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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2019-05-20 ENR Minutes MINUTES CITY OF MAPLEWOOD ENVIRONMENTAL AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION 7:00 p.m., Monday, May 20, 2019 Council Chambers, City Hall 1830 County Road B East 1. CALL TO ORDER A meeting of the Environmental and Natural Resources Commission was called to order at 7:03 p.m. by Chair Redmond. 2. ROLL CALL Keith Buttleman, Commissioner Present Joe Gould, Commissioner Present Mollie Miller, Vice Chair Present Candace Okeson, Commissioner Present Ann Palzer, Commissioner Present at 7: 05 p.m. Ted Redmond, Chair Present Tom Sinn, Commissioner Present Staff Present Shann Finwall, Environmental Planner 3. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Staff added 9. c. Planning for Resilient Cities Workshop to the Staff Presentations on the agenda. Commissioner Miller moved to approve the agenda as amended. Seconded by Commissioner Buttleman. Ayes – All The motion passed. 4. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Commissioner Okeson moved to approve the April 15, 2019, Environmental and Natural Resources Commission meeting minutes as submitted. Seconded by Commissioner Miller. Ayes – All The motion passed. 5. NEW BUSINESS a. Tennis Sanitation Recycling Collection Annual Review i. Environmental Planner, Shann Finwall gave the report on Tennis Sanitation Recycling Collection Annual Review. ii. Tennis Sanitation, Willie Tennis and Angela Hamann addressed and answered questions of the commission. May 20, 2019 1 Environmental and Natural Resources Commission Meeting Minutes 1) 2018 Recycling Collection Year End Report 2) 2019 Recycling Collection Work Plan The Commission had the following comments/questions regarding the Recycling Year End Report and Work Plan:  How are weights determined? Based on cart size.  It appears residuals are up. There is an increase in contamination from plastic bags and Styrofoam.  Are schools included in the recycling report? No, the Maplewood recycling program is for single-family and mutli-family residential properties. Churches and small businesses can opt into the program.  Are you willing to conduct a dumpster pilot project at one of the City’s multi-family developments? Yes, however, carts might still be preferred in many of the City’s multi-family developments.  How can residents recycle Styrofoam and plastic bags? Styrofoam is not recyclable. Plastic bags can be brought to some retailers for recycling – Cub Foods or Target as an example. Tennis used to collect plastic bags when there was a market for the product to be melted down to create a crude oil. But that market is no longer available.  How does Tennis identify properties that have contamination in the recycling carts? Most often if there is contamination in the carts, it is large Styrofoam or other bulky items that cause the cart lid to be open. The drivers spot this and place an education tag on the cart, or if repeat offenders on the handle of the front door. Additionally, there are cameras in the truck that allow the driver to view the materials as they are being tipped into the truck.  Where does all of the recycling go? Tennis brings all of its recyclables to local markets.  Is it possible to reduce the number of days the City collects recyclables? Tennis would like to ensure that all of their trucks are off the road by the time the school buses drop off kids for safety purposes. For that reason alone, Tennis does not recommend a four day collection route as their trucks would be on the roads longer.  Is it possible to report mileage on routes or gallons of fuel used in trucks for purposes of the City’s Greenhouse Gas Assessment? Yes, we can add that to the 2019 Work Plan.  The City is considering purchasing recycling carts for its recycling program. We should ensure we get carts with recycled content. The Recycling Year End Report and Work Plan will go to the City Council. No formal action is required by the Environmental Commission. b. Republic Services Trash and Yard Waste Collection Annual Review i. Environmental Planner, Shann Finwall gave the report on Republic Services Trash and Yard Waste Collection Annual Review. ii. Republic Services, Romack Franklin addressed and answered questions of the commission. 1) 2018 Trash and Yard Waste Collection Year End Report 2) 2019 Trash and Yard Waste Collection Work Plan The Commission had the following comments/questions regarding the Trash and Yard Waste Year End Report and Work Plan:  There appears to be an increase in the amount of trash. This could be due to an improved economy. May 20, 2019 2 Environmental and Natural Resources Commission Meeting Minutes  Do you have the results of the organics collection pilot project? Republic Services will be in contact with the graduate student from the University of Minnesota to get the results of the study. The results will then be presented to the Environmental Commission.  Will the City consider changing the ordinance to allow townhomes and manufactured homes that opt into the trash program, to opt out after a certain amount of time? That requirement may be preventing more townhomes and manufactured homes from opting into the program, once they opt in, they can’t opt out. That policy should be reviewed closely with any amendments to the solid waste ordinance. The City does supply the carts, so we want to ensure there is a specified amount of time that they have to remain in the trash program at a minimum.  Is it possible to report mileage on routes or gallons of fuel used in trucks for purposes of the City’s Greenhouse Gas Assessment? Yes, we can add that to the 2019 Work Plan. The Trash and Yard Waste Year End Report and Work Plan will go to the City Council. No formal action is required by the Environmental Commission. No action was required. 6. UNFINISHED BUSINESS None. 7. VISITOR PRESENTATIONS None present. 8. COMMISSION PRESENTATIONS Let staff know if you are interested in serving on any of these three subcommittees. a. Sustainability Budget Subcommittee b. Energy Subcommittee – Commissioner Miller with the Alternate is Commissioner Redmond c. Accessibility Subcommittee – Commissioner’s Buttleman & Miller 9. STAFF PRESENTATIONS a. Waterfest – June 1, 2019 from 11:00 a.m. 4:00 p.m. at Lake Phalen in St Paul – Let staff know if you are interested in volunteering at the booth with Commissioner’s Redmond and Miller. The educational them of the booth will be Climate Adaption. b. Maplewood Nature Center Programs For more information on programs at the Maplewood Nature Center contact the Maplewood Nature Center at (651) 249-2170. c. Planning for Resilient Cities Workshop – June 20 City staff, elected leaders, commission and community volunteers and leaders are invited to attend the Planning for Resilient Cities workshop to share priority energy/resilience goals. R.S.V.P. to the Alliance for Sustainability https://resilientcitiescoalition.eventbrite.com 10. ADJOURNMENT Chair Redmond adjourned the meeting at 8:21 p.m. May 20, 2019 3 Environmental and Natural Resources Commission Meeting Minutes