Aug 09, 2023 Zero Waste Advisory Commission

THE FIRST, UH, ITEM OF BUSINESS IS THE APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES OF OUR SPECIAL CALLED AUGUST 2ND MEETING.

HAVING SAID THAT, THE AGENDA LOOKS PRETTY STRAIGHTFORWARD.

I MEAN, NOTHING, UH, NOTHING SPECTACULAR.

UH, THE FIRST,

[APPROVAL OF MINUTES]

AND I WILL, UH, ENTERTAIN A, A MOTION LOOKS PRETTY STRAIGHTFORWARD.

I WILL MOVE TO APPROVE.

I MOVE'S APPROVAL.

DO I HEAR A SECOND? I, I HAVE DISCUSSION ON THAT JURY.

CRAIG, SECONDS.

IS THERE A QUESTION? OH, CAN YOU HEAR ME? I'M SORRY, MA'AM.

WE ARE.

CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW? YES, NOW WE CAN.

YEAH, I HAVE A LITTLE DISCUSSION ON THAT.

I, I KNOW IT WAS A VERY SHORT TIMELINE, AND SO THE NOTES ARE VERY, UM, VERY MINIMAL.

I, I WOULD APPRECIATE SEEING A LITTLE MORE, UM, POINTS FOR THE DISCUSSION.

THERE WERE SOME THINGS DISCUSSED WHEN THE BUDGET, UH, PRESENTATION WAS MADE.

THERE WERE SOME THINGS DISCUSSED DURING THE WASTE CHARACTERIZATION STUDY THAT JUST AREN'T REFLECTED IN THE MINUTES.

AND I THINK, UM, AND YOUR, AND YOUR RESOLUTION AS WELL, JERRY, THAT I THINK WOULD BE, UH, IMPORTANT TO CAPTURE.

SO I WOULD LOVE TO SEE A LITTLE MORE DETAIL IN THERE.

UM, YOU KNOW, GIVE A LITTLE MORE TIME SINCE IT WAS SUCH A QUICK TURNAROUND.

GIVE A LITTLE MORE TIME FOR OUR SEPTEMBER MEETING TO, TO REVISIT THESE MINUTES FROM AUGUST 2ND.

WELL, WELL SAID.

ALRIGHT, SO WE DO HAVE A, A QUESTION ON THE, UM, ON THE MOTION HERE.

AND IT'S BASICALLY MAYBE A LITTLE MORE, A LITTLE MORE, A LITTLE BIT MORE INPUT ON THE ACTUAL MINUTES THEMSELVES.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH, AMANDA, FOR THAT.

UH, STAFF, IS IT POSSIBLE TO DEFER THIS ITEM AND TO INCLUDE SOME ADDITIONAL INFORMATION? THANK YOU, AMANDA.

SO WE'RE GONNA DEFER THIS UNTIL THE, UH, SEPTEMBER MEETING.

UH, LET ME WRITE THAT DOWN.

IS BASICALLY A DISCUSSION ITEM.

ALL RIGHT.

THE NEXT ITEM OF BUSINESS

[2. Review and Discussion of Director’s Report (MoveOutATX, Shoal Creek Conservancy “Shopping Cart Corral”, Brownie Drive Transition to Cart Services, Composting and Food Recovery Outreach Campaigns, Annual Curbside Customer Mailer, Solicitations Update, Performance Reports, and Statistical Reports) – Richard McHale]

AND IT'S, UH, THE DIRECTOR'S REPORT.

I GOT IT RIGHT THIS TIME.

GOOD EVENING COMMISSIONERS.

UH, RICHARD MCKAY, INTERIM DIRECTOR FOR AUSTIN RESOURCE RECOVERY.

UM, IN YOUR, UH, HANDOUTS, YOU DO HAVE OUR, UH, THE DIRECTOR'S REPORT.

MUCH OF THE INFORMATION IS SAME FROM THE LAST WEEK'S MEETING.

UM, I DON'T KNOW IF WE HAD THE, THE, THE SHARPENING CART, CART CORRAL.

WE DID A, UH, PARTICIPATED IN A CLEANUP WITH SHOUL CREEK CONSERVANCY THIS PAST, UH, GOSH, I GUESS IT WAS A WEEK AGO.

WEEK AGO.

A LITTLE MORE EDUCATION, YOU KNOW, AND, AND I, I JUST, I THINK THAT'S, YOU KNOW, THAT, THAT'S KIND OF A, A, A BIG THING EVEN IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD WITH NEIGHBORS REALLY KNOWING HOW TO USE THE CARTS, HOW TO USE THE CART CARTS PROPERLY.

AND JUST TO, UH, HELP REMOVE SOME OF THE SHOPPING CARTS THAT HAVE ENDED UP IN THE SHOAL CREEK AREA.

SO, UM, CREWS DID WORK ON THAT, BUT, UM, I BELIEVE WE TALKED ABOUT SOME OF THE OTHER THINGS ON HERE, BUT IF YOU DO HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, WE'RE HERE TO ANSWER THOSE QUESTIONS FOR YOU.

OOH, COMMISSIONERS, ANY QUESTIONS ON THE DIRECTOR'S REPORT? DIRECTOR? I, I DON'T HAVE A QUESTION.

I JUST WANTED TO MAKE A FEW COMMENTS.

UH, I JUST WANTED TO THANK EVERYBODY AT A R R THAT'S BEEN WORKING ON THE BROWNIE DRIVE CART CONVERSION PROJECT.

IT REALLY IS NIGHT AND DAY DIFFERENCE.

SINCE THE DUMPSTERS WERE REMOVED OR REPLACED WITH CARTS, THE ILLEGAL DUMPING HAS ESSENTIALLY STOPPED.

YOU KNOW, THERE, THERE'S DEFINITELY SOME CONTAMINATION HAPPENING AND SOME CONTINUING EDUCATION THAT'LL NEED TO HAPPEN, BUT I THINK WE ALL EXPECTED THAT.

UM, BUT AN EXTRA BENEFIT OF THE DUMPSTERS BEING GONE IS NOW SAFE ROUTES FOR SCHOOL WANTS TO COME IN AND BE ABLE TO DO THE BIKE LANE THEY'VE BEEN WANTING TO DO FOR A LONG TIME.

SO THE NERVE REALLY, REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THE CHANGE NO, HAVING GONE HAVING WHEN THEY DID HAVE THE DUMPSTERS.

YEAH, I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO GOING OUT AND SEEING WHAT THE CARTS LOOK LIKE.

'CAUSE IT WAS A CHALLENGE WITH THE DUMPSTERS.

YOU'RE RIGHT.

YOU HAD A LOT OF, UH, ILLEGAL DUMPING GOING ON THROUGHOUT THE, THROUGHOUT THAT COMMUNITY.

AND IT WAS, UH, ACTUALLY A HEALTH AND SAFETY CHALLENGE FOR QUITE SOME TIME.

BUT, UH, STAFF, THANK YOU VERY MUCH, RON STAFF.

THANK YOU FOR MAKING THOSE CHANGES.

ANY OTHER COMMENTS? UH, GREG? YES.

UH, THIS BROWNING DRIVE, UH, I THINK WHAT'S BEEN DONE OUT THERE, AND I HAVEN'T GONE OUT THERE TO LOOK, BUT WE, WE HAVE SOME INPUT THAT'S UP BY MY DISTRICT.

IT'S NOT IN MY DISTRICT.

IT'S CLOSE.

