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Minutes_2020_01_08_Solid WasteProtecting our community's health and the environment by providing solid waste and wastewater collection services. www.cmsdca.gov Costa Mesa Sanitary District ….an Independent Special District Solid Waste Ad Hoc Committee 290 Paularino Avenue Costa Mesa, California 92626 MINUTES January 08, 2020 8:30 a.m. Committee members present: Vice President Bob Ooten, Director Michael Scheafer, Citizens Advisory Committee Member Monte Fields, General Manager Scott Carroll, Management Analyst I Nabila Guzman, Office Specialist Angela Colunga Committee members absent: Citizens Advisory Committee Member Elodie Katz Others present: There were no members of the public present. 1. Call to Order General Manager, Scott Carroll, called the meeting to order at 8:32 a.m. 2. Receive Briefing on Staff’s Recent Meeting with CR&R Management Analyst, Nabila Guzman, stated that the District had a very successful meeting with CR&R Environmental Services. Ms. Guzman shared that green waste found in mixed waste carts is too contaminated to be taken to the Anaerobic Digestion Facility or to be used for composting. She explained that the District’s diversion rate might decrease starting in the 2020 calendar year as a result. She mentioned that CR&R is interested in outreach to assist with educating residents on putting their green waste in their organics carts. Mr. Carroll stated that there is a significant amount of green waste found in the mixed waste carts. He emphasized that educating the public on the matter is a big goal for the District in 2020. Director Scheafer asked why the diversion rate would be decreasing in 2020 compared to 2019. Solid Waste Ad Hoc Committee Minutes January 08, 2020 Page 2 of 7 Ms. Guzman mentioned that AB 1826, which went into effect on January 1, 2020, no longer gives diversion credit to green waste as Alternative Daily Cover (ADC) at landfills. She clarified that green waste will still be accepted at landfills. Vice President Ooten inquired about green waste being sorted by CR&R. Mr. Carroll noted that green waste is sorted so that contaminants are removed before the green waste is taken to the anaerobic digestor. Ms. Guzman shared a few photos of contaminated green waste found in mixed waste pickups from a waste sort provided by Mike Balliet of Mike Balliet Consulting, LLC. She noted that these photos show that the green waste is too dirty to be sent to the Anaerobic Digestor or to be composted. Ms. Guzman stated that CR&R has the technology to separate highly contaminated green waste, but it will require more funding. Director Scheafer asked what is specifically contaminating the green waste. Ms. Guzman noted that when green waste is compressed with mixed waste, the green waste becomes soiled. Mr. Carroll added that residue from recyclables can contaminate green waste found in mixed waste carts. He noted that one of the District’s goals is to better educate residents on cleaning out their recyclables. Director Scheafer mentioned the District utilizing three colored waste carts in the future. Mr. Carroll and Ms. Guzman commented that a three-cart system would be an even bigger educational effort to teach District residents how to separate waste correctly. Ms. Guzman stated that if District residents put their green waste in their organics cart, then the recyclables in the mixed waste carts will not be as dirty and contaminated. She explained that CR&R and the District discussed having an updated waste characterization study performed by CR&R. She noted that according to Mr. Balliet’s annual audit of CR&R, CR&R’s waste characterization is outdated, and CR&R is recycling too much green waste and not enough of the other recyclables. Ms. Guzman shared that CR&R agreed to have an updated waste characterization performed, but not until more public outreach has been completed. She estimates that a waste characterization study will be completed by fall 2020. The Committee discussed what factors influence a waste characterization study. Solid Waste Ad Hoc Committee Minutes January 08, 2020 Page 3 of 7 Ms. Guzman noted that the District and CR&R discussed better communication regarding information cards that keep track of violations and individual homes that experience issues. Director Scheafer asked what has been identified as the biggest violation. Ms. Guzman shared that the biggest violation tends to be incorrect disposal of construction materials. She noted that CR&R and the District discussed the District’s aging truck fleet. Ms. Guzman stated that the District’s three oldest trucks are diesel-fueled trucks that are only to be used in emergencies. She shared that the oldest truck in use is 12 years old. She noted that CR&R agreed that the District is due for a few new vehicles and that there are a few spare trucks available, but they are awaiting their CNG fuel tanks. Ms. Guzman highlighted that in 2019, the District experienced an increase in delays due to trucks breaking down and needing