BWRC Minutes April 2 2018Beverly Waste Reduction Committee
Meeting Minutes —April 2, 2018
Beverly Waste Reduction Committee
MINUTES: Monthly meeting, Monday, April 2, 2018
6:00 PM, Beverly City Hall, Conference Room B
CALL TO ORDER: 6:05 pm COMMITTEE
MEMBERS PRESENT: Sandy Burgess, Nancy Dillon, Rebecca Dupont - Coutu, Toni Musante,
Joyce Herman, Susan Higgins
COMMITTEE MEMBERS ABSENT: None
INVITED PARTICIPANTS: Kerin Cotter — Engineering Department
RECORDER: Eileen Sacco
Higgins reported that Eileen Sacco will be taking the minutes of the Beverly Waste Reduction
Committee meetings starting this evening. She informed the group that Mrs. Sacco has worked
with the Committee in the past and is very familiar with their work.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES — The minutes of the BWRC Meeting held on March 2018 were
presented for approval. Musante moved to approve the minutes of the March 2018 meeting.
Dupont - Coutu seconds the motion. The motion carries (6 -0).
Committee Organization and Business: Transition Activities
Meeting With City Clerk Wes Slate
Higgins reports that she met with City Clerk Wes Slate. She reports that they reviewed the Open
Meeting Law, Minutes, and Vacancies on the Committee.
Higgins explained that all meetings of the BWRC are open meetings and are required to be
posted with the City Clerk 48 hours before the meeting, not including Saturday and Sunday.
Meeting notices should be sent to Wes Slate and he will post them. She also explained that the
minutes of the meetings should be approved by the Committee and sent to the City Clerk as well.
Higgins reported that as of today, Sandy Burgess is up for reappointment to the BWRC and there
are other vacancies on the Committee. She notes that Slate recommended reaching out to Mayor
Cahill regarding the vacancies so that he can make appointments and send them to the City
Council for approval.
Dupont - Coutu addressed the Committee and reported that she intends to submit her resignation
from the BWRC noting her busy schedule and the changing role of the BWRC. Higgins offered
to meet with her if she would like to discuss this further.
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Beverly Waste Reduction Committee
Meeting Minutes —April 2, 2018
Committee Member Roles
Higgins reports that she talked to former member Charlie Perlo about finances and he
recommends that the BWRC elect a treasurer. She notes that the he explained the process to
access the funds that the Committee has through the engineering department.
Kerin Cotter explains that she has access to the MUNIS system and can help with that. She also
notes that she has some ideas to update the BWRC web page and she can help with the
management of that as well.
Higgin states that she would like to see more visibility and consistency for the Committee.
Dillon states that she would like to see the Committee utilize Facebook more as well noting that
it is a good way to reach out to the residents and community.
Update on City Roll Out of New Trash Program
Higgins, Burgess and Herman attended the first sustainability meeting held by the City. Herman
reports that there were a few people interested in the changes. She also reported that there are
more meetings scheduled and suggested that members attend if possible. She notes that there
will be a meeting held in the Council Chambers on April 12 and it will be video taped by
Bevcam and will be televised as well.
Funding Request from City for Purchase of Reusable Bags
Higgins reported that the BWRC has received a request from Mayor Cahill to consider funding
the purchase of some reusable bags for the Bring Your Own Bag initiative that the City is
promoting as part of the effort to ban plastic bags in the City. She notes that they would either
be provided or sold to residents. She explains that the City could not identify any funding in he
City budget and they are trying to stay away from soliciting businesses so as to not show
favoritism by including logos and names of businesses on the bags. She noted that $3,000 would
fund 2,500 bags. She further notes that they are in the process of developing a plan for
distribution and the possibility of giving them away to the elderly etc.
Dupont -Couto questions if there will be matching funding. She also questions what the City will
do with the money if they sell them.
Higgins reports that Perlo suggested that if the BWRC does fund the bags that a line be printed
on them indicating that the BWRC is the sponsor.
Dupont -Coutu reported that the arts program was making bags out of T -Shirts as part of a teen
program and she would check to see if there is any funding left.
Higgins reported that Kevin Harutunian, Mayor Cahill's Chief of Staff will be attending the next
meeting to discuss this with the Committee.
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Meeting Minutes —April 2, 2018
Discussion on Committee Involvement with Public Event Recycling
Higgins suggests that the Committee reach out to Estelle Rand and Main Street regarding
recycling at their events. She notes that Charlie Perlo will be more involved in the Council on
Aging and would be a liaison. She notes that if Homecoming made it part of their event it would
be more organized. She also notes that Mains Streets events such as Arts Fest, Block Parties and
the planned Rantoul Street Party on May 6' should be managing their recycling as well. She
notes that in the past BWRC has paid for Change is Simple to recycle these events.
Musante suggests that Main Streets Director Gin Wallace be invited to the next meeting to
discuss recycling options.
Higgins suggests that the Committee could continue to provide volunteers to help with recycling
cups if people are available.
Higgins also states that recycling and composting at these events should continue but it should
come from the Mayor to Main Streets.
Higgins states that the City needs a policy on recycling for public events that organizers would
have to adhere to.
Other Program and Event Updates
Electronics Collection May 5, 2018 at Beverly High School
Higgins reported that Perlo has the event all planned, and volunteers are needed.
Bring Your Own Bag Initiative
There will be a presentation on the Bring Your Own Bag Initiative at the meeting on May 3,
2018.
Black Earth Composting
Higgins reported that Black Earth is looking for a site and notes that the old parking lot at
Cooney Field has been mentioned. Cotter will look into it and notes that the location in the Cove
did not work out well. She will check with Black Earth.
Household Hazardous Waste Collection
Higgins reported that the Household Hazardous Waste Collection held by the Health Department
was a success noting that there were 200 cars and it was very well organized.
Higgins also reported that she attended the Salem Book Swap as a volunteer and it was fantastic.
She notes that she went the night before to help set it up and again on Saturday and it was well
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Meeting Minutes —April 2, 2018
attended. She notes that they had a lot of great books and although it is a lot of work it is
something to consider.
Beverly High School Internship Program
Higgins reported that it is too late in the school year to get an intern for this year. She reports
that the Committee will reach out to the School Department next year.
UMass Graduate Student Research Project
Higgins reported that there is a UMass Graduate Student that is doing a research project on
Business and Restaurant Composting and she will be working with Rob Dever.
Long Range Planning and Priorities
Higgins states that she would like to create a draft of long range plans and priorities for the
BWRC and to look at long range events and she would like to see them align with the City.
Adjournment
There being no further business of the BWRC this evening, Musante moved to adjourn the
meeting. Burgess seconds the motion. The motion carried (6 -0)
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