[00:00:02]
GOOD MORNING.I AM CALLING TODAY'S HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE MEETING TO ORDER.
THE CALL OF TODAY'S MEETING IS TO REVIEW AND DISCUSS IMPLEMENTATION OF THE ZERO WASTE MASTER PLAN 2.0, ADOPTED BY THE COUNCIL JUNE OF 2025, JUST ONE YEAR AGO, ABOUT INCLUDING A REVIEW OF DRAFT ORDINANCE CHANGES AS RECOMMENDED BY THE ZERO WASTE MASTER PLAN 2.0.
FIRST ORDER OF BUSINESS IS A ROLL CALL OF MEMBERS PRESENT.
PRESENT, PRESENT, VICE ABSENT COUNCILLOR MCGOVERN.
PRESENT AND AUDIBLE PRESENT, COUNCILLOR NOLAN.
THAT'S FOUR MEMBERS PRESENT, ONE RECORDED AS ABSENT.
AND THANKS TO MY COLLEAGUES ONLINE, WHO I UNDERSTAND ARE UNDER THE WEATHER, BUT KNOW HOW IMPORTANT THIS IS AND SO ARE MAKING SURE THEY'RE HERE, UH, REMOTELY.
PURSUANT TO CHAPTER TWO OF THE ACTS OF 2025, ADOPTED BY MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL COURT AND APPROVED BY THE GOVERNOR, THE CITY IS AUTHORIZED TO USE REMOTE PARTICIPATION AT MEETINGS OF THE CAMBRIDGE CITY COUNCIL AND ITS COMMITTEES.
PLEASE NOTE THE CITY OF CAMBRIDGE AUDIO AND VIDEO RECORDS.
THIS MEETING MAKES IT AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC FOR FUTURE VIEWING.
THIRD PARTIES MAY ALSO BE AUDIO AND VIDEO RECORDING THIS MEETING.
IN ADDITION TO HAVING MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL PARTICIPATE REMOTELY, WE HAVE ALSO SET UP ZOOM TELECONFERENCE FOR PUBLIC COMMENT.
EACH SPEAKER WILL HAVE THREE MINUTES AND SIGN UP AS AVAILABLE.
UH, NOW IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PROVIDE PUBLIC COMMENT, PLEASE VISIT THE CITY COUNCIL SECTION OF THE CITY'S WEBPAGE.
OR IF YOU'RE IN THE CHAMBER, JUST LET OUR, UH, STAFF KNOW INSTRUCTIONS FOR HOW TO SIGN UP ONLINE ARE POSTED.
ONCE YOU'VE COMPLETED THE SIGNUP PROCEDURE, YOU'LL RECEIVE A LINK TO THE ZOOM MEETING.
YOU CAN ALSO EMAIL WRITTEN COMMENTS FOR THE RECORD TO THE CITY CLERK AT CITY CLERK@CAMBRIDGEMA.GOV.
TO WATCH THE MEETING, PLEASE TUNE INTO CHANNEL 22 OR VISIT THE OPEN MEETING PORTAL ON THE CITY'S WEBSITE.
WITH THAT, ALL OF TODAY'S VOTES WILL BE BY ROLL CALL.
LET ME, UM, SAY FOR THOSE WHO ARE SPEAKING, UH, I TYPICALLY IN, IN SHARING COMMITTEES WAIT UNTIL AFTER THE PRESENTATION TO HAVE PUBLIC COMMENT.
HOWEVER, I NOTICED THERE ARE SEVERAL PEOPLE SIGNED UP FOR PUBLIC COMMENT.
IF YOU ARE NOT GONNA BE ABLE TO WAIT TILL THE END OF THE PRESENTATION, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND NOW AND WE CAN HEAR PUBLIC COMMENT RIGHT AFTER MY OPENING REMARKS AS CHAIR.
SO CAN WE, YOU, YOU ALL HEARD THAT RIGHT? I THINK THAT, I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE PEOPLE DO HAVE A CHANCE TO SPEAK AND YET I THINK IF THEY, UM, WANT TO WAIT UNTIL AFTER THE PRESENTATION, I WOULD PREFER TO DO THAT, BUT I'M HAPPY TO DO IT NOW.
SO ONE PERSON RAISE THEIR HAND.
WE WILL CALL ON YOU RIGHT AFTER.
I HAVE SOME OPENING REMARKS, AND THEN WE'LL GO TO A PUBLIC COMMENT AND THEN WE'LL GO TO THE PUBLIC PRESENTATION.
AND THE, THOSE WHO ARE WANNA SPEAK WILL HAVE A CHOICE OF EITHER SPEAKING BEFORE THE PRESENTATION OR AFTER.
UM, SO I AM SO GLAD WE'RE HERE TO TALK ABOUT THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE ZERO WASTE MASTER PLAN 2.0, WHICH IS RIGHT HERE.
IT'S A REALLY GOOD DOCUMENT AS JUST TO REMIND US ALL, IT'S THE CITY COUNCIL ADOPTED THIS PLAN IN JUNE OF 2025.
MASTER PLANNING DOCUMENTS LIKE THIS ARE ESSENTIAL OVERSIGHT IN TERMS OF GOAL SETTING AND GOAL SETTING AND ACHIEVEMENT, AND ALSO IN OPERATIONALIZING ACROSS CITY DEPARTMENTS.
THROUGH THESE KINDS OF DOCUMENTS, WE CAN BETTER COORDINATE RESOURCES, STRUCTURE PROGRAMMING, IMPLEMENT IMPORTANT CHANGES OVER TIME.
THE ZERO WASTE MASTER PLAN MEETING WILL BE FOCUSED ON THE FIRST ROUND OF ORDINANCE CHANGES CALLED FOR IN THE ZERO WASTE MASTER PLAN 2.0 UPDATE, WHICH, UH, I WORKED AND THE HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE WORKED.
THE STAFF WORKED ON IT, AND THEN THE FULL COUNCIL, UH, PASSED LAST YEAR.
THESE CHANGES INCLUDE UPDATING THE LITTER AND REFUSE ORDINANCE REQUIRING ZERO WASTE MA MANAGEMENT PLANS FROM LARGE BUILDING OWNERS, BOTH RESIDENTIAL AND COMMERCIAL MANDATORY FOOD WASTE, DIVERSION, RESIDENTIAL AND COMMERCIAL, AND UPDATES TO THE BRING YOUR OWN BAG ORDINANCE AND A NEW SKIP THE STUFF ORDINANCE.
AMONG OTHER CHANGES WHICH WE'LL REVIEW TODAY, THEY'RE REALLY IMPORTANT ORDINANCE CHANGES, WHICH WILL CODIFY A NUMBER OF IMPORTANT INITIATIVES WITHIN THE PLAN.
AS A REMINDER OF THE PROCESS THAT BROUGHT US HERE, THE UPDATE TO THE PLAN WAS A MULTI-YEAR PUBLIC PROCESS THAT INCLUDED SEVERAL HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE MEETINGS, DOZENS OF PUBLIC MEETINGS, EVENTS, COMMUNITY OUTREACH INITIATIVE OVER SEVERAL YEARS.
THIS UPDATE IS THE RESULT OF NUMEROUS ROUNDS OF COUNCIL INPUT, ALONG WITH YEARS OF STAFF RESEARCH AND OPERATIONAL WORK THAT INFORMED THE RECOMMENDATIONS IN THE FINAL DOCUMENT THAT WE VOTED TO FORMALLY ADOPT LAST JUNE.
SO THE CHANGES DISCUSSED TODAY BUILD ON THE GREAT WORK THE CITY DOES IN SOLID WASTE AND RECYCLING.
WE HAVE FOUR DIFFERENT CURBSIDE PROGRAMS ALREADY, RIGHT? EVERY DAY.
IN FACT, TOMORROW, THEY'LL ALL, ALL FOUR WILL COME BY MY HOUSE.
UM, TO REDUCE RESIDENTIAL WASTE AND TO PROPERLY DISPOSE OF OF IT, THESE NEW CHANGES WILL HELP FURTHER THAT WORK AND ALSO EXPAND THE WORK TO COMMERCIAL USES WHILE ALSO IMPLEMENTING IMPORTANT PLASTIC REDUCTION STRATEGIES.
THIS MULTIFACETED APPROACH TO WASTE REDUCTION ALLOWS US TO TAKE A STRATEGIC APPROACH TO REDUCING WASTE IN THE ATTENDANT GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSION POLLUTION, AND REDUCE THE FINANCIAL IMPACT OF OUR SOLID WASTE EFFORTS.
AND GREEN, OUR CITY TRASH REDUCTION IS A LARGE PART OF THAT.
IN THE BEST CASE, OUR TRASH ENDS UP IN LANDFILLS AND ADDS TO CARBON AND METHANE EMISSIONS.
IN THE WORST CASE, OUR TRASH ENDS UP ON OUR STREETS, OUR PARKS, AND IN OUR WATERWAYS
[00:05:01]
CLOGGING UP DRAINS AND CAUSING MANY PROBLEMS, NOT TO MENTION ADDING OTHER PUBLIC HEALTH AILMENTS TO OUR CITY.TRASH REDUCTION ISN'T JUST A GREEN SOLUTION.
HOWEVER, IT'S ALSO AN IMPORTANT FINANCIAL DECISION AND A PUBLIC HEALTH DECISION.
IT REDUCES OUR BUDGET LIABILITY FOR TRASH REMOVAL OVER TIME.
THE ZERO WASTE MASTER PLAN UPDATE IS ESSENTIAL TO REDUCING OUR TRASH OUTPUT, INCREASE OUR RATIOS OF RECYCLING AND COMPOSTED AND DIVERTED MATERIALS, AND PROTECT THE PUBLIC HEALTH.
SO I WILL NOTE THERE ARE ADDITIONAL STEPS THAT WE'LL BE CONSIDERING IN THE NEW, IN THE NEAR TERM, INCLUDING STRONGER EFFORTS TO REDUCE SINGLE USE PLASTIC.
UH, WE HAD CONVENED A MEETING AND TALKED ABOUT EVENTUALLY FOLLOWING THE LEAD OF CHELSEA AND SOME OTHER CITIES IN ELIMINATING NIP CITYWIDE.
THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WE WILL UNDOUBTEDLY DISCUSS IN THE FUTURE, BUT THAT IS NOT WHAT WE'LL BE DISCUSSING TODAY.
WE'RE DISCUSSING, UM, ORDINANCE CHANGES THAT THE STAFF HAS WORKED ON.
SO WITH THAT, I, UH, WILL TURN IT OVER, BUT IN A MINUTE, ANYONE ON PUBLIC COMMENT WHO HAS SIGNED UP, WHO WOULD PREFER TO SPEAK NOW, INSTEAD OF WAITING UNTIL AFTER THE CITY'S PRESENTATION, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND AND OUR STAFF WILL MAKE SURE TO RECOGNIZE YOU.
OUR FIRST SPEAKER IS PAULA BUKO.
HELLO? UM, CAN YOU HEAR ME RIGHT? YES.
UM, WELL, FIRST OF ALL, I WANTED TO THANK EVERYONE WHO IS INVOLVED WITH THIS MASTER PLAN.
I THINK IT'S WONDERFUL, AND I'M VERY PROUD TO LIVE IN A CITY WHO REALLY CARES, UM, ABOUT ALL OF THIS.
AND I WANTED TO ADDRESS, UM, A FEW POINTS.
I SAW THAT THERE IS THE GOAL TO REDUCE, UM, THE TRASH BY 50 TO 50% BY 2030.
AND SO, UM, I WAS WONDERING IN THIS CALCULATION, UM, WE HAVE TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT THE TRASH THAT WE PRODUCE WITH THE SYNTHETIC TURFS.
AND, UH, I MEAN, KNOW, MANY OF YOU HAVE HEARD ME TALKING ABOUT THIS ALREADY.
UM, BUT I THINK IT'S, IT'S IMPORTANT.
UH, WE DO HAVE ESTIMATED, FOR EXAMPLE, THAT, UH, DEHY FOUR CONTAINS THE EQUIVALENT OF 8 MILLION PLASTIC BAGS AND 2000 VIRGIN TREES.
EVERY EIGHT YEARS, THIS MATERIAL MUST BE RIPPED OUT, DISPOSED OF, AND ONLY PARTIALLY RECYCLED.
SO I THINK IT SHOULD BE TAKEN INTO CONSIDERATION.
UM, THERE IS, UH, UH, THERE ARE VARIOUS PARTS THAT TALK ABOUT, UH, EDUCATING RESIDENTS.
AND, UH, STRATEGY NUMBER 10, IT'S LEADING BY EXAMPLE AND CONTINUALLY REVISIT POLICIES AND PRACTICES.
UM, SO I THINK IT WAS LAST WEEK I WAS AT THE KENNEDY LONGFELLOW POP-UP RECYCLE CENTER EVENT.
AND I WAS, UM, AGAIN, STRIKING CONVERSATION, UH, WITH, UH, PEOPLE WHO WERE VERY ENGAGED AND HAPPY ABOUT THIS EVENT.
UM, WE WERE NEAR A HEAR AND FIELD, AND SO PART OF THE DISCUSSION, UM, WAS, UH, WHAT, WHAT IS HAPPENING HERE.
UM, THE CITY IS DOING SO MUCH, IS ASKING ITS RESIDENTS TO MAKE EFFORTS TO REDUCE WASTE.
AND, UM, AND AT THE SAME TIME IS THINKING TO REMOVE NATURAL GRASS AND SUBSTITUTE IT WITH, UH, WITH PLASTIC, WHICH AGAIN, HAS ALL OF THESE ISSUES.
AND I THINK IT'S, IT'S IMPORTANT, UM, LIKE I SAID, FOR THE RESIDENTS TO KNOW THE WHOLE PLAN AND TO TAKE, UM, TO TAKE THIS PIECE OF PROJECT INTO, INTO ACCOUNT.
UM, SO THERE IS THE ENVIRONMENTAL ASPECT AND THERE IS THE HEALTH ASPECT.
