REGULAR MEETING of the ZERO WASTE ADVISORY COMMISSION AUGUST 10, 2022, 6:00 PM CITY HALL ROOM 1001 301 W 2ND ST AUSTIN, TEXAS Some members of the BOARD/COMMISSION may be participating by videoconference. The meeting may be viewed online at: http://www.austintexas.gov/page/watch-atxn-live Public comment will be allowed in-person or remotely via telephone. Speakers may only register to speak on an item once either in-person or remotely and will be allowed up to three minutes to provide their comments. Registration no later than noon the day before the meeting is required for remote participation by telephone. To register to speak remotely, call or email Dwight Scales dwight.scales@austintexas.gov CURRENT BOARD MEMBERS/COMMISSIONERS: Gerry Acuna (Chair) District 10 Cathy Gattuso (Vice-Chair) District 5 Albert Swantner District 1 Melissa Caudle District 4 Ian Steyaert District 8 Melissa Rothrock District 2 Ethan Myers District 6 Ingrid Powell District 9 Amanda Masino Mayor Jonathan Barona District 3 Kaiba White District 7 AGENDA CALL TO ORDER PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL The first 3 speakers signed up *prior to the meeting being called to order will each be allowed a three-minute allotment to address their concerns regarding items not posted on the agenda. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. APPROVAL OF MINUTES STAFF BRIEFINGS Approve the minutes of the ZERO WASTE ADVISORY COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING on June 8th, 2022 Small Minority Business Resources (SMBR) Future Opportunities and Involvement Presentation- Victoria Rieger and Felecia Shaw Keep Austin Beautiful Update- Rodney Ahart Office of Sustainability Comprehensive Food Plan Presentation- Edwin Marty URO Multifamily Composting Pilot Study Timeline Update- Gena McKinley DISCUSSION AND ACTION ITEMS DIRECTORS REPORT 6. Solicitations Update, Performance Reports, and Statistical Reports FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS 2022 Annual ZWAC Retreat (August 25th) Future FM 812 Landfill Potential (TBD) URO Multifamily Composting Pilot Study Update (TBD) Budget Forecast for FY23 Update (September) ADJOURNMENT The City of Austin is committed to compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Reasonable modifications and equal access to communications will be provided upon request. Meeting locations are planned with wheelchair access. If requiring Sign Language Interpreters or alternative formats, please give notice at least two days (48 hours) before the meeting date. Please call Dwight Scales at Austin Resource Recovery Department, at (512) 974-2435 for additional information; TTY users’ route through Relay Texas at 711. For more information on the Zero Waste Advisory Commission, please contact Dwight Scales at (512) 974-2435.
Zero Waste Advisory Commission Ken Snipes Director Austin Resource Recovery To: From: Date: Subject: August 10th, 2022 Director’s Monthly Report to the Zero Waste Advisory Commission Potential Transfer Station Update In late June, Austin Resource Recovery (ARR) sent three employees, Donald Hardee, ARR Division Manager, Brent Paige, Financial Manager II, and Richard McHale, Deputy Director, to research and identify best practices for the construction and operation of transfer stations in Seattle and the Los Angeles areas. Staff visited the Seattle North, Seattle South, Factoria, Bow Lake, and Puente Hills facilities. In addition to touring the facilities, staff had the opportunity to sit down with staff from the other entities to discuss topics such as facility layouts, safety, costs, equipment selection, challenges, and opportunities. Staff will apply what they have learned to help in identifying potential locations and in the development of a facility to accept materials that will lower the department’s carbon footprint associated with long hauls to disposal sites. The department continues to search for property to site such a facility that will be able to handle multiple material streams and provide an educational space to view the operations while learning about the operations and how materials are recycled. Future Residential Household Waste Pilot The Household Hazardous Waste Program is working with ARR’s Strategic Initiatives Division and Quality Assurance Division on the preliminary details of a pilot for residential HHW collection. The pilot will take place in two North Austin districts and last approximately one year. The plan is to begin the pilot in September in District 4 and District 10. The data from this pilot will be used to determine the feasibility of a citywide residential collection program. Collections Fleet Self-contained Air Conditioning Units Purchase On 29 July 2022, ARR executed a contract with Lonestar Forklifts via a Certificate of Exemption for Public Health and Safety for the purchase of 50 self-contained air conditioning units. This request was due to the extremely hot temperatures the region is experiencing in which, two ARR employees have suffered heat illness emergencies that required emergency medical treatment. This weather event is unusual and surpassed the extreme heat wave of 2011 with no end in sight. On 16 June 2022, 20% of ARR’s collection fleet had inoperable air conditioning units. ARR does not have enough excess fleet to rotate vehicles to ensure that its employees can utilize an air-conditioned vehicle. As of 28 …
