211202_BWRC Minutes CITY OF BEVERLY
WASTE REDUCTION COMMITTEE
Meeting Minutes
Thursday, December 2, 2021 at 6:30 PM
Beverly Public Library, Sohier Room
Call to order: 6:30 p.m.
Committee members present: Susan Higgins (Chair), Sandy Burgess, Nancy Dillon, Joyce
Herman, John Swain, Lisa Willwerth
Committee members absent: Toni Musante
Invited participants and guests: Amy Henderson, Joscelyn Ruelle-Kersker
Review minutes for November 4, 2021 meeting
Dillon provided edits, and moved to approve November minutes as amended; Burgess seconded.
Motion carried (4-0).
Debrief—Pumpkin Smash (11/7/2021)
a. Overview: lot of fun, great day, very successful event and over 350 people attended.
Possibly increase parking for next year.
b. Discuss WRC display for future events: Higgins circulated photo of New Entry Farm's
table with runner(attached). Henderson to reach out to New Entry to ask where they
bought it and the costs;Ruelle-Kersker to inquire whether BWRC can create its own logo
incorporating the City's logo, or should use the City's logo.
c. Develop guidance for zero waste events: would be best practices for reducing waste at
events or hosting a zero waste event(how to purchase BPI certified wares)to attach to
City permits for events (LobsterFest, Main Streets, HarborFest, Grand Prix, etc.). Green
Beverly has permission to use Lynch Park in April 2022 for an Earth Month weekend.
Form a task force/working group at January meeting to develop guidelines.
Styrofoam collection event (January 2022)
Herman and Higgins have followed up with Salem's Guglielmi to confirm Save the Stuff will
work the event on January 8th from 9am to 1pm at the Salem Community Life Center, 401
Bridge Street, Salem. Dillon will coordinate volunteers to help who will greet cars, and fill out
forms (where car's from, approximate load of Styrofoam). Big push for advertising this month,
Higgins will circulate materials once finalized with Gughelmi for sharing. Debrief after event to
include insights from DEP into Styrofoam collection events, what other communities do, and
noting increased costs, as well as environmental impacts.
Willwerth inquired about Salem's TerraCycle program, Higgins and Dillon confirmed some
pending litigation whether TerraCycle receives enough rigid plastics to consolidate and recycle.
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Another January topic for discussion: electronics recycling event(s), how often, who hosts,
with eye for taking electronics out of the waste stream not fundraising (i.e., lowest cost to divert
more materials from the waste stream and try to lower City's sanitation costs). Swain
recommended scheduling in advance and keeping it predictable, i.e., always used to be in the
Spring, rather than more short-notice BHS events. Higgins confirmed Cotter& Milo reached out
asking about an electronics recycling event as residents are calling the City to ask as well.
Continued discussion—Committee member roles and responsibilities
Follow-up to November meeting, in January the BWRC votes for a Chair and Treasurer, and
other members should solidify roles at that meeting. Swain is interested in taking on Recycling,
Willwerth agreed to keep track of data unless/until another member joins to handle it, and
Higgins will follow-up with Musante.
City updates and discussion items
Keefe was unavailable for the meeting, so Higgins provided her updates:
1. Compost drop-off pilot program is going very well (46 registrants), Keefe and Ruelle-
Kersker extended appreciation for volunteers helping to monitor the program. Common mistakes
for registration include people thinking meat and dairy are not compostable, and thinking laundry
lint is compostable. These are great outreach and education topics, and Higgins plans to write an
OpEd/letter to the editor highlighting the pilot program.
2. Private Haulers— some municipalities have regulations requiring private haulers to offer
recycling and trash at a combined price. Beverly issues permits for dumpsters, and currently only
5 haulers hold those permits. City is aware the State sent enforcement letters to some apartment
complexes for not complying with state law mandating recycling, and Beverly could add
compliance language when it issues permits to private haulers as well. Swain will follow-up with
Councilor Rand as the Recycling point person, and because he met with her previously about
this issue.
3. Compliance Officer position for the City will be posted this week, and will be funded in
part from recycling program dividends to spend time monitoring recycling compliance.
4. Earth Fest Event will be in late April 2022—looking for BWRC presence, perhaps replica
of the diversion station at LobsterFest and other engaging, educational programming. Higgins
noted this would be great event to use zero/low-waste guidelines. Keefe asks whether someone
can look into sustainable printing materials that would withstand weather to advertise Earth Fest
(HarborFest had great recognition from community-wide signage, but preferably not plastics).
Willwerth volunteered to reach out to Keefe and help research available options.
Old business and miscellaneous items
None.
Upcoming events
a. JRM at City Council —Higgins advised JRM did not appear at the November 22"d City
Council meeting, and will check the agenda for Monday's meeting. Higgins believes Peter
Gamache from JRM was invited to attend, and he would be a knowledgeable representative so
she may call on Monday to confirm his attendance at the meeting.
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Other updates and discussion items by Committee members
Dillon noted B1ackEarth confirmed it has picked up her compost bin each week but she has
not put it out, so she questioned their weekly numbers/statistics. Higgins and Dillon confirmed
no issues with pilot program so far beyond B1ackEarth had a hard time finding the bin at first,
forgot to replace a liner, and forgot to lock it back to the fence.
Last topic, Higgins mentioned Musante expressed concerns about meeting in person and
everyone discussed comfort levels with meeting in person versus virtually. Higgins mentioned
the members were only using a fraction of the room, and could spread out to provide more
distancing. Some concerns with hybrid meetings and whether a laptop could capture sound
within the room; Higgins to check on City ordinance to allow a member to dial-into a meeting
(pre-Covid ordinance). Most present noted preference for in-person meetings, especially if there
can be a dial-in option. Swain moved to decide by majority poll distributed from Chair via email
on December 29, 2021 whether to meet on January 6, 2022 in person or remotely. Dillon
seconded. Motion carried(5-1).
Adjourn: Dillon moved to adjourn; Herman seconded. The motion carried (6-0) at 8:13 p.m.
NEXT MEETING:
January 6, 2022 at 6:30 PM
Location: Beverly Public Library, Sohier Room or Remote (TBD)
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