UH, LAST TUESDAY, UH, I WAS AT, UH, DEHY FOUR, WHICH IS THE NEW INFILL.
THE TEMPERATURE ON THE TURF WAS 132 FAHRENHEIT ON THE GRASS NEARBY, IT WAS 86 FAHRENHEIT.
UM, SO THERE IS A SERIOUS ISSUE IN TERMS OF INCREASED HEAT AND, UH, WHICH MEANS INCREASED ALSO USE OF AC AND OF COURSE ALL THE MICROPLASTICS.
SO THANK YOU FOR TAKING THIS INTO ACCOUNT AND FOR EVERYTHING YOU'RE DOING.
IS THERE ANYONE ELSE, UH, SIGNED UP FOR PUBLIC COMMENT? WHO WANTS TO SPEAK NOW? IF SO, RAISE YOUR HAND OR IF SOMEONE'S IN THE PUBLIC, DO YOU WANNA SPEAK NOW? SURE.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS DEBBIE GALE, IF YOU COULD JUST PRESS THE BUTTON ON THE MIC.
I'M ALSO A MEMBER OF THE RECYCLING ADVISORY COMMITTEE, ALTHOUGH I'M SPEAKING ON MY OWN BEHALF HERE.
UM, AND I WOULD VERY MUCH ENCOURAGE THE CITY COUNCIL TO PASS THE, UM, VERSION 2.0, THE ZERO WASTE MASTER PLAN.
UM, IN PARTICULAR, I'M IN FAVOR OF THE MANDATORY, UM, FOOD, FOOD SCRAPS COLLECTION.
UM, I THINK IT WOULD MAKE A REALLY BIG DIFFERENCE.
WE STILL HAVE A MAJOR WRAP PROBLEM.
IT'S NOT GONNA TOTALLY GET RID OF IT, BUT WOULD HELP.
UM, AND I'M IN FAVOR OF ALL SORTS OF OTHER SMALL THINGS SUCH AS NOT HAVING EXTRA PLASTIC UTENSILS HANDED OUT, UM, AT RESTAURANTS JUST AUTOMATICALLY.
[00:10:02]
UM, ANYWAY, IN GENERAL, I'M JUST IN FAVOR OF IT.AND THAT'S REALLY ALL I HAVE TO SAY.
I'LL TAKE CHAIR PRIVILEGE TO THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE ON THE RACK AND FOR THE ENTIRE COMMITTEE, WHICH HAS REALLY BEEN SOMETHING REALLY IMPORTANT FOR US TO PAY ATTENTION TO.
ANYONE ELSE? OKAY, SO NOW WHAT I'LL DO IS, UH, TURN IT OVER TO OUR DPW TEAM COMMISSIONER NARDONE.
IF YOU WANNA INTRODUCE THE REST OF YOUR TEAM.
WE'LL HAVE THE PRESENTATION FROM THE CITY STAFF, AND THEN WE'LL GO TO COUNCIL, AND THEN WE'LL HAVE ANY ADDITIONAL PUBLIC COMMENT.
RIGHT NOW, I THINK THERE'S TWO ADDITIONAL PEOPLE SIGNED UP.
AND THEN WE'LL GO TO COUNCIL DELIBERATION.
SO COMMISSIONER NAONE, WELCOME.
THANKS FOR ALL YOUR WORK ON THIS AND LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING.
AND, UH, AS YOU MENTIONED, UM, THIS IS OUR UPDATE TO THE ZERO WASTE MASTER PLAN 2.0 THAT WE HAVE BEEN WORKING THROUGH, UH, WITH ME TODAY.
I HAVE, UH, DEPUTY COMMISSIONER MATTHEWS, WE HAVE JOHN FITZGERALD, OUR ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES MANAGER, AND MICHAEL LORE, WHO IS OUR, UM, RECYCLING, UM, DIRECTOR.
UH, JOHN AND MICHAEL WILL PROBABLY GO THROUGH MOST OF THIS PRESENTATION.
UH, CERTAINLY WE'LL ALL BE HERE TO ANSWER QUESTIONS, UH, BUT JUST IN WAY OF AN AGENDA, UM, YOU KNOW, WE REALLY WANT TO BRIEFLY TOUCH ON WHERE WE ARE TO DATE.
YOU KNOW, HOW, HOW WE'VE GOTTEN TO WHERE WE ARE.
UH, WE WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE PROGRESS WE'VE ALREADY MADE WITH ZERO, UM,
MICHAEL WILL GO THROUGH VARIOUS, UM, TACTICS THAT WE'VE DONE AND WHAT WE'VE BEEN WORKING TOWARDS.
UH, AND THEN THAT WILL LEAD US INTO, UH, THE ORDINANCE CHANGES THAT YOU TALKED ABOUT.
AND THOSE ARE REALLY, I, I GUESS YOU COULD SAY WE'RE STARTING WITH THE LOW HANGING FRUIT THAT WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON.
AND THEN SOME OF THE MORE DIFFICULT THINGS BECAUSE, UH, SOME OF THAT STUFF IS REALLY, IT, IT, IT REQUIRES ORDINANCE CHANGES AND WE PRESENTED SOME OF THAT FOR YOU.
UH, I DO ALSO WANNA ECHO WHAT YOU SAID.
UH, THE RECYCLING ADVISORY COMMITTEE HAS BEEN A INTEGRAL PART OF ALL THAT WE DO WITH RECYCLING HERE, AND THEY'VE REALLY PUSHED US TO DO A LOT OF THIS.
THEY GOT US INTO ZERO, UH, ZERO WASTE, UH, 1.0.
WE ARE NOW INTO 2.0 AND THEY ARE REALLY A BIG PART OF, UH, HELPING US AND PUSHING US TO DO THE RIGHT THING.
SO WITH THAT, I'M GONNA HAND IT OVER TO MICHAEL AND JOHN.
TAKE, TAKE US THROUGH THE PRESENTATION.
I THINK WE CAN SKIP TO THE NEXT SLIDE.
AND THEN JOHN ONE, ANYONE? OH, ONE MORE.
DO YOU WANT COPIES? THERE MIGHT BE A COUPLE COPIES.
DO YOU WANT COPIES OF THE PRESENTATION? THERE'S ONE ON, I'M SURE ON MY DESK, WHICH WE CAN, OH, THERE'S SOME OVER THERE IF YOU WANT.
ALRIGHT, GOOD MORNING COUNSELORS.
UM, THE CITY OF CAMBRIDGE, ZERO WASTE, UH, GOALS WERE ESTABLISHED IN 2009, USING 2008 WASTE GENERATION NUMBERS AS A BASELINE.
UM, THEY'RE MEASURED IN POUNDS PER HOUSEHOLD PER WEEK.
THE 2008 BASELINE WAS 22.8 POUNDS PER HOUSEHOLD PER WEEK GENERATED BY, UH, CAMBRIDGE HOUSEHOLDS.
UH, THE GOALS WERE A 30% REDUCTION IN TRASH, IN TRASH GENERATION BY 2020, WHICH WE HAVE ACHIEVED, UH, 50%, UH, REDUCTION IN TRASH BY 2030, WHICH WE ARE WELL ON OUR WAY TO ACHIEVING.
AND THIS DOCUMENT, UH, WILL HELP US, UH, GET TO THE FINISH LINE AND AN 80% REDUCTION BY THE YEAR 2050.
UH, AS OF LAST YEAR, 2025, WE HAVE REDUCED, UH, TRASH GENERATION BY 37%.
UM, WE ARE CURRENTLY AT 14.7 POUNDS PER HOUSEHOLD PER WEEK, AGAIN, STARTING AT 22.8.
UH, THIS DOCUMENT, THE ZERO WASTE MASTER PLAN VERSION 2.0 WILL BE USED AS A GUIDE FOR OUR OPERATIONS FOR THE NEXT FIVE YEARS AT LEAST, UH, TO HELP US ACHIEVE THE 50% REDUCTION GOAL THAT WE EXPECT BY 2030.
AND AN IMPORTANT NOTE, UH, ZERO WASTE DOES NOT NECESSARILY MEAN ZERO WASTE IN THE TRADITIONAL SENSE.
IT MEANS MAXIMIZING DIVERSION IN ALL SECTORS, RESIDENTIAL, COMMERCIAL, INDUSTRIAL, AND MULTI MULTIFAMILY.
UM, IT'S BIGGER THAN JUST THE CITY OF CAMBRIDGE.
THE BIGGER PICTURE REQUIRES, UH, THINGS LIKE EXTENDED PRODUCER RESPONSIBILITY AND OTHER STATE AND REGIONAL DIVERSION GOALS TO BE TRULY EFFECTIVE.
MADAM CHAIR, PARDON THE INTERRUPTION, SIR, IF YOU CAN PLEASE PULL YOUR MIC A BIT CLOSER, SO SURE.
THOSE ON ZOOM CAN HEAR YOU BETTER.
UH, WHAT WE HAVE HERE IS, UM, UH, WASTE AND, UH, RECYCLING RATES, UH, FOR THE PAST SEVEN YEARS OR SO.
UM, I WOULD LIKE TO DIRECT EVERYONE'S ATTENTION TO THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE SCREEN, YEAR 2025,
[00:15:02]
UM, WHERE YOU CAN SEE THAT WE HAVE, UH, RECYCLING GENERATION STEADY AT 8,500 TO 9,000 TONS PER YEAR.UM, UM, UH, FOOD WASTE, UH, COLLECTION, UH, UH, INCREASING YEAR OVER YEAR, 2300 TONS LAST YEAR.
UH, OUR BEST YEAR, UM, YET BY FAR THAT'S WORKS OUT TO MORE THAN NINE TONS PER DAY.
THIS PROGRAM IS FOR REAL, UM, CURBSIDE YARD WASTE, STEADY 2000 TONS PER YEAR.
OTHER DIVERSIONS, UH, TO INCLUDE, UH, SCRAP METAL TEXTILES, E-WASTE MATTRESSES, UH, AT A STEADY, UH, 1000 TONS PER YEAR.
SO WHAT YOU'LL NOTE, UM, AGAIN ON THE 20 20 25 CHART IS THAT THE SUM OF ALL THE DIVERTED RESIDENTIAL WASTE IS AT ABOUT 13,000 TONS PER YEAR.
UH, AND YOU CAN SEE OUR TRASH GENERATION IS AT 12,495 TONS.
SO THIS IS THE THIRD CONSECUTIVE YEAR THAT DIVERTED WASTE HAS EXCEEDED OUR TRASH GENERATION.
UH, OBVIOUSLY THAT IS A TREND THAT WE WANT TO SEE CONTINUE GOING FORWARD.
AND THIS, UM, UH, MASTER PLAN WILL HELP US DO EXACTLY THAT.
SO IMPLEMENTATION OF THE ZERO WASTE MASTER PLAN 2.0.
YOU RECALL THAT, UM, THE ZERO WASTE MASTER PLAN VERSION ONE WAS COMPLETED IN 2019 AND INCLUDED, UH, CITYWIDE COMPOST COLLECTION AND STANDARDIZED TRASH CARTS, UM, AS, UH, MAJOR COMPONENTS.
UH, THIS VERSION TWO WAS COMPLETED BY OUR CONTRACTOR IN 2024 AND ADOPTED BY THE CITY COUNCIL IN JUNE OF LAST YEAR.
IT INCLUDES FIVE SHORT-TERM STRATEGIES, FIVE MEDIUM AND LONG-TERM STRATEGIES, AND EIGHT ONGOING STRATEGIES.
UM, SO WE'RE HERE TODAY TO PROVIDE UPDATES ON THE STRATEGIES THAT WE HAVE MADE PROGRESS ON TO THIS POINT.
YEAH, WE GOT THIS LITTLE OUT OVER.
SO, UM, PICKING UP, UH, FROM WHERE JOHN LEFT OFF.
SO STRATEGY THREE OF THE ZERO WASTE MASTER PLAN 2.0 WAS TO REDUCE MOVE IN AND MOVE OUT WASTE.
UM, WE GOT A GRANT FROM MASS DEP TO PILOT A PROGRAM TO TRY TO, DID YOU MEAN TO SKIP OVER THE ONE BEFORE THIS STRATEGY FIVE? I THINK THERE MIGHT JUST BE A, OH, JUST AN ERROR IN THERE.
AND THE SCREEN, SO IT SHOULD BE FINE.
UH, SO YEAH, IN JUNE, 2025, WE RECEIVED THIS GRANT TO, UH, DIVERT MATERIAL DURING THE MOVE OUT PROCESS.
UM, THIS IS ONE OF OUR ATTEMPTS TO TRY TO FIGURE OUT LIKE WHAT COULD BE A LONG-TERM STRATEGY TO REDUCE ALL THE MOVE IN AND MOVE OUT WASTE.
WE SEE UPTICKS OF AROUND 15 TO 20% OF OUR TRASH DURING, MOVE IN AND MOVE OUT WEEKS.
SO, HUGE OPPORTUNITY FOR REDUCTION.
UM, SO WE, WE PILOTED THIS, UM, THROUGH MASS DP A GRANT, AND IT WAS SUCCESSFUL IN MANY RESPECTS.
UM, BUT ONE OF THE BIGGEST THINGS THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT IS HOW TO SCALE IT AND TO MAKE IT A MORE MEANINGFUL TRASH REDUCTION.
SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WHAT, YOU KNOW, ALTHOUGH WAS SUCCESSFUL IS SOMETHING THAT WE'RE KIND OF, UM, REEXAMINING.
UM, SIMILARLY, THE RECYCLING ADVISORY COMMITTEE HAS, UM, HAS DONE THIS PROGRAM CALLED THE FREE STORE SEVERAL TIMES.
UM, THEY'VE HELD IT AT THE CAMBRIDGE COMMUNITY CENTER, AND THEY'VE BEEN WILDLY SUCCESSFUL IN TERMS OF THE COMMUNITY COMING TOGETHER TO HOST THIS EVENT.
