Two San Juan Island residents appointed to SWAC


SAN JUAN COUNTY SOLID WASTE COMMITTEE

List of stories about solid waste operations in San Juan County

SWAC asks BOCC to delay signing WMI contract

posted 03/18/02
San Juan County Solid Waste Advisory Committee voted today, (Monday, March 18, 2002) to ask the county commissioners to delay signing the contract with Waste Management Inc. SWAC passed two motions. One asking for public hearings before the contract is signed passed 3-2. The other resolution asking for a test to be made using the actual, daily incoming, dry co-mingled materials to determine the weight of a container, passed 4-3.

Recyclables are defined as: means certain recyclable materials consisting of waste paper, newspaper, coorrugated paper, tin cans, aluminum containers and plastic containers.

Neil Hanson, who proposed both motions, is concerned the containers will not meet the 19 ton average container weight requirement. Jon Shannon said he is confident they will meet the weights and if they don't it will still be cheaper than it is now. Hanson noted during earlier discussions, Public Works Director Tom Huse had said steel would be added to the loads if necessary to make the weights. Hanson said that steel is not listed as a recyclable under the terms of the contract. Glass will also not be part of the recyclables processed by WMI since it is crushed and used locally.

Hanson told the advisory committee he has concerns about the flow control ordinance. Section 7.2 Waste Delivery states:

Subject to controlling law, the County shall direct by ordinance all MSW (muncipal solid waste) originating in the unincorporated areas of San Juan County to be delivered to the Transfer Stations. The County also shall encourage the CIty of Friday Harbor to deliver MSW collected within its jurisdictional boundaries to the Transfer Stations and/or Collection Centers. The County does not warrant or assure that a minimum amount of MSW or RM will be delivered to Contractor.

Shannon said the county has an ordinance in place that covers flow. "The attorneys have already agreed the current county ordinance is effective," he said.

County Commissioner Darcie Nielsen agreed saying the current ordinance has been in place for some time and last year the county made it illegal to dump garbage.

SWAC Chair Carolyn deRoos asked if the county could sell some recyclables? Nielsen said, "They (WMI) don't care what we do with it until it is sealed in the container."

The county commissioners are scheduled to sign the contract Tuesday morning (March 19, 2002) according to Nielsen.

The first motion reads:

WHEREAS:

The proposed Waste Management Inc. contract is inconsistent with the county's adopted Comprehensive Plan vision statement.
The limited public testimony to date at SWAC meetings and at County Commissioners' BOCC work sessions has been virtually unanimously opposed to the proposed Waste Management Inc. contract.
A petition was submitted to the Board of County Commissioners Tuesday March 12, 2002, containing 1,053 signatures of county citizens, requesting a public hearing on the issue of Waste Management Inc. contract prior to the signing of the contract by the BOCC.
As citizen representative of Lopez Island, Neil Hanson has not heard one word of support for the Waste Management Inc. contract from his community and has heard consistently from the Lopez public that they feel they have been shut out of the process.
Section 8.6 of the Waste Management Inc. contract entitled "other compensation adjustments" presents significant financial risks to the citizens of San Juan County which need to be thoroughly evaluated.
The County Auditor has urged that a risk analysis be undertaken prior to signing the Waste Management Inc. contract.
The potential impact of a local flow control ordinance required by the Waste Management Inc. contract has not been discussed by SWAC.
The SWAC has not had the opportunity to review or discuss the Waste Management Inc. contract or any issues arising from its review by the BOCC.

Whereas: Washington State guidelines for operating a Solid Waste Advisory Committee include the following: Solid Waste Advisory Committees are mandated to:

Represent community interests.
Actively seek communication with the public.
Educate the public on the committee's work.
Let the people they represent know what they are doing.
Make info, data and maps available to the public.

RESOLUTION: therefore be it resolved that the San Juan County Solid Waste Advisory Committee hereby advises the Board of County Commissioners to jointly organize and undertake a public hearing or series of public hearings with the Solid Waste Advisory Committee regarding the Waste Management Inc. contract prior to the signing of the contract.

The resolution passed 3-2 with one abstention, Gary Boothman and Carolyn deRoos voted against the motion, Jean Shreve, Neil Hanson and Tom Munsey voted for the motion. Tom Luft abstained.

Second motion regarding a weight test on a recyclable materials transport container.

A motion was approved that prior to the Board of County Commissioners signing of the Waste Management Inc. contract the Solid Waste Division should undertake an experimental daily loading of a typical recyclable materials transport container using the actual daily incoming dry co-mingled materials which conform to the definition of recyclable materials as stated in section 2.24 of the Waste Management Inc. contract.

This daily loading would continue until the transport container was filled to its maximum volumetric capacity. Any existing accumulation of recyclable materials either mixed or segregated would be excluded from this test. Type of material, volume and dry weight would be registered in a log of everything put into the transport container. No roll off truck use would be involved in this test.

This mrtion passed 4 to 3 with Boothman, deRoos, and Brent Snow voting against the motion. Hanson, Munsey, Luft and Shreve voted for the motion. Snow arrived at the meeting after the other motion was already voted on.