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2024-01-30 Regular MeetingKODIAK ISLAND BOROUGH Solid Waste Advisory Board Regular Meeting January 30, 2024 A Regular Meeting of the Solid Waste Advisory Board was held on January 30, 2024, in the I Kodiak Fisheries Research Center. 301 Research Court. CALL TO ORDER Vice Chair Kerry Irons called the meeting to order at 5:17pm ROLL CALL Staff Brian Price conducted a roll call. Members Larry Van Dale, Terri Pruitt, Doug Hogen, and Vice Chair Kerry Irons were present. A quorum was established. Also present were KIB Mayor Scott Arndt, KIB Engineering & Facilities Director David Conrad David Edwards with AK Waste, Jen Nutt with USCG, and KIB Environmental specialist Jena Hassinger. APPROVAL OF AGENDA VAN DAELE MOVED to approve the agenda with the addition of Single -Use Plastic Bag Discussion to item 7. as item Th. HOGEN seconded. ROLL CALL VOTE ON MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY APPROVAL OF PREVIOUS MINUTES Kerry Irons noted an error in the draft of the December 20th, 2023 Minutes. Within the first sentence of paragraph 5 of discussion item Th., Single -Use Plastic Bag Discussion, it stated "herself' at the end of the sentence where it should instead say Doug Hogen. VAN DAELE MOVED to approve the December 20th, 2023 meeting minutes. PRUITT seconded. VOICE VOTE ON THE MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY ACKNOWLEDGE RECEIPT OF FINANCIAL REPORT Kerry Irons acknowledged the receipt of the financial report. Staff Brian Price went over changes and updates with the board he had made to the SWAB Expense Tracking Document. Updates to stock quantities, pricings, and descriptions were relayed. Coloring Book Updates were briefly discussed. Staff Brian Price confirmed that there were no changes submitted to the artist yet. The board mentioned that authorization was still needed for the expenditure of funds made for SWAB's inclusion into the Kodiak Chamber Of Commerce Relocation Guide. Kodiak Island Borough Solid Waste Advisory Board Regular Meeting January 30, 2024 Minutes Page 1 of 7 HOGEN MOVED to approve expending the $875.00 for SWAB to be included in the Kodiak Chamber Of Commerce Relocation Guide. PRUITT seconded. ROLL CALL VOTE ON MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY Kerry Irons noted the other items included in available stock and asked if there were any other items that the board was ready to have ordered. The board discussed upcoming product needs with reference to past events and the items used in those instances. Kerry Irons voiced that there is time left in the year to make the orders and noted the low supply of canvas bags. Terri Pruitt suggested ordering canvas bags and stickers. VAN DAELE MOVED to instruct staff to proceed with the purchase of stickers, tote bags, and magnets as listed on the Expense Tracker. PRUITT seconded. VOICE VOTE ON MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY VISITORS' COMMENTS DISCUSSION ITEMS/ACTION ITEMS Threshold Services Report (if present) Alaska Waste Report (if present) David Edwards planned to participate in a presentation put together by Engineering & Facilities department. The Alaska Waste Report was to be encompassed in the presentation. He noted this to the board and withheld his report until such time. US Coast Guard (if present) Jen Nutt shared details on the Public Notice for Burma Road Talk. There will be a presentation given at the event that will go over the history of the site and other information. Jen Nutt had shared this event with the board as an educational opportunity. She felt that this followed the trend of board education in relation to Solid Waste Disposal that Chair Andie Wall had encouraged in previous meetings. Jen Nutt shared with the board other specific details relating to the site. City of Kodiak Report (if present) Engineering & Facilities Report (if present) Kodiak Island Borough January 30, 2024 Solid Waste Advisory Board Regular Meeting Minutes Page 2 of 7 r L David Conrad began the Engineering & Facilities Report. He informed the board that Jena Hassinger, David Edwards and himself got together to discuss the community remarks gathered from last year's SWAB Comfish Booth Survey. He first noted the relocation guide and some recommended changes for accuracy. Regarding disposing appliances at the landfill, there is a fee after a certain weight that needed to be added on the relocation guide as a caveat to the free disposal. David Conrad also noted that, if there was other changes needed, to please inform staff before the next meeting. He resumed the presentation, addressing the pertinent community comments gathered. "Trash bins are always full on the weekends." David Conrad told the board that AK Waste is contractually