THE COMMUNITY COMING TOGETHER TO DROP OFF ITEMS TO REHOME TO OTHER PEOPLE.
AND AS YOU CAN SEE IN THE PHOTOS HERE, THERE'S, UM, A GREAT ORGANIZING TEAM ON THE TOP RIGHT.
AND THEN THE EVENT, UM, YOU KNOW, DURING THE EVENT YOU COULD SEE ALL THE MATERIAL AT TABLES AND ALL THE PEOPLE GOING SHOPPING FOR THE FREE ITEMS. AND SO A HUGE, UM, HUGE CONGRA.
UH, THANK YOU TO THE RECYCLING ADVISORY COMMITTEE FOR PUTTING THESE ON.
UH, AND STRATEGY NUMBER FIVE, UM, INCLUDES, UH, A COUPLE OF IMPROVEMENTS TO THE RECYCLING CENT, THE, UH, RECYCLING DROP OFF CENTER.
UM, THE FIRST, UH, AND MOST SIGNIFICANT OF THE TWO IS THAT, UH, AS THE POP-UP RECYCLING CENTER EVENTS, ALSO KNOWN AS THE MOBILE RECYCLING CENTER, UH, THIS WAS, UH, FUNDED THROUGH, UH, PARTICIPATORY BUDGETING.
UM, WE HAVE HAD TWO EVENTS SO FAR THIS YEAR, UH, ONE IN APRIL, ONE IN MAY AT THE TOBIN.
UM, AND AT THE FORMER, THE, UH, FORMER COUNTY LONGFELLOW, WE HAVE THREE EVENTS SCHEDULED IN JUNE AND JULY.
UM, AND BASICALLY THAT, UM, THE MOBILE RECYCLING CENTER IS WE TAKE THAT SHOW ON THE ROAD TO DESIGNATED LOCATIONS.
[00:20:01]
UH, PROVIDE, UH, COLLECTION FOR ALL OF THE SAME, UH, EVENTS, AND WE, UH, BRING THOSE, UH, THOSE MATERIALS BACK TO PUBLIC WORKS AND INCORPORATE THOSE INTO OUR RECYCLE STREAMS. UH, THE SECOND PIECE, UH, OF STRATEGY NUMBER FIVE IS TO MOVE THE PERMANENT RECYCLING DROPOFF CENTER FROM THE FAR RIGHT CORNER OF THE PUBLIC WORKS YARD TO THE NEAR RIGHT CORNER OF THE PUBLIC WORKS YARD.UM, MUCH MORE CUSTOMER FRIENDLY FOR, UH, FOR OUR, UM, OUR PATRONS.
UM, AND WE ARE MAKING SEVERAL INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVEMENTS, UH, AT PUBLIC WORKS TO FACILITATE THAT.
AND WE, UH, HOPE TO HAVE IT, UH, HOPE TO HAVE IT, UM, DONE EARLY NEXT YEAR.
UM, ALRIGHT, SO PICKING BACK UP.
UH, STRATEGY 11 IS ONE OF OUR ONGOING STRATEGIES TO CONTINUE TO HOST EDUCATIONAL EVENTS AND WORKSHOPS.
SO, UH, EARLIER THIS SPRING IN APRIL, WE DID OUR FINISHED COMPOST GIVEAWAY AT THE MAIN LIBRARY, WHICH WAS A HUGE SUCCESS, AS YOU CAN TELL IN THE PHOTO, A LOT OF PEOPLE COMING OUT.
AND WE GAVE OUT SOMEWHERE ON THE ORDER OF 20 TO 30 TONS OF FINISHED COMPOST ON MAY 9TH.
OUR, UH, OUR PARTNERSHIP WITH THE LIBRARY ALSO HOSTED A FIX IT CLINIC TO KIND OF ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO FIND WAYS TO FIX ITEMS AND GET PEOPLE THINKING ABOUT HOW TO, UM, YOU KNOW, TURN A BROKEN ITEM BACK INTO SOMETHING THAT'S WORKING AGAIN INSTEAD OF DISPOSING OF IT.
WE CONTINUE TO HOST SOME TOURS FOR RESIDENTS AND, AND SOME CITY STAFF.
SO WE, ON THE BOTTOM LEFT HAVE A PHOTO OF A BUNCH OF US AT THE GREATER LAWRENCE SANITARY DISTRICT WHERE OUR FOOD WASTE ULTIMATELY ENDS UP.
SO WE WENT THERE A FEW WEEKS AGO, WHICH WAS ALWAYS VERY ILLUMINATING.
UM, WE'VE LAUNCHED A, UH, VIDEO ON HOW RECYCLING WORKS WITH THE HELP OF THE SUSTAINABILITY OFFICE GOING, DOING A LITTLE BIT OF A BEHIND THE SCENES OF HOW RECYCLING WORKS AND JUST SHOWING PEOPLE THAT YES, IT TRULY DOES WORK.
YOU CAN SEE THE MATERIAL AT THE END.
YOU CAN KIND OF SEE THE CONVEYOR BELTS AND THE ROBOTS AND, AND ALL THE FUN STUFF THAT TAKE YOUR MIXED RECYCLING AND TURN IT INTO SOMETHING THAT'S MARKETABLE.
AND THEN WE ALSO DO A LOT OF OUTREACH EVENTS.
UM, ON THE BOTTOM RIGHT IS JUST AN EXAMPLE OF A COUPLE OF US VOLUNTEERING AT, UH, THE CAMBRIDGE SCIENCE FESTIVAL TO JUST EDUCATE PEOPLE ON ALL THE PROGRAMS WE OFFER.
UM, STRATEGY NUMBER 12, UH, IS TO CONDUCT A WASTE COMPOSITION STUDY EVERY THREE YEARS.
SO THE PREVIOUS STUDY WAS IN 2022 THAT HELPED INFORM OUR ZERO WASTE MASTER PLAN 2.0.
SO FEW MONTHS AFTER ZERO WASTE MASTER PLAN 2.0 WAS, UH, WAS ADOPTED.
WE DID THE 2025 TRASH CHARACTERIZATION.
AND, UM, THE RESULTS ARE UP ON THE SCREEN.
ABOUT 34% OF OUR TRASH, UM, ARE COMPOSTABLES AND FOOD SCRAPS.
SO THAT'S CURRENTLY WHAT'S IN PEOPLE'S GRAY TRASH CARTS.
UM, ABOUT A THIRD OF IT CAN BE PUT INTO THE FOOD WASTE PROGRAM.
UM, ANOTHER 16% ARE RECYCLABLES LIKE CANS, BOTTLES, UM, THINGS LIKE THAT.
SO, HUGE OPPORTUNITY TO IMPROVE THAT.
IF YOU ADD THOSE TWO TOGETHER, YOU COULD SEE THAT WE HAVE CURBSIDE PROGRAMS FOR 50% OF OUR CURBSIDE TRASH RIGHT NOW CAN BE DIVERTED TODAY, UM, TO THE RECYCLING OR THE FOOD WASTE PROGRAM.
WE ALSO HAVE ANOTHER 5%, WHICH WERE SOME OF THESE OTHER DIVERTABLE ITEMS LIKE ELECTRONICS, TEXTILES, SCRAP METAL.
SO TRULY WHAT WE MEASURE IS SOMEWHERE IN THE ORDER OF 45% OF OUR TRASH IS TRULY TRASH, UM, AS THE SYSTEM IS RIGHT NOW.
SO BIG OPPORTUNITIES TO DIVERT MORE WASTE.
IN STRATEGY 13, WE WERE, UM, YOU LOOKING TO COLLABORATE WITH LOCAL AND STATEWIDE INITIATIVES.
YOU KNOW, AGAIN, LIKE JOHN SAID, WE'RE NOT DOING THIS IN A VACUUM.
WE OPERATE WITHIN A, THE LARGER STATE.
WE ARE, YOU KNOW, A A RELATIVELY BIG MUNICIPALITY IN MASSACHUSETTS, BUT WE'RE NOT EVERYTHING.
UM, SO WE, YOU KNOW, WE DO NEED TO WORK WITH OUR PARTNERS TO, TO MOVE THINGS FORWARD.
SO IN 2025, UM, MASS, DEP CREATED COMMISSION TO EXPLORE EXTENDED PRODUCER RESPONSIBILITY.
THAT IS, UM, KIND OF A, A FORM OF LEGISLATION THAT HELPS TO PASS ON THE RESPONSIBILITY OF MANAGEMENT OF ITEMS FROM THE MUNICIPALITY OR THE GOVERNMENT TO THE PRODUCERS OF THOSE ITEMS. UM, SO THROUGH THE ADVOCACY OF OURSELVES WITH STATEWIDE PARTNERS, WE WERE ABLE TO ADVOCATE FOR EPR LEGISLATION FOR ELECTRONICS, PAINT, MATTRESSES AND BATTERIES.
THEY WERE FORMALLY RECOMMENDED BY THIS MASS DEP COMMISSION TO THE STATE LEGISLATURE.
AND SO NOW IT'S UP TO THE STATE LEGISLATURE.
UM, SO IF PASSED THESE LAWS COULD HELP MAKE RECYCLING EASIER AND LESS EXPENSIVE TO MUNICIPALITIES, WHICH WOULD BE A HUGE OPPORTUNITY FOR MUNICIPALITIES TO, TO REDUCE THE BURDEN ON THEM FOR MANAGING THESE KINDS OF WASTE.
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NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.JOHN, WHY DON'T YOU TAKE THIS ONE A LITTLE BIT OUT OF ORDER.
UH, OTHER RELEVANT UPDATES INCLUDE, UH, THE EXPANSION OF OUR BATTERY ELECTRIC COLLECTION FLEET.
UM, OUR RECYCLING, UH, CURBSIDE RECYCLING HAULER SELA INDUSTRIES, UH, HAS TWO BATTERY POWERED COLLECTION TRUCKS AS PART OF THEIR, UH, UH, CONTRACT SIGNED LAST YEAR.
UM, AND PUBLIC WORKS HAS JUST PUT OUR FOURTH, UH, COLLECTION TRUCK BATTERY POWERED, UH, ELECTRIC COLLECTION TRUCK, UH, ON THE ROAD.
UM, AND KEEP IN MIND, THOSE ARE JUST COLLECTION VEHICLES ONLY.
THEY'RE THE PUBLIC WORKS FLEET, UH, UM, HAS A NUMBER, UM, OF OTHER SMALLER VEHICLES, UH, THAT ARE FULL BATTERY ELECTRICS AS WELL.
UM, SO MOVING BACK, YOU KNOW, WE KIND OF TALKED ABOUT STRATEGIES, UM, THAT WERE MORE LIKE PRO PROGRAMMATIC, AND NOW I WANT TO GET BACK TO SOME OF THE SHORT TERM STRATEGIES THAT ARE, UM, THE ONES THAT DO REQUIRE ORDINANCE CHANGES.
SO, IN STRATEGY NUMBER ONE, WE ESTABLISHED THAT WE WANTED TO CREATE ZERO WASTE PLANS FOR LARGE RESIDENTIAL AND COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS.
SO CAMBRIDGE IS UNIQUE IN THAT WE'RE THE ONLY CITY IN MASSACHUSETTS TO PROVIDE ANY WASTE SERVICES TO BUILDINGS WITH 13 OR MORE, MORE HOUSEHOLDS.
AND IN FACT, WE SERVICE ABOUT 20,000 HOUSEHOLDS IN 415 BUILDINGS THAT ARE 13 UNIT BUILDINGS AND UP.
SO WE DO A LOT OF WHO WE SERVE ARE THESE VERY LARGE PROPERTIES.
AND BECAUSE OF THAT, WE, WE HAVE, UM, A UNIQUE CHALLENGE OF WORKING WITH THESE LARGE PROPERTIES TO IMPROVE COMPLIANCE.
SO, UM, BY REQUIRING THESE ZERO WASTE PLANS FOR BOTH RESIDENTIAL AND ALSO COMMERCIAL, IT HELPS US WITH ENSURING BETTER COMPLIANCE, MORE EFFICIENTLY ADMINISTER THE PROGRAMS THAT WE OFFER.
AND, UM, IT'S A BETTER METHOD FOR US TO MANAGE THE WASTE, UM, ISSUES THAT HAPPEN AT CERTAIN BUILDINGS.
SO, UM, IN THE PACKET OF THE RED LINE ORDINANCE CHANGES IN CHAPTER 8.2407 E, IT'S BASICALLY STATES THAT OWNERS OF RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS OF 13 UNITS OR MORE AND COMMERCIAL OF 25,000 SQUARE FEET OR MORE ARE REQUIRED TO SUBMIT ZERO WASTE PLANS.
AND IN IT, SOME OF THE CONTENTS ARE, WE WANNA COLLECT CONTACT INFORMATION SO WE CAN EASILY, YOU KNOW, CONTACT THE OWNER IF THERE'S ISSUES, UM, UNDERSTAND WHO THEIR WASTE COLLECTION VENDORS ARE AND THE VOLUME OF WASTE THEY'RE COLLECTING THERE EACH WEEK, AND THEIR METHOD FOR HANDLING MATTRESSES, TEXTILES, AND OTHER MATERIALS THAT MUST BE DIVERTED.
AND THEN JUST HOW ARE THE OWNERS EDUCATING THEIR TENANTS, HOW TO COMPLY WITH THESE ORDINANCE CHANGES.
UH, STRATEGY NUMBER TWO IS TO REQUIRE FOOD WASTE DIVERSION CITYWIDE.
UM, SO WE STATED WE WOULD LIKE TO PROPOSE THAT MANDATORY SEPARATION OF RECYCLED MATERIALS AS WELL AS COMPOSTABLE MATERIALS AND OTHER RECOVERABLE MATERIALS SUCH AS TEXTILES, MATTRESSES, AND YARD WASTE.
UM, THE REQUIREMENT FOR FOOD WASTE DIVERSION CITYWIDE, UM, WE FEEL IT'S TIME TO MAKE THIS PROGRAM MANDATORY FOR A FEW REASONS.
