ZERO WASTE ADVISORY COMMISSION UNIVERSAL RECYCLING ORDINANCE (URO) COMMITTEE THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2022, 12:00 PM 4815 Mueller Blvd Shudde Fath Conference Room AUSTIN, TEXAS 78723 Some members of the ZERO WASTE ADVISORY COMMISSION may be participating by video conference. Public comment will be allowed in person or remotely by 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. To register to speak, members of the public must: Call or email Elizabeth Nelson at (512) 974-6492 or Elizabeth.Nelson@austintexas.gov CURRENT COMMISSIONERS: Cathy Gattuso (Chair); Kaiba White; and Melissa Caudle AGENDA CALL TO ORDER PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL The first ten (10) speakers registered to speak no later than noon the day before the meeting will be allowed a three-minute allotment to address their concerns regarding items not posted on the agenda. Approve the minutes of the Zero Waste Advisory Commission URO Committee Meeting on October 20, 2022. Discussion and possible action on stakeholder feedback, timeline, and development related to possible amendments to the Universal Recycling Ordinance to include organic waste collection at multifamily properties. APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. DISCUSSION AND ACTION ITEMS 2. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS ADJOURNMENT Page 1 of 2 The City of Austin is committed to compliance with the American 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 2 days (48 hours) before the meeting date. Please call Yahel Baranovicht, in the Austin Resource Recovery Department, at 512-974-1733, for additional information; TTY users route through Relay Texas at 711. For more information on the Zero Waste Advisory Commission, please contact Yahel Baranovicht at (512) 974-1733. Page 2 of 2
ZERO WASTE ADVISORY COMMISSION (ZWAC) UNIVERSAL RECYCLING ORDINANCE (URO) COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES October 20, 2022 The ZWAC URO Committee convened on October 20, 2022, at Austin City Hall; 301 W 2nd St.; Austin, TX; 78701 Committee members in attendance: Cathy Gattuso (Chair) and Kaiba White City staff in attendance: Selene Castillo, Katie Mulholland, Elizabeth Nelson, and Elizabeth Taylor 1. CALL TO ORDER a. Committee Chair Cathy Gattuso called the committee meeting to order at 1:05 p.m. 2. PUBLIC COMMUNICATION One (1) speaker spoke during the opportunity for public communication. Emily Hanson of Chewie Labs expressed support for organics diversion as part of universal recycling policy and asked for examples of models in other cities in the U.S. Austin can look to for success. 3. MEETING MINUTES a. A motion to approve the June 30, 2022, meeting minutes with no amendments or revisions was made by Commissioner White and seconded by Commissioner Gattuso. The minutes were approved with a 2-0 vote. 4. NEW BUSINESS a. Elizabeth Nelson (ARR) led discussion on composting at multifamily properties. b. Commissioners, staff, and stakeholders discussed the potential financial impact of adding composting at multifamily properties, specifically how it could impact low-income renters. Discussion included costs for haulers and processors, potential for incentives and subsidies, and how economies of scale can reduce costs. c. Commissioners, staff, and stakeholders discussed the processing capacity available through the haulers present in the meeting, and the potential for contamination. d. Stakeholders and commissioners discussed the need for comprehensive education for residents including sustainability impacts of composting. Staff answered questions about how the City can provide education to residents and current education requirements of the URO. e. Commissioners and stakeholders discussed their desire to see access to compost increased through a requirement to provide the service to residents. f. Stakeholders, commissioners, and staff discussed the need to affect behavior change and g. Staff and commissioners discussed the next steps including the future stakeholder meeting engage residents. schedule. 5. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS: multifamily properties a. Commissioners White and Gattuso requested a continued discussion of composting at b. Commissioner White requested discussion on front-of-house recycling and composting. c. Commissioner White requested discussion on landscaping organics diversion requirements. 1 ZERO WASTE ADVISORY COMMISSION (ZWAC) UNIVERSAL RECYCLING ORDINANCE (URO) COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES October 20, 2022 6. ADJOURNMENT Commissioner White motions to adjourn the meeting at 2:34 p.m. without objection. 2
