MINUTES OF THE METRO COUNCIL

REGIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE MEETING

Wednesday, October 20, 1999

Council Chamber

Chair Washington called the meeting to order at 1:32 PM.

1.  CONSIDERATION OF THE MINUTES OF SEPTEMBER 22, 1999

2.  REGIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT DIRECTOR’S UPDATE

Terry Petersen, Acting Director of the Regional Environmental Management Department, gave a summary of the department’s recent activities. (The summary is attached to the meeting record.) Items included the following:

•  DEQ released its Material Recovery Survey in September, which estimated a recovery rate of 43% for the tri-county region. The goal is 52% for the year 2000 and 57% by 2005.

Chair Washington asked what the numbers were based upon.

Mr. Petersen said the DEQ conducted an extensive data-collection effort that involved haulers, material recovery facilities, and markets.

Chair Washington asked if 52% was a realistic goal, given that the rate was only 43% at the end of 1998 and the year 2000 lies just two months away.

Mr. Petersen said he thought it would be achievable, although perhaps not by then end of the year 2000. However, he said the 52% figure was for the end of 2000. That allowed two years to reach the goal. He said the goals are in the Regional Solid Waste Management Plan (RSWMP), so if the Council wanted to change them, the plan would also need to be changed.

Chair Washington said he was not advocating that the goal be abandoned, but he questioned the wisdom of setting goals that could not be reached.

•  The Association of Oregon Recyclers recognized two Metro employees for contributions to recycling. Freda Sherburne was awarded Educator of the Year for the state, and Steve Apotheker was elected Legislative Chair for the association.

•  Dodge, Schmitgall, Inc., was selected as the contractor to work on Metro’s Residential Recycling Campaign.

•  Several members of the REM staff provided recycling information to the public at the Home Improvement show this month.

Presiding Officer Monroe said he had been asked at a Rotary Club meeting why containers such as plastic margarine tubs were not recyclable.

Steve Apotheker, Waste Reduction Division, said the rigid plastic containers are injection-molded and have a slightly different rigidity than do the bottles that are currently accepted at the curbside. They are recyclable and some areas, such as Lane County, pick them up at the curbside. Locally, they can be taken to the Natures stores. The problem is finding companies that can process the material. He said that a company is building a new plant in Nevada. That new company might provide a place to market that kind of material. It is one of the material streams the proposed market-development program could address by working with local plastics manufacturers to identify a reclaimer that could process the material.

•  The FY 1998-99 Financial Report has been completed. The report has three main messages: 1) revenues and expenditures were lower than budgeted, mostly because tonnage was lower than had been forecast; 2) expenditures exceeded revenue by $700 thousand, which was taken out of the undesignated fund balance; and 3) the undesignated fund balance at the end of the year was $4.2 million, down from $12 million at the beginning of the year. The biggest draw was $6.6 million, which went to STS. Also, $500 thousand was set aside for the business assistance program. (The financial report summary is attached to meeting record).

Councilor Mclain asked whether the department had reduced its forecasting error to about 2%. If it had, this year looked like a blip.

Petersen said the error has been 2%, and this past year was a blip.

Councilor McLain asked if the drop in tonnage was because this was the first year Metro had allowed direct haul.

Mr. Petersen said direct haul would not affect it. He said the reasons most likely relate to a slowdown in construction and a drop in special wastes—e.g., contaminated soils—going to landfills.

Councilor Park asked how much this year’s tonnage exceeded or fell short of last year’s tonnage.

Mr. Petersen said he believed the tonnage had increased, but not by as much as had been forecast.

Mr. Petersen then summarized two motions passed that morning by the Solid Waste Advisory Committee (SWAC). He said they were still in draft form; he would distribute them after the language had been refined. The gist of the motions were to advise the Council 1) to keep tip fee at $62.50; and 2) to maintain reserves, specifically in the capital, renewal and replacement, and operating contingency funds, to meet future solid waste costs and liabilities for the next five years. Five years would be consistent with the planning timeframe of the RSWMP.

Councilor McLain said that as to the time frame, maintaining the reserves had been fairly well agreed upon, but whether to maintain them for three or four or five years had not been. She asked if the time frame was in the code itself.

Mr. Petersen said the committee wanted to make sure that the Council looked down the road far enough—at least five years out—for the effect of anything adopted on the reserve accounts.

Councilor McLain asked whether the discussion at SWAC had taken into consideration the fact that major changes were possible in the next three years—for example, buying down or selling bonds or selling transfer stations. The service supply plan would be finished soon, which would identify current needs and assess the stability of the system. She asked whether the discussion had included maintaining the reserve accounts for three years—until those key issues had been settled.