AND WHAT WE HAVE PEOPLE IS, IS ASKING FOR

[00:05:01]

AND IN A SITUATION LIKE THAT, IT SEEMS LIKE IT'S REAL CRITICAL BECAUSE EVERYBODY'S SO PACKED IN.

SO, I, I'M, AND I DON'T KNOW HOW TO SOLVE THAT YET.

UH, ONE IDEA I'VE HEARD SUGGESTED, AND I DON'T KNOW IF WE CAN DO IT, BUT I'LL JUST TOSS IT OUT HERE 'CAUSE I HEARD IT, IS WE HAVE A CONSERVATION CORPS, AND THE QUESTION IS, CAN WE USE MAYBE SOME OF THE PEOPLE IN CONSERVATION CORPS TO GO INTO THE NEIGHBORHOODS AND HELP YOU GET YOUR MESSAGE ACROSS? 'CAUSE I'M, I'M SURE IT'S A HUGE RESOURCE ISSUE.

WELL, I'M GONNA HAVE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, UH, GINA MCKINLEY COME UP, TALK ABOUT OUR EDUCATION PROGRAM.

BUT I WILL SAY THAT EDUCATION HAS BEEN A CHALLENGE IN THAT AREA, ESPECIALLY WITH THE AMOUNT OF TURNOVER THAT THOSE UNITS HAVE.

SO IT'S DEFINITELY A CHALLENGE.

UH, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE SEEING RIGHT NOW, TOO, IS A LOT OF CARTS THAT ARE STILL BEING LEFT AT THE CURB IN THAT AREA.

SO THAT'S SOMETHING ELSE THAT WE NEED TO WORK ON.

BUT IF I COULD HAVE GINA COME UP AND JUST TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE, THE WAY THAT THEY HAVE DONE THE EDUCATION PROGRAMS IN THE PAST.

GOOD EVENING COMMISSIONERS, GINA MCKINLEY, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, AUSTIN RESOURCE RECOVERY.

UM, LIKE DIRECTOR MIKHAIL SAID, UM, WE ARE ACTIVELY WORKING WITH THE BROWNIE LANE AREA AND THE, THE NEIGHBORS THERE TO TRY TO FIGURE OUT, LIKE YOU SAID, WHAT, WHAT CAN HELP.

UM, BUT DOING CONTINUED EDUCATION.

UM, WE HAD A KICKOFF EVENT WITH THE COMMUNITY AND BROUGHT A LOT OF SERVICES OUT THERE TO REALLY TRY TO HELP EDUCATE.

UM, WE'VE LOOKED AT LANGUAGE NEEDS AS WELL TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE PROVIDING INFORMATION IN THE LANGUAGES THAT ARE NEEDED IN THE COMMUNITY, AND WE INTEND TO CONTINUE DOING THAT.

WE HAVE STAFF KIND OF ON OUR DATA TEAM GOING OUT, TAKING PHOTOS, LOOKING AT WHAT WE'RE SEEING ON THE ROUTES, AS WELL AS OUR OPERATORS THAT ARE SERVICING THE AREA.

UM, AND I KNOW OUR TEAM, OUR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT TEAM IS PLANNING ADDITIONAL EDUCATION, POTENTIALLY EVEN SOME DIRECT MAIL TO THE FOLKS THAT ARE LIVING THERE TO GIVE MORE INFORMATION.

BUT WE, WE HAVEN'T STOPPED YET.

AND WE'LL CONTINUE TO DO EDUCATION IN THIS AREA SO THAT WE CAN, WE CAN FIGURE OUT HOW, LIKE YOU SAID, IT'S A DENSE COMMUNITY, HOW WE CAN MAKE SURE WE CAN EDUCATE ABOUT WHAT GOES IN WHICH CART AND, AND GET THE, THE CONTAMINATION LEVELS DOWN THERE.

SO, AND IF YOU HAVE IDEAS THAT YOU WANT US TO TEST OUT, FEEL FREE TO SEND THEM OUR WAY.

WELL, UH, WHEN, WHEN I TRY TO PERSONALLY TALK TO MY NEIGHBORS ABOUT IT, I JUST, IT, IT'S NOT, IT, IT DOESN'T HAPPEN IMMEDIATELY, YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? IT'S LIKE, AND OF COURSE, ME, I WONDER WHY, BECAUSE I'VE BEEN RECYCLING AND WANTING TO DO IT FOR YEARS AND, YOU KNOW, SO, AND, AND I JUST, YOU KNOW, IF YOU CAN GET SOME MORE HELP, UH, MY PEOPLE WHO HAVE THE TIME TO BE OUT THERE A LITTLE MORE CONSISTENTLY, THAT'S THE ONLY THING I CAN THINK OF.

ABSOLUTELY.

WE HAVE A ZERO WASTE BLOCK LEADER PROGRAM, AND I KNOW WE ACTIVELY RECRUIT PEOPLE FROM ALL ACROSS THE CITY.

I'M HAPPY TO SEND SOME INFORMATION YOUR WAY TOO, IF YOU'D LIKE TO JOIN THE RANKS.

UM, BUT THAT, THAT IS WHAT THAT PROGRAM IS INTENDED TO DO, TO HELP US SPREAD THE MESSAGE, BECAUSE OUR STAFF IS ONLY SO BIG AND OUR CUSTOMER BASE CONTINUES TO GROW.

AND SO ANY WAY THAT WE CAN AMPLIFY, WE DO WHAT WORK WITH THE AUSTIN CONSERVATION CORPS.

SO WE HAVE, WE ARE WORKING ACROSS WITH OTHER CITY DEPARTMENTS, UM, ON HOW TO UTILIZE THAT PROGRAM.

SO THAT, THAT'S A GREAT SUGGESTION.

UM, BUT WE DO INTEND TO DO MORE ENGAGEMENT OUT THERE.

LIKE YOU SAID, IT SOMETIMES TAKES REPEATING THE MESSAGE MULTIPLE TIMES.

UM, THE EVENT THAT WE HAD WAS IN THE, THE HEAT OF THE SUMMER.

I THINK WE'RE GOING TO ALLOW FOR THE HEAT, HOPEFULLY TO DIE UP A LITTLE, LIKE CLEAR UP A LITTLE BIT, UM, WHEN WE ENTER SOME OF THE COOLER ATTEMPTS IN THE FALL.

BUT WE'LL CONTINUE TO WORK WITH THE COMMUNITY TO HELP GET THEM THE INFORMATION THEY NEED.

AND THERE AREN'T A LOT OF TREES OUT THERE.

I'VE BEEN IN THAT THERE'S NOT A LOT OF TREES.

UH, AND ALSO, JUST TO MAKE SURE, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, YOU MIGHT'VE SEEN THE SAME, SOME OF THE SAME EMAILS I SAW, THEY WERE VERY GLAD THAT YOU'VE GONE AWAY FROM THE DUMPSTERS.

SO I, I THINK IT'S A PLUS.

I THINK IT'S MOVING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.

IT'S JUST HOW DO YOU MAKE IT WORK.

BUT THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

GREAT TO HEAR.

WE'LL KEEP, WE'LL KEEP AT IT.

ANY OF THE COMMENTS FOR, UH, RICHARD, THE DIRECTOR, HEARING OTHER COMMENTS? UH, MOVING ON, FOLKS.

ACTUALLY IS A DISCUSSION ACTION ITEM, AND IT IS A, UH, MULTIFAMILY COMPOSTING, UH, I, I GUESS PRESENTATION BY ELIZABETH NELSON.

