of recycled goods to a third party, but the Assistant Public Works Director and Sanitation Supervisor agree that Minot would benefit by modernizing their current collection methods and keeping the process in house. John Reynolds gave some information regarding the costs of garbage collection. He stated the current price for collection in Minot is $10.18. He continued by saying Bismarck is $12.30, Mandan is $16 and Fargo is $14. The amount Minot currently collects results in a shortfall of the budget by $500,000. The City will need to increase the collection fee regardless of whether or not recycling is added. He RECYCLING AD HOC COMMITTEE March 23, 2016 at 11:30 a.m. Page 2 explained, the City could add six automated trucks, reduce the number of employees in the sanitation department, and only need to increase the 2017 budget by $107,000 compared to the 2016 budget. He stated there would still be two collection days per week, one for waste and one for recycling and each household would be provided two, 93 gallon bins in designated colors. The City would also need to construct a transfer station at the landfill, of which Dave Schwengler of Houston Engineering offered to provide a cost estimate. John Reynolds supplied a quote from a trucking company stating they could transfer recyclables to a facility in Shakopee, MN for $125/ton. The option of using rail to transport recyclables will also be researched in order to find the most cost effective resource. Overall, it was determined the community has an interest in a recycling program but the most important issue is to make it affordable. It will require educating the public so the committee will arrange a public meeting, possible dates discussed will be between April 13th and 18th. Public support is necessary to make this project a success so it was also discussed to possibly include a survey with citizen’s water bills in order to gauge interest. Chairperson Schuler stated there will be another committee meeting the beginning of April, a public meeting and then hopefully a final committee meeting in the weeks following. The goal is to gather community input and come up with a suggestion by May 15th in order to include it in the 2017 budget. If all goes well, the City can implement automated trucks in 2017 and roll out a recycling program in 2018 after some training and adjustments to the new equipment. Adjournment There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 12:43 p.m. Respectfully Submitted, Kelly Matalka City Clerk