Orange County NC Website
He said he is interested in third party facilitation of pay as you throw. <br /> He said that, as far as the schools, there is an understanding of the difficult <br /> circumstances and he said that options 2, 3 and 4 would involve a separate fund. He also said <br /> it is possible to fold this into the solid waste enterprise fund or into a new fund. <br /> Chair Jacobs said there were seven people signed up to speak and then the Board can <br /> come back to what the best options are best to consider moving forward. Those issues will be <br /> researched and put on the agenda for the April 23 public hearing. <br /> Chair Jacobs said a letter had been received from staff with questions. He said that <br /> hopefully these questions will be answered during the discussions of options. <br /> PUBLIC COMMENT: <br /> Sue Scope spoke and said the following (which is included in hard copy form in the <br /> abstract): <br /> My name is Sue Scope. I am a parent of 2 teenagers that go to CHHS. I live in the <br /> unincorporated area of Orange County. As a parent, resident of OC, and someone who cares <br /> about the environment, I am speaking out tonight against the idea of franchising, because I <br /> believe that trash is a public responsibility. I believe that the government should always be at <br /> the helm of the trash disposal and trash management process. I know that Orange County <br /> has done an outstanding job of keeping all of the waste issues connected in order to improve <br /> disposal. For those who may not know, currently our public system integrates many of the <br /> pieces of this puzzle. This includes, but is not limited to: <br /> a. Convenience Sites <br /> b. Hazardous Waste Services. <br /> c. Government Building Recycling <br /> d. The Organics Program <br /> e. Commercial recycling of business waste <br /> Personally, I have been involved in the issues of waste and composting since last year. <br /> In November of 2012, my friend Bing Roenigk and I approached Todd LoFrese, the assistant <br /> superintendent of the Chapel Hill Carrboro School District and asked that polystyrene (ps) <br /> trays be removed from school lunch rooms. We knew that ps is considered a possible <br /> carcinogen by the EPA and FDA, and especially when heated, poses a chemical danger to <br /> humans. The heat aspect is important because our kids are eating hot meals off of these <br /> trays; and in particular, when a meal is especially good, the kids are scraping the tray to get as <br /> much food off of it as possible, thus increasing their exposure. In addition, they are not <br /> compostable, and take roughly 5,000 years to decompose. Todd and many other dedicated <br /> people, including Muriel Williman, Blair Pollack, Liz Cartano, David Dean, Carolyn Buckner, <br /> Amy Rickard, Amy Brooks, and others, helped us to understand this issue. I was truly <br /> surprised and encouraged by the sense of community and the dedication of all of the people <br /> who helped us. <br /> Through this issue, I realized that Orange County has a process that looks to the <br /> future. It exists when a Phillips Middle School parent can test and implement a program that <br /> now enables the schools to reduce the weight of their trash, as well as recycle milk cartons. It <br /> exists when schools are starting or growing student-led Sustainability Clubs. It exists when <br /> there are Sustainability Awards given out to those in the community who have made a <br /> difference in teaching the importance of the environment. The new elementary school in <br /> Chapel Hill will have many sustainability practices from the time its doors open. And it exists <br /> when two parents can ask for, and get the help of, so many of our public sector's employees in <br /> order to address a health issue. <br />