THANK YOU, RICHARD.

UH, WHERE'S MY, UH, THE NEXT ITEM

[3. Review of multifamily composting and approve recommendation to Council regarding an amendment to Chapter 15-6 Universal Recycling Ordinance, requiring composting services at multifamily residential properties – Elizabeth Nelson (City of Austin)]

THANK YOU, ELIZABETH.

GOD, I DIDN'T GET ANY OF THIS.

ALL RIGHT.

HI, I'M ELIZABETH NELSON AND I'M A PLANNER WITH AUSTIN RESOURCE RECOVERY WITH THE STRATEGIC INITIATIVES DIVISION.

[00:10:01]

AND I'M GONNA GO OVER THE, UH, MULTI-FAMILY COMPOSTING PROPOSED AMENDMENTS TO THE U R O.

SO I'LL START WITH AN OVERVIEW OF THE U R O ITSELF, AND THEN I'LL GO OVER THE POLICY DEVELOPMENT PROCESS, AND THEN I'LL TOUCH ON THE EXISTING POLICY.

AND THEN FINALLY, I WILL GO OVER THE PROPOSED AMENDMENTS TO BOTH THE CODE AND THE ADMINISTRATIVE RULES.

NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.

RESIDENTS THAT WE SPOKE TO WERE IN FAVOR OF HAVING ACCESS TO COMPOSTING.

SO THE UNIVERSAL RECYCLING ORDINANCE, OR THE U R O HAS BEEN IN EFFECT SINCE 2012.

AND THIS ORDINANCE ALLOWS US TO INFLUENCE DIVERSION AT MULTIFAMILY AND COMMERCIAL PROPERTIES WHERE THE CITY DOES NOT DIRECTLY COLLECT OR MANAGE THE WASTE.

AND THIS ORDINANCE REQUIRES RECYCLING AT MULTIFAMILY AND COMMERCIAL PROPERTIES, AS WELL AS REQUIRES ORGANICS DIVERSION AT FOOD, PERMANENT BUSINESSES LIKE RESTAURANTS AND GROCERY STORES.

THE ORDINANCE ALSO REQUIRES CONVENIENT ACCESS FOR RESIDENTS AND EMPLOYEES, REQUIRES EDUCATION AND SIGNS SO PEOPLE KNOW HOW TO USE THE SERVICE ANNUAL REPORTING TO THE CITY SO THAT WE KNOW HOW ALL THE ORDINANCE REQUIREMENTS ARE BEING MET BY THESE PROPERTIES.

AND FINALLY, IT'S ENFORCED THROUGH A CLASS C MISDEMEANOR.

ALL RIGHT.

SO, Y COMPOST, I'M SURE YOU'RE AWARE THAT AUSTIN HAS A GOAL TO REACH ZERO WASTE BY 2040.

AND STUDIES OF AUSTIN'S WASTE STREAM HAVE FOUND THAT UP TO 37% OF THE WASTE GENERATED IS COMPOSTABLE.

AIR R PROVIDES CURBSIDE COMPOST SERVICE TO ITS CUSTOMERS, WHICH INCLUDES SINGLE FAMILY HOMES UP TO FOURPLEXES.

SO THE INTENTION OF THIS POLICY DEVELOPMENT PROCESS IS TO MAKE AN IMPACT ON THE DIVERSION OF A MATERIAL THAT CONTRIBUTES SIGNIFICANTLY TO OUR LANDFILL DISPOSAL AND TO FILL AN ACCESS GAP THAT EXISTS BETWEEN SINGLE FAMILY AND MULTIFAMILY, UM, HOMES.

SO CREATING ACCESS TO DIVERSION OPPORTUNITIES IS FIRST VITAL STEP TO KEEPING THAT MATERIAL OUT OF THE LANDFILL.

ALRIGHT, SO WE HAD A PRETTY LENGTHY COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PROCESS THAT STARTED WITH A PILOT IN THE SPRING OF 2021, WHERE WE TESTED COMPOSTING AT EIGHT PROPERTIES, WHO VOLUNTEERED TO TEST IT OUT.

AND WE COLLECTED DATA AND, UM, INTERVIEWED RESIDENTS AND PROPERTY MANAGERS.

AND WE PUBLISHED A REPORT WITH ALL OF OUR FINDINGS, UH, THAT WE PRESENTED TO THIS COMMISSION LAST YEAR.

AND THEN FOLLOWING THAT REPORT, WE STARTED, UM, OUR FIRST PHASE OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IN THE FALL OF 2022, WHICH INCLUDED FIVE PUBLIC MEETINGS, AN ONLINE SURVEY.

UM, WE MET WITH THE UNIVERSAL RECYCLING ORDINANCE COMMITTEE, WHO MADE SOME RECOMMENDATIONS AND THEN BROUGHT THEM BACK HERE TO WAC, WHO ALSO MADE RECOMMENDATIONS.

AND THEN WE STARTED OUR FINAL PHASE OF PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT, WHICH INCLUDED A, UM, WE PUBLISHED FIRST, THE FIRST DRAFT OF THE POLICY ON SPEAK UP AUSTIN.

WE HAD A SURVEY FOR FEEDBACK, USED THAT INFORMATION, CREATED A SECOND DRAFT, A, UH, HAD ANOTHER SURVEY.

AND WE ALSO HAD TWO MORE PUBLIC MEETINGS DURING THIS PHASE OF THE PROCESS.

SO DURING PHASE ONE OF THESE PUBLIC MEETINGS, WE USED INFORMATION FROM THE PILOT TO LEAD CONVERSATIONS ABOUT THE DEVELOPMENT OF A POLICY TO BRING COMPOSTING TO MULTI-FAMILY RESIDENTS.

WE COLLECTED FEEDBACK ABOUT, UH, PRIORITIES AND CONCERNS FROM STAKEHOLDERS, WHICH INCLUDED RESIDENTS, MULTI-FAMILY, PROPERTY OWNERS, AND MANAGERS, HAULERS, PROCESSORS, NONPROFITS.

SO SOME OF THE FEEDBACK WE RECEIVED WAS THAT, UM, CONVENIENT ACCESS WAS A PRIORITY.

PEOPLE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT IT WAS JUST AS CONVENIENT TO COMPOST AS IT IS TO DISPOSE OF WASTE AND RECYCLING.

PEOPLE DIDN'T HAVE TO GO OUT OF THEIR WAY TO DO IT.

THAT WOULD MAKE IT, YOU KNOW, THE MOST EFFECTIVE.

AND ALONG WITH THAT EDUCATION AS A PRIORITY AS WELL, JUST LIKE WE JUST TALKED ABOUT WITH THIS LAST PROJECT, YOU KNOW, MAKING SURE THAT PEOPLE KNOW HOW TO USE THE SERVICE, KNOW THAT IT'S THERE AND KNOW WHY IT IS IMPORTANT, IS ESSENTIAL.

AND THEN CONTAMINATION IS ALWAYS A CONCERN.

WE WANT, YOU KNOW, THIS GOES ALONG WITH EDUCATION AS WELL.

WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE KNOW HOW TO USE IT AND THAT THE WRONG STUFF ISN'T BEING PUT IN THE BIN, WHICH MAKES IT HARDER TO MAKE A USABLE MATERIAL AFTERWARDS.

AND THEN COSTS WERE A CONCERN FOR RESIDENTS AND PROPERTY MANAGERS.

YOU KNOW, WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT THIS WAS, UM, NOT GOING TO BE A, A BURDEN ONTO RESIDENTS.

