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HomeMy WebLinkAbout01/21/1999 SWC minutesMOUNT PROSPECT SOLID WASTE COMMISSION JANUARY 21, 1999 MEETING MINUTES PRESENT Lois Brothers, George Luteri, Pankaj Parikh, Mary Rosen, Judd Strickland and Ken Westlake Lisa Angell — Public Works ABSENT Rod Mobus and Mary Winkler CALL TO ORDER Chairman Westlake called the meeting to order at 7:45 p.m. APPROVAL OF MINUTES There were no minutes to approve. CITIZEN FORUM There were no citizens in attendance to address the Commission. SOLID WASTE PROGRAMS AND DATA The Coordinator provided information regarding upcoming meetings with residents from Albert Street Townhomes and Ashley Cove Apartments. While there are sporadic problems at Albert Street the curbside service seems to be effective. The Coordinator will reinforce the need to comply with the program and work with the property owners to identify those individuals who may not understand the Village's collection system. The on-going problems with refuse collection and related property maintenance problems at Ashley Cove was intensified by the January 2, snowstorm. The lack of a coordinated snow removal program severely hindered refuse collection. The Coordinator will discuss the need to centralize collection containers and develop a collective effort by the property owners to maintain the property and educate residents on proper waste disposal practices. She also reported that there were only minor disruptions in solid waste services during and after the January 2, snowstorm. Both ARC and the Public Works Department are credited with keeping services on schedule. ARC did pull the recycling drivers off their routes on the 2nd but were able to get all services on schedule the following Monday, which was the first day of cleanup week. While some residents postponed their unlimited pickup until the following week, most of the January 4 — 8, cleanup week was completed on schedule. REVIEW OF SOLID WASTE SERVICES The Commission began evaluating the current solid waste program, service level and contract terms. The Commission requested a more definitive time frame, i.e., when does the Village want negotiations to be finalized. For budgetary purposes it was suggested that the Village would probably need an agreement by September. However, a new contract would not take effect until May 1, 1999. Although nothing was formally agreed upon there seemed to be a general consensus on the following curbside services: ■ Modified volume based 2-32 gallon container/bag limit. The Commission members believe the two -(2) container limit with unlimited recycling and cleanup weeks should remain as the basic service level. It was noted that sample surveys of the community suggest most residents setout two or less cans per week. Recycling — blue bin recycling The Commission supports continued use of a separate collection system for recyclables. There was a discussion on whether the Commission should formally evaluate the blue bag system for possible inclusion in the next contract. While various opinions were voiced about the blue bag system it was determined that under the existing terms and conditions of the SWANCC agreement there was no merit in pursuing information on the blue bag system. (Under the blue bag system residents place all recyclables in their designated "blue bag" and the material is collected with the garbage, same truck, and later separated from the garbage at transfer station. The WTTS is not designed for this system.) Yard material — collection of containerized/bagged material. Commission members stated the program should remain a user fee program. While they felt the sticker program worked well they were open to pursuing a subscription service as alternative fee structure for residents. Under the subscription service residents would contract directly with the Village's exclusive contractor for collection and disposal of yard material for a flat monthly fee. The fee structure would be included in the exclusive solid waste contract. The Solid Waste Coordinator stated she had received several requests from residents to incorporate a subscription fee into the user fee program. The subscription/sticker option seems to be well received in other communities. There was also a brief discussion on what may or may not be realistic in adding to the contract language regarding staff expectations. There were however, no recommendations to modify the existing language. NEXT MEETING The next meeting was scheduled for Thursday, February 18, 7:30 p.m. in the Public Works Facility. The members felt with the amount of information to be covered it was important to schedule a meeting in February rather than waiting until March. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business the meeting was adjourned at 9:20 p.m. Respectfully submitted, M. Lisa" Angell Solid Waste Coordinator