A Food Plan for Austin Developing the City’s first Food Plan Zero Waste Advisory Commission– August 10th 2022 What is a Food System? Food for thought ● 14.7% food insecurity in Travis County ● 38% zip codes in Travis County don’t have a full service grocery store ● 16.8 acres of farmland are lost every day in Travis County ● Less than 1% of food consumed in Travis County is locally produced ● 1.24 million pounds of food is wasted every day in Austin ● Covid-19 pandemic & Winter Storm Uri exposed & exacerbated inequities in our food system What is a Food Plan and why do we need one? ● A Food Plan will set clear Goals and Strategies to move toward a more equitable, sustainable & resilient food system and provide a coordinating structure for all food related initiatives ○ The Food Plan build on several other initiatives made by the City to tackle food system issues. ● On June 2021 Austin City Council directed the City Manager to initiate a planning process Link to full resolution What about disasters? Recent and ongoing crises have caused a spike in food insecurity and revealed inadequate preparation for expansive and culturally appropriate food distribution We are working with HSEM & other departments to develop a Disaster Food & Drinking Water Appendix Will include learnings from Winter Storm Uri, COVID-19, boil water notices, and other recent emergencies Developing the Austin Food Plan: Where are we now? A Baseline Assessment We are in the process of releasing The State of The Food System 2022. A comprehensive analysis of our food system and an updated version of previous reports from 2015 and 2018. This will be the foundation for Austin’s first-ever Food Plan Project Organization Austin Food Plan Emergency Food & Water Appendix Food Supply Chain Vulnerability Analysis City and County Staff Austin-Travis Food Policy Board Community Advisory Committee Issue Area Groups *Production AG Consultant Team *Community Food Ambassadors *To be determined General Public and Community *Access AG *Markets AG *Labor AG *Recovery AG Finding the Right Project Team and Structure Stewards and Advisors of the Process City and County Staff Consultant Team Community Advisory Committee Austin-Travis Food Policy Board Advisors on the Content Issue Area Groups General Public and Community Community Food Ambassadors Centering Equity The Austin Food Plan will center equity and the lived expertise of those most impacted by the …
Our Mission We inspire and educate all Austinites to volunteer together, beautify green spaces, clean waterways, and reduce waste every day. Inspire and Educate We believe children and teens who experience the outdoors and learn about reducing waste will become stewards of Austin green spaces and waterways. Volunteer Together We believe people who volunteer together outdoors are more connected to nature and each other. Beautify & Clean We believe all Austinites have a right to clean, safe, and beautiful green spaces. Reduce Waste We believe when people learn about the the impact environment, they will reduce their waste. actions their on of Not the Austin we know and love. A strong contributor to littering is the prevalence of existing litter. About 15% of littering is affected by the environment, or existing litter. *Litter in America Study, Keep America Beautiful Greater Austin Impact 1,870 volunteers $101,095 cost savings 68 miles of roadway cleaned 3,825 volunteer hours *Value of a Volunteer Hour, by State for 2021 https://www.independentsector.org/volunteer_time 25,826 pounds of litter and recycling 696 events 88 schools 5,522 unique students 3.89 out of a 4-point scale on teacher evaluations 28 percent increase on student scores from pre to post test Join Us Monthly eNewsletter Any questions? Rodney E. Ahart Chief Executive Officer Keep Austin Beautiful Rodney@keepaustinbeautiful.org 512-391-0617 x704
City of Austin Small and Minority Business Resources Zero Waste Advisory Commission SMBR M/WBE Procurement Program Overview August 10, 2022 Felecia Shaw, Acting Assistant Director Objectives Provide a general overview of SMBR Provide an overview of MBE/WBE goal setting process Post-Award Contract Monitoring Program Violations Q&A City of Austin | SMBR 2 Small and Minority Business Resources Department City of Austin | SMBR 3 Small and Minority Business Resources Overview • Administers the MBE/WBE, DBE and ACDBE Programs by: • Certifying businesses that meet eligibility criteria • Monitoring utilization of certified firms on City contracts • Providing resources • Workshops/Training • Webinars • Meeting with local minority and women service trade organizations • Educating Internal/External Stakeholders on program requirements (Pre-Award and Post-award) COA Goal Setting Overview § 2-9(A-D)-19 Establishes Contract Specific Goals • SMBR reviews solicitations from the Purchasing Office for procurements with a value of $50K and greater that are competitively bid. • Exceptions: Interlocal Agreements Solicitations exempted from M/WBE Program (SMBR M/WBE Rules Section 1.2) Pre-Award: Setting Goals Overview City Project Manager – Works with Sponsor to define SOW and develops Trade Summary. Trade Summary Sheet identifies scopes of work and commodity codes Scope percentages reflect the anticipated amounts of materials/supplies and services. SMBR reviews project details including the estimate, trade summary, and MBE/WBE availability to establish goals. Each solicitation has a Compliance Plan with a subcontractor vendor list (“availability list”) of certified MBE/WBEs. The availability list is based on the trade summary. SMBR Solicitation Review SMBR rep reviews scope of work and potential subcontracting opportunities Review Trade Summary (eCAPRIS) Review M/WBE Availability 3 MBEs or 3 WBEs in scopes Review previous or similar contract history Assures all scopes are included from the scope document Minimum two scopes of work Previous goals assignment Previous utilization Goal Assignment Ethnic Specific Goal African American Hispanic Native/Asian American Women Aggregate Goals MBE & WBE Goal Combines African American, Hispanic, & Native/Asian American percentages; separate goal for Women Combined MBE/WBE All groups combined. Compliance Determination City Code 2-9(A-D)-21(E) •Firms are compliant by: •Either meeting the goals as established in the solicitation OR; •Demonstrating Good Faith Efforts for any ethic category where goals are not met (GFE). Minimum Requirements to Achieve Good Faith Efforts (GFE) • Notify Certified Firms via fax, e-mail, mail or • Publish notice in a local publication (i.e., phone at least 7 business …