Mr. Petersen said one of the members had raised the issue of the planning that is currently underway for the transfer stations. That member had expressed concern that the impact of changes be kept in mind.

Councilor McLain said both the Council and SWAC had agreed that the reserve funds needed to be maintained; the issue was for how long. She said each budget year would present an opportunity to review the situation and make appropriate changes. She said it would be helpful to her if the motions would clarify which projects and policies issues remain unfinished and what the timelines are for their completion.

Presiding Office Monroe said he was present at the SWAC meeting when the discussions were taking place. He had understood that the motions did not specify what the reserve levels ought to be; that was left to the Council. The motions also did not specify a flat tip fee for five years. He said discussions had been underway to keep the tip fee at its current level for at least three years and perhaps four, but nothing had been specified in the motion.

Mr. Petersen said he would distribute the SWAC minutes to the committee by that afternoon.

Chair Washington asked other SWAC members who were present in the audience if they had anything to add.

Dave White, Tri-county Council, said his understanding was that the intention of keeping the tip fee at $62.50—i.e., the first motion—was to ensure there would be enough money to implement the second motion—i.e., to keep the reserve accounts stable. The two motions were linked. He said it was his motion on the tip fee, and he would have liked to have added that linkage to the motion.

Ralph Gilbert, East County Recycling, said he had interpreted the second motion as an “alert” motion for the future based on what had been happening in the industry in the recent past. He believed SWAC was simply expressing its awareness of the situation.

Jeff Murray, Far West Fibers, said he believed the SWAC felt that if the tipping fee were left at $62.50, the money ought to remain in the solid waste budget.

Chair Washington said he wanted the public to hear how others who had attended the meeting had interpreted the two motions. He noted the inextricable connection between the two motions . He said that the motions were advisory to the committee and to the Council. He said the Council was seeking as much advice as it could get as it moves through the process, and the SWAC had made good contributions.

3.  RESOLUTION NO. 99-2852, FOR THE PURPOSE OF APPROVING A SOLE SOURCE AGREEMENT WITH CREATIVE INFORMATION AND TRANSFORMATION EDUCATION

Vicky Kolberg, REM Outreach and Education, explained the reason this would need to be a sole source contract. Briefly, approval would allow Metro to adapt the play “In the Sweet Buy and Buy” for high-school audiences. The author, Deborah Rodney-Pex, holds all legal rights to the play. Metro would need to contract with Ms. Pex’s company, CITE, to use the play for recycling education. In addition, Metro would like to investigate the practicality of producing a videotape of the play for wider distribution. (More background and details on this resolution can be found in the staff report contained in the meeting packet that is part of the permanent record.)

Susan Duncan, REM Education Specialist, said the author had previously given Metro permission to adapt the play specifically to meet Metro’s goals. However, Metro had not been granted the rights to produce the play, to protect the author and to allow time to see if the play would fly with a high-school audience.

Ms. Duncan said the play addresses consumption, habits, use of resources, and the effects of human habits on the ecosystem. One of people who responded to play noted in a letter to the author that the play raised questions without being “preachy.”

Ms. Duncan added that one of the goals of the Department of Education for the “science and personal perspective” part of the Certificate of Initial Mastery is relating the effects of individual choices in daily life to global and natural resources and the ecosystems. This play would help teachers meet that goal.

Councilor Park said he was particularly interested in potential for videotaping the play. He hoped that would prove fruitful.

Councilor McLain will carry the motion to a meeting of the full Council.

Councilor Monroe said he had seen the REM educators in action and thought it was one of the most exciting things Metro does. He said he is a member of the David Douglas School Board and noted that David Douglas was one of the few Districts in the state that requires a CIM for graduation. It also offers a Certificate of Advanced Mastery (CAM), which involves some of the educational resources Metro provides. He said he was trying to make the public aware that Metro does more than planning, transportation, and garbage; it also does education.

4.  STATUS REPORT ON ORGANICS RECOVERY

Douglas Anderson, REM Waste Reduction and Planning Manager, welcomed Lee Barrett from the City of Portland. He said Mr. Barrett’s presence underscores the regional cooperative approach in the waste reduction programs.

Mr. Anderson said the RSWMP targets 52% recovery by the end of 2000. At the end of 1998 the rate was 43%. That left 9% to go. Organics accounts for at least 1/3 of that 9%. That means the goal would not be attainable without recycling more organics. He said last year more than 160,000 tons of food waste alone were put in the landfill. Adding all compostable material—wood, paper, yard debris—would double that number. That represents considerable resources removed from the biosphere.

