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HomeMy WebLinkAbout02/20/1997 SWC minutesMOUNT PROSPECT SOLID WASTE COMMISSION FEBRUARY 20, 1997 MEETING MINUTES PRESENT Dick Bachhuber, Bill Donovan, Holly Johnson, George Luteri, Rod Mobus, Harold Rentschler and Ken Westlake. Mr. Pat Comer resident Ms. Michelle Comer resident Citizen Comer resident Dave Schein resident Suzanne Hlotke Chicago Tribune Carroll Salmon Mount Prospect Times Lisa Angell Public Works ABSENT Mary Rosen and Mary Winkler CALL TO ORDER The ineeting was called to order at 7:45 by Chairman Westlake. MINUTES The minutes from the November meeting were approved as written. However, Commissioner Rentschler asked that under Other Business, second paragraph, 1st sentence, the sentence be amended by striking ... by the Arlington Heights residents with homes adjacent to Forest Avenue. He was concerned this statement implied the fly dumping was done only by residents from Arlington Heights. CITIZEN FORUM Mr. Pat Comer, Michelle Comer and citizen Comer introduced themselves to the Commission. Mr. Comer stated he continues to be interested in the ARC solid waste contract and has spent a great deal of time reviewing the contract. Mr. Comer specifically identified the following issues of concern. 1) The contract states the number of the refuse hauler is to be provided to the residents. He stated the telephone number in the directory was wrong. The Solid Waste Coordinator stated perhaps he had gotten the listing of the ARC Recycling Center if directory assistance said the number was no longer in service. She did show him a copy of the Village's solid waste brochure that lists the correct number (except for the area code) in numerous locations. 2) Per the contract Village staff are to attend a monthly staffing meeting at ARC Disposal. He asked the Coordinator if she was the designated staff person. She responded yes, and when appropriate she does attend, i.e., change in service etc. However, site stated that an ARC representative actually comes to Public Works on a daily basis which allows her to discuss any concerns or questions on a more timely basis. 3) Requested the Commission consider having unlimited collection of refuse at no additional cost after all major holidays. The Commission members stated they did not believe this was necessary and was counter to the merits of the program. It was pointed out that in general the additional waste generated after a holiday was recyclable; plastic, metal and glass food/beverage containers and mixed paper. 4) Requested an equivalency standard be established for the 32 gallon bag/container. Mr. Comer brought in a sample of the 13 gallon bag he uses. He stated that using this bag as an example residents should be allowed to use "X" number of these bags equivalent to 32 gallons/50 pounds. The Commissioners responded to Mr. Comer's request by pointing out how difficult, if not impractical, this system would be. This practice would require the refuse driver to count the bags/estimate how many bags or other units of garbage constitute 32 gallons or 50 pounds in weight. This additional step would probably increase the per unit fee paid to the hauler due to increased time involved with the collection process. Mr. Comer again asked if the Commission would consider either of his proposals. The Commission members responded no and attempted to provide a more in-depth explanation. However, Mr. Comer stated he could see that he was not going to have a dialogue with the Commission on these issues. He then addressed the news media by giving his name and stating that if they wanted a news story they could contact him. After Mr. Comer left the Commission briefly discussed their position and commented that it was unfortunate that Mr. Comer chose to leave the meeting before they could further discuss with him the merits of the program and why the existing guidelines and restrictions were developed. SOLID WASTE PROGRAMS Extended Collection Program - The Coordinator provided a brief overview of the program including why it is necessary to end the collection of loose leaves the week before Thanksgiving. (The trucks used for the collection of loose leaves by Public Works' crews need to be converted for snowplowing operations.) Mr. Schein commented that with the extended leaf program, i.e., collection of bagged leaves at no additional cost, you couldn't ask for more. Christmas Tree Collection - The Coordinator stated she had been asked by one of the elected officials about the Christmas tree collection schedule. The Trustee thought if the composting program ran two full weeks beginning the first full week of January, it would be less confusing to residents, coincide with clean-up week and more residents may participate in the composting collection period. While the Commission believed the suggestion may have merit the evaluations conducted prior to establishing the current collection period in the solid waste contract demonstrated that the majority of residents wanting to compost their trees do so within the current time period. It was the general consensus of the Commission that the current collection should be maintained; two full weeks beginning the first collection day after Christmas Day. Clean-up Week - The Coordinator indicated there were no significant changes in the January clean-up, i.e., volume, material collected, etc. SOLID WASTE DATA The Commission commented favorably on the volume of material collected in 1996. The Coordinator informed the Commission that Village staff would be meeting with ARC Disposal representatives the following week to discuss market conditions and other related recycling issues. The Commission discussed current market conditions and what impact it has on municipal programs. The Coordinator stated that although paper markets continue to be soft ARC has been able to market the paper collected in the municipal program. She further noted that ARC is now marketing the paper, while commingled materials are still being taken by Resource Management in Plainfield. One of the Commissioners asked if there was a problem with the collection or marketing of plastics. The Coordinator stated that market conditions had impacted all commodities but not to the same degree as paper. She did believe there would be a problem with the continued collection of plastics or contamination. Chairman Westlake shared the data collection conducted at St. Emily's trash free lunch day. Sponsored by the Girl Scouts, the event was designed to promote waste reduction by having the classroom's compete to see which room generated the least garbage at lunch; each classroom's garbage was weighed in after lunch. One mother's innovative approach to give her classroom the edge was to have all the students put their garbage in their backpacks for disposal at home. The judges became a little suspect when the classroom produced no garbage for the weigh-in. However, through a little investigative work the garbage was "uncovered". Chairman Westlake concluded that despite this incident the program was very successful and a useful tool for the students. (A letter is to be drafted and mailed to St. Emily's in recognition of their efforts.) Mr. Schein suggested something "recognizable" be used to equate the volume of material residents have diverted from the landfill by recycling. He believed residents could better conceptualize the amount of materials recycled if, for instance, it was compared to the size of a football field versus x number of garbage trucks. The Commission fully supported his suggestion and asked the Coordinator to research what commonly known equivalency standards were available and make this information available for publication in the Newsletter. OTHER BUSINESS Prospect Commons - The Coordinator stated she was making three presentations to the residents of Prospect Commons in March. The presentations are part of an on-going effort to address solid waste problems at this location. She will talk about proper refuse disposal and recycling. The Village's bi-lingual social worker will also be there to translate and talk about other Village programs. Written information in English, Spanish and Hindi will be distributed. She also mentioned it is the Village's intent to video tape one of the sessions for future educational purposes. Vice Chair Luteri suggested the Village may want to consider educational videos in other languages as well. Several Commissioners supported his idea. IM Household Hazardous Waste Collections - The Coordinator reported there will be two IEPA sponsored household hazardous waste collections held in SWANCC communities this spring; April 19 at the US Army Reserve in Arlington Heights and on June 7 in Lincolnwood. Open House - The Public Works Open House is scheduled for Saturday, May 17.' The Commission will discuss the Solid Waste booth at this event at the March meeting. NEXT MEETING The next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, March 20 at 7:30 PM in the Public Works Facility, 1700 West Central Road. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business to discuss the meeting was adjourned at 9:10 PM. Respectfully submitted, M. Lisa Angell Solid Waste Coordinator