I MEAN, FIRST IS WE'VE HAD A PILOT PROGRAM SINCE 2014, SO WE'RE ON 12 YEARS OF HAVING A FOOD WASTE COLLECTION CURBSIDE PROGRAM.
EVEN BEFORE THE CURBSIDE PROGRAM IN 2014 STARTED, WE DID DROP OFF AND SCHOOL COMPOSTING.
SO A LONG HISTORY OF DOING FOOD WASTE DIVERSION IN THE CITY.
UM, OVER THE YEARS WE'VE SHOWN THAT THE FOOD WASTE DIVERSION PROGRAM CAN REDUCE COSTS.
UM, IT CAN HELP WITH RODENT ACTIVITY AND IT CAN REDUCE OUR CLIMATE IMPACT.
AND, UM, LIKE I JUST MENTIONED A FEW SLIDES AGO, FOOD WASTE IS STILL 34% OF OUR TRASH.
SO IT'S THE LARGEST OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO MEET OUR ZERO WASTE GOALS IS TO DIVERT MORE FOOD WASTE FROM THE TRASH.
AND RECENTLY THE STATE HAS ALLUDED TO, UM, STRICT, UH, STRICT MAKING THE FOOD WASTE BAN MORE STRICT IN THE STATE, UM, BY BANNING RESIDENTIAL FOOD WASTE, UH, FROM THE TRASH IN 2030.
NOW, THAT'S JUST A PROPOSAL FROM THE STATE, BUT TYPICALLY WHEN THEY PROPOSE IT, THEY, THEY MEAN THEY WOULD LIKE TO SEE THIS HAPPEN IN THE, IN THE FUTURE AT SOME POINT.
SO, UM, IT, THIS WOULD HELP US TO STAY AHEAD OF THE STATE BAN.
UM, BUT TO REALIZE ALL THE BENEFITS OF THE FOOD WASTE PROGRAM, WE BELIEVE MAKING IT MANDATORY IS NECESSARY.
YOU KNOW, WE'VE INVESTED IN THIS PROGRAM AND UNDERSTANDING HOW TO MAKE IT BETTER AND EASIER AND REALLY MAKE IT WORK FOR
[00:30:01]
A VARIETY OF STAKEHOLDERS IN THE COMMUNITY, FROM PROPERTY MANAGERS TO TENANTS, UM, AND EVEN TO RESTAURANT OWNERS, UM, TO HELP WITH THEIR FOOD WASTE.UM, SO IN THIS SLIDE, JUST GIVING A, A BRIEF UPDATE, UH, FROM WHAT WE'VE SHARED IN THE PAST AND WHAT WE PAY FOR DISPOSAL.
SO, UM, MY APOLOGIES MIGHT'VE GOT CUT OFF, BUT BASICALLY THIS SHOWS THAT WE PAY $145 PER TON OF TRASH, $91 PER TON FOR RECYCLING, AND $85 PER TON FOR FOOD WASTE DISPOSAL.
SO AS YOU CAN SEE OVER THE LAST 10 PLUS YEARS, UM, FOOD WASTE AND RECYCLING DIVERSION, UM, HAS BEEN LESS COSTLY THAN TRASH.
UM, WE ALSO WANT TO HIGHLIGHT, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE MAIN BENEFITS OF THE FOOD WASTE PROGRAM ARE THAT EACH OF THE CARTS THAT WE PROVIDE ARE LOCKING CARTS.
SO THEY EACH HAVE LATCHES OR LOCKS ON THEM, WHICH HIGHLY, HIGHLY, UM, CAN BE, UH, UH, GOOD AT PROTECTING AGAINST RODENTS.
WE OFTEN SEE, UM, BUILDINGS ASKING FOR TRASH CART REPLACEMENTS BECAUSE OF RODENT ACTIVITY, AND WE SEE LESS OF THAT WITH BUILDINGS THAT DO USE THE FOOD WASTE PROGRAM.
AND I THOUGHT IT'D BE GOOD TO HIGHLIGHT THIS, THIS CASE STUDY.
SO, UM, THIS IS A, UH, A BUILDING ON MASS AVE.
THEY HAVE A GROUND FLOOR RESTAURANT AND A HUNDRED UNITS, UH, PLUS CONDOS ABOVE IT.
UM, AS A MATTER OF FACT, THEY HAD DAILY SIGHTINGS OF RODENTS ON THEIR LOADING DOCK BEFORE THEY STARTED SEPARATING FOOD WASTE FROM THE TRASH.
UM, AFTER THEY STARTED SEPARATING, UH, THEY SAW BASICALLY NO RODENT ACTIVITY FOR THE LAST THREE MONTHS.
AND, UM, ONE OF THE KIND OF INCIDENTAL BENEFITS WAS THAT THEY WERE ABLE TO REDUCE THEIR CALLS TO THEIR PLUMBER BY 25% BECAUSE THEIR TENANTS WERE NOT USING THE NSYNC DISPOSER FOR THEIR FOOD WASTE.
AND SO, UM, THAT SPEAKS A LOT TO LIKE THE, THE BENEFITS OF A PROPERTY MANAGER FOR THIS.
UM, AND IN, I LIKE TO READ THIS QUOTE AT THE BOTTOM, WHICH COME FROM ONE OF THE, UH, TRUSTEES THAT THE LOADING DOCK HAS BECOME MUCH SAFER FOR THE RESTAURANT AND THE BUILDING STAFF TO USE, AND IT'S A CLEANER, MORE PLEASANT PLACE FOR ALL.
AND SO THIS REALLY SPEAKS TO THE BENEFITS OF THE FOOD WASTE PROGRAM AT A LARGE PROPERTY LIKE THIS.
AND ONE OTHER COMPONENT TO STRATEGY NUMBER TWO WAS WE WERE WORKING ON CHANGING THE NAME FROM THE COMPOST PROGRAM TO THE FOOD WASTE PROGRAM.
AND AS YOU CAN SEE, UH, ON THE FAR LEFT, WE'VE GOT OUR NEW RUN OF NEW FOOD WASTE CARTS THAT NOW SAY FOOD WASTE ON 'EM.
SO WE'RE SHIFTING AWAY FROM THE CARTS THAT ALL SAY COMPOST ON THE SIDE TO SAYING FOOD WASTE.
AND OUR, UH, MAIN WEBPAGE, UM, HAS IT AS CALLED FOOD WASTE.
AND THE LAST POSTCARD THAT WE SENT OUT TO THE COMMUNITY LAST FALL SAYS FOOD WASTE PROGRAM.
SO WE'RE, WE'RE MOVING ON ON CHANGING THE NAME OF THE PROGRAM.
UH, WE'RE ALSO PROPOSING ANOTHER, UH, A NUMBER OF OTHER SOLID WASTE ORDINANCE CHANGES, UM, UH, UPDATING DEFINITIONS TO ALIGN WITH OUR CURRENT WASTE PROGRAMS. UH, FOR EXAMPLE, UH, THE DEFINITION OF THE VARIOUS TYPES OF AUTHORIZED WASTE RECEPTACLES.
UM, CURRENTLY, UH, ONLY YARD WASTE TVS, APPLIANCES AND RECYCLABLES ARE BANNED, UH, PER THE ORDINANCE.
WE WANT TO UPDATE THAT TO INCLUDE, UH, FOOD WASTE, TEXTILES AND MATTRESSES.
UM, PROPERTY OWNERS ON CITY WASTE PROGRAMS, UH, MUST USE CITY ISSUED RECEPTACLES, KEEP THE LIDS CLOSED, UH, AND, UH, USE THE, UH, LABEL TO IDENTIFY THEIR ADDRESSES AND, UM, WHEN REPLACEMENT CARTS NEED TO BE REQUESTED.
IF THEY'RE, IF THAT CART IS BROKEN OR OTHERWISE DEFECTIVE, UM, UM, WE WOULD DO SO WITHIN 15 DAYS.
UM, AND IT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE, UH, THAT THERE ALSO BE A MECHANISM WHERE PROPERTY OWNERS MAY BE CHARGED A FEE TO REPLACE RODENT CHEWED CARS CARTS, UM, TO INCENTIVIZE RODENT CONTROL IMPROVEMENTS ON PROBLEMATIC PROPERTIES.
UM, ANOTHER PROPOSED UPDATE IS THAT, UH, TO CODIFY THAT EACH HOUSEHOLD IS ENTITLED TO 45 GALLONS OF TRASH PER WEEK NOT TO EXCEED 50 POUNDS.
UM, THE NOTE THAT THE, THAT RESIDENTS THAT PARTICIPATE, RESIDENTS THAT RECYCLE AND AVAIL THEMSELVES OF THE CURBSIDE FOOD WASTE PROGRAM GENERATE AN AVERAGE OF 23 GALLONS PER WEEK.
SO, UM, IT IS OUR OPINION THAT A 45 GALLON CONTAINER IS GOING TO MORE THAN ADEQUATELY, UM, TAKE CARE OF THEIR, OF, UM, ANY RESIDENT'S TRASH NEEDS.
[00:35:01]
THE, UM, PROPOSED ORDINANCE CHANGE WOULD ALLOW FOR ONE OVERFLOW BAG PER WEEK PER HOUSEHOLD, BUT IT WOULD CHANGE THE, THE SET OUT TIMES, THE PERMISSIBLE SET OUT TIMES.CURRENTLY, UM, UM, A RESIDENT CAN SET OUT A BAG AT THE CURB AT MIDNIGHT ON COLLECTION DAY, AND THIS WOULD INCLUDE A MODIFICATION FROM MIDNIGHT TO 5:00 AM ON A COLLECTION DAY JUST TO MORE, UM, ALIGNED WITH OUR, UH, RODENT CONTROL, UH, GOALS.
UM, AND LASTLY, UM, THERE WOULD BE AN UPDATED REQUIREMENT FOR PRIVATE HAULERS, UH, TO PROVIDE INFORMATION AND ASSIST US IN COMPLIANCE ISSUES ON SPECIFIC PROPERTIES.
UH, OUR STRATEGY NUMBER FOUR, UH, INVOLVES REDUCING WASTE FROM FOOD ESTABLISHMENTS.
UH, SPECIFICALLY IT'S, UH, CHAPTER 8.72, THE SKIP THE STUFF ORDINANCE, UH, WHICH, UH, UM, STIPULATES THAT ACCESSORY FOOD WEAR ITEMS. UM, TYPICALLY, UH, PLASTIC CUTLERY AND NAPKINS SHALL ONLY BE PROVIDED UPON REQUEST AND WILL NOT BE GIVEN OUT UNLESS REQUESTED.
UM, THERE IS CERTAINLY AN ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFIT THAT GOES WITH THAT, UH, BUT ALSO AN ECONOMIC BENEFIT THROUGH REDUCED EXPENDITURES ON THE PARTS OF RESTAURANTS FOR THESE MATERIALS.
UM, WE'RE REFERENCING A CASE STUDY HERE FROM RETHINK DISPOSABLE DO.ORG, UH, WHICH, UM, UM, UM, USED A BURGER SHOP IN CALIFORNIA SAW $2,100 ANNUAL SAVINGS, UM, JUST IN THOSE TWO ITEMS. UM, AND WE BELIEVE THAT, UH, THOSE SAVINGS COULD BE SIGNIFICANT HERE IN CAMBRIDGE AS WELL.
UM, UM, ALSO, STRATEGY NUMBER FOUR IS AN UPDATE TO, UH, CHAPTER 8.68 TO BRING YOUR OWN BAG ORDINANCES.
UH, THE CURRENT SYSTEM, UM, POLYESTER REUSABLE BAGS, PAPER BAGS, AND HEAVY DUTY, UH, YOU KNOW, THICKER MILL PLASTIC BAGS ARE ALL AVAILABLE, UH, AT THE POINT OF SALE FOR A CHARGE OF AT LEAST 10 CENTS.
UH, WHAT WE HAVE FOUND IS THAT, UH, THE THICKER PLASTIC BAGS, UH, ARE NOT REUSED.
AND, UM, STUDIES HAVE INDICATED THAT, UH, OTHER MUNICIPALITIES THAT, UH, UH, HAVE A SIMILAR PLASTIC, UH, THICKER PLASTIC BAG ORDINANCE ACTUALLY SAW AN INCREASE, UH, IN PLASTIC WASTE.
UM, IT IS OUR OPINION THAT THEY'RE NOT TYPICALLY USED, UH, REUSED.
UH, SO THE NEW PROPOSAL IS THAT ONLY PAPER AND COMPOSTABLE BAGS WOULD BE AVAILABLE AT THE POINT OF SALE, UH, FOR A CHARGE OF AT LEAST 10 CENTS.
UM, THE POLYESTER TYPE REUSABLE BAGS, UH, THAT SO MANY OF US USE WOULD, WOULD NOT BE AVAILABLE AT THE POINT OF SALE, BUT WOULD BE AVAILABLE FOR SALE ELSEWHERE IN THE STORE.
ALRIGHT, AND SO TO WRAP UP, WRAP UP ALL THESE ORDINANCE CHANGES.
SO THE DPW PROPOSES THAT ALL THE DRAFT CHANGES TO THESE THREE CHAPTERS WOULD TAKE EFFECT SIX MONTHS FROM ENACTMENT BY CITY COUNCIL, UM, THE ENFORCEMENT OF 8.24, WHICH IS THE LARGER REFUSE AND LITTER ORDINANCE, WHICH THE BULK OF THE CHANGES ARE.
UM, WE WOULD NOT START ENFORCEMENT UNTIL SIX MONTHS AFTER IT TAKES EFFECT.
SO 12 MONTHS FROM ENACTMENT, UM, ENFORCEMENT OF CHAPTERS 8.68, THE BAG ORDINANCE AND THE SKIP THE STUFF ORDINANCE WOULD, UM, ENFORCEMENT WOULD START RIGHT AFTER THOSE ORDINANCES TAKE EFFECT SIX MONTHS AFTER ENACTMENT.
