Recycling & Sanitation Commission

Recycling and Sanitation Commission Minutes of the Monthly Meeting November 18, 2015 Commission Members and Others in Attendance: Rico Alexander (Representative of Bates Trucking and Trash Removal, Inc.) Pete Bowlus J A Burke (Guest and Representative of Mount Airy Messenger) Mike Dixon Peggy Fleming Ken Humble Tom Neff (Co-Chairman) Jim Stargel (Co-Chairman) Councilman Scott Strong (Council Liaison) Kathie Trivelli Mary Van Metre (Town Staff) Tobi Drabczyk was not in attendance 1. Co Chairman Jim Stargel called the meeting to order and led all in the Pledge of Allegiance 2. September 2015 minutes were approved with motion by Tom Neff and seconded Ken Humble and carried. 3. Citizen's Comments None 4. Montgomery Avenue Alley Letters a. The Town did not send any letters to the residents using the alley for trash pickup. b. Bates staff are transporting the containers to the trucks and not driving through the alley c. This issue is closed. 5. Expanding Role of Commission - Renewable Energy a . Co-Chair Stargel noted that Heather Smith will give a presentation at the January 20, 2016 meeting. b. Jim Stargel will share a proclamation that the town of New Market wrote for going green. c. Jim Stargel will contact Brunswick as they received a "Green" certification. 6. Recycle America Visit a. Co-Chair Stargel still has not been able to reach anyone regarding a tour. Rico Alexander noted he could give Jim a contact name and number to arrange a tour. b. Date for the tour will be move to 2016 as too many are unable to attend on Dec 4th. 7. Shred/Battery Collection a. Mary was out of the office when the invoice was paid to Torn 2 Shred. She will check the invoice for amount of shred collected. b. Mike Dixon reported he had a pallet of the large batteries, 1/2 large trash can of alkaline batteries and bag of rechargeable batteries. He felt the battery collection was worthwhile. 8. Mobile App or Mobile Friendly Website a. Mary Van Metre will ask Monika to contact Anne Marie Creamer of Frederick County Recycling to see if Mt. Airy can join the My Waste App and report back to the Commission. 9. Moving Yard Waste Dates a. A brief discussion was held regarding two emails received from residents requesting the yard waste dates be moved from Saturday to another day. b. Rico Alexander noted other municipalities do yard waste on Wednesdays. It would not be a problem for Bates to move to a Wednesday pickup. c. Pete Bowlus made a motion that the yard waste stay with a Saturday pickup as it has been this way for years and the motion carried. 10. Drug Collection a. A resident contacted Town Hall asking if the Town will be holding a drug take back day. The National Take Back Day was in October. The Town has had two drug take back days with low attendance. b. The question arose over the Town purchasing a drug collection box which is in the budget.  c. The problem with a drug collection box is where to have it located. It needs to be in a secure area, preferably in the police station. The Town Staff does not want the responsibility of housing it at the Town Hall. d. The discussion of purchasing a drug collection box has been tabled to January. e. Councilman Strong stated he would be glad to approach the Mayor regarding a drug take back day. f. The site needs to be decided for the event and it would be 10 am to Noon and probably in April. 11. Concerns with hauler a. Co-Chair Stargel addressed several concerns with the Bates Truck and Trash Removal with Mr. Rico Alexander. Mr. Alexander reported the driver that ran a stop sign has been terminated as well as the crew on the truck. Bates has hired a safety technician who will be responsible for follow up on the companies policies and practices with all crews. b. Issue of trash cans in driveways and in front of mailboxes - crews have been advised to place trash cans in the grass. c. "Hot houses" are those that are being missed numerous times. The supervisor is responsible to confirm that the trash has been picked up from the hot houses and he then notifies town staff. A hot house remains on the list for 30 days. d. Incorrect invoices - Bates and Town Staff will have an off line meeting regarding the incorrect invoices. Tipping fees are supplied on a regular basis. 12. Budget for Next Fiscal Year a. Mary Van Metre requested everyone to think about items for next year's budget. The budget process begins in January and we should discuss at the January meeting. 13. Use of the downtown recycling center a. Co Chair Tom Neff had questions regarding the use of the dumpsters at the downtown recycling center during the Beards, Beer and Brats Festival. He asked if it was a town sponsored event and Councilman Strong noted it was not, but the Mayor has the right to make operational decisions. The Mayor made the decision to allow the event organizers to use the dumpsters. b. The commission will discuss a standard operating procedure for use of the dumpsters at the January meeting. 14. Recycling and Sanitation Report to the Town Council a. Pete Bowlus asked Councilman Strong if he could provide the tonnage collected during his report to the Town Council. Also, Pete noted it would be helpful if Councilman Strong would mention the upcoming yard waste dates. b. Mr. Alexander of Bates, noted they provide the tonnage by the end of the month which would be in time for the Town Council meeting. The numbers would be a month behind. 15. Meeting adjourned by Jim Stargel. 16. Next Regular Meeting - Wednesday, January 20, 2016 @ 7 p.m. Addendum to November Meeting: Mary Van Metre noted Torn2 Shred collected 2,200 pounds of paper at the September event. Last year 2,000 pounds was collected. Kathie Trivelli emailed the commission a link to Frederick County's Sustainable Maryland website. She suggested that perhaps someone from Brunswick could speak to our commission. SUMMARY OF ACTION ITEMS: • Councilman Strong - check with Mayor Rockinberg regarding a site for a drug take back day • Jim Stargel to invite Mayor Rockinberg and Heather Smith to the January meeting. • Jim Stargel to set up trip to visit Recycle America in 2016 • Mary Van Metre to check with Monika to see if the Town can get a Mobile App to host upcoming events and recycling, yard waste, and trash schedules • All Commission Members to think about the Recycling and Sanitation Budget for January meeting. Peggy Fleming, Secretary