Where are we? Here. Austin? Present. Lucas? Here. Goins? Here. Arnold? Present. White? I have a quorum
of CAC present in the room and none online. All right. Thank you so much.
So we have on our agenda one item, which is just a review of our five year solid waste management plan
to see how we are doing as far as the goals that we set for ourselves in 2020, 2021, sorry. So I think
Mr. McLaughlin is gonna share his screen and we can get some updates from him on how things have progressed.
and we can have a discussion. Yeah. So I think we just go through the general goals and objectives that
are outlined in the solid waste management plan. I believe in the plan itself on pages 12 through 14
is where those are identified. Yeah. So I want to just kind of briefly summarize
You know, the district's efforts towards those goals and objectives. So for education, the first one
was a Quick Byte media outreach campaign. This one, unfortunately, is not something that we got done.
You know, we have existing educational materials and advertising that touches on some of this, but we did not
create any new materials specific to this goal. And then kind of I'll address two and three together,
review and update the district's website and waste management guide flyers and rebranding of the district
because those kind of coincided with each other.
Obviously, we did get the district rebranded from Go Green District to Waste Reduction District. And
then in doing so, that just resulted in a new website being developed to rebrand the district.
And also the updating of, you know, not just the waste management guide flyers, but all of our literature
materials to be rebranded. So those two, I think that we did, if not achieve to the desired, I guess,
effect or impact, but we did get those two things done. Improve and expand outreach network.
This is something that if the board and CAC will recall, in 2003 we created a new position, a waste
reduction specialist position. And Kayla Strand, who was hired for that position, has really done the
bulk of this for us. She's taken over the management of our green business network.
and has worked with a number of not just existing GBN customers but other businesses. Brought on a number
of new customers to the Green Business Network and has offered Waste Audit and other services to countless
other businesses in the community.
Unfortunately, we did not have a lot of response or organizations that took us up on those offers, but
she has really done a good job of putting us out there and trying to reach those organizations in the
community and offering services and education to staff to help them work on ways that they could reduce
their waste and or increase their recycling efforts.
Any questions on the education goals and objectives? Yes, Councillor Wells. On number one, you said
that you didn't do it. Was there a specific decision made to not pursue it at some point over the last
Several years. No, there was no specific decision made to dismiss or not attempt to achieve that goal.
I think it's just something that slipped through the cracks as we were moving forward with everything.
OK, great. No, I'll pause. It's good. Thanks. So did any businesses take Kayla up on the offer of a
waste audit?
I was at zero. Off the top of my head, I don't know. Mr. Long, do you happen to know if we did any waste
audits with any businesses over the last few years? Yeah, we've done a few waste audits. Not complete
waste audits as complete as we want to do, but they are letting us go in and walk around and do some
audits and work with the different businesses.
and see how we can help them. I think, you know, off top of my head, I think we've done five or six
that I know of. Yes, Mr. Winnia. Yeah. Are there any records kept when those types of transactions take
place? Like, is there any way of knowing which ones they are?
Or when it happened? Like the waste audits? Yeah, yeah. I'm sure that Ms. Strand would have that information.
I don't have it readily available, but we certainly look into making that available. But you're dealing
with private businesses. Some may request that we only release so much. OK, that was it. Thank you.
Any other questions before Mr. McGlasson continues? Yes, Councillor Woods. So in the plan, later on
in the plan, it lists metrics. Are you reporting on those metrics? Are we going to get specific information on
the X number of whatever and that kind of thing? Unfortunately, that is something that staff, we basically,
we failed at. We did not track everything using that metric sheet, which is not to say that we don't
have some of that information, but it would not be readily available. But if there is any specific
information that board members or CAC members would like, we could certainly compile that.
Any other questions on the education section? All right, Mr. McGlasson, go ahead to continue to the
next part, please. On source reduction, so as far as broad education, a lot of that, things that we
already had in place, I mean, we were doing a substantial amount of education already. We did make some
attempts to,
I guess to refocus some of that, a lot of it is geared toward the school system and dealing with children,
school-aged residents versus businesses and or governmental entities. So we did try to revise or take
some of those and make them more applicable to businesses and governments.
And that's, again, something that Ms. Strand worked with and tried to distribute, disseminate
that information to those local businesses and governmental entities. As far as, you know, measuring
what core sort of effectiveness that had, we don't really, we never really set up a way, you know,
to do that, which again,
We probably could have done better follow up with those entities that we were reaching out and working
with to see what things they implemented or, you know, what actual data they might have had that would
have showed reductions in waste generation or increases in recycling or composting, but we did not do that.
