HomeMy WebLinkAbout1996-09-11 Solid Waste Advisory Committee MinutesSolid Waste Advisory Committee
September 11, 1996
Berger Room, Reading Town Hall Annex
Members present: Lynda Zarrow, Carol Nelson, Anne Mark, Jean Krogh, Kay Clark, Jackie
Chipman, Bob Brown. Staff present: Ted McIntire.
Kay Clark called the meeting to order at 7:32 p.m. Carol Nelson moved, and Jean Krogh
seconded, that the minutes of the August meeting be approved as amended.
Discussion. A discussion followed on our recent meeting with the Select Board and on setting
goals and establishing a plan of action for the future. A suggested long-term plan is to look at
the solid waste issue as a whole, come up with realistic - preferably measurable - goals, then
pursue an educational campaign to meet those goals. Unit pricing could be a long-range goal, if
appropriate.
Following Kay Clark's suggestion, committee members divided up immediate action items as
follows: 1) Lynda : think about how to measure percent of Reading's waste stream that is
recycled and percent of households that recycle. 2) Anne: think about where we are now; what
is our current rate of recycling participation. (Anne will use Ruth Clay's files.) 3) Jean: how can
we get information on why people do or do not recycle, reduce, reuse? 4) Carol and Jackie:
think about an educational campaign. 5) Kay: How could we give feedback to residents, how
provide incentives?
Lynda reported that if we want college interns to help us in our 1997 educational campaign, we
might have to pay $6-10/ hour for an intern's help.
SWAC members agreed to an extra meeting to continue discussion of goals and plans.
Bids for hauling, disposal, and recycling. Ted McIntire reported that bids open on September
25`h at 2:00. There will probably be no decision made on these bids before SWAC's October
meeting.
Reports and Comments: One quarter pound of batteries were collected (a figure which includes
last month's collection). There is now a bucket at the police station for collection of NiCd
batteries. Reading residents can dispose of batteries there, though this has not yet been publicized
to the community. Jackie will write an article for the Reading Notes about NiCd battery
collection.
Carol will follow up with Bruce MacDonald on getting recycling info. on Reading's Web page.
Jackie will continue follow-up on Reading's Buy Recycled policy. (DPW uses used oil from oil
collection and from DPW trucks to heat the DPW facility.) Carol suggested that we consider
some sort of interactive Internet access, where residents could click on something, could give
feedback to us.
Ted will apply for an educational grant.
Bob passed out items to be reviewed for the library circulation box.
- Ted reported that David Lee from DPW went to a Sept. 11'' videoconference on cost accounting
for user fees.
Old business: East West Foundation has not yet sent out letters to donors. Jean will write a
brief article for Reading Notes asking people to call East West directly about this.
Trash regulations need to be revised. Kay has not yet had a chance to look at this.
We would like to find out what happens to our recyclables after they are picked up from our bins.
How do we get this information?
New business: Anne has been asked to speak November 21' at the Wilmington Women's Club.
Jean volunteered to join Anne in this endeavor.
Carol reported that there are recycling bins at Logan Airport and in Toronto hotel rooms. (And
in the Toronto hotel bathrooms, there are notes asking people to use their towels a second day.)
Kay floated the idea of adding a drop-off site for recycling.
The next meeting is scheduled for Monday, September 30`t'. Lynda moved and Anne seconded
that the meeting be adjourned. The decision was unanimous. The meeting was adjourned at 9:10
p.m.
Submitted by Jean Krogh