AND OF COURSE, WE WOULD EVALUATE HOW THESE PROGRAMS GO AS AS, AS THINGS PROGRESS AND AS WE HEAR FROM THE COMMUNITY.
UM, SO SOME FUTURE WORK THAT WE MAY BE LOOKING AT, UM, EVALUATING A HYBRID PAGE, YOU THROW PROGRAM, LOOKING AT OTHER COMMONLY TRASHED ITEMS. YOU KNOW, WE MENTIONED MINIATURES EARLIER, POLYSTYRENE, UM, WE'RE ALSO GONNA EVALUATE OPTIONS TO DECREASE THE AMOUNT OF BULKY WASTE TRASHED, SO THAT'S THINGS LIKE FURNITURE.
UM, WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THAT, UH, QUITE EXTENSIVELY INTERNALLY, UM, SINCE IT'S SUCH A LARGE PART OF WHAT WE'RE SEEING AT THE TRASH RIGHT NOW.
UM, AND THEN LOOKING AT TRASH REDUCTION GOALS FOR COMMERCIAL TRASH, UM, THAT'S A BIG OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO MAKE A BIGGER IMPACT.
AND SO THAT'S ALL THAT WE HAVE, UM, TO PRESENT ON TODAY.
UM, WE'VE GOT AN EMAIL IF PEOPLE NEED TO REACH OUT TO US FOR ANY WASTE ISSUES OR SIGN UP FOR REVCYCLE NEWSLETTER.
UM, PASS IT BACK OVER TO YOU CHAIR NOLAN.
UM, RIGHT NOW WE'LL GO TO ANY SPEAKERS ONLINE AND
[00:40:01]
IF THESE ARE, ARE THESE MORE RACK MEMBERS HERE? EXCELLENT.AND IF YOU WANNA PARTICIPATE OR SAY ANYTHING, HAPPY TO HEAR FROM YOU.
WE ALREADY HEARD FROM DEBBIE, BUT LET ALWAYS, ALWAYS HAPPY TO, UM, APPRECIATE YOU.
ANYONE, UH, SO THE NEXT SPEAKER ONLINE, MS. STEFAN, OR NO ONE, THE PEOPLE THAT ARE SIGNED UP ARE NOT ON THE ZOOM.
IF THEY DO COME ONLINE, I'M HAPPY TO HEAR FROM THEM LATER.
DID YOU WANNA, YOU HAVE ONE HAND, UM, IS NOT SIGNED UP.
HELEN WALKER, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR.
UM, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK AND, UM, THANK YOU WITH THIS INITIATIVE.
UM, I REMEMBER A RATHER ELEGANT SPEECH BY THEN MAYOR SIMMONS ABOUT WHAT SHE CALLED QUOTE UNQUOTE YOUR PET PROJECTS, QUOTE UNQUOTE, AND HOW THEY MIGHT AFFECT UNHEARD PEOPLE.
I DID NOTICE THAT GOOGLE TELLS ME THE WEEKLY DIAPER TRASH, UH, FOR ONE CHILD WOULD BE 10 TO 18, UH, GALLONS FOR TWO CHILDREN, THAT WOULD BE 20 TO 36 GALLONS.
I'M WONDERING ABOUT YOUR LIMIT OF 45 GALLONS PER FAMILY AND HOW THAT'S GOING TO AFFECT THOSE PEOPLE WHO HAVE CHILDREN.
UM, CERTAINLY IN THE NEXT ROUND OF REDUCTIONS, WHEN YOU BRING THIS NUMBER LOWER, UM, THE ALLOWANCE FOR FAMILIES IS WITH CHILDREN IS GOING TO BE RATHER LOW.
UM, KNOWING MANY CONDO OWNERS IN LARGE BUILDINGS WHERE THE CITY DOES NOT PICK UP THE TRASH, I CAN REPORT THAT THERE IS SENTIMENT OF RESENTMENT THAT THE CITY WOULD REGULATE A SERVICE THAT IT REFUSES TO PROVIDE.
UM, THAT IN FACT THE OWNERS THEMSELVES PRIVATELY CONTRACT AND PAY FOR, UM, OF PARTICULAR CONCERN OR THE ISSUES ABOUT YARD WASTE, UH, POUNDS PER HOUSEHOLD GIVEN THE FAMILY SITUATION.
UM, AND ALSO POLYSTYRENE, WHICH IS A BIG ITEM IN THE TRASH RIGHT NOW.
I HOPE THAT, UM, WHEN THE DRAFT CHANGES TAKE PLACE AND IN THE NEXT ITERATION, YOU WILL, UH, CONSIDER THESE TWO QUESTIONS.
YEAH, THERE'S A MICROPHONE RIGHT OVER THERE, AND IF YOU PUSH THE BUTTON, MAKE SURE THE GREEN LIGHT IS ON.
I'M A LIVE AT 40 INMAN STREET, AND, UH, I'M A MEMBER OF RAC.
STARTING ON MY, UM, SECOND TERM, UH, I JUST WANTED TO VOICE STRONG SUPPORT FOR ALL OF THE PROPOSALS AND CHANGES.
UM, EVERYONE AT THE RAC AND EVERYONE AT DPW HAS WORKED VERY HARD AT REALLY BEING THOUGHTFUL AND CONSIDERATE ABOUT HOW WE ACHIEVE REALLY SIGNIFICANT AND IMPORTANT GOALS.
AND UNFORTUNATELY, IT'S NEVER GONNA BE A PERFECT SITUATION WHERE THERE AREN'T SOME INCONVENIENCES.
I THINK THOUGH THAT THE OVERRIDING IMPORTANCE IS ARE THAT, YOU KNOW, WE NEED TO ADDRESS CLIMATE AND THIS IS A VERY EFFECTIVE WAY OF DOING THAT.
THERE ISN'T ANY SIGNIFICANT AFFORDABILITY ISSUES ATTACHED TO THESE CHANGES.
AND THE, THE RODENT ISSUE IS, HAS BEEN A BIG ONE AND A CHALLENGING ONE FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE, ESPECIALLY FOR PEOPLE ACTUALLY IN THESE LARGER BUILDINGS.
I LIVE IN A CONDO BUILDING MYSELF, NOT QUITE AS BIG AS SOME OF THE OTHERS, BUT I'M SURROUNDED BY MANY OTHER AND LARGER CONDO BUILDINGS IF WE CAN TACKLE THIS FOOD WASTE ISSUE, EVERYTHING I'VE READ AND STUDIED LEADS ME TO BELIEVE, AND NOT JUST ME, BUT MANY OTHER EXPERTS THAT WE'RE REALLY GOING TO MAKE A BIG DENT IN THE, THE RODENT ISSUE AS WELL, WHICH IS REALLY IMPORTANT.
AND I'LL JUST ADD ONE OTHER THING ONTO THAT, IS THAT FOR THOSE OF US WHO CARE ABOUT WILDLIFE, AND I THINK IT'S A SIGNIFICANT PORTION OF THE POPULATION HERE IN CAMBRIDGE, UM, IT'S GOING TO GO A LONG WAY IN ALLOWING US ALSO TO RESTRICT THE USE OF RODENTICIDES, WHICH AS WE ALL KNOW, CAN DO SIGNIFICANT HARM TO WILDLIFE AND, UM, EVEN PETS ON OCCASION.
AND, UM, IN RARE CIRCUMSTANCES IT'S EVEN HAPPENED WITH ACTUAL CHILDREN AS WELL.
SO, UM, I'LL JUST SORT OF CLOSE UP BY SAYING THAT AGAIN, I'M NOT
[00:45:01]
SPEAKING FOR THE RAC, BUT AS A MEMBER, UM, I CAN TESTIFY TO THE, TO THE PASSION.WE HAVE A NUMBER OF NEW PEOPLE THAT HAVE JOINED THE RAC RECENTLY AS WELL.
WE'VE INITIATED A COUPLE OF SUBCOMMITTEES TO REALLY WORK ON THIS FOOD WASTE ISSUE.
AND AGAIN, WE'RE DOING IT IN A VERY THOUGHTFUL, MEANINGFUL WAY.
AND, UM, I CAN'T SPEAK FOR EVERYONE, BUT I'M PERSONALLY AM DEFINITELY READY TO, TO DO MY PART AS A VOLUNTEER TO HELP EDUCATE AND TO HELP PROMOTE ALL OF THE DIFFERENT IMPORTANT CHANGES THAT WE'RE TRYING TO MAKE.
UM, THERE IS GREAT URGENCY TO REDUCE OUR CLIMATE AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS IF WE HAVE, AS WE HAVE ALREADY BEGUN MASS EXTINCTIONS NOT ONLY AFFECTING INDIVIDUAL SPECIES, BUT ENTIRE ECOSYSTEMS, WHICH ALSO AFFECTS HUMAN SURVIVAL.
RECENT SCIENCE INDICATES WE HAVE ALREADY EXCEEDED THE CORAL REEF CLIMATE TIPPING 0.1 QUARTER OF SEA LIFE RELIES ON CORAL REEFS.
RECENT SCIENCE ALSO INDICATES WE ARE PERILOUSLY CLOSE TO MULTIPLE IRREVERSIBLE CLIMATE TIPPING POINTS.
WHY DOES CAMBRIDGE TRASH MATTERS? MOST OF IT IS FOOD WASTE.
CAMBRIDGE, ALONG WITH THE REGIONAL DENSE POPULATION WASTES AND INCORRECTLY DISPOSES TONS OF FOOD, REDUCING FOOD WASTE AND PLANT RICH DIETS ARE THE MOST IMPACTFUL SOLUTIONS FOR ADDRESSING CLIMATE CHANGE.
ACCORDING TO PROJECT DRAW DOWN THIS ALONG WITH REDUCING FOSSIL FUEL HELPS PUT THE EMERGENCY BREAKS ON HUMAN RELATED METHANE PRODUCTION.
EASY CURBSIDE FOOD COLLECTION IS A KEY SOLUTION.
THE KITCHEN FOOD WASTE BINS CAN TYPICALLY SAVE CONSUMERS ABOUT ONE THIRD IN GROCERY COSTS AS A SIDE BENEFIT WHEN IT IS USED TO REDUCE FOOD WASTE, AS PEOPLE CAN ASSESS WHAT'S BEING WASTED IN THE KITCHEN BIN AND ADJUST PURCHASING AND FOOD STORAGE HABITS TO REDUCE FOOD WASTE, THIS IS AN EXCELLENT TOOL FOR, UH, OUR RESIDENTS.
ADDITIONALLY, IT OFFERS HUGE REDUCTIONS IN CITY TRASH DISPOSAL EXPENSES, REDUCING FOOD WASTE AND SEPARATING FOOD WASTE FROM TRASH HAS A LARGE DUAL IMPACT IN REDUCING METHANE FROM AGRICULTURAL AGRICULTURE, WHICH IS THE LARGEST METHANE PRODUCING SECTOR, AS WELL AS LANDFILL REDUCING LANDFILL WASTE IN THE WASTE SECTOR, WHICH IS THE THIRD LARGEST METHANE SECTOR AFTER FOSSIL FUELS.
WE NEED TO MAKE SURE ALL BUILDINGS HAVE EASY SEPARATED FOOD WASTE DISPOSAL OPTIONS FOR CAMBRIDGE RESIDENTS.
AS THIS IS THE LARGEST BARRIER TO ADOPTING THE FOOD WASTE PROGRAM, MANDATING PROPER FOOD WASTE DISPOSAL WILL HAVE MULTIPLE IMMEDIATE CITYWIDE BENEFITS, INCLUDING HUGE SANITATION IMPROVEMENTS, RODENT REDUCTION, REDUCING OUR CLIMATE AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS AND SIGNIFICANT TRASH REDUCTIONS.
OUR TRASH REDUCTION GOALS SHOULD REFLECT THE URGENCY OF CURRENT CLIMATE SCIENCE.
2009 GOALS ARE GROSSLY INEFFICIENT IN THE FACE OF TODAY'S CLIMATE REALITIES.
WE HAVE SOLUTIONS THAT CAN MEET THE 2050 GOALS WITHIN YEARS, AND WE NO LONGER HAVE THE LUXURY OF DECADES TO MAKE THESE CHANGES.
THESE ZERO WASTE GOALS NEED TO BE ADOPTED AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE.
WE SHOULD BE AIMING FOR MUCH GREATER REDUCTION IN WASTE TO REDUCE CLIMATE CATASTROPHES.
OUR LAST SPEAKER IS IRENE KANG.
HELEN, DID YOU WANNA, SORRY, I CAN'T SEE WHO'S OUT THERE.
THERE'S LIGHTS IN MY, SO I DIDN'T RECOGNIZE YOU, ROB.
I'M ALSO A MEMBER OF THE RACK.
I HADN'T INTENDED TO SPEAK, BUT I JUST WANT TO ABSOLUTELY SECOND EVERYTHING THAT ROB HAS SAID AND THE PASSION THAT AMY HAS ABOUT THE, ALL THE REASONS THAT WE SHOULD BE DOING ALL THESE ZERO WASTE PLANS.
AND I THINK THE MAIN THING I WANNA SAY IS, EARLIER SPEAKER SAID, OKAY, THERE'S THIS ISSUE AND THIS ISSUE AND THIS ISSUE THAT MAYBE WE HADN'T THOUGHT ABOUT, MAYBE WE HADN'T ADDRESSED.
BUT MY EXPERIENCE OF BEING ON THE RACK IS THAT WHEN AN ISSUE COMES UP, WE'VE GOT, WHAT
[00:50:01]
ARE WE 20 SMART PEOPLE WHO WILL GET TOGETHER AND THINK IT OUT AND GO, OKAY, THERE'S A PROBLEM.WHAT ARE WE GONNA DO ABOUT IT? AND RECOMMEND IT TO MIKE AND THE REST OF DPW.
