DATE: January 10, 2001

TO: District Policy Committee Members

FROM: Jeffrey W. Aluotto, Solid Waste Manager
Cory R. Chadwick, Director

I. Introduction/Opening Comments

NOTICE OF CHANGE: This memo is for the meeting to be held on January 18, 2001. This meeting will be held at 2:00 p.m. in the conference room of the Hamilton County Department of Environmental Services, 250 William Howard Taft.

II. Clerk's Report/Additions to the Agenda
A. Approval of Minutes - December 7, 2000
Minutes from the December 7, 2000 Policy Committee Meeting are included as Attachment A for the Policy Committee's review and approval.

B. Additions to the Agenda
Please contact Susan Schumacher at 946-7734 if you have items to add to the agenda.

III. Finance Subcommittee Report
A. Finance Subcommittee Briefings for January 18, 2001
Mr. Graham will provide a brief report regarding the items discussed and reviewed at the Finance Subcommittee meeting of January 18, 2001

B. Recommendation Regarding District Disbursements - SWR 01/2001
The Finance Subcommittee reviewed the expenditures at their meeting held prior to this meeting.

STAFF RECOMMENDATION: With any alterations or corrections noted by the Finance Subcommittee members or Policy Committee members, the Staff recommends approval of SWR 01/2001.

IV. Policy Items
A. RRI Grant Program
During the last meeting of the District Policy Committee, Committee members approved two changes to the RRI Grant program. The first dealt with implementation of the Community Assistance Fund program, the second with administration of the Reduction Assistance Grants. The Policy Committee had tabled two policy items relating to administration of the RRI pending further staff investigation. These issues are as follows:

Issue 1: The District has received questions from organizations inquiring about potential funding of projects which have been funded in the past. In other words, the District is being asked if Reduction Assistance Funds may be used to cover the operation of on-going, previously funded innovative recycling projects. The Plan specifically states that Reduction Assistance Grants are for one time projects only. However, operation of certain programs may prove beneficial to the District and the residents of Hamilton County.

Because the Plan specifically states that these funds are to be used to fund projects on a one-time basis, staff contacted OEPA to determine the degree of latitude the District has in implementing the Reduction Assistance Grant program. OEPA Staff informed the District that as long as the dollar amount remains consistent with the Plan, the District has the freedom to choose how it administers the program. In other words, as long as the RRI Grant program remains funded at $1,050,000 (or at a level consistent with the Plan under various revenue scenarios), the District has the flexibility to determine how and to whom the funds are dispersed.

Staff Recommendation: District Staff recommends that project operation or continuation costs be eligible for funding under the Reduction Assistance Grant program. Beginning in 2001, however, programs which may require multiple year funding must indicate this fact on the Reduction Assistance Grant application.

Issue 2: At the last meeting of the District Policy Committee, Staff had recommended a change to the RRI program to allow funds to be used toward waste reduction activities. The Staff Report included as Attachment B details a summary of the current RRI program, a description of the proposed change, reasons for the proposed changed, and how the District will track results of projects submitted as a result of the change.

Staff Recommendation: District Staff recommends that waste prevention projects, due to their preferability in the waste management hierarchy, be deemed allowable expenditures for RRI rebate funds. Staff will formalize procedures for the acceptance and tracking of individual waste reduction projects.

• HB 540

• Position Paper HB 540 Version

• Recycling Subcommittee

At the last meeting of the District Policy Committee, staff gave a summary report to the Committee detailing the recommendations of the District's Recycling Subcommittee. One of the Subcommittee's recommendations was for the District to offer more assistance to political subdivisions in contracting cost-effectively for curbside recycling services. District staff, in 2001, will begin writing a guidance manual for political subdivisions seeking to improve their curbside recycling programs (either from a cost standpoint or a diversion standpoint). At its last meeting, the Policy Committee discussed the role revenue sharing could play in community curbside programs. Dr. O'Reilly has since submitted the motion included as Attachment D aimed at assisting communities wishing to investigate revenue sharing for their own programs.

V. Informational Items
A. Nu-Blend Presentation
A representative from Nu-BLEND Paints, Inc will be on hand to give the Policy Committee a status report on their operations. Nu-BLEND Paints, Inc received Reduction Assistance Grant funds in the amount of $47,000 in the year 2000. Nu-BLEND Paints, Inc (formerly of Keep Cincinnati Beautiful) operates a re-blending program for latex paint in Southwestern Ohio. The program diverts approximately 80,000 pounds of latex paint, per year, from area landfills. In addition to offering this service to County residents, Nu-BLEND was also responsible for recycling 30,000 pounds of latex paint at the District's HHM Collection event in 2000 - saving the District approximately $10,000.

B. Recycle Ohio Grant Funds
The District applied for, and received, its annual Recycle Ohio Grant funds allocated by ODNR. The District applies for these funds for communities (population less than 50,000) in Hamilton County to implement recycling or litter prevention activities. The District received $136,560 for 2001. Of particular note is that the District, for the first time, applied for funds to clean up an open dump in Hamilton County. The District will be partnering with Whitewater Township, which has agreed to pay the matching funds required by the grant, to clean up an open dump on Valley Junction Road. If successful, this clean up will serve as a model for future partnerships between the District and political subdivisions in abating open dumps. A listing of 2001 Recycle Ohio Grantees is included as Attachment E.

• Yardwaste Drop-off Sites

District Staff will be exercising the one year extension option for the three yard waste drop-off sites contained in Hamilton County. The sites will open in 2001 on March 31.

VI. Tentative Future Agenda Items

VII. Policy Committee Members' Comments

VIII. Public Comments

IX. Upcoming District Meetings
The date and time of the next regularly scheduled Policy Committee meeting will be Thursday, March 8, 2001, at 2:00 pm at the Hamilton County Department of Environmental Services, 250 William Howard Taft Road, Cincinnati, Ohio 45219.