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220203_Approved Minutes (BWRC) CITY OF BEVERLY WASTE REDUCTION COMMITTEE Meeting Minutes Thursday, February 3, 2022 at 6:30 PM Google Meet Virtual Meeting This meeting was conducted under the `Executive Order Suspending Certain Provisions of the Open Meeting Law G.L. c. 30A, § 20, signed on March 12, 2020. This remote meeting was held over Google Meet. Public access information for the meeting was provided on the meeting agenda. Call to order: 6:32 p.m. over Google Meet. Higgins confirmed that all members present could hear and noted the remote meeting format and process due to Covid-19. Committee members present: Susan Higgins (Chair), Sandy Burgess, Nancy Dillon, Joyce Herman, John Swain (7:40), Lisa Willwerth Committee members absent: Toni Musante Invited participants and guests: Amy Henderson, Erina Keefe Review minutes for January 5, 2022 meeting Dillon moved to approve the January minutes; Burgess seconded. Roll Call Vote: Burgess-yes, Dillon-yes, Herman-yes, Willwerth-yes, Higgins-yes. The motion carried (5-0). Styrofoam collection event— recap Higgins confirmed it was a wonderful event even for a very cold day. Data collected through Dillon's forms: • Vehicles: Salem-89, Beverly-59i, Unknown-4, Hamilton-3, Wenham-2, Swampscott-2, Danvers-1, Topsfield-1 161 total vehicles • Filled 3/4 of the tractor trailer truck, not weighed • Load size per vehicle varied, with minimal trash and minimal rejected materials Moving forward, there is collective interest in collaborating with Salem again for another styrofoam collection event. The event worked well with the two cities, and the handful of cars from neighboring communities. Next time, Higgins recommends access to a bathroom, shortening the event to 3 hours, and staffing with 4-8 volunteers at a time, with a minimum of 4 volunteers at all times (I-log cars, 2-hold bags open, 1-pull materials from cars). Keefe inquired how people heard of the event, and the responses varied greatly - newsletter, city website, etc. so with more outreach and communication the cities will likely fill a tractor trailer truck. Keefe will reach out to follow-up with the City of Salem to schedule another event. 1 Beverly's tally included the two DPS trucks that brought Styrofoam collected at the week-long drop-off at the Beverly Public Library as well. The volume from the cities seemed comparable considering the early participation.. Page 1 of 5 Update on Green Beverly collaboration Higgins participated in a virtual meet and greet on Sunday, January 30th for Green Beverly's coaches and they have a great group of people covering sustainability topics. Each coach had 2 minutes to introduce theirself and their area of expertise. The Waste Reduction Committee coaches for waste management, waste reduction, recycling and composting and Green Beverly gave a tour of their meeting space in the Cummings Center. They intend to build it out in the near term, and envision 8 stations around the room to cover 8 sustainability topics, as well as meeting space for workshops and collaborations. Last year, the Committee authorized reimbursing up to $200 to Green Beverly for raffles/giveaways/prizes related to waste reduction. Berg advised Green Beverly did not spend any funds for those purposes as it received donations (New Entry Farm-CSA share; Black Earth-2 annual curbside composting subscriptions). He asked Higgins if the Committee would roll the fund authorization to this calendar year. After a short discussion, Dillon moved to continue the funding authorization to Green Beverly through calendar year 2022; Willwerth seconded. Roll Call Vote: Burgess-yes, Dillon-yes, Herman-yes, Willwerth-yes, Higgins-yes. The motion carried (5-0). City updates and discussion items e Earthfest 4 Sunday April 24th / rain date Sunday May 1st, it will be an old-timey block party event where people have fun and implicitly learn about waste reduction. Ideas for the event include: o Upcycled Fashion Show: Endicott College is hosting one earlier this year, and will bring it to Earthfest as well. o Swap Shop +/or Repair Shop: Salem hosts a regular repair clinic with 4-5 people sewing, and 1-2 people repairing appliances and electronics on site. Beverly Bike Committee could relatedly have a presence for safety checks (checking tires, brakes, chains, etc.) and Centraal Cycle also agreed to help. o Kids' Relay Race: get an item, bring to correct sorting bin (paper/plastic/compost) to learn recycling diversion. o Food Trucks: targeting trucks that already emphasize sustainable practices - composting, growing/sourcing food locally, or in other ways. Keefe asked for recommendations if anyone knows these food trucks. o Diversion Presence: sufficient for 2-3 food trucks. o Signage/Marketing: Willwerth is researching options, and found weatherproof coating is necessary. Possible options include laminated posters made from recycled paper or repurposing political lawn signs. Higgins inquired about the budget, and Keefe confirmed the City is applying for a small grant for the festival. Page 2 of 5 o Higgins suggested temporary signage through chalk lettering at places in the City with heavy, regular pedestrian traffic (Dane Street Beach, Shoe Pond, Downtown). Dillon suggested Montserrat college students may be interested in helping artistically. Keefe mentioned high school seniors have required civic engagement projects from April to May, and this may be a great project to float on their lists, as well as any other day-of tasks, preparation tasks, or follow-up with data afterwards. Higgins shared the Committee provided lists to the high school 4 years ago and it was discouraging to not have any volunteers. Dillon has seen senior projects overtime and every year is different, so she recommended asking/giving the list while knowing the response is highly unpredictable. o For food diversion, the general consensus was to scale it towards the types of food the trucks will sell (LobsterFest generated a lot of compost from shells, corn cobs, chicken bones, etc. while Pumpkin Smash generated minimal amounts from napkins with snacking finger foods). Dillon inquired whether the City would consider purchasing 2 large toters to have on hand for overflow at the free composting site, and use at events. Keefe confirmed the City is adding a second bin to the free composting site downtown, and it may be possible to move the overflow bin to Lynch