SO I JUST WANNA SAY, YEAH, LET'S, LET'S GET THIS ZERO WASTE ALL OF THIS PLAN IN AND THE LITTLE PIECES THAT WE KEEP THINKING OF, LITTLE PIECES THAT DON'T WORK, BUT LET'S BELIEVE THAT THE RAC AND OTHER SMART PEOPLE AROUND US WILL FIGURE OUT WHAT TO DO WITH ALL OF THEM.
THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO SPOKE, THANKS TO THE STAFF FOR THIS.
NOW WHAT WE ARE DOING IS GOING TO ANY, UM, COMMENTS, QUESTIONS, UH, REACTIONS, ANYTHING FROM COUNCIL MEMBERS? AND JUST TO REMIND US AND TO LET FOLKS KNOW, THIS HAS BEEN BEING WORKED ON FOR, UM, THE LAST YEAR AS AFTER WE ADOPTED THE ZERO WASTE MASTER PLAN 2.0, WHICH WE DID ALMOST A YEAR AGO.
THE EXPECTATION BY THE END OF THIS MEETING IS THAT THIS COMMITTEE WILL PUT FORTH A RECOMMENDATION THAT THE HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE MEETING FORWARD THE DRAFT ORDINANCE LANGUAGE TO THE CITY COUNCIL WITH A FAVORABLE RECOMMENDATION.
I NOTICE THAT OUR LAW DEPARTMENT IS HERE, WE CAN EITHER ADOPT IT AS A COUNCIL PETITION AND MOVE FORWARD, OR JUST, I DON'T THINK WE NEED TO PUT IT TO ORDINANCE BECAUSE WE'VE ALREADY REVIEWED IT A NUMBER OF TIMES.
WE COULD, THE COUNCIL COULD, I BELIEVE ONCE IT'S THERE, DECIDE TO SAY THE ORDINANCES, TO APPROVE THE ORDINANCES.
BUT WE WILL, THIS COMMITTEE RIGHT NOW CAN ONLY ACT AS A COMMITTEE AND WOULD BE MAKING A RECOMMENDATION TO THE FULL CITY COUNCIL.
SO WANTED TO MAKE SURE PEOPLE UNDERSTOOD THAT.
UM, ANY MEMBERS ONLINE WITH THEIR HANDS UP? COUNCILOR MCGOVERN AND COUNCIL COUNCILOR MCGOVERN, AND THEN COUNCILOR ZUBI.
UH, THANK YOU MADAM CHAIR THROUGH, THROUGH YOU.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE PRESENTATION AND, UH, ALL OF YOUR WORK.
UM, JUST, I ACTUALLY WAS SORT OF INTERESTED IN THAT QUESTION THAT WAS ASKED IN PUBLIC COMMENT ABOUT FAMILIES AND DIAPERS AND, YOU KNOW, HAVING FOUR KIDS, I KNOW DIAPERS CAN BE PRETTY HEAVY AND PRETTY, UH, UM, AND LOTS OF THEM.
UM, AND I WONDER ALSO YOU HAVE, YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES YOU'RE GONNA HAVE FAMILIES, WHETHER IT'S FOR OLDER FOLKS WITH MEDICAL ISSUES OR WHAT HAVE YOU, THAT MIGHT GENERATE SORT OF HEAVIER OR MORE TRASH THAN WHAT A SORT OF A, WHAT'S AN AVERAGE? SO IS THERE ANY WAY TO ACCOUNT FOR THAT? IS, IS THAT JUST, I MEAN, HOW WOULD THAT WORK? UM, THROUGH YOU MADAM CHAIR, I, THE, THE, UH, DIAPER, UH, COMMENT WAS ACTUALLY AN INTERESTING ONE, RIGHT? YOU DON'T TYPICALLY THINK ABOUT THAT.
AND CERTAINLY IF YOU HAVE A BUNCH OF KIDS AND THEY'RE IN THE, IN DIAPERS, THEY CAN ADD TO WHETHER IT'S WEIGHT OR IT'S VOLUME.
I DO WANT TO GO BACK TO THE PRESENTATION FOR A SECOND JUST TO POINT OUT THAT IF FOLKS ARE SEPARATING THEIR TRASH PROPERLY, RIGHT NOW WE HAVE 55% OF WHAT IS IN OUR TRASH IS DIVERTABLE, UH, TO ONE OF THE OTHER SERVICES THAT WE ADD.
SO IF PEOPLE ARE DOING THE RECYCLING RIGHT, THEIR COMPOST RIGHT, THERE SHOULD BE PLENTY OF ROOM WITHIN THAT 45 GALLON BIN TO ACCOUNT FOR THAT.
UM, I KNOW THAT MICHAEL AND JOHN, OFTENTIMES IF WE HAVE A SITUATION WHERE SOMEONE FEELS THEY HAVE A BIN THAT'S, YOU KNOW, NOT BIG ENOUGH FOR THEM, UH, WE'LL GO OUT, WE'LL MEET WITH THOSE PEOPLE.
WE'LL TALK JUST ABOUT THE EDUCATION STUFF THAT I JUST MENTIONED TO MAKE SURE THEY UNDERSTAND THERE ARE OTHER WAYS TO DIVERT SOME OF THIS TRASH.
UH, AND IN SOME SITUATIONS IT IS, HEY, DO WE REALLY NEED TO GO UP TO A 65 GALLON BIN FOR THIS PARTICULAR FAMILY OR FOR THIS PARTICULAR SITUATION? SO I WOULD SAY, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T WANNA DO A BLANKET, HEY, ANYBODY THAT MAKES A PHONE CALL, THEY CAN GET A BIGGER BIN.
BUT WE WILL CERTAINLY WORK WITH FAMILIES IF THEY'RE STRUGGLING WITH THE BINS THAT THEY HAVE, AGAIN, TO FIRST EDUCATE THEM, EVALUATE THE SITUATION, AND THEN IF THEY NEED SOMETHING BIGGER, UH, WE'VE WORKED WITH FOLKS TO GET BIGGER EVENTS.
YEAH, AND I THOUGHT THAT WAS JUST AN INTERESTING, AN INTERESTING QUESTION AND, UM, CERTAINLY THE EDUCATIONAL PIECE IS GONNA BE HUGE, BUT OTHER THAN THAT, I, I THINK THIS IS GREAT.
GREAT PROGRESS, FANTASTIC WORK.
UH, AND I'LL YIELD THANK YOU COUNCILOR MCGOVERN, AND I DON'T HAVE KIDS ANYMORE, BUT I TALKED TO THE STAFF IN OUR PREP MEETINGS ABOUT THE FACT THAT MY CAT LITTER IS ALSO PRETTY
SO LITERALLY WE HAVE TO, I THINK IT'S HALF OF OUR, OUR POUNDAGE AS A FAMILY.
UM, COUNCILOR
I, AGAIN, ALSO WANNA EXPRESS MY APPRECIATION FOR THIS.
IT'S, IT'S VERY THOROUGH WORK.
UM, I HAVE A FEW QUESTIONS THAT I'M CURIOUS ABOUT.
NOTICE ON SLIDE, I THINK THIS IS FOUR WITH THE, THE MAP OF OVER THE YEARS, THE DIFFERENT RESIDENTIAL WASTE COLLECTED BY THE CALENDAR YEAR.
[00:55:01]
EXPLANATION TO THE FLUCTUATIONS ON FOOD WASTE OVER THE YEARS.IS THERE ANYTHING TO EXPLAIN WHY WE'RE SEEING THOSE FLUCTUATIONS? I MIGHT HAVE MISSED IT.
UM, SO THE FOOD WASTE PROGRAM IN 2020, WE HAD TO SUSPEND DUE TO COVID-19.
UM, SO THROUGHOUT MUCH OF 2020 AND 2021, WE WERE NOT COLLECTING FOOD WASTE SEPARATELY, UM, BECAUSE OF SOCIAL DISTANCING RULES.
AND THEN, YOU KNOW, WE, WE GOT THE PROGRAM BACK UP AND RUNNING BY 22 AND TOOK US A LITTLE WHILE TO GET THE PARTICIPATION RATES BACK UP.
UM, SO THAT'S THE ANOMALY YOU MIGHT SEE IN THERE.
AND THEN EVEN IN 2024, WAS THERE ANY PARTICULAR REASON FOR THAT DIP OR, UH, THROUGH YOU MADAM CHAIR? THERE IS, YEAH, THERE SEEMS TO BE A SLIGHT DIP.
MAYBE WE'LL GO BACK TO DOUBLE CHECK OUR NOTES, BUT THERE SHOULDN'T BE MUCH OF A DECREASE THERE.
WE'LL DOUBLE CHECK THAT THOUGH.
I THINK THERE MIGHT BE A LITTLE BIT OF AN ERROR.
THAT'S DEFINITELY HELPFUL TO KNOW.
AND THEN I'M, ANOTHER QUESTION I HAD WAS ARE, DO YOU GUYS HAVE ANY DATA OR ANYTHING THAT SPEAKS TO WHAT PARTICULAR PARTS OF CAMBRIDGE, UM, WE COULD DO MORE EVEN FOCUSED WORK ON SO THAT WE CAN, UH, SUPPORT NEIGHBORHOODS THAT ARE STRUGGLING MORE THAN OTHERS? I'M CURIOUS IF THERE'S ANY INFO ON THAT.
UM, WE, I DON'T THINK THERE'S ANY ONE PARTICULAR PART OF CAMBRIDGE THAT WE COULD BE DOING MORE ON.
I THINK IT'S PRIMARILY MULTIFAMILY BUILDINGS THAT WE COULD BE DOING A BETTER JOB WITH.
UM, YOU KNOW, ONE THING WITH, IF, IF THESE ORDINANCE CHANGES WERE TO GO INTO EFFECT IS WE WANNA WORK WITH A LOT OF THE LOW INCOME RESIDENTIAL PROPERTIES TO MAKE SURE THAT THE COST OF THESE SERVICES ARE NOT, UH, A BARRIER.
UM, SO, YOU KNOW, THINKING THROUGH THAT IS, IS ONE OF OUR BIG THINGS.
FOR INSTANCE, THE COMPOSTABLE BAGS THAT ARE USED IN THE FOOD WASTE PROGRAM, PROVIDING THEM FOR FREE TO THOSE PROPERTIES.
UM, BUT I'D SAY GENERALLY THERE'S HIGH AND LOW PARTICIPATION.
IT COULD VARY BUILDING BY BUILDING.
UM, BUT I THINK, UH, SOME OF THE PARTS OF THE CITY THAT HAVE THE MOST RODENT ISSUES ARE PROBABLY THE ONES THAT WE WANT TO TARGET THE MOST WITH THE FOOD WASTE PROGRAM BECAUSE WE DO SEE THOSE SOMEWHAT CORRELATED OR TIED TOGETHER.
I, THE LAST QUESTION I HAVE, UM, IS RELATED TO, I THINK IT WAS STRATEGY THREE ON THE REDUCING MOVE IN MOVE OUT WASTE.
UM, JUST CURIOUS, LIKE AS I, I KNOW LIKE THE MONTHS OF, YOU KNOW, AUGUST, SEPTEMBER DOES MOVE IN, MOVE OUT PERIODS.
DOES THE WASTE THAT HAP LIKE THE, THE STRATEGY HERE, DOES IT GO TO A PARTICULAR PLACE? IS THERE WORK THAT WE'VE DONE TO ALLOW PEOPLE TO BE ABLE TO ACCESS ANY OF THOSE FURNITURE? I KNOW IT'S LIKE A BIG THING WHERE PEOPLE LIKE GO OUT AND WALK TO SEE WHAT FURNITURE THEY CAN GET.
SO I'M JUST CURIOUS TO LEARN A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THAT.
UH, THROUGH YOU MADAM CHAIR, THE, THE GRANT PROGRAM THAT WE HAD WAS A PARTNERSHIP WITH FURNISHING HOPE, WHICH IS A NONPROFIT BASED, UH, NEAR HARVARD SQUARE.
THEY WORK WITH A, UM, ORGANIZATION BASED IN ACTON WHERE THEY WILL TAKE A LOT OF HOUSEHOLD GOODS THAT ARE GOOD QUALITY AND THEY'LL USE IT TO KIND OF FURNISH HOMES FOR PEOPLE COMING OUT OF HOMELESSNESS OR DOMESTIC VIOLENCE ISSUES.
UM, SO IT WAS A REALLY AWESOME KIND OF PARTNERSHIP WITH THEM TO, YOU KNOW, WE, WE OFFLOADED ABOUT 180 PIECES OF FURNITURE AND 65 BOXES OF HOUSEHOLD GOODS, UM, TO HELP, UM, FAMILIES.
UM, BUT THAT WAS, YOU KNOW, THAT DOESN'T DIRECTLY TIE BACK TO CAMBRIDGE RESIDENTS.
SO, YOU KNOW, THAT'S ONE THING.
THERE'S, YOU KNOW, AND, AND YOU KIND OF MENTIONED MAYBE SOME OF THE, UM, INFORMAL SHARING NETWORKS, WHICH, YOU KNOW, MORE OR LESS IS CURB ALERTS, JUST PEOPLE PUTTING STUFF AT THE CURB AND PEOPLE GRABBING IT AND TAKING IT.
AND, AND THAT'S AN ONGOING ISSUE THAT WE'RE ALWAYS THINKING ABOUT OF HOW DO WE MAKE THAT A MORE MEANINGFUL EXCHANGE OR HOW DO WE HELP CAPTURE ITEMS OFF THE STREET? HOW DO WE HAVE LESS STUFF SITTING OUT THERE FOR LONG HOURS OR IN THE RAIN? I MEAN, IT'S, IT'S A VERY DIFFICULT, UM, TOPIC FOR, FOR SURE.
I THINK, I THINK COUNSEL, JUST TO ADD ON TO THAT, ONE OF THE STRUGGLES WE HAVE IS BECAUSE WITH SUCH A, UM, CONDENSED CITY, WE DON'T REALLY HAVE ANY PLACE TO BRING THIS STUFF.
