Solid Waste Management Coordinating Board Agenda Item #1
Solid Waste Management Coordinating Board
Minutes
Wednesday, May 22, 2002
Metro Counties Government Center
Members Present:
Commissioner Susan Haigh, Ramsey County
Commissioner John Siegfried, Carver County
Commissioner Jim Kordiak, Anoka County
Commissioner Peter McLaughlin, Hennepin County
Commissioner Don Maher, Dakota County
Commissioner Victoria Reinhardt, Ramsey County
Commissioner Dennis Berg, Anoka County
Commissioner Dennis Hegberg, Washington County
Commissioner Joseph Harris, Dakota County
Commissioner Jim Ische, Carver County
Rodney Massey, MPCA
Dave Benke, OEA
Others Present:
Zack Hansen, Ramsey County
Barry Tilley, Dakota County
Judy Hunter, Washington County
Barry Schade, Dakota County
Brad Fields, Anoka County
Phil Eckhert, Hennepin County
Mike Lein, Carver County
Anna Keller, North Woods Advertising
Bill Hillsman, North Woods Advertising
Mark Rust, OEA
Don Chapdelaine, SKB
Bob Meier, OEA
Michael Reed, Ramsey County
Irv Stern, BFI
Cathi Lyman-Onkka, Ramsey County
Doc St. Clair, SKB Environmental
Andrew Dosdall, North Woods Advertising
Dawn Erlandson, North Woods Advertising
Emily Peterson Boone, North Woods Advertising
Greta Lilleodden-Unowsky, North Woods Advert.
Susan Hubbard, Eureka Recycling
Mary Richardson, RRA
Kathie Doty, RRA
Peggy Aho, RRA
Jan Lucke, RRA
Agenda Item #1. Minutes of the April 24, 2002 Meeting.
Commissioner Harris made a motion to approve the April 24, 2002 minutes. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Berg and passed unanimously on a voice vote.
Agenda Item #2. Checks and Claims.
Commissioner Siegfried made a motion to ratify the Checks and Claims. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Ische and passed unanimously on a voice vote.
Agenda Item #3. Management and Policy
a. Public Information Strategic Communication Plan: Presentation by North Woods Advertising.
Bill Hillsman gave an overview of the Public Information Strategic Communication Plan North Woods Advertising has been working on and introduced Dawn Erlandson, North Woods Advertising, who along with Greta Lilleodden-Unowsky also of North Woods, gave an overview of the Regional Public Communications Plan for approval by the Board. Ms. Erlandson noted that North Woods performed a situation analysis of the SWMCB and identified its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Based on what North Woods Advertising learned through the situation analysis, a communications plan with goals and objectives was developed. The Regional Public Communications Plan further identifies who the target audience should be and the time period which would be best for key audiences to receive targeted communications. Ms. Erlandson noted that North Woods Advertising is recommending a variety of communications tactics be used, including: a) a new/public friendly website; b) a regionally controlled database; c) new visibility efforts; d) public relations effort; e) regional paid advertising campaign; targeted direct marketing efforts; an outreach program to legislators, government officials and opinion-leaders; f) strategic partnerships; and g) one or two event sponsorships. Ms. Erlandson noted that the next step would be for the SWMCB to implement one of the four levels of activity the Plan recommends. The levels recommended are: Level One) $110,000 which would include website improvements, consulting on pubic relations/earned media plan and some visibility efforts such as new logo and new naming conventions; Level Two) $250,000 which would include all of Level One items plus a limited paid advertising campaign; Level Three) $500,000 which would include all of Level One and Two items plus direct marketing and additional paid advertising; Level Four) $1,000,000 which would include all of Levels One, Two and Three plus a fully integrated mass media campaign such as TV, radio, outdoor, and print.
Commissioner Maher made a motion that staff do an analysis of the four levels and bring a recommendation to the SWMCB at its next meeting. Commissioner Reinhardt seconded the motion.
Commissioner Harris asked whether communications strategies used in other parts of the country have been looked at. Dawn Erlandson replied yes, around the country and to some extent overseas. She noted that in Europe and Germany it is mandatory that retailers take back merchandise for disposal.
Commissioner Siegfried asked North Woods Advertising if they see the development of a new image and name for the SWMCB high on the list of needs improvements. Greta Lilleodden-Unowski noted that it is more important to push the issue than the name of organization behind it. Dawn Erlandson noted that the general public perceives that governmental entities do not work well together and this project could show the public that government could indeed work well together.
Commissioner McLaughlin asked at what point do we have to get to make a dent. Bill Hillsman noted that the sooner the SWMCB moves in the direction of implementing its communications plan, the better. He also noted that more two-way communications there are the more information people will get. Mr. Hilsman suggested that the SWMCB start with one of the core elements of the communications plan.
Chair Haigh thanked North Woods Advertising for the presentation of the Communications Plan. There being no objections to the motion made by Commissioner Maher and seconded by Commissioner Reinhardt, the motion passed unanimously.
b. Legislative Tracking Report.