BOARD/COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION Zero Waste Advisory Commission Resolution on Multifamily Composting WHEREAS, it is the Responsibility of the Zero Waste Advisory Commission to review, evaluate and make recommendations to City Council, city management and city staff regarding policies concerning solid waste, recycling, composting, and Zero Waste goals; and WHEREAS, Austin Resource Recovery waste audits indicate that about 37% of waste from multifamily properties is organic material that could be composted; and WHEREAS, Austin Resource Recovery does not provide composting collection at multifamily properties with greater than four units; and WHEREAS, approximately 55% of Austin residents live in multifamily housing of greater than four units and therefore have no convenient access to composting; and WHEREAS, it is impossible for Austin to reach its Zero Waste goal without providing multifamily residents convenient access to composting; and WHEREAS, reducing organic waste in landfills is important for achieving the goals of the Austin Climate Equity Plan because organic material in landfills produces methane, which is a powerful greenhouse gas; and WHEREAS, the adoption of composting services should ultimately reduce trash hauling costs due to decreased volume in the trash; and WHEREAS, it is in the community's interest to reduce the amount of waste put in landfills to avoid building new landfills, which often cause environmental injustices; and WHEREAS, consistency in access to composting and recycling throughout the Austin community is important; and 11/08/2022 1 WHEREAS, Austin Resource Recovery conducted a multifamily composting pilot that demonstrated that composting is feasible and affordable at multifamily properties and that a large portion of residents will utilize composting services if they are provided; and WHEREAS, the multifamily composting pilot demonstrated that education around composting is important and that physical tools and materials are most helpful; and WHEREAS, face-to-face conversations are most effective for motivating people and Austin Resource Recovery doesn't currently have sufficient staff to conduct outreach to residents at multifamily properties; and WHEREAS, Austin Resource Recovery data shows that a majority of multifamily properties are not providing the required recycling education to their residents; and WHEREAS, in 2000 the City of Austin adopted a comprehensive Master Plan and in 2019 Passed Resolution 20191017-028 recommending organic waste collection be provided at all commercial and multi-family properties; and NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Zero Waste Advisory Commission recommends that Austin Resource Recovery drafts an amendment to the Universal Recycling Ordinance to require composting collection at all multifamily properties …
Multifamily Compost Stakeholder Meeting Summary Meeting Dates: 10/6/2022 (9 attendees) 10/20/2022 (8 attendees) 11/2/2022 (7 attendees) 11/14/2022 (11 attendees) Stakeholders present: Austin Tenant’s Council, Austin Apartment Association, multifamily property managers, multifamily residents, environmental advocacy organizations, organics haulers. FINDINGS: Stakeholder Meetings and Survey Composting access needs to be convenient for multifamily residents to divert organic waste. Complete education is needed for residents to use composting services correctly to reduce contamination, and to encourage participation. Education should not only include information on how to use compost services, but also on the importance and impact of composting. Stakeholders are concerned about how costs may be passed on to residents. While the costs demonstrated in the pilot were not concerning, many fear actual costs may be inflated when passed on to residents if composting requirements are enacted. Contamination is a concern for property managers, residents, and processors. There is a lower threshold for acceptable contamination in composting than in recycling, with improper materials like glass having the potential to ruin large quantities of finished product. To discourage contamination, processors charge fees if contamination is detected. These potential fees could drive up the cost of composting service for multifamily properties in an unpredictable manner. Stakeholders expressed the need for flexibility with compliance in any requirements, such as waivers for challenging situations like space constraints. Multifamily residents responding to the survey: o were overall in favor of the addition of composting services, but also expressed concerns with cleanliness, odors, and pests. o expressed concerns with contamination and improper use of composting containers. Many mentioned this is a current concern with recycling services that are required by the URO, and that this issue could continue or be exacerbated with the addition of composting. RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends amending the URO to include access to composting services at multifamily properties. Staff recommends continuing to engage with stakeholders identified in the resolution to develop these requirements and a timeline for implementation.