SO LIKE IF WE WERE TO SAY DURING MOVE IN, MOVE OUT, LET'S GO COLLECT WHAT WE THINK IS GOOD FURNITURE AND STORE IT SOMEWHERE WHERE PEOPLE CAN COME AND, YOU KNOW, PICK IT UP AND DO WHATEVER, WE JUST DON'T HAVE THE SPACE FOR THAT.
UM, SO AS MICHAEL SAID, IF WE CAN FIND SOME OF THESE ORGANIZATIONS,
[01:00:02]
UH, AND WE CAN MAKE IT WORK OUT, PARTICULARLY IF THEY COULD HELP SUPPLY FOLKS THAT ARE MORE IN CAMBRIDGE AND NOT OUTSIDE THE CITY, IT'D BE A GREAT WAY FOR US TO DO IT.AND SO THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS AS PART OF OUR ONGOING STRATEGIES THAT WE NEED TO CON CONTINUE TO THINK ABOUT.
YEAH, I APPRECIATE THAT AND IT'S GREAT TO HEAR THAT WE'VE PARTNERED WITH FURNISHING HOPE AND DEFINITELY LOVE TO FOLLOW UP WITH YOU ON THE DILEMMA OF THE MOVE AND MOVE OUT PERIOD.
I RECOGNIZE THAT THERE'S A, THERE'S POTENTIAL THERE, BUT I KNOW IT'S A LITTLE COMPLICATED AS YOU SAID.
UM, COMMISSIONER NAONE WITH, UH, HOW CONDENSED WE ARE.
SO I'LL GO AHEAD AND YIELD AND APPRECIATE YOU ALL FOR YOUR WORK.
UM, I ALSO WANTED TO COMMEND YOU, UH, OUR STAFF AND RAC ON YOUR WORK.
I THINK IT'S ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC AND, UM, WE'RE MAKING GREAT STRIDES, SO THANK YOU.
AND I ALSO, UM, OF COURSE WILL SUPPORT YOUR, UM, YOUR ORDINANCE, YOUR ORDINANCE AMENDMENTS.
UM, I ALSO WAS INTERESTED, UH, UH, UH, TO HEAR MORE ABOUT HOW YOU ARE THINKING ABOUT SCALING, UM, THE MOVE IN, MOVE OUT WASTE.
UM, AND I WONDERED IF THERE WAS ANY CHANCE, I MEAN, WE DO HAVE A LOT OF EMPTY STOREFRONTS.
IS THERE ANY CHANCE THAT WE COULD BE PARKING THINGS AND EMPTY STOREFRONTS, UH, ON A TEMPORARY BASIS, UM, AND HAVE SORT OF FREE SHOPS AROUND TOWN? UH, TO YOU, MADAM CHAIR? WE HAVE NOT REACHED OUT TO PEOPLE WITH EMPTY STOREFRONTS.
IT CERTAINLY IS A, IS AN INTRIGUING IDEA.
I KNOW A LOT OF TIMES THOSE EMPTY STOREFRONTS, THEY STAY EMPTY BECAUSE, UH, YOU HAVE PROPERTY OWNERS THAT JUST AREN'T WILLING TO GIVE UP THE SPACE BECAUSE THEY WANT TO ACTUALLY RENT IT TO SOMEBODY, EVEN IF THAT MEANS YEARS OF EMPTY STOREFRONTS.
UH, SO THERE'S A LITTLE BIT OF A DILEMMA THERE, BUT I CAN'T SAY THAT WE HAVE REACHED OUT TO FOLKS WITH THAT.
UM, WE'D HAVE TO CERTAINLY DIG INTO THE LOGISTICS AROUND WHETHER WE COULD EVEN DO THAT, YOU KNOW, HOW EASY IT IS TO GET THINGS IN AND OUT.
WHO WOULD KINDA MANAGE THE STORE? UH, YOU KNOW, THERE, THERE WOULD BE A BUNCH OF LOGISTICS WE'D HAVE TO GO THROUGH, BUT FIRST IT WOULD BE FINDING PARTNERS THAT WOULD BE WILLING TO ALLOW US TO HAVE THAT SPACE.
YEARS AGO, UH, WE HAD DONE SOME PILOTS, I THINK IT WAS WITH HARVARD, IT MAY HAVE BEEN WITH MIT.
UH, WE CAN REACH OUT TO THEM AGAIN AND SEE.
THEY, THEY DO DEFINITELY ON THEIR OWN CAMPUSES.
THEY HAVE A GOOD SWAP SHOP TYPE MECHANISM.
UM, BUT, YOU KNOW, WE HOUSE A LOT OF THESE STUDENTS WHO AREN'T ON CAMPUS AND, YOU KNOW, MAYBE THERE'S ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO PARTNER WITH THEM.
AND, YOU KNOW, I THINK WE'D HAVE TO DEVELOP A RELATIONSHIP WITH A PROPERTY OWNER AND THERE WOULD BE A LOT OF LOGISTICS TO WORK OUT, BUT I, I'VE ALWAYS FELT I'M, I'M A BIG, UH, BELIEVER IN FREE SALES AND I, I THINK IT COULD BE REALLY BENEFICIAL.
SO THEY WOULD HAVE TO BE DEFINED AS LIKE A PLACE, AS A TEMPORARY LOCATION.
AND THERE'S SOME PLACES LIKE AT CENTRAL SQUARE WHERE IT SEEMS AS THOUGH PROPERTY OWNERS ARE WAITING FOR US TO UP ZONE CENTRAL SQUARE BEFORE THEY LEASE PROPERTIES.
UM, SO MAYBE THAT COULD BE A GREAT PLACE.
UM, I REALIZE IT WOULD BE SOME WORK, BUT I, I THINK IT COULD BE REALLY GREAT FOR THE CITY.
UM, I WANTED TO ASK ABOUT, ON, ON PAGE 12 WITH YOUR, UM, WASTE COMPOSITION STUDY THAT YOU DO EVERY THREE YEARS.
DOES THAT INCLUDE APARTMENT BUILDINGS AND COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS AS WELL? WELL, DOES THAT INCLUDE CHA PROPERTIES? WHAT DOES THAT INCLUDE? YEAH, THROUGH YOU CHAIR NOLAN.
UM, WE COLLECT THAT PRIMARILY FROM MEDIUM RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS ON DOWN.
SO, UM, WE JUST PICK A COUPLE STREETS ON OUR TRASH COLLECTION ROUTE AND WE JUST SIPHON THAT TRASH OFF, TAKE IT TO A SORTING FACILITY, AND THEN JUST SORT THO THOSE INDIVIDUALS, UM, TRASH INTO THE COMPONENTS OF IT.
SO IT IS NOT COMMERCIAL AND IT IS NOT VERY LARGE RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS.
IT'S USUALLY LIKE MEDIUM SIZE AND UNDER.
AND THEN ALSO, UM, AND I, I REALIZE IT, IT WOULD BE HARD TO STOP AMAZON DELIVERIES TO CAMBRIDGE, BUT HAVE YOU FOUND OVER THE LAST DECADE, YOU KNOW, WITH PEOPLE BUYING ONLINE, UM, YOU WOULD THINK THAT THERE WOULD BE AN INCREASE? 'CAUSE THERE'S, ON MY STREET, THERE'S SO MUCH CARDBOARD FROM DELIVERIES EVERY WEEK.
UM, SO HOW DO AMAZON DELIVERIES AND OTHER DELIVERIES, UM, CONTRIBUTE TO OUR OVERALL TRASH AND RECYCLING? YEAH, THROUGH YOU CHAIR NOLAN, UH, WE HAVEN'T REALLY NOTICED AN UPTICK IN RECYCLING DUE TO AMAZON.
I MEAN, 'CAUSE AMAZON'S BEEN AROUND IN THE CITY FOR MAYBE A DECADE.
I, I'M NOT EVEN QUITE SURE, BUT WE DON'T SEE A YEAR OVER YEAR INCREASE IN RECYCLING.
AND I DON'T THINK THAT THAT'S BECAUSE PEOPLE ARE NOT RECYCLING.
I THINK THERE'S A BIG EFFORT TO, UM, THERE'S A LOT OF LIGHTWEIGHTING THAT'S HAPPENING,
[01:05:01]
SO AMAZON'S GOTTEN BETTER ABOUT PUTTING MULTIPLE ITEMS IN A BOX.YOU CAN ACTUALLY GET CREDIT THROUGH AMAZON IF YOU ORDER ALL THINGS AT ONCE.
SO THERE'S SOME EFFICIENCIES THAT ARE HAPPENING THERE IN SOME RESPECTS, BUT, UM, IT'S HARD TO PINPOINT WHETHER AMAZON HAS IMPACTED US SIGNIFICANTLY ONE WAY OR THE OTHER.
UM, BUT SURELY IT HAS SOME IMPACT.
UH, AND THEN FINALLY, I, I THINK IT'S FABULOUS THAT YOU'RE GONNA BE EXPANDING INTO LARGE RESIDENTIAL AND COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS.
I, I HIGHLY RESPECT HELEN WALKER.
SO I, I DO THINK WE NEED TO, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE A LOT OF COMMUNICATION.
IT'S ALWAYS KEY AND WE'LL NEED TO WORK CAREFULLY WITH THOSE, UM, LARGER RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENTS, WHICH I ASSUME INCLUDES, UM, CAMBRIDGE HOUSING AUTHORITY PROPERTIES.
I WANTED TO ASK, WILL WE BE CHARGING FOR THAT OR, I MEAN, WE'LL BE ASKING FOR PLANS, BUT IF WE'RE OFFERING SERVICES AS WELL, ARE WE CHARGING FOR THOSE SERVICES OR NOT? SO, SO COUNSELOR THROUGH YOU, MADAM MAYOR, UM, COUNSELOR, I JUST WANT TO CLARIFY.
THERE ARE, THERE IS NO SIZE BUILDING IN CAMBRIDGE THAT WE WON'T SERVICE.
THE REALITY IS, IS THEY NEED TO MEET, THEY NEED TO BE ABLE TO MEET BOTH OUR ORDINANCES AND, UM, STATE SANITARY CODE.
AND WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU START TO GET THESE LARGER PROPERTY.
AND WE DO NOT, WE DON'T, UM, SERVICE BUILDINGS WITH DUMPSTERS.
WE HAVE SOME SMALL ONES FOR CHA, BUT LARGE PRIVATE BUILDINGS, WE WOULD NOT BE GOING ONTO THEIR PROPERTIES AND SERVICING DUMPSTERS, WHICH MEANS THEY NEED TO GET ALL THEIR STUFF INTO BARRELS AND OUT ONTO THE SIDEWALK ONCE A WEEK, WHICH IS WHAT OUR SERVICE IS.
AND THE MAJORITY OF THEM CAN'T MEET THOSE REQUIREMENTS.
THEY CAN'T GET BARRELS OUT ONTO A, A SIDEWALK WITHOUT OBSTRUCTING A SIDEWALK.
UM, THEY CAN'T STORE THOSE BARRELS ON THEIR PROPERTY AND ACTUALLY MEET STATE SANITARY CODE.
UM, SO THAT IS THE REASON WHY SOME OF THESE LARGE BUILDINGS END UP HAVING TO GET THEIR OWN PRIVATE SERVICE.
I THINK WE HAD, AND I DON'T, MAYBE JOHN MIGHT KNOW, BUT I KNOW THAT WE, YEARS BACK, WE TALKED WITH SOME LARGE PROPERTY OWNERS WHERE THEY WERE GONNA TRY TO AT LEAST HAVE OUR SERVICE ONCE A WEEK AND THEN GET A PRIVATE SERVICE FOR ANOTHER COUPLE OF DAYS A WEEK.
I'M NOT SURE IF THAT EVER MATERIALIZED.
UM, BUT WE ARE NOT GONNA GO OUT AND NOW START SERVICING THESE LARGE BUILDINGS UNLESS THEY CAN STILL MEET THOSE REQUIREMENTS.
WE ARE GONNA REQUIRE, THEY GIVE US A ZERO WASTE MASTER PLAN SO WE UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY'RE DOING, MAKING SURE THAT THEY ARE MEETING ALL OF OUR ORDINANCE REQUIREMENTS, EVEN IF WE DON'T PERSONALLY SERVICE THEM.
BUT THIS IS NOT GOING TO MAKE US GO OUT AND NOW START SERVICING THESE BIG BUILDINGS.
BUT WOULD WE BE, UM, IF WE WERE LIKE PICKING UP COMPOST WASTE OR, OR LET'S CALL IT FOOD WASTE, IT'S FOOD WASTE, UH, WOULD WE BE CHARGING FOR THAT OR WE WOULDN'T BE CHARGING FOR THAT? NO, WE WOULDN'T.
AND WE DO HAVE SITUATIONS WHERE WE HAVE LARGE BUILDINGS, AND AGAIN, THIS IS REALLY A, A REALLY GOOD REASON WHY WE NEED A, A WASTE PLAN FROM THEM IS WE HAVE SOME LARGE BUILDINGS WHERE WE DO NOT PICK UP THEIR TRASH BECAUSE THERE'S TOO MUCH TRASH, BUT WE DO SERVICE THEM WITH RECYCLING.
AND THEN I THINK FOR SOME OF OUR BIGGER BUILDINGS, WE'RE DOING COMPOST AS WELL.
SO AGAIN, AS LONG AS THEY CAN MEET THE ORDINANCES, UM, AND STATE REQUIREMENTS, WE WOULD PICK THEM UP AND THAT WOULD BE FREE OF CHARGE.
YEAH, NO, IT SEEMS LIKE THAT WILL BE, UM, AND IMPORTANT TO DO EVENTUALLY IF WE REALLY WANT TO LOWER OUR, OUR TRASH OVERALL TRASH.
A FEW COMMENTS PARTLY TO REMIND US ALL THE REASON FOR THE EXPECTED CHANGE FOR THE PLASTIC BAG ORDINANCES.