And the proactive business outreach, again, that comes back to Ms. Strand. And it kind of, I guess,
overlaps with some of the things we've already discussed that she's done is reaching out with the businesses
with information and education materials and offering waste audits and doing things along those lines.
I don't have the exact number. Mr. Long, do you know how many new GBN clients we've got signed up since
Ms. Strand started? I do not have an exact number, but I know we was at an all-time low in 2020, and
we are back to, I just talked to her today, and we are at the highest that we have been in the last
five or six years.
I can get an exact number from her tomorrow. So there, you know, we have we have that number and that,
you know, at least is some measurement of the effectiveness of that outreach that she's been doing.
Excuse me. Ongoing dialogue with major community stakeholders.
Again, that's something that to some degree is always happening. I think the intent with identifying
that as a goal and objective in the plan was to make efforts to increase that. And to an extent that
has happened. We've worked with the city's department or office of economic and sustainable development
on some projects.
The city helped to co-fund the back to earth program that Mr. Guinnia referenced earlier. So that's
had that done. We've created a waste organic waste task force that has city representation on it and
university representation on it.
So, you know, we've made efforts to increase and have better dialogue. And unfortunately, to this point,
I think the Back to Earth program is probably the only tangible outcome of any of that. But what we
have at least, you know, in my mind, have increased that dialogue with those other stakeholders.
Local political engagement is also something that is kind of a continuous ongoing thing for
us. My recollection within the plan was that there was some interest in trying to increase that and
try to help push some legislative efforts that might potentially help or further the district's mission.
Locally, there hasn't been things done. It's sometimes hard to do that locally. I think we learned some
years ago when the city tried to implement a plastic bag ban, sometimes higher authorities step in and
prevent things from happening.
Beyond that, you know, at the state level there is lobbying and there are things going on that unfortunately
have no tangible, you know, results for it at this point. But, you know, either myself working with
our local state representatives or through the Association of Solid Waste Districts, you know, there
are lobbying efforts going on to do things to
require or promote organic waste diversion from the waste stream, looking at doing expanded producer
responsibility when it comes to things like batteries and electronic waste and trying to get some legislative
efforts done at the state level toward those ends. Any questions on source reduction?
I'm sorry. No? It doesn't look like it. I'm sorry? I said it doesn't look like it. Okay. Oh, Councillor
Wells. No, please, go ahead. I'm slow. After we go through this, which I'm hearing what you're saying
and it's very interesting.
I would like to hear more from the CAC on what their take on the how realistic some of this was and
and how successful it was. So I don't know if it's best to wait till the end or because I'm just very
interested in the broader perspective there. It's you're in the CAC's meeting. I can.
If you want me to stop going through this right now, we can do that. If you want me to continue to finish
going through those goals and objectives and summarize our efforts, it's your meeting. It's totally
what you guys want to do. Does anybody have a hard stop at a certain time? Actually, I do. 530. Oh, OK.
Well, let's take a pause from going through the goals in the plan and kind of open it up to the CAC
giving us some input in general about how you think the plan is going, what you had in mind when you
gave input to create the plan, things like that, what we might be doing differently,
to achieve some of these goals. Do you have a thought if I may. I think there are several elements of
the goals and objectives. I think in general I think they were ambitious. I wouldn't say that I expected
all of them to be knocked out of the park checked off the list. I think one thing that would be helpful
is if we did have that some more specific numbers from the district like on that
Goals, no, the metrics portion. If those were completed, I think that would help inform sort of how
much time was spent on it and maybe how difficult it was. But I will say, like for instance, particularly
in the education section, everything but the outreach campaign I think was really knocked out of the
park and I think was done really well. And I was just really pleased with how that all worked out. And
I think that, I don't know, it was probably a year's worth of work.
a significant effort, but I also know it was like one year out of four, so I don't know if we had put,
if we were able, if the district was able to put a similar amount of effort into other things, and Mr.
McGlasson mentioned something like falling through the cracks, so it'd be interesting to know sort of,
yeah, how difficult it was for the district and for staff to be able to get to these things as well.
So that's sort of my overall sense.
I think some things were done excellently, some things, yeah, didn't get attention, and I'd like to
hear from the district sort of how that felt on their end as well. Any other thoughts from the CAC? Okay.
A year or two after the plan was adopted, we did, I know Mr. Buenia did kind of create a tracking sheet.
And I think that maybe the staff didn't have time to put into that tracking. Is that something that
maybe could be revisited, Mr. McGlasson? Or was it just too much of an administrative burden? It could
certainly be revisited.
I don't know. It was too much of an administrative version versus a priority of time for various staff
members as to how the time it would take to work and complete that. But I think we could certainly revisit
time management of the staff and see what we could. I mean, if the board wants to direct staff
produce such a tracking document, then we don't really have a choice but to do it, do we? Councilor
Welts. So it is not my intent to overburden anyone on reporting just for my interests and curiosity
at all. I appreciate what I think I hear everyone saying about that. We get a lot of information at
every meeting from your staff.
