City of Lawrence                                        

Solid Waste Task Force

November 16, 2011 (6:00 PM) Meeting Minutes

KU’s Center for Design Research, 2544 Westbrooke Circle

 

MEMBERS PRESENT:

Mayor Aron Cromwell, Billy Beeson, Suzi Cammon, Joe Harkins, Daniel Poull, Ralph Reed, Charlie Sedlock, Jeff Severin, Christine Tomlin, Dan Wethington

MEMBERS ABSENT:

Sam Porritt

 

STAFF PRESENT:

Tammy Bennett, Megan Gilliland, Craig Pruett, Kathy Richardson, Chuck Soules

 

PUBLIC PRESENT:

Tom Coffman, Marshall Crowther, Paul Davis, Kris Hicks, Chad Lawhorn, David Porto

 

 

CALL MEETING TO ORDER – Mayor Aron Cromwell

 

REVIEW AND APPROVE MEETING MINUTES

 

Motion and second to approve the October 26, 2011 meeting minutes (Severin/Cammon).

Vote was passed unanimously.

 

RECEIVE EDITS TO THE EXECUTIVE SUMMARY OF THE DRAFT REPORT

 

Tammy Bennett handed out a revised draft of the Executive Summary of the Solid Waste Task Force report. Feedback from the last task force meeting was incorporated into this document. Also noted was that the language in the curbside recycling section needed to be clear that funding for this service would be included in the solid waste base fee, but participation in recycling would be voluntary.

 

The task force discussed a couple other items for the recycling recommendation.

-                        Making sure there is a high level of customer service for the recycling program.

-                        Appointing at least one full time employee to monitor this service for quality control.

 

VARIABLE RATE PRICING REVIEW

 

Kathy Richardson’s presentation on Pay-As-You-Throw (PAYT) / Variable Rate Pricing (VRP) outlined the basic information on this type of pricing structure and explained how the following communities are operating in regards to PAYT / VRP:   

·                                   Wichita, KS: By November 1, 2012 all residential trash haulers must provide a PAYT system of solid waste collection and a single-stream recycling service as an option to customers. 

·                                   Johnson County, KS: By January 1, 2012 all residential trash haulers must obtain a license to operate, charge PATY rates, and provide curbside recycling collection. In addition, yard waste will be prohibited for disposal in landfills.

·                                   Olathe, KS: Currently Johnson County is negotiating a MOA with the city on the PAYT issue. The City feels PAYT is not a good fit for their community.

·                                   Shawnee County, KS: Solid waste collection has operated with a VRP structure for over 20 years. The current system leads to a high level of staff errors and many complaints from customers.

·                                   Kansas City, MO: In 2004, implemented a hybrid PAYT system – two bags of trash per week per eligible household (tax-funded) and residents may purchase $1 trash tags for each additional bag.

·                                   Gainesville, FL: In the 1990’s, implemented a PAYT system with four different cart sizes with monthly fees starting at $15.25 (20-gallon) to $30.50 (96-gallon).

·                                   Boise, ID: Currently, working on a 3-4 year transition towards VRP structure with three different cart sizes.

 

There was discussion on whether the task force would recommend implementation of a VRP system for Lawrence. Concerns raised by task force members included cost of implementation of this type of system and possible decline in the high level of customer service the city provides. Will VRP system work in a community like Lawrence? If proceeding with VRP, which is the best system to achieve the established goals?

 

Motion and second to change the wording of the third bullet of the Executive Summary of the Solid Waste Task Force report to “Implement a variable rate pricing structure for residential solid waste services that encourages waste reduction and increases equity in rate structure.” (Poull/Cammon). Vote was passed 8-2.

 

At the next task force meeting, members will continue to discuss the details of a VRP structure for Lawrence. The task force mentioned outreach and education will be essential to the success of the program. The Mayor asked staff for additional information on Gainesville, FL and Boise, ID for the next meeting.

 

HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE PROGRAM REVIEW

 

The household hazardous waste presentation and discussion was postponed until next meeting.

 

FUTURE MEETINGS

 

Date

Topics

Monday,

December 12, 2011

Location: Jayhawk Room, 1911 Stewart Avenue.

Discussion on recommendations.

Thursday,

January 5, 2012

Location: Jayhawk Room, 1911 Stewart Avenue.

Discussion on recommendations.

Thursday,

January 19, 2012

Location: Jayhawk Room, 1911 Stewart Avenue.

Discussion on recommendations.

 

Adjourned at 7:45 p.m.