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

Addendum

DATE: February 28, 2001

TO: District Policy Committee Members

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

I. Introduction/Opening Comments

NOTICE: This memo is for the meeting to be held on March 8 , 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 - January 18, 2001
Minutes from the January 18, 2001 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 February 8 and March 8, 2001
Mr. Graham will provide a brief report regarding the items discussed and reviewed at the Finance Subcommittee meetings of February 8 and March 8, 2001

B. Recommendation Regarding District Disbursements - SWR 02/2001
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 02/2001.

IV. Policy Items
There are no significant policy items which require voting at this time. The first part of this meeting will be devoted to hearing presentations from two of the District's non-profit partners in the Residential Reduction Assistance Grant Program. Both of these organizations were provided grant funding from the District in 2000. These presentations will provide the Policy Committee with an update on their progress.

A. Presentation from Civic Garden Center
Project - Compost Demonstration Site
Grant Funds Allotted - $30,000

Presentation from IMAGO
Project - Public Place Recycling Project/Environmental Neighborhood
Grant Funds Allotted - $18,380
Please see each organization's initial grant application and documents included as Attachment B.

V. Informational Items

A. Computer Recycling Event
The District, in response to significant demand by County residents and businesses, will be holding its first ever computer recycling event on June 29 and 30, 2001. The event will be designed to allow residents and businesses a cost-effective means of handling old computers while diverting these materials from traditional landfill disposal. The 29^th will be devoted to pre-registered businesses while the 30^th will be devoted to resident drop-off.

Computer and electronic waste is quickly becoming a significant waste management issue across the country. The State of Massachusetts has even gone so far as to ban Cathode Ray Tubes (including computer monitors) from landfill. While it is not likely that Ohio will pursue such a course, it is possible that under the next State Plan revisions, Solid Waste Districts will be required to implement strategies dealing with electronic waste. The District views this collection event as a good first step in the establishment of such a program.

While the District will be paying for advertising of this event, the actual management of the waste will be at no cost. The District's contractor will paying for transportation and management of the computer materials. The contractor will be providing the District with certificates of recycling for all materials collected.

The District will also be working with several non-profit organizations which currently accept computers for reuse. These organizations will be able claim functional computers from the District's event to go toward reuse applications.

B. Multi-Family Recycling
Currently, most Hamilton County homeowners have access to recycling. Unfortunately, this is not the case for most multi-family dwellings. To begin the process of remedying this problem, the District will be initiating a multi-family recycling pilot project to begin in April, 2001. The goal of the program will be to increase recycling rates in an area where little recycling service is currently available.

Mixed paper will be recycled in this program. Mixed paper consists of: cardboard, telephone books, magazines, newspapers, paperboard (cereal boxes, beverages cases, etc.), junk mail, etc. The program will only recycle mixed paper due to the fact that paper constitutes over 30% of the waste stream and Rumpke Recycling has special containers to reduce garbage from contaminating the recyclables. A major problem with many multi-family recycling programs is the degree of contamination which occurs in the recycling receptacles. By keeping the program as simple as possible the District hopes to limit this problem. In addition, with space being a significant concern with many apartment owners, it was decided to focus on one material stream.

The District will fund up to10 multi-family complexes' recycling collection for one year. Additionally, the District will fund all outreach and education which includes, but is not limited to: brochures, signage, and posters. Furthermore, the District will monitor the success of the program through the following methods: examining the recycling containers prior to pick up to determine the level of contamination, tracking tonnages recycled, surveying/communicating with residents to determine any improvements that could be made, and monitoring relative waste volumes before and after program implementation. The District will also distribute a hotline phone number for any resident that has questions, comments, or complaints.

Participating multi-family owners will be required to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the District that states that the owner will fund the program for two years after the pilot project. The District will remain available for technical consultation during this time.

• Yardwaste Drop-off Sites

The District's Yardwaste Drop-off sites will be opening on March 31.

• Legislative Issues

The District has received feedback from two state representatives regarding the HB 540 Resolution passed at the January meeting. An update on this feedback will be given at the meeting. In addition, a representative from the County Commissioners Association of Ohio recently briefed the District on other upcoming legislative issues at the state level. This update will also be provided at the March 8^th meeting.