maintenance. She commented that the District is hoping that these new trucks will help with decreasing delays in 2020. Ms. Guzman discussed route efficiency and efforts to reduce missed organics cart pickups. She noted that CR&R agreed to add another mixed waste cart route, so that the District will have 8 mixed waste cart routes and 3 organics cart routes. She explained that because not everyone within the District participates in the Organics program, CR&R and the District did not add another organics cart route. Vice President Ooten asked if CR&R can specify which areas are contaminating their mixed waste carts with green waste. Mr. Carroll shared that the District has requested access to CR&R’s GIS system, but they were denied. Ms. Guzman stated that based on the tonnage information, contamination of mixed waste carts is a District-wide issue. Director Scheafer stated that there are too many variables to specify which neighborhoods are contaminating their mixed waste carts more than others. He then inquired about Christmas tree pickup delays. Ms. Guzman shared that there were delays with Christmas tree pickups and that she is unsure as to why CR&R’s Christmas tree pickup truck broke down. She mentioned that some residents are placing their Christmas trees on their lawn rather than curbside, which is where they are to be picked up for removal. She noted that CR&R and the District discussed cart-to-cart outreach. Ms. Guzman shared that Pars Parikh of CR&R was scheduled to visit 150 homes per quarter, but CR&R decided to have their consultant perform the outreach. She noted that the consultant will be taking over the cart-to-cart program and will be completing 10% of the service area in 2020 and 10% of the service area every year thereafter. She added that the program has been expanded to include looking into residents’ Solid Waste Ad Hoc Committee Minutes January 08, 2020 Page 4 of 7 trash carts, and either “Oops” or “Awesome” tags will be placed on residents’ carts to encourage them to separate their waste correctly. Ms. Guzman shared that CR&R and the District discussed burning trash as a landfill diversion effort. She explained that CR&R has new technology to burn trash and convert it into coal alternative fuel. She noted that the District will be meeting with CR&R to discuss this new program and to see if their trash can be converted into fuel rather than sent to a landfill. Vice President Ooten asked what kind of trash is applicable to this new program. Ms. Guzman stated that all types of trash are accepted. Mr. Carroll stated that this technology is a game changer and the District is eager to learn more. He shared that just like the Organics program, the District has the potential to be one of the first organizations to take advantage of this new method. Ms. Guzman shared that the new technology uses bioenergy to replace coal for industrial uses. Vice President Ooten discussed permitted incinerators within the Los Angeles area. Mr. Carroll mentioned that all incinerators in the area are closing. Ms. Guzman noted that this new technology is different than using an incinerator. Director Scheafer inquired about what CR&R would be burning. Ms. Guzman stated that they could burn dirty recyclables, packaging, paper, contaminated cardboard and anything else that would end up in a landfill. Vice President Ooten stated that a waste characterization update will be able to inform the District about what types of trash will be accepted for this new technology by CR&R. Director Scheafer expressed interest in learning more about the new technology to burn trash. Ms. Guzman stated that the District’s diversion rate for the last fiscal year was 60.3%. She mentioned that if the District can burn their trash and convert it to bioenergy, then the District will be able to reach its goal of 75% diversion. Mr. Carroll shared a recent story published in the Orange County Register about the new state regulations regarding organic waste in landfills. Solid Waste Ad Hoc Committee Minutes January 08, 2020 Page 5 of 7 Vice President Ooten expressed support to better educate the public on the topic of organic waste and recycling to increase the District’s goal of 75% diversion. Public Outreach Consultant – Update Ms. Guzman shared that the District published a request for proposals for a public outreach consultant on December 17, 2019. She noted that the deadline for questions was January 7, 2020 and that proposals are due on January 17, 2020. She stated that the District contacted eight agencies to submit a proposal. Director Scheafer asked how they found those eight agencies. Ms. Guzman noted that she and Mr. Carroll had met a few of the agencies at various conferences and she also reached out a few agencies used by other districts. Ms. Guzman shared that within the request for proposals there is a scope of twenty items, such as, assisting the District with their communication channels, scheduling posts to social media platforms, developing an awareness campaign for the District’s two-cart system, gathering and developing a mailing list, developing the District’s website, developing press releases, and assisting the District with any other forms of communication. Ms. Guzman mentioned that the Solid Waste Ad Hoc Committee will be interviewing the top two proposals. Mr. Carroll noted that the Solid Waste Ad Hoc Committee will be recommending the final selection to the Board of Directors. The Committee agreed to meet on January 29, 2020 at 8:30 a.m. to interview the final two proposals. Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC) Member, Monte Fields, asked if there has been any progress with acquiring multi-family units from the City of Costa Mesa. Ms. Guzman stated that the City of Costa Mesa is not interested in the District’s proposal to acquire multi-family units. Director Scheafer suggested re-addressing the issue after the next election. He noted that the issue is not a priority for the current Mayor of Costa Mesa, but that the Mayor Pro Tem is interested in exploring the topic of multi-family units. Vice President Ooten shared that the City of Costa Mesa is collecting a 17% fee from charging their customers, which equates to millions of dollars for the City. He noted that the City spends a minimal amount to hire a consultant to handle their solid waste account. He inquired about the value of having a full-time solid waste consultant on District staff. He asked if the diversion rate of 75% is a state regulation. Solid Waste Ad Hoc Committee Minutes January 08, 2020 Page 6 of 7 Ms. Guzman noted that the 75% diversion rate is a State goal for 2020 based on their 2014 levels of organic waste being dumped into landfills. She highlighted that the State mandate regarding this matter does not go into effect until 2024. Vice President Ooten commented that the State has not pursued any district or city for not meeting the State’s diversion goal. Ms. Guzman stated that the State’s regulations for SB 1383 have not been formally adopted by CalRecycle. She noted that she will share any updates regarding the regulations with the District’s Board of Directors. Vice President Ooten expressed concern about CalRecycle and the State enforcing compliance to SB 1383. He commented that if the District does not reach the State’s goal of 75% diversion, then they will be out of compliance. Mr. Carroll shared that the Good Faith Effort law protects entities that are displaying a decent effort to comply with a State law. Ms. Guzman shared a booklet by CR&R with the Committee which highlights the District as the first organization to join their Organics program. Vice President Ooten mentioned that the biggest water users within the District are the City of Costa Mesa, South Coast Plaza, and the school district, and that two of these locations have massive yard areas. He indicated that he is concerned about the amount of green waste generated from these areas and how the contract gardeners dispose of the waste. Ms. Guzman stated that contract gardeners usually have a contract with a hauler that will take their waste to CR&R or Rainbow Environmental Services in Huntington Beach. She explained that if the waste that is taken to CR&R is clean, then it will be taken to the Anaerobic Digestion facility. She noted that the diversion credit will go towards the City of Costa Mesa. Mr. Carroll noted that the Newport Mesa Unified School District is technically a part of the State, and therefore, their diversion credit will apply to State diversion rather than local diversion. Ms. Guzman discussed the City of Costa Mesa’s Master Manifest. She shared that each hauler completes a Master Manifest for the accounts that exist within the City, which get submitted to CalRecycle. CAC Member Fields inquired about CR&R’s aging trash truck fleet and if the District is the only account using these trucks. Solid Waste Ad Hoc Committee Minutes January 08, 2020 Page 7 of 7 Ms. Guzman clarified that the trucks in the fleet are solely assigned to the District’s service area. She noted that the trucks in the District’s fleet are side loaders since they only collect trash carts. CAC Member Fields inquired about what happens to a truck once it becomes obsolete. Ms. Guzman shared that CR&R needs to maintain the fleet along with their facilities. She noted that if a truck is obsolete or too old, it is CR&R’s responsibility to replace it. She noted that all costs are included in CR&R’s contract with the District. She shared that CR&R must share all vehicle information with the District. Vice President Ooten asked if CR&R’s trash trucks can service their daily routes without having to refuel. Ms. Guzman stated that these trucks are designed to continuously work all day. She shared that the trash trucks are legally allowed to carry 12 tons per haul. She noted that according to monthly weight tickets, trash trucks were carrying up to 16 tons per haul, and this discovery led to the District and CR&R agreeing on adding another service route. There was no more discussion. Adjournment – 9:20 a.m.