Barry Tilley gave an overview of the 2002 legislative session. Mr. Tilley noted that there had been changes in the language of the HHW indemnification bill. The change means more facilities will qualify for credits. Bob Meier noted that additional monies in the fund will allow for all counties throughout the State to receive the $5 per ton credit next year. Mr. Tilley noted that there will be an additional $1.5 million available for this program. Mr. Tilley further noted that the HHW indemnification had been signed into law by the Governor.
Mr. Tilley also noted that $9 million will be transferred from the solid waste fund to the OEA which will help the OEA balance its budgets for years to come. Bob Meier noted that the $9 million will come from the general fund and will go to the OEA for SCORE block grants to counties in fiscal year 2003.
Barry Tilley noted that there is $10 million in the bonding bill to fund landfill clean-up efforts, but the Governor may veto this part of the bonding bill. Mr. Tilley also noted that a compost tax bill had gone into law which has a December 31, 2002 sunset date for tax restructure on co-composting facilities.
c. Public Collection Study: Ramsey and Washington Counties.
Due to time constraints, this item was held over until the next meeting.
Agenda Item #4. Needs Assessment Committee: 2001 Annual Results Report.
Commissioner McLaughlin gave an update on the Needs Assessment Committee’s review of the 2001 Annual Results Report. Kathie Doty, RRA, noted the key results – that the region generated 3,324,000 tons of MSW in 2001. Ms. Doty noted that the good news is that waste generation increased less than 1%. Ms. Doty further noted that the SWMCB needs to take into consideration the possibility that some waste may not have been captured by the data because it is going out of state. Ms. Doty also noted that recycling is the only area which did not see an increase.
Judy Hunter presented the results under Source Reduction section of the Results Report and further reiterated that waste generation numbers have flattened, and that this flattening has mixed implications, since a drop in recycling rates was one of the factors in maintaining the MSW per capita rate. Ms. Hunter also noted that compost bins have been a huge success and perhaps the use of them accounts for some of the lack of increase in waste generated. Ms. Hunter noted that the SWMCB needs to: encourage specific waste reduction practices, make an effort to improve the reliability of waste generation data to allow for better planning and; gain a better understanding of external forces that affect MSW generation.
Ms. Hunter then presented the results under the Recycling section of the Results Report. Ms. Hunter noted that the region had agreed to strive for a recycling rate of 50% of total MSW when the Master Plan was developed in 1998. Ms. Hunter further noted that the 2001 results indicate a growing challenge in meeting this outcome, as the rate of recycling dropped to 46.2% down from 48.0% in 2000. Ms. Hunter noted that the following could be possible factors causing recycling results to decrease: commercial food waste recycling has dropped; low processing and landfilling charges have reduced incentives for commercial recycling; recycling collection and processing industries have undergone consolidation; some businesses which actively recycled have left the area or gone out of business; and a significant proportion of commercial recycling tonnage is estimated by counties and there were changes in 2002 to the methodology for estimation in reporting recycling tonnages. Ms. Hunter noted that the policy implications for the Region should be: to increase its emphasis on residential recycling and develop ways to re-invigorate residential recycling; explore options for creating financial incentives for greater commercial recycling; consider developing a standard method for estimating commercial recycling tonnages; and evaluate the impact of changes in the recycling industry.
Mike Lein gave an overview of the Toxicity Reduction section of the Results Report and noted that results in the area of HHW program participation and materials collected showed significant growth in 2001. Mr. Lein noted that participation in the Toxicity Reduction programs and amount of toxic waste collected is up considerably due to the publicity efforts of the counties. Mr. Lein noted that this is the first time that the amount of consumer electronics collected exceeded the amount of latex paint collected by weight. Mr. Lein noted that the policy implications in this area are: that the region should promote HHW collection and strive to maintain or increase the effectiveness of the programs; that the region should support that product stewardship initiatives be maintained for electronics and latex paint and that the region should consider legislative initiatives to require greater product stewardship; and that the region maintain and strengthen regulatory programs and regional collaboration on regulatory efforts.
Commissioner Siegfried asked Hennepin County staff whether an increase in the amount of HHW collected has reduced air emissions at HERC. Commissioner McLaughlin noted that this is difficult to determine because HERC installed new scrubbers, which has decreased mercury emissions by 90%. Phil Eckhert, Hennepin County, noted that the overall toxicity levels are approximately 50% of permitted level.
Commissioner Hegberg noted that perhaps waste generated numbers are leveling off because more HHW is being taken out of the waste stream and put into collection programs. Mary Richardson noted that HHW managed is included in total MSW managed and does not account for reduction in waste generation.