And that's been something that I've been pleasantly surprised about, not knowing anything about these
meetings prior to this year. So I'm new, and that's kind of my perspective. So if there was maybe a
way as, and not like next month or next week or anything like that, but if there's a way to take what
you're already doing in terms of reporting and fit it into this,
In a way, I mean, literally not like take a whole month and make it work, but just in moving forward
maybe a way of organizing the presentation. Yeah, and I think that's, you're kind of right on target
with what we, most of that data we already have and we already compile, we just do it differently. Yeah.
So it's not that, I don't know,
It is, but it isn't reinventing the wheel. I mean, it's, you know, we're taking something that we're
already doing and just maybe breaking it down a little bit differently and reporting it in a different
format. So I don't, that's why, I don't know that it's, you know, a burdensome administrative task.
It's just getting people to change the way that they're compiling and reporting the data. And I don't
think the only reason to do it should be because the
board and the CAC have this cool plan that we want to see fulfilled. You know what I mean? It's not
just an exercise or it shouldn't be an exercise and just self fulfillment of the paperwork. So I guess
maybe having staff input is kind of my first thought is I wouldn't want to impose a different format
on staff unless there was
a broader understanding of why and what we're doing with that information and to what end you know or
maybe maybe it's take a look at the way the plan is written in the future and have it fit more what
you all are already reporting if that's a requirement that you report that way you know I I don't know
I don't I don't know enough about yeah yeah I'm still learning but some stuff is reported
Some things are reported to the board the way they are because that coincides with some of our state
reporting requirement. That's how we have to report things to the state. So that data is readily available
in, you know, in that manner or broken down the way that it is because we're already having to do that
for state reporting requirements. Some stuff, it's just, that's how we've always compiled and tabulated
it and reported it. And it doesn't mean that there's not another way to do it. We just, nobody's asked
us to change before.
Uh, so, you know, um, it's certainly something that, you know, that we could, we could consider doing
and, uh, you know, we can meet with staff. Um, perhaps even staff could meet with, you know, bring,
come, invite staff to an executive committee meeting and the executive committee can tell staff what
it is that, that they're seeking or, or would like to see differently. Ask staff what they might want
to do and be interested in.
I mean, that's my view. Yeah. Yeah, I agree. I think involving staff in formulating requests for data
so that we don't ask them to redo something they already do in just a slightly different way is important.
And to keep tying it back to our mission and not just like, oh, I have to report this because they told
me to report it.
There's some reason for that. And I would throw out one thing that I know that's talked a little bit
at executive committee meetings about, and I think I've brought it up with the CAC a couple of times.
But part of the reason that we're doing this is we are coming to the end of this five-year term that
this plan was meant to cover. And one of the things that's happening right now at the state level is
that the Department of Environmental Management has been tasked with coming up with a new state materials
management
plan, which is intended to replace the state's solid waste management plan that was implemented 30-some
years ago, 35 years ago about when districts were formed. So, you know, so depending on, you know, what's
in that plan, and, you know, I've gotten some information, but the plan's not been made publicly available
at this point in time, but, you know,
that that plan is going to greatly influence what the state thinks Solid Waste District should be doing.
All kinds of fun stuff. Is there other general feedback from CAC or board members since we're looking
at 11 minutes left with a quorum here?
If not, Mr. McGlassen, if you want to hit the highlights of the other categories. So waste diversion,
pile disposal. Yeah, I mean, diversion, you know, the get into the Back to Earth program was promoting
composting, you know, organic waste. We have the Organic Waste Task Force, you know, recently.
had Richland Farms show up wanting to offer services similar to what Earth Keepers used to do. So those
are things that are happening. The Garden Quest pilot that we did for festival and food waste. So there
are things happening with regard to education and promoting of waste diversion where possible. Rerouting
of usable waste.
We've developed any new streams for usable waste, but as Councilmember Wilts pointed out with her time
at the Dillman Road site, you know, those things are happening organically. You know, we have reuse
facilities at each site at all of our recycling centers. We have the materials for our program at South
Walnut, but yet you go to one of the rural recycling centers and stay there long enough, you'll see
things that go straight from one vehicle to another.
You know, so those things are happening organically, you know, without us, you know, doing a whole lot
to promote them. So expansion of recycling, composting services, you know, the multi-family, that's,
you know, the Back to Earth program. That was the primary thing done toward that goal.
