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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2013-01-09 PACKET 05.5.CITY OF COTTAGE GROVE MINNESOTA To: Cottage Grove Environmental Commission From: Jennifer McLoughlin, sustainability specialist Date: January 9, 2013 Re: Washington County Recycling Grant and Sustainability Initiatives Background The Washington County Municipal Recycling Grant supports the City's recycling program expenses. These include costs associated with administrative costs, data management related to recycling tonnage reports, the purchase of recycling bins for parks and city facilities, and promotional programs such as the "Get Caught Recycling Program," as well as items used to promote the recycling program in schools and at local events. The total grant that the City receives consists of $30,000 in base funding and an additional $23,150 in project funding. The project funding is directly related to programs that increase awareness of and participation in waste reduction, recycling, and backyard composting. To receive full project funding, the City must complete four eligible projects each year. This memo will address the 2012 recycling projects, as well as an update on other environmental initiatives within Washington County and Independent School District (ISD) 833. Examples of city environmental award programs have also been enclosed for commissioner review. Discussion In 2012, the Washington County Recycling Grant project funding was earned through a number of city efforts, including: Get Caught Recycling The City of Cottage Grove continued to promote recycling through its "Get Caught Recycling" effort. Through the program, two addresses are randomly selected each week. City staff checks each address on its designated pick -up day to verify whether the resident has their recycling out. If they do, they are awarded a $50 gift certificate to a local business. Another asset of this program is the support of local businesses. 2. Promoting Recycling at schools On March 20, 2012, city staff and commissioners partnered with Washington County and ISD 833 to conduct a waste sort at Cottage Grove Elementary. City, County, and school district staff, in addition to members of the city's environmental commission, worked together to sort waste generated within one school day. City staff also presented information, with Dan Schoepke from Washington County, on the three R's (Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle) to all of the first grade classes at the school (between 90- 100 students). All first grade students received recycling coloring books and pencils made from recycled newspaper. In addition, the city offered an ice cream social to the winning Pod (group of classes) of a recycling competition at the school. The winning Pod included the all -day kindergarten and third grade classes. The Mayor, along with city staff and members of the commission, handed out ice cream, a pencil and recycling wristband to the winning students. All of the fifth grade students also received recognition and ice cream for managing the recycling program at the school during the year. City staff also presented recycling information to the preschool classes at Grey Cloud Elementary. 3. City of Cottage Grove Arbor Day Event and compost and rain barrel sale The City hosted its seventh annual Arbor Day event April 28. The event took place at the city's public works building, and highlighted the themes of composting and recycling. Residents who pre- ordered a compost bin or rain barrel from the city sponsored sale were able to pick them up at the event. The first 150 people at the event received a bare root crab tree. There were informational tables on local landscaping companies, lawn and flower maintenance, water conservation, and invasive species management. Residents were also invited to bring documents for shredding at the event. City staff hosted a vermicomposting display at the event. Vermicompost, also referred to as worm castings, is the end product of the breakdown of organic matter by a worm. Kids enjoyed digging in the dirt to locate and hold the worms from the composting display, allowing city staff to answer questions and talk to parents about the benefits of composting. The city sold 125 compost bins, 47 rain barrels, and shredded 3,000 pounds of paper. Approximately 200 to 225 residents attended the event, despite the rainy weather that day. 4. Recycling Promotion through newsletters The city promoted waste reduction and recycling through articles in the city's monthly Cottage Grove Reports. In addition, inserts were included in the newsletter to promote the Spring Clean -up and the Washington County Environmental Center. The newsletter is sent out to approximately 10,800 addresses in Cottage Grove, and it is posted on the city's website. Information on the city's recycling program was also posted on the city's Facebook page and new website. 5. Nite to Unite compostable products The City provided compostable tableware for all registered Nite to Unite Celebrations within the city. The annual event takes place the first Tuesday of August. The city provides handouts, prizes and educational information on a variety of topics to each registered party. In 2012, staff included compostable silverware, plates and napkins, along with educational information on composting, recycling, and waste reduction for each party. At this time, 2012 recycling tonnage has not been provided by haulers. Total recycling tonnage and a copy of the final grant report submitted to Washington County will be available for commission review in late February. Washington County Waste Management Master Plan 2012 -2030 As commissioners know, evaluating the success of projects related to the county recycling grant can be difficult to measure. As discussed by county representatives at the September joint commission meeting in Woodbury, the county will begin implementing the 2012 -2030 Waste Management Master Plan in 2013. One of the key features for implementation that will impact cities within the county is the 2 development of a performance scorecard to track recycling and waste reduction. It is expected that the scorecard will be adopted and implemented for the 2014 grant cycle. At this time, the County has secured a contract with Foth Companies to help develop the scorecard. The county has requested participation from select cities within the county during the process for developing the scorecard. The first meeting of the workgroup is scheduled Wednesday, Feb. 6. Cottage Grove staff will participate in the workgroup, and will provide updates to the commission as the project moves forward. Update on recycling within ISD 833 In October 2012, representatives from ISD 833 met with staff from Washington County, and County Commissioner Autumn Lehrke to discuss the status of recycling within the district. Although the discussion was only preliminary, the district showed interest in improving recycling within district schools, and potentially moving forward with organics collection within one or two pilot schools next fall. At the request of City Engineer Levitt, I have made contact with staff at the county and school district to find out if there is another opportunity for the commission to partner in an upcoming project. Staff from both entities appreciated the commission's interest and asked whether commissioners would be interested in helping with a waste sort at Cottage Grove Middle School. Although the waste sort at Cottage Grove Elementary revealed that recycling could be improved, the county is interested in looking at a larger school that may not have a successful recycling program already in place. Staff from the school district and the county were also open to any ideas that commissioners may have regarding a partnership. A list of school related strategies outlined in the waste management master plan is included in this packet. Environmental Award Program City Engineer Levitt requested information on cities that have developed an awards program to honor residents, businesses or organizations for environmental efforts. Enclosed in this packet are examples from Minnesota cities including Oakdale, Woodbury, and St. Paul. Program information from Golden, Colorado and Raleigh, North Carolina and New York State are also included. These cities were selected due to the comprehensive program information available on the website. 2013 Work Plan As the commission considers its work plan for 2013, staff would appreciate feedback on potential activities the commission may be interested in participating in that would be eligible for grant funding. Projects that may involve commissioner participation could include: • Partnering with ISD 833 on a waste sort at Cottage Grove Middle School • Commissioner contributions to newsletter articles on issues relating to waste reduction • Participation in city events such as Arbor Day, the Public Works Open House, or the Strawberry Festival As mentioned above, the city should consider at least four projects that are grant eligible to maintain the current grant funding. At this time, the city exceeds the current requirements for the grant, so if there is a project that the commission would like to drop or reevaluate, that can be discussed at the January meeting. Keep in mind that the current format for grant funding may change considerably, depending on the final scorecard adopted by the county, so 2013 may be an appropriate time to adjust projects. It is expected that the scorecard will be adopted for the 2014 funding cycle. 3 Attachments • Washington County Waste Management Master Plan 2012 -2030 — School Related Strategies • Examples of Environmental Award programs from Oakdale; St. Paul; Woodbury; Golden, Co; New York State; and Raleigh, NC 12