Agenda - Environmental Policy Board - 05/21/2018

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Board Member Fetterley asked for input on the methods that the other communities used that have expanded further to curbside organics pickup and the thresholds that those communities used. Marin stated that she spoke with staff from Columbia Heights and they had about 2,000 households using the drop-off method before transitioning to curbside. She noted that threshold may be different for Ramsey, but they would recommend scaling up participation before transitioning to curbside collection. Tyler stated the initial goal will be to increase participation in the organics program. Councilmember LeTourneau asked for more information on what a drop-off site would look like and the amount of space that it would occupy. He stated that a lot of the organic material from homes, such as yard waste, has a lot of volume. City Planner Anderson stated that this organics program is related to food waste and not yard waste materials. He stated that presumably someone would not come with a trailer full of material to drop-off. He stated that typically there are a few carts at a drop-off location that have a passcode to unlock the container. He noted that it is not a large-scale operation that perhaps Councilmember LeTourneau was envisioning. Councilmember LeTourneau asked if the yard waste customers in Ramsey could contribute their household organic material. City Planner Anderson explained that yard waste collection is specifically through the hauler and therefore he does not have participation information. He noted that there is a specific hauler used by Columbia Heights that allows household organics to be combined with yard waste collection. He stated that there are other opportunities, such as the Blue Bag program. Councilmember LeTourneau stated that he would be excited to have curbside pickup for organics and the possibility of combining that collection with curbside yard waste collection. Board Member Hiatt commented that he remembers the transition from sorted collections to single sort. He stated that the easier the process is, the more participation there will be in the program. He stated that the ACE Solid Waste collections began today, noting that the company stresses that only yard waste can be placed in the container. He agreed that if there is an opportunity to combine yard waste and organics curbside collection, that would be a great opportunity for residents. Board Member Stodola asked the type of materials that can be collected in yard waste. City Planner Anderson provided details on the yard waste materials that can currently be collected through curbside pickup. Chairperson Valentine referenced the curbside opportunity and stated that organic material could attract predatory animals in the rural areas and asked if security has been a thought. Marin noted that is a good consideration. Environmental Policy Board / April 16, 2018 Page 5 of 7