AND THAT THERE WERE CONCERNS ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WHAT IT WOULD COST PROPERTIES AND THEN HOW THOSE COSTS WOULD BE PASSED ON TO THE RESIDENTS THEMSELVES.

AND THEN PROPERTY MANAGERS ALSO WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT ANY REQUIREMENTS WOULD BE FLEXIBLE.

UM, THERE'S, IT'S REALLY HARD TO MAKE A ONE SIZE FITS ALL, UH, SOLUTION WHEN YOU HAVE MULTI-FAMILY PROPERTIES THAT RANGE ANYWHERE FROM FIVE UNIT, EIGHT UNIT, REALLY SMALL BUILDINGS TO BIG, HIGH RISES.

AND THAT'S THE, THE SAME SOLUTION ISN'T GONNA WORK FOR BOTH OF THOSE TYPES OF PROPERTIES.

SO FLEXIBILITY, UM, WAS A PRIORITY AS WELL.

BUT OVERALL, THE

[00:15:01]

UM, YOU KNOW, WITH THESE CONCERNS OF CONTAMINATION AND EDUCATION AND, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE WANNA MAKE SURE IT'S GONNA BE CLEAN, IT'S NOT GONNA DIRTY UP THEIR COMMUNITIES.

SO USING THE FEEDBACK FROM THOSE PHASE ONE DISCUSSIONS, STAFF DEVELOPED A FIRST DRAFT OF THE POLICY.

AND THIS DRAFT WAS POSTED ONLINE ON SPEAK UP AUSTIN, WHICH IS A ONLINE TOOL TO GET, UH, GET FEEDBACK FROM THE COMMUNITY AND THE SER.

WE ALSO POSTED A SURVEY WITH THIS DRAFT ASKING FOR FEEDBACK, WHICH WAS OPEN FOR THE WHOLE MONTH OF MARCH.

AND THAT SPEAK OF AUSTIN PAGE ALSO SERVES AS A PROJECT LANDING PAGE THAT INCLUDES THE DRAFTS ANSWERS TO FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS, ALL THE BACKGROUND INFORMATION SO PEOPLE COULD, YOU KNOW, CATCH UP AND KNOW ABOUT THE PROJECT.

UM, SO STAFF USED RESPONSES FROM THAT SURVEY TO ADJUST THE LANGUAGE AND CREATE A SECOND DRAFT WITH ANOTHER ROUND OF SURVEYS OPEN FROM APRIL 1ST TO MAY 7TH.

AND THEN THE FINAL DRAFT WE'RE PRESENTING TODAY IS BASED ON THAT OVERALL FEEDBACK FROM THOSE SURVEYS.

SO THIS IS AN OVERVIEW OF WHAT THE NEW POLICY WILL LOOK LIKE IN PRACTICE.

SO THIS IS AN AMENDMENT OF THE EXISTING UNIVERSAL RECYCLING ORDINANCE.

WE'RE NOT STARTING FROM ZERO HERE.

SO THAT MEANS THAT THERE ARE SOME EXISTING RULES THAT WILL APPLY TO THESE NEW REQUIREMENTS.

SO THIS HERE INCLUDES BOTH THE NEW AMENDMENTS AND SOME OF THE THINGS THAT EXIST THAT WILL APPLY.

SO OVERALL, THE ORDINANCE, UH, WOULD REQUIRE COMPOSTING AT ALL MULTIFAMILY PROPERTIES, A MINIMUM OF ONE GALLON PER DWELLING UNIT PER WEEK, AND NO OVERFLOWING CONTAINERS, ANNUAL EDUCATION SIGNS AND LABELS ON CONTAINERS.

THAT'S ALREADY REQUIRED IN THE ORDINANCE.

AND THAT WOULD APPLY TO THIS COMPOST SERVICE.

CONVENIENT ACCESS IS REQUIRED.

ANNUAL REPORTING TO THE CITY, LIKE I MENTIONED, THAT'S ALREADY PART OF THE UNIVERSAL RECYCLING ORDINANCE.

SO PROPERTIES WOULD HAVE TO INCLUDE THIS REQUIRED COMPOST SERVICE IN THE REPORT THAT THEY'RE ALREADY SUBMITTING TO THE CITY EVERY YEAR.

AND IT IS ENFORCED THROUGH A CLASS C MISDEMEANOR.

AND THIS WOULD BE IN EFFECT STARTING OCTOBER 1ST, 2024.

SO I MENTIONED, WELL, I HAD SOME RECOMMENDATIONS AND SEVERAL OF THOSE ITEMS ON, UH, THEIR LIST OF RECOMMENDATIONS ARE ALREADY INCLUDED IN THE POLICY.

SO I JUST WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT THOSE THERE.

UM, AND LIKE I SAID, THESE WOULD APPLY TO ANY AMENDMENTS TO THE CODE AND RULES.

AND SO SOME OF THOSE, UM, RECOMMENDATIONS THAT ARE ALREADY PART OF THE EXISTING UNIVERSAL RECYCLING ORDINANCE INCLUDE THE EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS, THE ANNUAL REPORTING, CONVENIENCE SIGNS, AND THEN WAIVERS, AND THEN THAT ENFORCEMENT.

UM, AND THIS NEXT SLIDE HERE IS JUST FOR YOUR REFERENCE.

THIS IS WHERE ALL OF THOSE EXISTING, UM, PIECES LIVE, UH, LIVE IN THE CODE, IN THE RULES.

I WON'T GO THROUGH THEM ALL.

ALRIGHT, SO, UH, THE FOLLOWING IS GONNA BE AN OVERVIEW OF ALL THE, THE MAJOR CHANGES.

UM, THERE ARE ADDITIONAL AMENDMENTS THAT ARE PROPOSED IN THAT OVERALL TEXT, UH, THAT YOU SHOULD HAVE A COPY OF AS WELL THAT I WON'T COVER.

BUT THOSE THINGS ARE JUST, UM, WE REMOVED SOME OUTDATED PHASE IN LANGUAGE THAT IS NO LONGER APPLICABLE.

SO IT'S JUST CLEANING UP SOME OF THE TEXT.

BUT THAT IS ALL IN THE, UM, THE DRAFT THAT YOU HAVE.

SO THIS IS A NEW SECTION HERE THAT WOULD REQUIRE ALL PROPERTIES WITH FIVE OR MORE RESIDENTIAL UNITS TO PROVIDE TENANTS AND EMPLOYEES ACCESS TO COMPOSTING SERVICES.

AND SO WHEN WE SAY COMPOSTING SERVICES HERE, THIS MEANS, UM, A SERVICE WHERE COMPOSTABLE MATERIALS ARE COLLECTED IN A BIN LIKE TRASH AND RECYCLING AND TAKEN OFFSITE FOR PROCESSING.

RIGHT? THIS SECTION HERE STATES THAT THOSE PROPERTIES JUST MENTIONED MUST COLLECT ORGANIC MATERIALS INCLUDING, UH, FOOD SCRAPS INCLUDING MEAT BONES AND DAIRY FOOD, SOILED PAPER, AND B P I CERTIFIED COMPOSTABLE PRODUCTS.

AND THEN THIS HERE WOULD MAKE A CHANGE TO THE EDUCATION SECTION.

THAT INFORMATION MUST BE PROVIDED ABOUT ALL MATERIAL DIVERSION SERVICES, NOT JUST RECYCLING EVERY YEAR WITHIN 30 DAYS OF MOVING OUR NEW HIRE AND WITHIN 30 DAYS OF ANY BIG CHANGE TO WHAT'S COLLECTED.

