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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes Clean City Advisory Committee - 09/04/2008 Clean City Advisory Committee Minutes of September 4,2008 Meeting Meetingopened at 3:00p.m. in the 6th Floor Conference Room, CityHa if �???QQ8 p 07 The following members were present: FE w • v Daiquiri Richard �r�, �.cb Mikell Smith ti Paul Anthony Castorena ��� Brian Cornelius Brenda Cuvelier Paige Dinn John Elford The following members were absent: Patricia Garcia Joan Veith The following ex-officio member was present: Yvonne Haag The following City staff were present: Paul Bass Cara Myers Robert Quiroz Daiquiri introduced this Committee's newest member,Brenda Cuvelier,retired educator. All others in attendance introduced themselves. Public comment: Chris Swanson discussed e-waste recycling and programs to remove unused pharmaceuticals from the waste stream. Daiquiri stated that efforts are already underway for an e-waste collection facility, and that an e-waste recycling event, Texas Recycles Day, is planned for November 15, 2008. Regular business: Minutes of July 31, 2008 and August 7, 2008 meetings were approved. Daiquiri Richard stated that purpose of the meeting is to continue the education process needed for the committee to move forward in its mission,prior to establishing sub-committees. Paul Bass distributed and discussed statistics, categorized by services provided, for the Solid Waste Services Department operations within a year. The data is collected through the City's Call Center, and includes waste collection complaints, corresponding average department response times, and standard department services. There was some discussion on the recycling services survey posted on the City website. NN SCEDA Daiquiri Richard reiterated the Committee's decision to move forward with the Keep America Beautiful (KAB) certification. Anthony and Mikell distributed handouts on the associated KAB fees and certification process. Daiquiri stated that efforts were already underway to fund linking with an organization such as KAB. She recommended additional discussion of KAB and this Committee's focus at next meeting. There was discussion regarding the KAB application status, and the requirement to have a board. John Elford made a motion to move forward with the KAB application and certification, seconded by Paige Dinn. Motion was approved. Daiquiri stated that City would report back to committee on status of application. There was a discussion among Anthony Castorena, Mikell Smith, and Daiquiri Richard regarding the establishment of subcommittees. Anthony and Brian Cornelius conversed on the subject of school recycling programs, and expanding the recycling program for CCISD. Rick Carpenter, owner of Dolphin Recycling and recycling contractor for the City, gave an overview of Dolphin's business operations. He addressed the concern about glass recycling, citing safety risks and the associated high costs, including freight and equipment maintenance. Rick discussed many aspects of implementing a single-stream recycling program, and the processing and sorting technology required, drawing on comparisons to San Antonio's new single stream recycling program. Rick provided information regarding the recycling commodity markets. He reported that much of the paper is shipped to mills in Mexico and Louisiana. Plastics are usually shipped to Hong Kong, Indonesia, or stateside to Georgia and Alabama. Recycled plastic is commonly used to manufacture high quality stain-resistant carpets. The methods of transportation, including truck, rail, and marine shipping were discussed. Director of Neighborhood Services Yvonne Haag gave a presentation of that department's many programs and services. Robert Quiroz, Zoning & Code Enforcement Administrator of Neighborhood Services, distributed and reviewed the 2007-2008 Fiscal Year Neighborhood Services Solid Waste Report. Yvonne and Robert provided information during Committee discussion of enforcement tools and procedures as well as the Neighborhood Initiative Program, which has to date revitalized 23 neighborhoods. Yvonne encouraged use of the City's call center and stated that all information presented today is also available via the City's website. There was a discussion on the collection of fees and fines from property owners, and the legal process that occurs subsequent to issuing citations for solid waste code violations. Yvonne explained the sizable workload the compliance officers face every day in investigating reported code violations, and following up on past violations as required. Paul Bass stated that the next committee meeting will be held on Thursday, October 2nd, at 3:00 p.m., with a change in location to the 1st floor Staff Conference Room adjacent to Council chambers. Meeting adjourned at 5:01 p.m. PB/cm