Brad Fields gave an overview of the Processing and Landfilling section of the Results Report. Mr. Fields noted that the amount of waste being processed is declining, partly because more waste has been going to landfills. Mr. Fields also noted that the reason for the decline in percent of waste processed (30%) is clear because as MSW continues to grow and processing capacity remains stable, the percent of waste processed will decline. Mr. Fields noted that the policy implications for the Region are: to address the issue of ensuring maximum utilization of existing processing capacity by continuing to explore waste delivery options and explore regional approaches to contracting with processing facilities; that processing capacity must be increased if the Master Plan outcome is to be achieved; and that the SWMCB should focus its efforts on maintaining and expanding combustion capacity, including working with utilities to ensure that long rate planning for increases in capacity includes waste as a fuel, monitoring data on capacity availability and usage and examining comparative environmental impacts of natural gas.
Commissioner McLaughlin noted that HERC has the ability to increase its burn level capacity’s by 10%. Commissioner McLaughlin further noted that additional funds for air quality improvements will be needed in order to sustain an increase in processing.
Mary Richardson noted that the third policy implication (regarding maintaining and expanding combustion capacity) was developed because of a recommendation by the Needs Assessment Committee after it had reviewed of the Results Report.
Barry Schade gave an overview of the NonMSW Management section of the Annual Results Report and noted that results through 2001 have centered on improving the quality and reliability of data on nonMSW. Commissioner McLaughlin noted that in 2001, it is estimated that the region generated nearly 2.7 million of nonMSW, just 20% less than the 3.3 million tons of MSW generated. Mr. Schade noted that most of the nonMSW generated was construction/demolition waste. Mr. Schade noted that the policy implications for the region are: that the annual volume of nonMSW landfilled of 2.6 million tons is more than twice the volume of MSW landfilled and that efforts to promote sustainable building design should be continued and strengthened.
Commissioner McLaughlin made a motion that a third policy implication for the 2002 Results Report - NonMSW section be added that would read: The SWMCB should evaluate options for promoting the recycling and reuse of construction and deconstruction wastes, including the development of model ordinances. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Ishe and passed unanimously on a voice vote.
Agenda Item #5. Reduction and Recycling.
a. Update on Cities Management, Inc. Pilot Project.
Mary Richardson noted that the Office Paper Reduction Team is in the process of executing a contract with Materials Productivity to turn the cost/benefit tool used with Cities Management, Inc. into a software program that could be incorporated into the SWMCB web site. Ms. Richardson noted that this will give businesses a quick and easy way to estimate costs and benefits to reducing paper waste.
b. Update on Activities.
Due to time constraints, this item held over until the next meeting.
Agenda Item #6. Toxicity Reduction.
a. Update on Drivers License Database Used to Track HHW Participation.
Mary Richardson noted that at the SWMCB’s April 24 meeting, the Board considered a report and contract with Ensodex regarding the HHW database. Ms. Richardson further noted that work was needed to address errors found in the county identification filed of the Minnesota Department of Public Safety’s driver’s license database, which is used as a component of the database designed by county staff to track HHW participation and bill for reciprocal use. Mr. Richardson noted that SWMCB staff (as directed by the Board) contacted the Metropolitan Inter-County Association (MICA) to inquire about how the problem might affect other county programs. Based on MICA inquiries on the SWMCB’s behalf, the Minnesota Department of Public Safety (DPS) plans to make changes to the driver’s license database which will improve the accuracy of the county field in the database. Ms. Richardson further noted that since the DPS plans on correcting errors in the driver’s license database, the contract the SWMCB authorized the Chair to execute with Ensodex for database improvements has been put on hold until the SWMCB staff can determine whether measures taken by the DPS will improve the accuracy of the database enough to meet the SWMCB’s needs.
b. Update on Activities.
Kathie Doty noted that the next NEPSI meeting is set for June 24 and 25 in St. Paul and all SWMCB members are welcome to attend. Ms. Doty noted that Commissioner Kordiak plans on attending the meeting in its entirety. Ms. Doty noted that the latest manufacturer initiative is that Dell has announced that on May 17 it will expand "Dell Exchange" which is a program for U.S. consumers to donate, auction or trade in used computers. Ms. Doty noted however, that while this is good news, it is expected that the barriers associated with preparing and mailing a computer will prevent most citizens from taking advantage of the program.
Ms. Doty noted that staff will be asking each county to give an update at the June SWMCB meeting on progress on projects using recycled content paint, in order to continue its focus on increasing recycling of paint.
Ms. Doty then noted that county staff continue to develop a plan for working with hospitals and health care facilities on improving management of hazardous wastes they generate. Ms. Doty noted that the next steps include: coordinating with Metropolitan Council Environmental Services (MCES) and the MPCA; working with healthcare providers to discuss hazardous waste rules and best approaches to meet compliance regulations; and, based on input from MCES, the MPCA and healthcare providers, developing training and workshops for healthcare provider organizations.
Agenda Item #7. NonMSW Management.
Commissioner Hegberg noted that the NonMSW group is beginning a new project which will examine how public entities manage nonMSW materials and recommend strategies to increase reduction, reuse and recycling of nonMSW. Commissioner Hegberg further noted that the project includes working with Lindquist & Vennum to draft model contract language for the management of nonMSW materials.
Commissioner Berg made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 12:12 p.m. Commissioner Ische seconded the motion. The meeting adjourned.