SO THEY MUST BE BIG ENOUGH AND COLLECTED OFTEN ENOUGH THAT SOMEONE CAN ALWAYS PUT THEIR MATERIAL IN THEM WITHOUT OVERFLOWING.

AND THEN THIS ADDS A RULE REQUIRING MULTI-FAMILY PROPERTIES PROVIDE CONTAINERS THAT HAVE THE CAPACITY TO KEEP FROM OVERFLOWING.

[00:20:01]

AND THERE'S ALSO A MINIMUM CAPACITY OF ONE GALLON PER DWELLING UNIT PER WEEK.

ALL RIGHT? AND THIS REVISION, UM, CHANGES THE EXISTING ADMIN RULES, UH, BY CLARIFYING WHAT QUALIFIES AS CONVENIENT ACCESS.

SO THIS WOULD READ, RESPONSIBLE PARTIES SHALL ENSURE THAT A MINIMUM OF ONE RECYCLING AND ONE APPLICABLE ORGANICS DIVERSION CONTAINER OR OTHER COLLECTION POINT IS LOCATED WITHIN 25 FEET OF ALL TRASH CONTAINERS, COMPACTORS, OR OTHER COLLECTION POINTS.

SO ESSENTIALLY ANYTIME THERE'S A TRASH CONTAINER, THERE MUST ALSO BE A RECYCLING OR IF APPLICABLE, A ORGANIC DIVERSION CONTAINER.

AND THIS IS THE LAST CHANGE HERE.

AND THIS ADDS A DEFINITION OF OVERFLOWING CONTAINERS, WHICH READS, OVERFLOWING CONTAINER MEANS A TRASH RECYCLABLE OR COMPOSTABLE CONTAINER THAT IS TWOFOLD TO CLOSE THE LID.

IT'S TWOFOLD TO PLACE ADDITIONAL MATERIAL IN OR HAS MATERIAL ON THE GROUND WITHIN FIVE FEET OF A CONTAINER.

GREAT.

SO THAT IS IT.

HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS.

THANK YOU, ELIZABETH COMM, UH, I HAVE A QUESTION.

YES, GO.

UH, I'M KIND OF GETTING INTO THIS.

UM, UP IN, IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD WE HAVE A CONDOS THAT HAVE, YOU KNOW, THEY HAVE THE, UH, THE BIG, WHAT DO YOU CALL 'EM? THE BIG BINS? DUMPSTERS, DUMPSTERS, DUMPSTERS.

AND THOSE LIDS ARE HARD, KIND OF HARD TO OPEN AND CLOSE.

AND THIS IS DOWN BY A GREEN BELT AND THEY LEAVE THE LIDS OPEN 'CAUSE PEOPLE DON'T LIKE TO OPEN AND CLOSE 'EM.

AND WE'VE ASKED THEM AND THEY SAY PEOPLE DON'T LIKE TO TOUCH 'EM, YOU KNOW, AND WHAT WE GET IS LOTS OF RATS AND MICE AND THEN WE'VE GOTTEN COYOTES AND FOXES, WHICH CREATE, YOU KNOW, THEN YOU BEGIN TO HAVE ISSUES, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE'S CATS DISAPPEAR.

UH, IS THERE ANY RULE ABOUT KEEPING THE LIDS ON CONTAINERS CLOSED? I MEAN, EVEN IF THEY'RE NOT FULL, YOU KNOW, IF SOMEONE JUST LEAVES THE LIDS OFF, THAT COULD BE A PROBLEM.

I'M NOT SURE IF THERE IS A RULE REQUIRING THE LIDS TO BE CLOSED.

UM, IT'S POSSIBLE, BUT I'M, I, I'M NOT SURE THAT'S NOT PART OF THE UNIVERSAL'S RECYCLING ORDINANCE.

I THINK IF THAT WAS A RULE, IT WOULD BE SOMEWHERE IN THE HEALTH CODE MAYBE.

JASON'S GONNA ANSWER THIS.

JASON MCCOMBS, UH, RESOURCE RECOVERY DIVISION MANAGER.

UM, YEAH, ANYTHING THAT CAN ATTRACT A VECTOR.

IT'S ACTUALLY A HEALTH CODE.

SO IF YOU CALL 3 1 1, SO ANYTIME YOU'RE ATTRACTING PE ONCE IT IS, IT CAN WE'LL GO TO AUSTIN CODE DEPARTMENT.

SO, OKAY.

SO THAT'S IN THE HEALTH CODE.

IT'S AN IN THE HEALTH CODE SEPARATE CODE, BUT IT IS RELATED.

'CAUSE IT DOES SEEM LIKE, YOU KNOW, COMPOSTABLES, THAT'S LIKE A REAL ATTRACTANT, RIGHT? YEAH.

RIGHT.

WELL, THAT, THAT'S, THAT ANSWERS THAT QUESTION.

CHALLENGES ABIDING BY THAT'S ALRIGHT.

CRAIG.

AMANDA? YEAH.

COULD I ASK A QUESTION ABOUT THE, UM, THE, THE MATERIALS, UM, THE, THE AMENDMENT REFERRING TO THE MATERIALS BEING COLLECTED.

I DON'T THINK I UNDERSTOOD HOW THAT'S DIFFERENT THAN WHAT IS CURRENTLY IN THE U R O NOW.

SO THE, THE U R O CURRENTLY ONLY REQUIRES ORGANICS DIVERSION AT FOOD PERMITTED BUSINESSES.

SO THIS, THIS WOULD ADD THE REQUIREMENT AT MULTIFAMILY PROPERTIES.

UM, RIGHT.

AND SO IN, IN THIS PART WE WOULD SPECIFY THAT MULTIFAMILY PROPERTIES HAVE TO COLLECT, UM, FOOD SCRAPS, FOOD SOIL PAPER, AND V P I CERTIFIED COMPOSTABLE MATERIALS.

SO THE 15 6 92 SECTION, RIGHT NOW, THE LANGUAGE THAT'S CURRENTLY THERE, ONSITE RECYCLING AND ORGANIC MATERIAL DIVERSION SERVICES REQUIRED ON THIS ARTICLE, SHALL, IT HAS DIFFERENT INFORMATION THAT'S ONLY RELEVANT TO THE FOOD BUSINESSES.

IS THAT WHAT WE'RE SAYING? OKAY.

I AM PR PRETTY SURE .

LEMME MAKE SURE YOU SAID YES.

UM, YOU'RE, YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT 92, CORRECT? YEAH, THE 15 6 92.

THAN WHAT'S FOR FOOD PERMANENT BUSINESSES.

IT'S SLIDE 13, CORRECT.

YEAH, SORRY.

NO, NO WORRIES.

I KNOW IT'S A DETAILED QUESTION.

IT'S DIFFERENCE LETTER WHAT'S CURRENTLY REQUIRED FOR SHE'S ANSWERING VERSUS WHAT'S BEING, YEAH, SO I MEAN, THIS PART THAT'S ADDED IS SPECIFICALLY FOR, UM, MULTIFAMILY PROPERTIES.

SO IT'S A, IT'S A DIFFERENT REQUIREMENT

[00:25:01]

SO 15 6 92 IS FOR MULTIFAMILY.

I'M SORRY, CLARIFICATION.

SORRY, AMANDA.

WELL, THERE'S A LOT IN 15,000 6 92.

