BWRC Minutes November 1 2018Beverly Waste Reduction Committee
Meeting Minutes — November 1, 2018
Beverly Waste Reduction Committee
MINUTES: Monthly Meeting, Thursday, November 1, 2018
6:00 PM. Beverlv Citv Hall. Conference Room A
CALL TO ORDER: 6:00 pm
COMMITTEE MEMBERS PRESENT: Chair - Susan Higgins, Sandy Burgess, Nancy Dillon,
Rebecca Dupont - Coutu, Joyce Herman, Toni Musante
COMMITTEE MEMBERS ABSENT: None
INVITED PARTICIPANTS AND GUESTS: John Swain, Mary Barthelmes
APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Minutes of the October 2018 meeting were presented for approval.
Dupont - Coutu moved to approve the minutes. Burgess seconded the motion. The motion
carried (6 -0).
Treasurer's Report
Burgess reported that the account balance is $28,747.88. The previous discrepancy has been
corrected by the City. There are no outstanding payments in process, with the exception of the
funds approved at the October meeting for the pending purchase of reusable bags. Burgess asked
if we can change the name on our account (Beverly Recycles) to reflect the current committee
name (Waste Reduction Committee). Higgins said she will make that request.
Update on City's Two Barrel Program
Detailed discussion tabled to a future meeting. Higgins will invite Kevin Harutunian to address
the topic.
The Committee discussed its interest in the City using RDP grant funding to engage an
education /enforcement person. There is interest in the City holding JRM accountable for
following contract requirements, including not mixing yard waste with trash and following the
two - barrel /one blue bag limit. Committee members noted observing instances of excess waste
set out for collection, and leaves collected and comingled with trash. JRM appears to be
inconsistent in how it implements the Beverly program. A City education /enforcement person
could help identify problem areas and pursue solutions. Dupont - Coutu commented that JRM
should be conducting the educational outreach portion of its contract; the Committee discussed
the need for the City to enforce this.
Bring Your Own Bag Implementation
Hermon advised the Committee that there will be a community meeting on Thursday, November
29 at the Senior Center to discuss the plastic bag ordinance that takes effect on January 1, 2019.
We have not yet been advised of the time for the meeting. The reusable bags that our Committee
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Meeting Minutes — November 1, 2018
funded will be available for distribution at the meeting. The Committee will have a table at the
meeting with composting and recycling literature and will bring a few recycling bins to sell. The
RecycleSmart flyer provided by MADEP, which shows what can /can't be recycled, was
identified as a great educational tool. The Committee discussed asking if the City could print
some color copies for us, and individually we agreed that we would each bring a handful of color
copies to the meeting to avoid the high cost of color printing at Staples. The Committee also
discussed sharing this information on social media.
Higgins showed an example of the reusable bags that the City plans to order, and provided
information shared by the City regarding where the bags are being printed and the recyclable
content (100% recyclable non -woven material). The bags will be picked up (Lawrence, MA) so
there will be no shipping costs. The City provided two potential imprints for our consideration;
both show the City seal and acknowledge the City and the Waste Reduction Committee. A web
address ( www.beverlyma.gov /trash - recycling will be added to the imprint. The Committee
discussed and selected a preferred design; Higgins will pass along the Committee's preference.
Spring 2019 Electronics Collection
Higgins asked if anyone is interested in taking the lead to organize this event. The Committee
agreed that we will organize and plan this event collaboratively through Committee meetings.
Higgins will reach out to Charlie Perlo to obtain additional information about the timing and
other logistics used to plan past events. The Committee agreed to keep the event on the first
Saturday of May if this date is available for the high school and the vendor.
Curbside Composting Program
Following a discussion with Conor Miller of Black Earth we are implementing a new approach
to distribute curbside compost bins. The City has requested that we track the delivery of bins by
household address. To limit the administrative burden on Black Earth associated with this
requirement and specifically to keep program costs low, the Committee will take responsibility
for distributing the bins. This will also reduce the Committee's burden of delivering bins from
storage to Black Earth's facility in Manchester. We discussed whether the City could distribute
the bins through the Engineering Department; Dupont -Coutu reminded the Committee that since
it's a subscription program and not offered directly through the City there could be issues with
the City taking responsibility.
Black Earth will send an automated notification of each new registrant to our Committee via
email ( beverlycurbsidecompost (cr��,gmail.com and will advise each new registrant to contact this
email address to arrange for getting a bin. Higgins agreed to keep a small number of bins at her
house and check the email once daily. Bins will be marked with an address, logged in an Excel
spreadsheet, and set out on the porch for the participant to pick up. This should be considered a
temporary approach subject to future review and evaluation for effectiveness.
The Committee had a discussion about increasing efforts to promote the curbside composting
program. Dillon suggested using the electronics collection event as a forum to promote the
program and recommended having a volunteer dedicated to this task during that event. Mary
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Meeting Minutes — November 1, 2018
Barthelmes will assist us in ramping up the use of social media to promote the composting
program and advance other educational efforts.
Continued Discussion of Committee Activities, Programs and Priorities
Due to time constraints, detailed discussion of this topic was tabled to a future meeting; it was
agreed that we need a future meeting dedicated to this topic. Public event recycling is of high
interest to the Committee. Dupont -Coutu reported that she researched if the Committee had past
records and documents to build from, but did not find information. She will assist with
researching new information pertaining to this topic. Councilor Rand has indicated interest in
working with us on this topic. A second topic of high interest to the Committee is a mandatory
recycling ordinance that applies to commercial establishments, apartments and condominiums
not already covered by the existing ordinance.
Other Business and Updates
There has been no action by the Mayor's office on additional appointments to the Committee.
John Swain will follow -up with the Mayor regarding his letter of interest.
The Committee discussed the meeting schedule for 2019. There is interest in continuing to hold
meetings on the first Thursday of the month at 6:00 PM at City Hall, Conference Room A. July
and August meetings will need to be held on alternate dates due to the July 4th holiday and
Beverly Homecoming. Higgins will reach out to Wes Slate to check the availability of a meeting
room for 2019 meeting dates.
Adjournment
There being no further discussion this evening, the meeting was adjourned at 7:08 p.m.
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