• Alliance For Chemical Safety Household Hazardous Waste Proposal

The District recently met with a representative from the Alliance for Chemical Safety who wished to explore the potential for expanding the household hazardous waste programming offered in Southwestern Ohio. The ACS recently approved a motion to form a study committee to examine the prospects of conducting permanent collection operations in Southwestern Ohio. The District is currently working with the ACS on researching this issue.

The District will be proceeding this summer with the clean-up of an open dump in Whitewater Township. As reported last meeting, Whitewater Township has provided the matching funds for this clean-up which will be funded with ODNR Recycle Ohio Grant Funds.

The District is proceeding with the compilation of its guide to residential contacts for illegal dumping complaints. As opposed to a printed publication, the District will be working to include this information as a "Litter and Dumping Clearinghouse" section of its web page. This section of the web page will include community contact information for illegal dumps, information about community clean-ups, grant information, links to other litter prevention organizations, and information for local officials on ordinances and regulations regarding litter and illegal dumping.

• C.A.R.E. Awards

In response to suggestions from the Recycling Subcommittee, and as reported in the committee summary at the December 7, 2000 Policy Committee meeting, the District will be implementing a recycling awards program for Hamilton County political subdivisions in the Fall of 2001. The goal of the program will be to annually recognize some of the outstanding community recycling, composting and waste reduction programs going on in the District. The program will be called C.A.R.E (Communities Achieving Recycling Excellence) and will be designed to re-foster some of the excitement and pride surrounding recycling programs which has faded somewhat since the late 80's - early 90's. Since the District initially notified communities of this pending program, staff has received numerous phone calls supporting the idea and asking questions about implementation.

Staff is currently developing guidelines for judging award applications. A meeting is planned for the end of March to discuss this idea with community representatives and to gain their input on program guidelines and criteria. District staff would like to announce the first round of awards in November of 2001. The program is planned to cost $5,000. This level of commitment can be easily integrated into the District's current budget.

Winning communities will receive a choice of awards, all which will be suitable for public display/use and which will recognize the achievement of that community. The District will also highlight winning communities on its website and attempt to promote them through media coverage as well.

VI. Tentative Future Agenda Items

VII. Policy Committee Members' Comments

IX. Upcoming District Meetings
The date and time of the next regularly scheduled Policy Committee meeting will be Thursday, May 10, 2001, at 2:00 pm at the Hamilton County Department of Environmental Services, 250 William Howard Taft Road, Cincinnati, Ohio 45219.

X. Adjournment (Target Time: 3:30 p.m.)

Addendum to March 8, 2001 Manager's Memo and Agenda
Hamilton County Solid Waste Management District
District Policy Committee Meeting of March 8, 2001
Policy Item
Computer Recycling Event

STAFF RECOMMENDATION: In accordance with the presentation and information provided during the meeting of March 8, 2001, and as a means of developing a strategy for a problematic waste stream, District staff recommends that the Policy Committee approve the implementation of a computer recycling event to be held during the Summer of 2001 for County residents and businesses.

Following the event, District staff will report back to the Policy Committee with program data and a recommendation for a sustainable strategy capable of satisfying future OEPA requirements regarding this waste stream.

Informational Items

Materials Study
In an effort to develop alternatives for increasing the rate of materials recycling occurring in the District, staff will be seeking assistance from a consultant to assist with the identification of commercial and/or industrial waste streams which, although currently being landfilled, could be recycled or reused in another application.

The consultant will be responsible for reviewing county wide industrial/commercial classification data as well as waste stream data the District has on file. The consultant will then be responsible for assisting the District's Business Specialist in developing specific alternatives for waste reduction projects with various industrial sectors. District Staff will report back to the Policy Committee with any proposed program alternatives for their review.

 Building/Buy Recycled Activities
District Staff is currently working with the County's Public Works and Facilities Departments to discuss and develop a methodology for including recycled content materials in County maintenance and capital improvement projects. District Staff is also planning on approaching organizations responsible for regional projects to offer the District's assistance in including green building ideas in those projects as well.