Expand compost end user market, you know that unfortunately that's something that when when earth keepers
closed down We lost our product to go promote people to use So there wasn't a whole lot that we could
do there and Increase available data on diversion performance and contamination rates and losses. That's
That's something that has to happen at the state level. That's something that the Association of Solid
Waste Districts has looked at. You have to get the private sector data. We're a long ways from the state
forcing this private sector to provide that data, unfortunately. At least it appears that we're a long way.
from the state making that same requirement upon the private sector that they have made on solid waste
districts. And then final disposal facilities, you know, environmentally safe post-closure maintenance.
I mean, we're, that's, you know, Mr. Poulsen and his staff are doing the,
groundwater sampling, we're doing the leachate treatment, methane monitoring. We've not had any violations
of anything at this point. The state still does inspect that facility roughly annually, I think, and
we occasionally get comments that do this better or, you know,
Paint paint the groundwater wells, but no no violations of anything at least that mr. Paulson has made
me aware of But I think I think we're doing good there Recreational educational opportunities at the
landfill We have not done a whole lot with that and I think one of the you know, the issues there is
the location you know, I When it was operating, I know I miss pro-crawl used to
You occasionally get some classrooms that would take field trips out there, but it's closed and it's
out there and there's just not much incentive for a teacher to organize a field trip out to the landfill.
There's just not much benefit to the class to do that. And in making the landfill profitable, we've
been looking and I think we've got a couple
Brief reports, we've been looking at doing a solar panel field out there. The last report we got was
not overly positive, unfortunately. But that is, I'm not going to say it's off the table at this point,
but doing a solar array out at the landfill does not look promising at this point in time. Through no
fault of our own, there's a number of obstacles in place.
at the state level and from utilities that would make it expensive for either the district or the off
takers of that energy to engage in such a project. So I don't know. I'm not sure that there's a lot
of revenue generation possibilities for that facility at this time. I would like to mention something
that's under
Disposal of specified waste and also under the heading of solid waste problems and that's waste tires
So I think it is a good great step forward that the district now is collecting waste tires And there
was even an amnesty day that we got some funding for So I would mark that as a success And I think we
had Mr. Long or mr. Paulson, do you have a
numbers from the waste tire amnesty event? Yeah, so on the amnesty day alone, we took in 2,000 tires.
That's a total on-rem and off-rem. That was two semi-loads and a box truck full. Wow, that's great.
That's amazing.
Did the grant cover all of our expenses for that, or partially cover it? For that event, yes. The event
cost a little bit more than we anticipated. We had intended to do two events with the grant, but that
event took more than 50% of the grant funds. So we're working with item on options for additional grant
funding or what we can do to
You know be able to fund a second event in the spring Great counselor wealth Where did the truckloads
of tires go? Well Because we we take them at our south walnut facility so we have a relationship with
a company called liberty tire recycling and they have a facility up in Indianapolis and they
I know they make the crumb rubber out of some of them. I believe not the most ideal solution, but some
are sent for cement kiln fuel. Those kilns are under EPA regulations, and they're monitored with the
emissions. Like I said, it's not the ideal solution.
I would be disingenuous if I did not acknowledge that's what's happening with some of them. Thank you.
All right. Any final comments? We're glad to see the CAC here, so I want to give ample opportunity for
you all to make any comments about our five-year plan. Yeah, I'm just encouraged by the actions that have
that have been taken with everything from Richland Farms to supporting One Sustainable Joe and the grant
enables the public and nonprofit entities to take some of that work on and yeah, just making things
more accessible and showing that the district is doing what they can in order to allow residents to
be more sustainable.
So I'm very, very appreciative and grateful for that. And one more shout out to Joe Winnia.
We love you. Please don't leave.
I also wanted to add, if I may, there were two items that weren't covered that I wanted to touch on
that the district did. One was tree planting around the landfill area, and I was really heartened by
that, really excited about that project. Yeah, that didn't fall under one specific category, but I wanted
to make sure that got acknowledged, because I really enjoyed it, and I think it was a great idea. And
there was another time that Mr. Long had mentioned there was some, at least it was during one of the
department reports, that there was some pallet worth of material that had been recovered and redistributed
to users of the
the recycling facilities. I can't remember clearly what it was, but I just remember thinking that that
sounded exactly like this part of the management plan for redistributing recoverable materials. And
I was just very glad for that as well. So thank you a lot to the district for all of their hard work.
Even if it doesn't get listed in the report, I know there's a lot going on. Yes, I agree. Thank you.
All right. Mr. McClassen, any final words before we have to wrap up?
Just as a take advantage of the last meeting of the year to thank the board and the CAC for, you know,
your support of the district and its staff throughout the past year. And we in turn would like to thank
the staff for all their hard work. All right, we are adjourned. Thank you.