Agenda Packets - 2015/08/03 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Foth Infrastructure & Environment, LLC • 7 March 2014 The haulers were asked to discuss their perceptions of yard waste service in Bloomington, and if they believe residents are ready to have separate food waste/organics collection citywide. They had several comments, including: ♦ There is good momentum right now for adding food waste/organics collection services. The City should be sure to intensively examine all options (including dealing with emerald ash borer quarantine regulations on tree or brush waste). ♦ Effective food waste/organics collection can reduce solid waste tonnage, but for efficiency, the City should look at collection of food waste/organics mixed with yard waste. Randy’s stated they offer “co-collection” of organics within the trash cart as part of Randy’s new “Blue BagTM” program.2 ♦ Collection and composting of organics is not free, and the emerald ash borer (EAB) quarantine restrictions are a significant added cost. ♦ There are no composting facilities in Bloomington to deliver yard wastes and/or food waste/organics. The transfer stations for yard wastes and/or food waste/organics are in Minneapolis or Brooklyn Park, requiring extra cost for travel. The County and/or City should consider developing transfer capacity in Bloomington. ♦ Up to 95% of Bloomington residents subscribe to yard waste collection service which is a much higher subscription rate than other cities. ♦ Some residents do not use the compostable bags required by State law. Haulers believe some stores that sell plastic bags give residents the impression they do not need to purchase the more expensive, certified “compostable” bags (e.g., paper yard waste bags) and that non-certified, “biodegradable” plastic bags or traditional plastic bags are acceptable. ♦ Citizens want a brush drop-off site in Bloomington for brush, limbs and stumps. Bulky wastes are large items such as chairs, sofas, mattresses and bed springs, appliances and white goods, lawn mowers and snow blowers. Bloomington provides the annual Citywide Curbside Cleanup service in part to help its residents manage bulky wastes. Only one of the haulers contracts with the City for this program, but all the haulers are familiar with bulky waste management alternatives used in other cities. When the haulers were asked to comment on bulky wastes issues, they noted that: ♦ It is very important to find a way to continue bulky waste service in Bloomington. The City could continue its once a year program or could require each hauler to provide bulky waste collection service on a regular basis, year-round. ♦ Some residents have a lot of bulky wastes. Some have very little. There are also demographic differences between the “east side” versus the “west side” of the City that affect the type of bulky wastes disposed. The challenge of the cost of the annual Curbside Cleanup program and lack of multiple bidders was discussed. Haulers noted that: ♦ Weekend collections are limited by Minnesota Department of Transportation rules that set a maximum number of hours any one driver can work each week.