Park for this event. Higgins recommended meeting with Black Earth to discuss a plan for event composting and whether it has models in mind or how it may work. Keefe suggested the onus for collection could be on the food producers themselves as well. Keefe will reach out to Black Earth to start the discussion. o The Committee workshopped the repair shop idea, and thought it may be too much to include as part of the event. People suggested having a repair clinic as its own separate event, and stressed that Salem built up its clinic over time. Strong support for the bike clinic, and Keefe mentioned there may also incentivize biking to the event as well. o The Committee workshopped the swap shop idea, and ultimately no one volunteered to manage that project. o Higgins and Henderson discussed the Mothers Out Front project at LobsterFest, where mothers grew seedlings in advance and then gave them away at the event. Henderson volunteered to manage a seed +/or seedling project, with origami paper cups to fill with compost and seeds or seedlings for kids to bring home. Henderson can reach out to Black Earth for donated compost, or multiple members volunteered to donate some from home. • Enforcement position 4 Keefe is following up with Human Resources to find out how many applications have been submitted, and if there is a need to advertise more. • Possible hauler ordinance 4 Keefe is reaching out to other communities to find out what is working, what is still a challenge, and what would they change to learn from Page 3 of 5 communities who already have it in place. Goal is to have it ready once the position is filled, so that person can enforce it. • Possible Styrofoam ordinance -> Keefe advised this was ready to propose right before Covid and then tabled as restaurants were already struggling through the pandemic, so it may be reaching a better time for that now. • Other: o Free compost bin has been filling up, and is not tethered to the fence for now after the lock froze and needed boiling water for removal. The City plowed the area and Keefe shoveled a pathway to the bin, and will request DPS add shoveling to its list. There are 64 registered participants, and adding another bin makes sense for that participation level. Overall the pilot program has been a huge success, and once the compliance position is filled Keefe is looking to expand to other locations. o Keefe presented a resolution to the City Council, drafted with the Clean Energy Advisory Committee, to support moving the Green Future Act bill out of committee. Discussion among City Council members followed, to determine its role in advocating for state legislation. There are tiers to build support for legislation the Committee may support: 1) City Council votes unanimously to show strong support to our state representatives; 2)letter from the Mayor+/or Waste Reduction Committee; and 3) signing onto a petition. Looking ahead, Keefe suggests thinking about best ways to lend support to a bill like an extended producer responsibility bill at the state level. Higgins expressed reluctance to support a bill that may contain clauses/language she cannot support. Keefe explained there are many stages to passing a bill, and the vast majority do not become law. From Mayor Cahill's experience in the state legislature, he is comfortable supporting a bill to come out of committee knowing it needs revisions because the language will change after it is out of committee. o Keefe confirmed the City Engineer Eric Barber or Assistant City Engineer Lisa Chandler can come to a future Waste Reduction Committee meeting. Higgins will extend the invitation to them directly. o Keefe confirmed Waste Reduction Committee member terms turnover March 31 st, so it makes sense to confirm new members at that time. Willwerth seeks renewal, and Henderson seeks appointment, and Keefe may advertise for volunteers to fill a social media/marketing role and a data analysis role on the Committee. Discussion on management of Committee funds Higgins resumed conversation for the Committee to organize how it spends funds. She suggested categories: outreach and education, services (composting), supplies (signage, displays, gloves, aprons, t-shirts), and giveaways (compostable bags, seeds for Earthfest, Cabot movie). Higgins does not suggest resuming a revenue stream from the electronics collection, and does Page 4 of 5 not anticipate receiving revenue elsewhere. Dillon confirmed tracking Committee spending by category is logical. Burgess confirmed she received a printout from Milo from 2008 to present showing the initial funds and each expense made. Willwerth echoed that while corporations have annual budgets, without a revenue stream she recommended pushing to spend the money in the next few years to increase visibility and make a splash in the community with its mission. Overall consensus to track spending by category, but not draft a budget. Committee discussed contributing to Earthfest, and Higgins suggested discussing any composting costs, seed/seedling costs, and to vote for any spending authorizations in the March or April meeting. Higgins will provide additional information to the City Solicitor so the Committee knows which logo it can use for displays, including at Earthfest. Old business and miscellaneous items None. Upcoming events 2022 MassRecycle Conference& Trade Show(Virtual) 3/31 & 4/1 Household Hazardous Waste 4/23 Earthfest 4/24 Other updates and discussion items by Committee members Higgins plans to reach out to Sowerder Garron to follow-up on her predecessor's suggestion to form a Northeast Region 2 group to share experiences, projects, and collaborate on waste reduction initiatives and projects possibly not limited to municipal committee group members. Willwerth and Higgins attended a meeting with the Manchester Waste Reduction Committee pre-Covid to observe and share information on current projects and found it very helpful. Keefe solicited updates to the Waste Reduction Committee website, and Higgins confirmed Cotter has regularly offered to update their website but it always falls to the bottom of the list. Keefe asked members to think about what else to include on the website, and will include pictures of the Committee from prior events. Adjourn: Willwerth moved to adjourn; Burgess seconded. The motion carried (6-0) at 8:14 p.m. NEXT MEETING: March 3, 2022 at 6:30 PM Location: Beverly Public Library, Sohier Room Page 5 of 5