obligated to pick up those dumpsters once per week, with many being emptied 2-3 times per week. David Conrad continued sharing pickup frequency. AK waste has a driver go out 5 days out of the week, and the Borough sends workers 5 days a week to gather larger appliances and debris left outside the dumpsters. The estimated hourly cost of sending out personnel was shared with the board. Upstarting surveillance efforts were mentioned, however concerns for adequate enforcement were discussed. "Pick up Trash by Fridays because it's always full." David Conrad explained to the board that there is not a lot of control over this and is hard to predict. David Conrad noted that on nice days, especially in the spring, there can be unpredictable fluctuations in how much waste is disposed at the dumpsters by the community. "More Collection Points" David Conrad shared with the board that property available for dumpster sites are limited. 4 different locations for dumpsters had been denied by the City of Kodiak in the past. David Conrad noted these as contributing factors to limited dumpster sites. David Conrad mentioned the dumpster that was moved from Selief Lane. Since the dumpster was moved, the area saw a greatly reduced number bear encounters and could be attested to the relocation of this dumpster. The board discussed dumpster locations for clarification. David Conrad shared that all dumpsters along Spruce Cape are on a State Right -Of -Way and technically should not be there. This reinforced his previous statements of limited available locations for the dumpsters. "More Pickups on the Dumpsters." David Conrad stated that this can be done but will result in raised rates. For Kodiak, $360 dollars per ton to dispose is one of the highest rates in the country. EPA creates regulations that must be adhered to. Additional cost from projects and water treatment were referenced as addition points of cost. "Three Sisters [Way] Always Gets Mucky." David Conrad shared that the site is re -graveled annually. David Conrad listed this site as among the dumpsters positioned in the state right of way and should not be there. Kodiak Island Borough January 30, 2024 Solid Waste Advisory Board Regular Meeting Minutes Page 3 of 7 I "The Flatts has 2 Trashcans but gets filled up with boxes." David Conrad asked the board how to make people recycle cardboard more, siting this as the solution to this comment. More examples were offered of dumpster misuse. David Conrad shared his own efforts to reduce errant waste items left outside of the dumpsters. "What's the plan for old garbage cans being stored outside?" David Conrad shared that half of the trash cans that were not bear -resistant were shipped back by AK Waste to mainland Alaska to be reutilized. He added that the contract required bear resistant roll carts, and, at the time the contract was bid, the 90% bear -resistant roll carts were what was available. This was specified by David Conrad as a contractor responsibility and not KIB. David Conrad referenced an EPA document relating to transfer sites and encouraged board members to review it. He planned to have it emailed to the board members. Began by clarifying the differences between a transfer site and an accumulation site. In Alaska, there are not transfer sites. Instead, there are accumulation sites. According to the EPA, a transfer site is a sorting facility. David Conrad further clarified that what people are often imagining when they ask for a transfer site is closer in description to a re -use site. He referenced Fairbanks' transfer site as an example. David Edwards had worked in Fairbanks and had direct experiences with the site. David Edwards began to share details of his experience and showed above -ground images of the transfer sight in the presentation. He provided explanations of the facility layout. Procedures and intended facility use were described. There were different disposal areas segregated by type of waste. David Edwards gave several examples of misuse of the facility that resulted in the Borough of Fairbanks withdrawing staffing. Only 2 of the disposal areas at the facility remain in operation but are not monitored thoroughly due to the reduced staffing. David Edwards noted that Fairbanks' Landfill closes in the evenings which helps reduce misuse in the night, but there will still be improper disposal all through the night at the transfer site. In the mornings that followed, The Borough of Fairbanks still had to pick up the waste and bring it to the landfill. David Edwards added also how this improper disposal increase the rate at which their landfill is filling and cannot be baled like what is done at the KIB Landfill. Large amounts of unsegregated solid waste would have to be brought out which also