BUT WHAT WE ARE CHANGING THIS ADDITION, CORRECT? YEAH.

SO THEN I THINK ON THE SLIDE THERE, THERE MIGHT BE A LITTLE BIT OF A CUTOFF BECAUSE IT HAS, SO NUMBER THREE, REFERRING TO THE MULTIFAMILY PROPERTY.

SO THE A FOOD SCRAPS, THE B FOOD SOIL PAPER C, THE B P I CERTIFIED COMPOSTABLE.

AND IS THAT AND TO A D ON NUMBER THREE WITH ANOTHER CATEGORY FOR THE MULTIFAMILY? OR DOES THAT GO TO A NUMBER FOUR FOR ANOTHER AFFECTED? UM, THAT, THAT GOES TO NUMBER FOUR, WHICH JUST TALKS ABOUT, UM, THAT THEY HAVE TO PROVIDE RECEPTACLES THAT COMPLY WITH THE ADMINISTRATIVE RULES.

SO IT SAYS HERE, UM, IF A PREMISES, AND ACTUALLY THERE MIGHT BE, I HAVE TO GO BACK TO THAT SLIDE, I'M NOT SURE.

BUT, UM, THE ACTUAL DRAFT SAYS IF A PREMISE IS SUBJECT TO PART A TWO OF SECTION 15 DASH SIX DASH 91 AND THAT A TO IS REFERS SPECIFICALLY TO THE MULTI-FAMILY PROPERTIES FAMILY.

YEP.

GOT IT.

AND BECAUSE IT'S MULTIFAMILY THEN WE'RE NOT, IT, IT'S BETTER NOT TO LIST LIKE, UM, YARD WASTE NECESSARILY BECAUSE THAT'S NOT LIKELY TO BE SOMETHING THAT THEY'RE GONNA BE COLLECTING.

CORRECT.

RIGHT.

THAT'S WHY WE DIDN'T INCLUDE YARD WASTE.

CRAIG, YOU HAD A QUESTION? YES, IT, YOU HAVE B P I CERTIFIED COMPOSTABLE PRODUCTS.

WHAT DOES B P I STAND FOR? UH, IS IT BIO BIOLOGICAL PRODUCTS INSTITUTE? BIOLOGICAL, I THINK, I THINK IT'S BIOLOGICAL PRODUCTS INSTITUTE, BUT THEY'RE A THIRD, THEY'RE A THIRD PARTY COMPANY, OR NOT COMPANY.

A THIRD CERTIFY PARTY CERTIFYING AGENCY THAT, UM, THIRD PARTY TESTS, COMPOSTABLE MATERIALS TO A S T M STANDARDS AND VERIFIES THAT THOSE MATERIALS ARE INDEED COMPOSTABLE IN A COMPOSTING FACILITY BECAUSE IS THERE A LIST WHERE PEOPLE CAN GO? YEAH.

UM, IT'S COMPLETELY SEARCHABLE.

THE B P I WEBSITE IS REALLY GREAT.

I DEFINITELY RECOMMEND YOU CHECK IT OUT.

YOU CAN SEARCH FOR ANY TYPE OF PRODUCT AND FIND EVERY SINGLE, YOU KNOW, BRAND AND PRODUCT THAT THEY HAVE CERTIFIED IS COMPOSTABLE.

UM, IT'S, IT'S VERY THOROUGH.

ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? MELISSA? GO AHEAD.

UM, FOR THE MULTI-FAMILY, UM, SINCE THEY HAVE PRIVATE HAULERS FOR THEIR TRASH AND RECYCLING AND THEY'RE GONNA HAVE TO HAVE A PRIVATE HAULER FOR THEIR COMPOSTING IT, I'VE NOTICED THAT IT DOESN'T MENTION ON HERE RULES FOR REPORTING.

SO FOR, YOU KNOW, MEETING OUR ZERO WASTE GUIDELINES, HOW ARE WE GONNA KEEP TRACK OF THE DIVERSION FOR THE MULTIFAMILY PROPERTIES? AND I GUESS IT'S ALREADY BEING CALCULATED RIGHT NOW WITH THE PRIVATE HAULERS, UM, WITH OUR CURRENT PERCENTAGE OF DIVERSION FROM THESE MULTI-FAMILY PROPERTIES.

'CAUSE I'M NOT QUITE SURE HOW THAT IS FACTORED INTO OUR TOTAL PERCENTAGE OF, UM, DIVERSION THAT WE CURRENTLY HAVE.

BUT I'M JUST KIND OF CURIOUS ABOUT WHAT THE REPORTING REQUIREMENTS WILL, WILL LOOK LIKE FOR THESE MULTI-FAMILIES.

IS IT GOING TO BE THE COMPOST, UM, CALLER WHO'S GOING TO BE SENDING THE DATA TO THE CITY? OR IS IT GONNA BE LIKE THE H O A AT THE INDIVIDUAL, UM, APARTMENT COMPLEXES AND CONDOMINIUMS, OR HOW DO YOU FORESEE THAT HAPPENING? YEAH, SO THERE'S, THERE'S TWO WAYS THAT THIS IS REPORTED.

SO THE UNIVERSAL RECYCLING ORDINANCE REQUIRES ANNUAL REPORTING, UM, BY THE PROPERTY ITSELF.

UH, AND THEY REPORT THE SERVICE THAT THEY ARE PROVIDING.

SO THEY WOULD REPORT TO THE CITY EVERY YEAR HOW MANY BINS THEY HAVE, HOW OFTEN THEY'RE COLLECTED.

AND THEN ADDITIONALLY, THE HAULERS, THE PRIVATE HAULERS, ALL ARE REQUIRED TO REPORT TO THE CITY BI-ANNUALLY, THE TONS OF MATERIAL THAT THEY COLLECT AND HAUL.

SO BI-ANNUALLY IS THE HAUL RESPONSIBILITY, THE HAULER RESPONSIBILITY REPORTING, AND THE PROPERTY IS ONCE A YEAR.

THE PROPERTY IS REPORT ONCE A YEAR.

MELISSA, DID I ANSWER? DID THAT TAKE CARE OF YOUR QUESTION, MELISSA? YES, IT DID.

COMMERCIAL COMPLIANCE UNIT THAT, UH, GOES OUT AND INVESTIGATES PROPERTIES FOR NON-COMPLIANCE, AND THEN THAT'S EVENTUALLY SENT TO MUNICIPAL COURT.

NOW, ON THE ENFORCEMENT END OF THIS, WHO WOULD BE RECEIVING THE CITATION JUST OUTTA CURIOSITY AND WHO WOULD BE ISSUING THE CITATION? THIS WOULD WORK EXACTLY THE SAME AS THE UNIVERSAL RECYCLING ORDINANCE.

ENFORCEMENT ALREADY WORKS, SO NOTHING WOULD CHANGE.

SO THE RESPONSIBLE PARTY IS WHO IS RESPONSIBLE AND IT'S ENFORCED.

YOU KNOW, WE HAVE OUR, UM,

[00:30:01]

SO THAT'S THE NEW UNIT THAT WE, THAT WE HAVE THAT ENFORCEMENT UNIT.

AND THAT'S GOING TO BE RESPONSIBLE FOR POLICING THE MULTIFAMILY AND THE COMMERCIAL RIGHT.

PROJECTS? YEAH.

NO, NO, NO DIFFERENCE THAN, UH, YEAH.

