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Environmental Board <br />October 27, 2021 <br />Page 5 <br />Mrs. Holmes inquired about whether there has been outreach to other waste haulers in <br />town to see if they would offer curbside organics recycling similar to what Walter's <br />offers. <br />Mr. Nelson responded haulers are required to accept specific materials per city ordinance, <br />but one of the issues pertaining to organics is that there are only two locations within the <br />Twin Cities metro area where the materials can be taken to. He provided a brief update <br />on the Rice Creek compost site expansion project, but noted the locations of the compost <br />sites are a barrier to entry for curbisde organics recycling. The City has about 400 <br />households signed up to use the program compared to 35-40 for Walter's curbside <br />service. The convenience of the City's program being offered for free likely brings in <br />more residents. He added staff could look into curbside organics program availability <br />with the other haulers. <br />Mr. Sullivan asked Mr. Nelson to confirm the City does not receive tonnage credit when <br />residents bring materials to the Rice Creek Compost Site. Mr. Nelson confirmed. <br />B. Organics Program Overview <br />Mr. Davis presented an overview presentation of the City organics recycling drop-off <br />program. The overview covered the specifics of site locations, resident participation, <br />tonnage and materials collected, signage and contamination, and prospects for future <br />program growth. <br />Ms. Cavegn and Mrs. Holmes commended Mr. Davis on the presentation and the work he <br />has done on the organics drop-off program. <br />Mr. Sullivan recounted the history of the organics drop-off program, including having <br />volunteers monitor sites and the use of locks to limit contamination. He proposed the <br />Environmental Board take a trip to the sites in spring and educate residents on organics <br />and composting. <br />Mr. Parsons asked how considerations are made for contamination in larger scale <br />operations. Mr. Nelson provided an explanation of how certain materials have different <br />levels of acceptable contamination. Glass is an example of a material that would lead an <br />entire load to being deemed garbage, whereas few numbers of plastic bags would not be <br />enough to trash a load. Compost sites like the Rice Creek site also have staff available at <br />all times of operation, meaning contamination rates are very low due to the nature of <br />having supervision at all times. Building enclosures also act as a measure to keep <br />contamination down. <br />Mr. Sullivan mentioned he is interested in having the Environmental Board take a trip to <br />the new Rice Creek Compost Site once the expansion has been completed. <br />DRAFT MINUTES <br />