Minutes 04-23-2013 - Laserfiche WebLink

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purpose of recycling. He said that rural residents go to the convenience center while doing many errands, since these residents live in the unincorporated areas of the county. He said those that are aging may need some help, since many live a far distance from the curb. He said the better solution is to pay an intermediary to take the recyclables to the center. He suggested a work group to study a private/public partnership. He said the County has sites where trash can be collected, and some of the rural residents just need help getting recyclables to the center. He said there are already several locally owned private haulers that can accommodate these needs. He said this could be a pioneer program and partnership. Amy Brooks works for Brooks Contractor and she is contracted with the county for food waste. She said she does not want the board to forget about composting. She said the foundation for the modern local economy is the soil and she does not feel that the focus should be on energy beneath our feet. She said the focus should be on what seeds can be planted to benefit the system as a whole. She said food is important in this system. She said that there is a need for large purchasers of food to source locally. She said the county needs to support sustainable farmers. She said the county has everything needed to create a strong healthy local food economy. She said that food can be grown easily, and promotion of this can be done quickly and efficiently by amending the local soil with compost. She noted that, for every one percent of organic matter, the soil can hold nearly 17,000 gallons of plant available water. She said there needs to be discussion of how to benefit from the resources already in place. She said that Orange County has an excellent start on recycling and composting and proper use of resources is essential in moving forward. She said that a good step forward would be to include waste generators into the conversation, and to educate these generators on how to reduce waste and increase landfill diversion success. Loren Hintz urged commissioners to support current recycling programs. He said the county needs to continue to recycle and he believed the best way to do this is to implement the tax service district. Margaret Cannell is a rural curbside recycler and the Director of the Hillsborough Chamber of Commerce, and she commended the Board of County Commissioners for their recycling program. She encouraged the Board to provide curbside recycling. She said the pending closure of the landfill makes it important not to produce more trash. She said that the Chamber of Commerce has put on Hog Day for the past 10 years and was able to divert 80% of the waste from this event last year. She said this is because of the stellar work of the solid waste staff. She said hoped the Board will work toward an option that includes the county and the towns and she offered the support of her chamber. Tom Linden lives in unincorporated Orange County. He noted that the current system is award winning, and the issue is how to continue that. He feels the best way is to create a solid waste tax service district that could be expanded as unincorporated areas become more populated and require services. He said they have a system they clearly works and he is pleased that the discussion is around funding the continuation of this. He feels that the solution should include the towns. David Laudicina lives in a rural curbside recycling area. He said he hopes that the Board's decision will make fairness and equity a top priority. He said that everyone receives the same services and he questioned why some should have to pay more than others for this. He said he takes his trash to center every 7-9 days and he takes his recycling with him even though he has curbside service. He feels that people should have the option to "opt out" of the curbside recycling. Diana Thom is a parent of a student at Phillips Middle School and the school is working on a project to make 19 schools in CHCCS zero waste facilities. She said this is possible if the county can continue to have the same education programs in solid waste and can continue its