WHAT'S HAPPENING NOW AND, AND IS THERE ANY IDEA THE COMPLIANCE RATE RIGHT NOW OUTTA CURIOSITY OF, UH, THE ONLY THING I KNOW FOR SURE IS THAT 80, THERE WAS AN 85%, UM, SUBMISSION RATE FOR, UM, SUBMITTING REPORTS LAST YEAR.

SO THAT'S BASED ON PERMITTED BUSINESSES? CORRECT.

UH, THAT'S, THAT'S ALL MULTIFAMILY AND COMMERCIAL PROPERTIES.

AND THIS IS NEW.

THIS WILL BEGIN EFFECTIVE OCTOBER 24, CORRECT? RIGHT.

SO WE'RE GONNA UP THAT NUMBER CONSIDERABLY.

UM, SO NO, THE NUMBER WOULDN'T CHANGE BECAUSE MULTIFAMILY PROPERTIES ARE ALREADY REQUIRED TO RECYCLE.

CORRECT.

SO THIS WOULD JUST ADD AN ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENT TO PROPERTIES THAT ARE ALREADY AFFECTED BY THE U R O.

IT WOULD JUST ADD THAT THEY NOW HAVE TO ADD COMPOSTING IN ADDITION TO RECYCLING, SO NO ADDITIONAL PROPERTIES AFFECTED UNDER THIS ORDINANCE.

SO IT'LL GIVE THE, UH, THE ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS, I GUESS, JOB SECURITY THAT IT, FOR THE MOST PART.

BUT ANYWAY, THANK YOU, ELIZABETH, ANY OTHER QUESTIONS BEYOND, JUST CONGRATULATIONS ON, I KNOW THAT WAS A LOT OF WORK WITH THE PILOTS AND THE DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYZING ALL OF THOSE ALL IN, SO THANK YOU.

THANK YOU FOR THAT.

YES, THANK YOU SO MUCH.

I JUST ONE, JUST ONE QUICK QUESTION.

UM, THE WAIVERS THAT ARE MENTIONED, CAN YOU REMIND ME WHAT THE WAIVER POTENTIAL WAIVERS WOULD BE? YES.

UM, SO WAIVERS ARE REQUESTED ON THE ANNUAL REPORTS AND PROPERTIES CAN REQUEST WAIVERS FOR A PARTICULAR COMPONENT OF THE REQUIREMENT THAT THEY'RE NOT ABLE TO MEET, BUT ARE, YOU KNOW, MAKING A GOOD FAITH EFFORT TO COMPLY.

THEY HAVE TO PROVIDE IN WRITING, UM, A REQUEST FOR A WAIVER, AND THEN CITY STAFF CAN APPROVE OR DENY THAT WAIVER ON A CASE BY CASE BASIS.

WHAT'LL BE INTERESTING, I'LL JUST GIVE A HEADS UP THAT IF I'M STILL HERE, UH, AROUND I WILL, IT'D BE INTERESTING TO HEAR, YOU KNOW, WHAT TYPE OF WAIVERS PEOPLE GET, WHAT NUMBERS OF PEOPLE WHO GET THOSE, THOSE TYPE OF WAIVERS.

AND ALSO WHEN IT COMES TO THE ENFORCEMENT SIDE OF THINGS, THAT'S SOMETHING WE'VE TALKED, WE'VE TOUCHED ON OVER THE YEARS IN VARIOUS WAYS.

IT'LL BE INTERESTING TO SEE, YOU KNOW, HOW MANY TIMES WE ACTUALLY CITE PEOPLE, HOW MANY WARNINGS MAYBE WE GIVE, THAT TYPE OF THING.

SO IF, IF THAT'S ALL WE CAN, YEAH, I THINK THAT WOULD BE IMPORTANT TO TRACK.

NOW IS THIS THE R C A THAT'S ATTACHED THAT WOULD BE GOING TO COUNSEL? YES.

I DO SEE THE CHANGES.

ALL RIGHT, COMMISSIONERS, THIS IS A DISCUSSION ITEM, DISCUSSION ACTION ITEM I SHOULD SAY.

AND BEFORE US WAS A PRESENTATION BY ELIZABETH.

A WELL DONE PRESENTATION.

THANK YOU, ELIZABETH.

AND, UH, NOW WE HAVE THE R C A THAT, UH, AGAIN, WE CAN TAKE ACTION ON SUPPORTING AND OR OTHERWISE, BUT, UH, I'LL, UH, ENTERTAIN FURTHER DISCUSSION OR ANY MOTIONS.

UH, I, I LOOKED AT THIS LAST NIGHT AND FROM WHAT I KNOW SO FAR, IT LOOKS PRETTY GOOD.

I THINK IT LOOKS LIKE SOMETHING WE SHOULD SUPPORT.

SO I MOVE THAT WE SUPPORT IT.

ALRIGHT, CRAIG MOVES ACCEPTANCE IN SUPPORT OF THE ITEM, THE R C A.

DO I HEAR A SECOND? I THAT JERRY, JERRY.

OH, I'M SORRY.

I'M SORRY.

WAS THAT A A QUESTION MELISSA THAT YOU HAD OR THAT YOU HAD OR THOSE HANDS WENT UP TOGETHER? HANDS WENT UP TOGETHER.

I, I THINK WE ALL JUST WERE RAISING OUR HANDS IN SUPPORT AT THE SAME TIME.

HEARING NO FURTHER DISCUSSION.

HEARING NO FURTHER.

OH, I'M SORRY.

I THINK I, IT'S NOT YOUR OKAY.

HEARING NO FURTHER DISCUSSION, GUYS, THERE IS A MOTION, CRAIG'S MOTION TO SUPPORT THE R C A AND THE TWO, MELISSA'S AND AMANDA ALL SECOND.

SO I GUESS THAT'S FOURTH.

SO ANYWAY, TO MAKE A LONG STORY SHORT, ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF ACCEPTING THIS AS IS, RAISE YOUR HAND, PLEASE.

UH, THANK YOU COMMISSIONERS.

UNANIMOUS.

[00:35:01]

GINA CHAIR, IF I MAY INTERJECT.

GINA MCKINLEY, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, AUSTIN RESOURCE RECOVERY.

I JUST WANTED TO, TO THANK STAFF.

THEY'VE BEEN WORKING ON THIS PROJECT A LONG TIME.

AND ALSO TO THANK YOU, SEVERAL OF YOU HAVE REALLY STUCK WITH US THROUGHOUT THIS PROJECT, WORKING ON THE PILOT.

UM, THE FOLKS WHO ARE ON THE U R O COMMITTEE, AND I KNOW WE HAVE SOME FORMER COMMISSIONERS, UM, COMMISSIONER GATTUSO, COMMISSIONER WHITE, WHO SPENT A LOT OF TIME WORKING ON THIS ALONGSIDE STAFF.

SO IT WAS A GREAT EFFORT OF US WORKING TOGETHER.

AND I JUST WANT TO SAY THANK YOU TO EVERYONE AND THIS IS A BIG STEP FOR AUSTIN AND I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO, UM, MOVING IT ON TO COUNCIL NEXT MONTH.

AND GINA, YOU ECHOED MY SYMPATHIES.

I MEAN, THAT'S, I MEAN, LITERALLY, I MEAN, KATHY STAFF, I MEAN, , YOU GUYS HAD A HECK OF A JOB IN OWEN.

IT WASN'T EASY A LOT OF THE TIMES, GUYS, THANK YOU.

ACTUALLY FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS. AND I'VE GOT A COUPLE OF, UH, THOUGHTS HERE FOR FUTURE AGENDA.