Mr. Anderson said the challenge in organics is to develop the entire infrastructure. Unlike other recyclable materials that already have a market, nothing exists for organics. Developing the system means developing programs for everyone from generators to collectors to processors. He said Metro has a three-year plan under development. Next month that plan would be fleshed out more and brought back for another presentation.

Jennifer Erickson, REM Senior Planner in Waste Reduction, Planning, and Outreach Division, summarized the reasons for and approach to reducing, recovering, and recycling food waste. (Ms. Erickson’s presentation has been attached to the meeting record.)

Lee Barrett, Bureau of Environmental Services (BES), City of Portland, commented briefly on the reasonableness of recovery rates and goals Chair Washington had brought up earlier in the meeting. He said a certain amount of ego goes into setting goals. But the bigger problems is that no uniform way of measuring how much is recycled and what counts as solid waste and what counts as recycled has been developed. Metro and City of Portland have tried to come up with realistic goals. The problem is that although the professionals understand what goes into those goals, the newspapers do not. Comparisons become misunderstood. He said it was a little like comparing salaries in dollars and yen. He said that in his view, the regional recycling goal would be attainable by the end of the year 2000.

Mr. Barrett said the City of Portland has slightly different goals from those of the region. The city’s recycling goal has been 54% by the end of 2000 and 60% for 2005. That goal was set because the BES assured the Council it was reasonable, but only if organics that comes from the commercial waste stream could be addressed. The City Council agreed and directed the BES to write an ordinance requiring certain food-waste generators to recycle that material by July 1 of 2001. The City Council has recognized that money and effort will need to be invested in that effort.

Mr. Barrett said an RFP had been mailed just that day to select two companies for a food-waste collection pilot program. One of those companies would be large and the other would be either small or a consortium of small companies. Those companies would collect commercial food waste for delivery to Metro Central for transfer to the Arlington composting site. Targeted generators would be restaurants, grocery stores, and institutional cafeterias. The pilot program would deliberately seek some businesses that do not generate enough food waste to make it economical to collect from them. This would help identify who would be required by ordinance to participate and who would not. In addition, the pilot program would also try to identify appropriate containers and equipment.

Mr. Barrett said that while this program was under development, the sewage treatment part of the bureau has been addressing another problem that coincidentally would fit neatly with this one. That program involves the so-called “extra strength” charge. This is a charge on industrial users of the sewer system that have the potential to put harmful material into the system. The charge currently affects fewer than 100 companies. The BES would expand the charge to include all types of businesses that put something other than human waste into the sewer system. Restaurants are part of that group. Restaurants commonly grind up food and flush it down the sewer system. The extra strength charge will provide incentive to those waste generators to do something more beneficial with that waste.

In addition, the BES is trying to find a processor. Next month a request for qualifications would be issued. Mr. Barrett said two individuals who might be involved in processing were in the audience--Mr. Gilbert, who spoke earlier, and Diana Godwin, who works with Metro Central.

Chair Washington expressed appreciation to Ms. Erickson and Mr. Barrett for clarifying the recycling goals. He said he also appreciated learning more about the city’s organics recycling efforts.

Councilor McLain asked Ms. Erickson for a copy of the statistical aspect of her presentation.

Mr. Barrett said Metro and the city asked DEQ to do a subset on the state waste-generation study. Those numbers should be available shortly on how much food is in the commercial waste stream in the Metro region and the residential waste stream.

5.  COUNCILOR COMMUNICATIONS

Councilor Park thanked REM staff for its work generating new numbers for the Council on Solid Waste savings. He said the staff had supplied those numbers in a timely fashion.

Councilor McLain also commented on the staff’s work on one of the amendments regarding the excise tax on out-of-district waste going into the Forest Grove site. She said she would introduce amendment language to address her concern that changes in the percentage of out-of-state waste would be taken into a consideration in figuring the tax.

Chair Washington expressed his appreciation for the REM staff’s work, given the pressures everyone had faced regarding the savings. He thanked SWAC members, members of the industry, and the public for their input and testimony. He said because of their input, the final product would be good for everybody.

There being no further business before the committee, Chair Washington adjourned the meeting at 2:37 PM.

Respectfully submitted,

Pat Emmerson

Council Assistant

ATTACHMENTS TO THE PUBLIC RECORD FOR THE MEETING OF OCTOBER 20, 1999

The following have been included as part of the official public record.