HAMILTON COUNTY ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES -
SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT DISTRICT
MANAGER'S MEMORANDUM

DATE:            January 9, 2008

TO:                 District Policy Committee Members

FROM:           Holly Christmann, Solid Waste Manager

Cory R. Chadwick, Director

  I.    Introduction/Opening Comments

NOTICE: This memo is for the meeting to be held on January 17, 2008. The meeting will begin at 9:30 am at Hamilton County Environmental Services located at 250 William Howard Taft, Cincinnati, Ohio 45219.

Policy Committee Information (Agendas, Manager=s Memos, Minutes, etc. ) are available on the District=s Website at www.hamiltoncountyrecycles.org.

II.     Clerk's Report/Additions to the Agenda

         A.    Approval of Minutes – Minutes from the November 15, 2007 Policy Committee meeting are included as Attachment A.

B.     Additions to the Agenda

Please contact Susan Schumacher at 513-946-7734 or susan.schumacher@hamilton-co.org if you have items to add to the agenda.

III.     District Revenue Updates/Analysis

Updates will be provided on current revenue receipts and comparisons with prior years, as included in Attachment B.  

IV.     Policy Items

A.        Recycle Bank and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources’ Community Development Grant

        RecycleBank is an incentive-based recycling program where residents receive coupons based on the amount of material they recycle.  Participating residents receive a wheeled cart that is bar-coded.  When the recyclables are picked up, the material is weighed and translated into RecycleBank reward dollars.  Individual accounts can be accessed through the RecycleBank website or by phone.  The website shows users how much they recycled and how many reward points they have earned.  From here, users can redeem their rewards with 400 retail partners that participate in this program. 

Because RecycleBank is not a hauler, they work with recycling haulers to implement the program.  Recycling trucks are equipped with scales.  Recycling carts are equipped with radio frequency identification tags.  This program only works with carts and single-stream recycling programs.  A representative from RecycleBank will provide an overview of the program.

In partnership with RecycleBank and Rumpke, the District is interested in facilitating a two-year pilot project in the City of Montgomery.  The City of Montgomery was chosen because residents are accustomed to using wheeled garbage carts and the number of households in Montgomery makes the pilot manageable.  To facilitate the program, it is recommended that the District submit a grant application to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Community Development Grant to offset some of the costs.  Listed below is a breakdown of the costs to implement the RecycleBank program: 

 If approved, the District’s portion of the pilot project would come from the carry-over balance which is currently $2.9 million (approximately one year operating).

Staff Recommendation: Staff recommends approval to apply for the ONDR – Community Development Grant and provide up to $76,168 from the District’s carry-over balance  for the RecycleBank pilot project. 

 B.        Action Plan and 2008 District Workplan

As a result of the Strategic Planning process, the Policy Committee identified the five following priorities:

·        The scope of the Policy Committee is clearly defined

·        Assure that the Solid Waste Management District is protective of the environment, health and safety

·        Provide policy leadership aligned with the Districts’ vision

·        Promote zero waste

·        Engage the community

Management Partners, Inc. developed an action plan based on these priorities that is included as Attachment C.  For the committee’s information, a comprehensive workplan for 2008 is included as Attachment D.  This is a more detailed view of the District’s programs including goals and milestones.  Items listed in the action plan are also included in the workplan.

Staff Recommendation: Staff recommends approving the action plan.

 C.        Approval for District Priority Grants

Each year, the Policy Committee approves the District Priority Grant awards.  In an effort to expedite the process, staff is recommending the Policy Committee approve grants that are greater than $15,000.  This would reduce the timeline by approximately two months for smaller grants. Staff will inform the Policy Committee of the approved grant applications that are less than $15,000.

  Staff Recommendation:  Staff recommends the Policy Committee only   approve District Priority grant requests that are greater than $15,000.

 D.    Wood Utilization Update

The Emerald Ash Borer taskforce is preparing a grant application to the US Department of Agriculture for the purpose of developing and further refining the wood utilization project that was discussed at the November Policy Committee meeting.  Specifically, this grant will fund a contractor to create the infrastructure that will support all aspects of diverting urban timber into a higher use.  This includes developing the mechanisms and relationships to secure and extract saw logs, process the saw logs into high value lumber products, and develop a broad range of end markets.

V.     Information/Discussion Items

A.              Policy Committee – Generator Representative

The District is soliciting applications for the Generator Representative of the Policy Committee.  Mr. DiPuccio’s last day as the Generator Representative of the District’s Policy Committee will be the March 20th Committee meeting.  District staff is in the process of soliciting a new generator representative member.  A recommendation for the generator representative will be presented at the March Policy Committee meeting.

B.              Creative Outdoor Advertising

The Policy Committee requested staff receive a prosecutor’s opinion to determine if the District is required to issue a Request for Bids for a public recycling program, such as Creative Outdoor Advertising, when there is no cost associated with the service.  Staff received the opinion which stated that a Request for Bids is not required; however, as directed by the Policy Committee, staff will develop an Expression of Interest to determine if there are other potential vendors that can operate a similar public recycling program.  Staff worked with Hamilton County Purchasing to develop a draft Expression of Interest which is currently being reviewed by the Prosecutor’s Office. 

C.              Solid Waste District in the News

Included as Attachment E is a spreadsheet outlining media coverage received in 2007 about District programs and recycling.  Through television alone, the District received over $15,000 of non-paid advertising.

D.             Stark-Tuscarawas-Wayne Court Decision

In its Solid Waste Plan Update, the Stark-Tuscarawas-Wayne Solid Waste District enacted a rule where other Ohio counties would be permitted to ship waste to the landfills in Stark, Wayne and Tuscarawas counties only if they equal or surpass the three counties’ recycling rate.  The National Solid Waste Management Association filed a lawsuit against the proposed rule.  On December 18, the Stark County Common Pleas Court ruled that the rule adopted by the solid waste district is valid and the district is within its rights to reject waste from other counties if the shipping counties recycle less than Stark, Tuscarawas and Wayne counties.  The rule will take effect June 1, 2009. 

VI.          Tentative Future Agenda Items

VII.        Policy Committee Members' Comments    

VIII.       Public Comments

 IX.         Upcoming District Meetings

The next Policy Committee meeting is scheduled for March 20, 2008. This meeting will be held at Hamilton County Environmental Services, 250 William Howard Taft Road, Cincinnati, Ohio 45219 at 9:30 am.

 X.          Adjournment (Target Time: 11:00 am)