reduced proper disposal capabilities. David Conrad voiced that these issues would prevail without serious enforcement if KIB created a facility such as the one in Fairbanks. Jena Hassinger agreed and spoke on David Edward's mention monitoring disposed materials from being mixed. Unmonitored and unseparated waste such as this would still have to go into the lined areas of the landfill cells and the unlined areas ultimately increasing the rate of cell lining degrading. Kodiak Island Borough January 30, 2024 Solid Waste Advisory Board Regular Meeting Minutes Page 4 of 7 r I The presentation concluded and board members were asked by David Conrad if this material was what the board wanted to see at the meetings. Larry Van Daele made one note that fish & game waste was note included into the landfill information for the relocation guide. Doug Hogan wished to see the inclusion of the fish and game waste as well and shared his personal experience in recent travel to Hawaii where he witnessed effective monitoring at waste disposal sites. Doug Hogen asked if there was any way to improve the level of sorting that happens at the Kodiak Landfill. Jena Hassinger described how materials being put together can compromise their ability to be sorted out such as cardboard being soaked or coated with other debris. Doug Hogan speculated possible enforcement options to implement at the Landfill. Jan Nutt proposed a possible partnership with the Post Office to try and reduce carboard volume being mixed into other waste. The board continued to discuss various aspects of disposal and sorting logistics at the KIB landfill. David Conrad proceeded to the final section of the presentation. 3 years ago a letter was received from AK waste and Waste Connections asking if the Borough would be willing to build a waste management facility. It was discussed, and the Assembly requested Engineering and Facilities department do some research on logistics such as cost and location. An overhead photo of the Dark Lake area was shown with lines sectioned out to show the perimeter of the facility. David Conrad noted that this location was situated next to a baseball field that does not see use. If this building were to be constructed, the road adjacent to it would need to be repaved as well as fixes to the parking lot. David Conrad shared his opinion that this location made the most sense. This facility would also be the point -of -purchase for the vendor where bills could be paid, would provide additional space to store dump trucks and dumpsters, and would all be within one fenced area. Misuse of the Salvation Army's donation box was mentioned as another example to portray the nature of poor disposal practices on the island as the unfortunate reality. David Conrad had discussed leasing with the Borough Attorney and decided that there would be a triple -net lease. This means that the waste hauler would pay the utilities, rent, and conduct upkeep while the Borough would likely hire someone to do facility inspection. David Conrad concluded and asked the board for questions. The board discussed and asked clarifying questions. Larry Van Daele asked if it would be appropriate at this stage for the board to form a resolution to the KIB Assembly in support of the facility concepts presented. David Conrad advised the board that it would be too early to do so as the project is in its infancy. David Conrad shared other engineering considerations still needed for the facility concept at this point in time. Outreach Reports Doug Hogan began the Outreach Report by presenting his findings after researching other examples of plastic bag bans in the US. Doug Hogan shared examples and figures of different impacts in communities observed after implementing a bag ban. From 2014 to 2019, as many as 10 different states had single -use plastic bag bans put in place. The states used as examples were from both the west and east coasts of the US. Doug Hogan shared how some states preemptively put state-wide bans into place to prevent cities from adopting their own policies one by one. In states where a ban was placed on thinner plastic bags while allowing thicker -mil bags, there was an increase in total weight of plastic waste due to the thicker material. This showed how one solution can feed into the same issue in different aspects. In this example, 4 years Kodiak Island Borough January 30, 2024 Solid Waste Advisory Board Regular Meeting Minutes Page 5 of 7 after the bag ban was implemented, there was an increase of plastic waste from 50 million tons to 150 million tons. Doug Hogen suggested that an outright ban on all plastic bags would be more effective. In 2016 there was 330 million tons of plastic globally, and only 9% of that was recyclable. Doug Hogan stated that