WE'RE FOLLOWING THE LEAD OF OTHER COMMUNITIES THAT WE HAVE A PLASTIC BAG ORDINANCE, BUT THE IDEA IS TO UPDATE IT BECAUSE THE CURRENT ONE IS NOT MEETING THE MOMENT, AND IN FACT IS LEADING TO USE OF MORE PLASTIC THAN BEFORE.
PARTLY JUST BECAUSE OF THE WAY IT'S STRUCTURED.
THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF SOMETHING WE'RE LEARNING OVER TIME.
WE THOUGHT IT WAS GONNA BE GOOD, IT WAS APPROPRIATE TO DO THEN.
BUT WHAT HAPPENS IS SO MANY PEOPLE WHO END UP BUYING THOSE VERY THICK PLASTIC BAGS DON'T END UP REUSING THEM, WHICH MEANS THEY END UP USING MORE, IN ESSENCE, A SINGLE USE.
SO I'M JUST REMINDING US ALL ABOUT WHY IT IS THAT WE'RE, WE'RE DOING THIS BECAUSE WE'VE LEARNED FROM OTHERS AND THE STAFF HAS WORKED REALLY HARD ON HOW IT IS THAT WE CAN, UH, HAVE AN UPDATED ORDINANCE IN ORDER TO MEET THE MOMENT MORE, UM, MORE IN LINE WITH OUR GOALS.
UM, THE OTHER COMMENT I WOULD MAKE IS WE NEED A VIDEO FROM THAT PERSON WHO, THE PROPERTY MANAGER AT THE PLACE, THE 113 UNIT CONDO BUILDING.
I JUST THINK A ONE OR TWO MINUTE VIDEO OF THAT PERSON TALKING ABOUT THE RESULTS IS GONNA BE REALLY HELPFUL FOR OTHER BUILDINGS AS THEY ADOPT AN ORDINANCE CHANGE.
[01:10:01]
BE A LOT OF CONCERN THAT THIS IS NOT SOMETHING THAT'S NECESSARY.WHY ARE, WHY ARE YOU MAKING US DO THIS IN A WAY AND FOR THAT PERSON TO TALK ABOUT EVERYBODY IN THE CITY, NO MATTER WHERE YOU LIVE, NO MATTER WHAT SIZE BUILDING UNDERSTANDS THAT THE RODENT PROBLEM IS, IS, IS IMPORTANT FOR US TO ADDRESS.
SO THAT'S AN EXAMPLE I I'M REALLY EXCITED ABOUT EVENTUALLY, UM, MOVING TOWARDS A MORE OF A PAY AS YOU THROW TO ENSURE THAT WE, YOU KNOW, ALL OF US RIGHT NOW, THIS TIME OF YEAR, THERE'S SO MUCH ON OUR SIDEWALKS.
UM, SOME OF IT IS, UH, WHY NOT PUT IT ON THE SIDEWALK? BUT THEN SO MUCH OF IT IS USABLE GOODS.
I WILL LET MY COLLEAGUES KNOW.
I HAVE TALKED TO THE STAFF OFTEN ABOUT THIS, THAT I DO THINK IT'S TIME FOR US TO SERIOUSLY PLAN FOR A PERMANENT SPOT FOR A FREE STORE.
THERE'S SEVERAL PLACES IN THE CITY WHERE WE COULD CONSIDER DOING IT.
NOW THAT THE CITY OWNS PROPERTY, I'LL BE COMING TO THE RACK FOR SOME ADVICE AND HELP ON HOW IT IS THAT WE MIGHT MOVE FORWARD WITH THAT BECAUSE IT'S SO CLEAR THE CITY IS NOW READY FOR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
AND IT IS A TRAGEDY WHEN GUARANTEED IN THE NEXT TWO WEEKS IN THIS CITY, AS YOU WALK AROUND, THERE'S GONNA BE SO MUCH ON THE SIDEWALK THAT PEOPLE WOULD LOVE TO BE ABLE TO BRING TO A PLACE THAT THEY COULD THEN AND ANOTHER MEMBER OF CAMBRIDGE COULD USE.
UM, SO HEADS UP WE'RE WE, WE'RE ALREADY WORKING ON IT AND I'M GLAD TO HEAR FROM ALL THE COLLEAGUES ON, ON THIS COMMITTEE THAT THEY REALLY THINK IT'S AN IMPORTANT THING FOR US TO MOVE FORWARD ON.
I I, I'VE ALREADY ASKED YOU MANY OF THE QUESTIONS HERE AS YOU KNOW, I THINK THIS IS EXCITING, HOPING WE MOVE FORWARD AND ALSO RECOGNIZE THERE'S STILL SOME WORK TO DO.
YOU KNOW, YES, WE'VE MADE PROGRESS, UM, BUT AS WE SAW, WHILE WE'VE MADE PROGRESS ON THE REDUCTION OF USE PER HOUSEHOLD, THE REALITY IS THE TOTAL HASN'T CHANGED BECAUSE AS WE'VE ADDED MORE PEOPLE, OBVIOUSLY WE'RE STILL COLLECTING AS MUCH TRASH.
IF WE CAN GET TO THE POINT WHERE THAT HALF OF IN EVERYBODY'S TRASH IS NOT, THAT IS EITHER FOOD, RACE, DIVERTABLE OR RECYCLING WILL BE IN, IN IN GREAT SHAPE.
I, I DO WANNA ASK, AND IT'S SOMETHING, UM, THAT WAS RAISED IN PUBLIC COMMENT AND ALSO IS SOMETHING WE'RE ALL TALKING ABOUT NOW, THE CITY'S OWN, UH, CONSTRUCTION DEBRIS BECAUSE IT IS SOMETHING IN THE, UH, LONG-TERM PLAN FOR US TO WORK MUCH MORE ON CONSTRUCTION DEBRIS.
IT'S NOT PART OF THE ORDINANCES BEFORE US TODAY, BUT IT IS SOMETHING THAT WE'LL BE LOOKING AT IN THE FUTURE.
SO THAT QUESTION, FOR INSTANCE, ABOUT WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE ARE EITHER OTHER COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS ARE REPLACING THEIR BUILDINGS, WE'RE DOING EVERYTHING WE CAN TO, TO ENCOURAGE THEM TO RECYCLE.
I'LL ALSO GIVE A SH TOTAL SHOUT OUT TO THE STATE.
THEY ARE MAKING OUR JOB EASIER IN TERMS OF REQUIRING TEXTILE RECYCLING, REQUIRING WHAT, BY 2030 MORE FOOD WASTE DIVERSION REQUIRING MATTRESSES TO NOT BE ABLE TO BE IN THE TRASH.
THERE'S JUST WAYS IN WHICH, THIS IS A CLASSIC EXAMPLE WHERE WE CAN DO SOME THINGS WITH OUR ORDINANCE, BUT THE STATE REALLY HELPS US AS WELL.
UM, BUT SOME OF THAT COMMERCIAL CONSTRUCTION DEBRIS EVENTUALLY WILL ALSO INCLUDE THE ARTIFICIAL TURF REPLACEMENT AS WE DO IT.
SO AT SOME POINT WE SHOULD ALL UNDERSTAND AND PERHAPS MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE, WE'RE ALL AWARE OF HOW IT IS THAT THE CITY CONTROLS ITS OWN.
RIGHT NOW WE'RE RECONSTRUCTING WHAT RAYMOND PARK AND LINEAR PARK, YOU KNOW, IF, IF THERE'S WASTE FROM THAT, WHAT ARE WE DOING WITH IT? ARE WE RESPONSIBLY, UH, RECYCLING IT AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE? 'CAUSE HONESTLY, I DON'T KNOW THE ANSWER TO THAT AND I THINK I, I THINK WE SHOULD KNOW THE ANSWER TO THAT.
AGAIN, IT'S NOT PART OF THE ORDINANCE TODAY, BUT IT IS PART OF THE ZERO WASTE MASTER PLAN 2.0 VERY CLEARLY THAT THAT IS A LARGE PERCENTAGE AND WEIGHT RISE OF THE VARIOUS, UH, WAYS THAT THE CITY PRODUCES SOMETHING THAT DOESN'T END UP BEING REUSED.
UM, SO WITH THAT, I JUST SAW NODS TO THAT, THAT WE'LL BE WORKING ON THAT.
ANY COMMENTS ON THOSE COMMENTS, UM, TO YOU, MADAM CHAIR? YES.
AS PART OF OUR CONSTRUCTION, WE ARE RECYCLING MOST OF THE STUFF THAT YOU SEE.
UM, I THINK, AND JOHN COULD PROBABLY TALK, TALK ABOUT IT BETTER THAN I CAN, BUT THERE ARE STATE REQUIREMENTS FOR US TO, TO DO THAT AS WELL.
NOT A LANDFILL IS NOT GONNA TAKE EVERY PIECE OF CONSTRUCTION DEBRIS THAT WE HAVE.
UM, SO THINGS LIKE ASPHALT AND CONCRETE AND WOOD, UM, PLAY STRUCTURES, THOSE ARE ALL SEPARATED OUT AND THOSE ARE RE RECYCLED, UM, AS BEST WE POSSIBLY CAN TO THOSE DIFFERENT MARKETS.
I'M NOT GONNA SAY THAT EVERYTHING ENDS UP RECYCLED AND MAYBE WE NEED TO DO A LITTLE BIT BETTER WITH THAT JUST TO SEE WHAT MATERIALS WE MIGHT BE MISSING.
UM, BUT THE MAJORITY OF WHAT YOU SEE IN A CONSTRUCTION SITE IS GETTING RECYCLED AND PROPERLY PUT INTO A WASTE STREAM, UM, THAT IT BELONGS IN.
AND AGAIN, THE STATE HAS HELPED US WITH THAT.
THEY ALSO MAKE SURE THAT, SO WHETHER IT'S A CITY DOING IT OR A NON-CITY OWNED CONSTRUCTION SITE, THAT THAT HAS TO HAPPEN.
AND AS WE SAW WITH RIVERVIEW, THAT WAS CONSTRUCTION DEBRIS THAT LITERALLY THE ONLY PLACE THAT WOULD TAKE IT WAS A PLACE IN OHIO.
SO LANDFILLS ARE CLEARLY FILLING UP.
SO THIS IS AN ECONOMIC IMPERATIVE FOR US TO DO AS WELL AS A PUBLIC HEALTH IMPERATIVE.
UM, IF THERE AREN'T, ARE THERE ANY OTHER FURTHER COMMENTS FROM
[01:15:01]
COUNCIL AZU MCGOVERN? SO THEN I BELIEVE AND LET DO, IF YOU HAVE OTHER COMMENTS OR THE RAC HAS OTHER COMMENTS, UM, I THINK WHAT WE CAN MOVE FORWARD WITH IS A MOTION THAT WILL BE VOTED ON THAT THE HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE FORWARD THE DRAFT ORDINANCE LANGUAGE TO THE CITY COUNCIL FOR ADOPTION WITH A RECOMMENDATION.MY UNDERSTANDING IS, AND I KNOW THE ASSISTANT CITY SOLICITORS HERE, IS THAT SINCE THIS HAS ALREADY BEEN REVIEWED A NUMBER OF TIMES AND THE PLAN ALREADY ADOPTED, AND THIS IS ORDINANCE LANGUAGE, MAKING THOSE PLANS, THAT THE COUNCIL, IT WOULD BE UP TO THE COUNCIL TO DECIDE WHETHER TO HAVE A FULL ORDINANCE REVIEW ON IT OR THE COUNCIL ITSELF COULD ADOPT.
IS THAT CORRECT? UH, TO THE CHAIR? YES.
IT'LL BE UP TO THE CITY COUNCIL ONCE IF THIS IS, UH, REFERRED TO THE CITY COUNCIL WHOLE WITH A FAVORABLE RECOMMENDATION AS TO WHAT APPROACH THEY WISH TO TAKE RELATIVE TO APPROVAL.
AND THEN JUST FROM A PROCESS POINT OF VIEW, DOES IT, CAN I, I SHOULD KNOW THIS, BUT CAN THE COMMITTEE MAKE THE RECOMMENDATION THAT IT CAN APPEAR ON AGENDA NEXT WEEK OR DOES IT HAVE TO COME FROM INDIVIDUAL COUNSELORS? UH, YOU AS THE CHAIR CAN PUT IN A POLICY ORDER AND YOU JUST YOU TO HAVE A SECOND.
UM, AND THEN YEAH, YOU CAN VOTE ON IT ON MONDAY OR IF YOU WANNA WAIT FOR THE MINUTES, WHICH PROBABLY WON'T GET ON UNTIL THE SUMMER MEETING.
I THINK WHAT WE'LL DO, THERE'S FOUR OF US IN THIS MEETING.
IF ALL FOUR OF US VOTE FOR THIS, THEN WE CAN ALL FOUR OF US BE ON MOTION THAT I CAN THEN FORWARD TO YOU MM-HMM
SO ANY DISCUSSION ON THAT? SOUNDS LIKE A GREAT IDEA.
THEN ROLL CALL ON THAT MOTION COUNCIL ZUBE? YES.
VICE MAYOR ABSENT COUNCILLOR MCGOVERN? YES.
WHAT I WILL THEN DO IS PUT FORTH AND FOUR TO THE CLERK SO WE DON'T WAIT FOR THE MINUTES.
SO THIS CAN APPEAR ON NEXT MONDAY'S MEETING, JUNE 1ST, SO THAT THE STAFF CAN KNOW WE, WE CAN MOVE FORWARD INSTEAD OF WAITING.
SO COUNCILOR MCGOVERN, COUNCIL ZUBE, COUNCILOR ZUZI AND MYSELF CAN BE ON THAT AND I'LL MAKE SURE YOU KNOW.
ANY OTHER BUSINESS THAT WE WANNA DISCUSS RELATED TO THIS? ONCE AGAIN, FABULOUS 2.0 PLAN.
ALL RIGHT, THEN, UH, COUNCILOR ZUZI MOVES TO ADJOURN.