ALRIGHT, THAT LITERALLY GUYS CONCLUDES, CONCLUDES OUR, UH, OUR AGENDA THIS EVENING.

BELIEVE IT OR NOT, WE, THERE'S A LOT OF SUNLIGHT OUT THERE.

BUT, UH, HAVING SAID THAT, THE NEXT ITEM IS

[FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS]

AGENDA ITEMS. UH, NUMBER ONE, WE'VE GOT THE, UH, ZERO WASTE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN UPDATE SLASH REPORT BY BURNS AND MCDONALD.

THAT'S GONNA BE, YEAH, THAT'S, THAT'S GONNA BE A GOOD ONE ALSO.

UH, LET'S SEE.

I'D LIKE TO KIND OF ADDRESS THE BYLAWS OF THAT.

UH, THAT'D BE THE WILL OF THIS COMMISSION.

LOOK AT THE BYLAWS THAT WE'VE WORKED UNDER FOR THE LAST, I DON'T KNOW, 10 YEARS, 15 YEARS.

IF SO, JUST LOOK AT THEM, MAKE SURE WE UNDERSTAND THEM.

AND, UH, IF THERE'S ANY REVISION THAT IS NECESSARY, PERHAPS WE CAN, WE CAN ADDRESS THAT AT THE NEXT MEETING.

UH, AND THEN, UH, ANOTHER ITEM I I WOULD LIKE TO PERHAPS SEE IS THE MASTER PLAN ITSELF.

JUST, UH, SINCE WE'RE HAVING THE ZERO WASTE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN PRESENTATION, MAYBE A, A A MORE THOROUGH LOOK AT WHAT OUR MASTER PLAN GOALS ARE.

IN OTHER WORDS, ARE, ARE THEY, ARE THEY REALISTIC IN TODAY'S ENVIRONMENT VERSUS WHERE WE WERE LITERALLY 14 YEARS AGO WHEN WE WERE DISCUSSING THIS? I WANT TO SAY YES, WE CAN STILL ACCOMPLISH AND ACHIEVE ANYTHING WE PUT OUR MINDS TO, BUT UH, PERHAPS JUST ANOTHER VIEW OF, OF WHERE WE ARE TODAY AND HOW DO WE GET TO THE FINISH LINE.

I MEAN, HOW DO WE, HOW DO WE GET TO WHERE WE WANT TO GO? AND IF THAT'S, IF THAT'D BE THE WILL OF THIS COMMISSION, I'D LIKE TO, TO ADD THAT ON THERE ALSO.

ALL RIGHT, ANY OTHER ITEMS THAT, UH, THE COMMISSIONERS WOULD LIKE TO SEE ON NEXT MONTH'S MEETING? JUST A CLARIFICATION QUESTION, JERRY, COULD YOU REMIND ME ABOUT THE NEXT STEPS FOR THE, UM, YOU KNOW, FOR THE REPORT? SO WE ARE GOING TO HAVE DISCUSSION OR PRESENTATION AT THE NEXT MEETING, AND THEN WHAT ARE THE NEXT STEPS BASED ON WHAT HAPPENS AT THAT MEETING IN TERMS OF WHERE IT GOES NEXT? GOOD QUESTION, AMANDA.

IN FACT, I'LL DEFER TO STAFF FOR THAT ONE.

SO AT OUR NEXT MEETING WE WOULD BRING THAT, UH, TO THIS, UH, GROUP FOR, UH, APPROVAL AND RECOMMENDATION.

AND AT THAT POINT THEN WE WOULD, UH, TAKE THAT ON FOR CITY COUNCIL FOR APPROVAL.

AND I BELIEVE S I DON'T KNOW KNOW IF WE HAVE A DATE ON THAT, BUT, UH, IF NOT, SEPTEMBER, I, I THINK ORIGINALLY IT WAS SEPTEMBER 21ST AND IT, AND WE MAY STILL BE ABLE TO KEEP THAT DATE.

SO SEPTEMBER 21ST POSSIBLE FIRST WAS THE DATE.

IS THAT OKAY? YEAH, THAT'S STILL, YEAH, THAT'S STILL THE CORRECT DATE.

YES, THAT WOULD'VE GO TO COUNSEL.

OKAY, THANK YOU COMMISSIONERS.

THANK YOU AMANDA.

ANY OTHER COMMENTS, GREG? YEAH, THERE'S SOMETHING I, I, I HAD A NICE MEETING WITH KAI BA WHITE, UM, A WEEK OR TWO AGO.

AND THE QUESTION THAT I ALWAYS HAVE IN MY MIND, I'M TRYING TO PUT AS LITTLE IN THE TRASH CAN AS POSSIBLE.

YOU KNOW, ALWAYS TRYING TO, AND YOU KNOW, I LOOKED AT, I WENT TO B P I AND TALKS ABOUT PRODUCT PRODUCTS, BUT THERE WERE SOME QUESTIONS I HAD TALKING TO HER THAT SHE DIDN'T KNOW THE ANSWER TO EITHER ABOUT IS IT REALLY COMPOSTABLE OR NOT WHAT? I ASSUME IT'S COMPOSTABLE, BUT YOU KNOW, IF, IF PEOPLE CAN'T EASILY FIND OUT WHETHER IT IS OR NOT, THEY'RE GONNA JUST DUMP IT IN THE TRASH.

AND ONE OF THESE, UM, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE PROBABLY THOUSANDS OF CAGE BIRDS OUT THERE IN LITTLE PEOPLE'S CAGES, PARAKEETS, CANARIES, YOU NAME IT.

AND THEY PROBABLY USE AUSTIN AMERICAN STATESMEN OR SOMETHING SIMILAR TO PUT ON THE BOTTOM OF THE CAGE.

AND IT'S GOT SOY INKS, NEWSPAPER, BIRD SEED, AND A LITTLE BIT OF BIRD, UH, DROPPINGS.

[00:40:02]

CAN YOU PUT THAT IN THE, YOU KNOW, SOME PEOPLE MIGHT NOT THINK YOU CAN PUT THAT IN COMPOST.

IT DOESN'T SAY ANYWHERE YOU CAN THAT I'VE BEEN ABLE TO FIND.

AND SO THE QUESTION IS, UH, WHAT, WHAT ABOUT SOME OF THESE, IS THERE SOME PLACE, IS THERE SOME WAY TO DISCUSS, TO FIND OUT, YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN, TO GET REALLY INFORMATION FAIRLY EASILY ABOUT THINGS THAT PEOPLE HAVE QUESTIONS ON? UH, THERE DEFINITELY IS.

I MEAN, WE CAN COME BACK AT A, A FUTURE MEETING AND KIND OF GET A LITTLE BIT MORE IN DEPTH REVIEW OF WHAT UM, WHAT CAN GO IN AND WHAT CAN'T.

AND IT'S FUNNY YOU BRING THIS UP 'CAUSE WE HAD A SIMILAR QUESTION COME UP FROM A HOMEOWNER WHO, UH, WAS DEALING WITH, UM, RABBITS AND UH, AND THE RABBIT WASTE.

AND SO, UM, IN OUR CONTRACT AND WHAT, IN OUR, MOST OF OUR LITERATURE WE PUT OUT, WE TALK ABOUT ANIMAL WASTE NOT BEING ACCEPTED 'CAUSE OF THE CONCERNS OF PEOPLE PUTTING IN DOG WASTE AND PLASTIC BAGS.