banning a plastic bag isn't useful on its own, but instead would be more effective if there was a change in the habits of a community. Doug Hogan continued to share his research findings. From his findings on a plastic bag distributor's website, he gathered counterarguments as well that claimed the ways plastic bags work. The site advocated against banning plastic bags claiming that plastic bags are the best option because they are cheap to produce, free to the customer, are the most convenient, and have a large industry backing. Doug Hogan stated he could find flaws in each of these claims. Doug Hogen addressed if plastic bag bans work at all. He answered yes and began to illustrate what he believed would be an effective bag ban. If all plastic bags were taken away and retailers supplied paper bags instead with a minimum of 40% being recycled paper, then it would give greater incentive for community members to utilize reusable bags and lessen the plastic bag waste. Doug Hogen added that paper bags take more resources than plastic bags to make, however the resource demand is lessened when composed of the 40% recycled paper. Also, retailers would need to provide durable, reusable grocery bags for sale that would be made of a cloth or woven paper material. Kerry Irons asked Doug Hogen if his research included similar sized municipalities. Doug Hogen mentioned a contact in Homer who works in this field. He had not reached out to her and mentioned it as something he could follow-up on. Terri Pruitt added that there were lists on websites showing different bag bans and how they differed for each other. She noted exceptions to the plastic bag bans such as plastic packing used for containing food product in retail grocery stores. David Conrad also added how bag bans can go both ways and get reversed. Doug Hogan suggested to the board creating a statement to send to the Borough Assembly recommending a single -use plastic bag ban be voted on in the form of a ballot measure. David Conrad responded and once again cited the ordinance that was adopted by the City of Kodiak. The lack of enforcement remained a continued concern even if there was a ban adopted by the Borough Assembly. Mayor Scott Arndt wished to comment and began detailing other examples of single -use plastic bags being used in more than just retail grocery stores. He felt this ban would more than likely not happen and voiced that an outright plastic bag ban is going too far and still would be an issue of enforcement. Larry Van Daele added, if this were presented to the Borough Assembly with what information the board had now, this would get voted down. Larry Van Daele referenced again what changes and impacts the board had already made in past years towards the plastic bag issue. He encouraged the board to follow the in direction of partnership with retailers and corporations to help in reduction of plastic waste rather than vindicating them. Kerry Irons stated this issue could not be solved in one meeting. She suggested further research of similar -sized communities, what they are doing right pertaining to plastic bag bans, and how the board could help educate the community here in Kodiak on the topic. David Conrad referenced the newspaper articles produced by board members and asked them if it would be possible to gather all the articles to be added to the KIB website as discussed earlier. Kerry Irons mentioned that she had stepped back from writing the articles and praised Terry Pruitt for her contributions to produce the articles. Strategic Planning & Organization Kodiak Island Borough January 30, 2024 Solid Waste Advisory Board Regular Meeting Minutes Page 6 of 7 Kerry Irons moved on to the Strategic Planning & Organization. She asked the board to look through the Outreach Events in the document and pointed out under the r- section 'Outreach - Recycling and Waste Reduction (awareness)' to think of what I could be included relating to the work on plastic bag bans. Kerry Irons informed the board that she had no new developments in Outreach for the school. Other board members did not have anything further to discuss regarding the Strategic Planning & Organization. BOARD MEMBERS' COMMENTS Larry Van Daele — Thank you EF for the presentation and thank you Doug for your research. NEXT MEETING SCHEDULE The next regular meeting date was set for February 201". ADJOURNMENT Kerry Irons adjourned the meeting at 7:01 pm ATTEST: VZZOI'Lo2q I/dIa Brian Price, Board Secretary KIB Engineering & Facilities Department Kodiak Island Borough January 30, 2024 KODIAK ISLAND BOROUGH Andi Wall, Solid Waste Advisory Board Chair 2C2ZJ 4J Approved on: '2 /2 C �C�IV�D MAR 13 2024 BOROUGH CLERICS MICE KODWK,ALASKA Solid Waste Advisory Board Regular Meeting Minutes Page 7 of 7