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Minutes - Regular Meeting <br /> Solid Waste Advisory Board <br /> December 6, 2007 <br /> Approved February 7, 2008 <br /> Vickers notes that cardboard is recycled at the curb elsewhere but not here yet. <br /> Wilson further discusses why cardboard is not required to be recycled in the <br /> residential sector as there is no program for collection <br /> Vickers further states to Blair that you did an analysis of what is still in our waste <br /> stream so you know what materials have the opportunity to be reduced . Where are <br /> the opportunities, especially with cardboard ? <br /> Pollock states that every five years we pick 60 loads of garbage proportionate to the <br /> amount disposed of [in each sector] . The last pick that we did in 2005 showed that by <br /> weight close to 3 % of the residential waste stream was still corrugated cardboard . By <br /> volume, cardboard is much less dense than a lot of other materials so what you are <br /> talking about tonnage wise translates to about 700 tons a year of material that is <br /> available in the residential waste stream. It' s gone down since our first waste sort in <br /> 1990 . If you look at food waste it is 20 % , but it is challenging to go after in the <br /> residential sector in particular . <br /> Bowerman asks do we know what the grocery stores do with the plastic bags they <br /> collect. <br /> Pollock states that that particular component of the film is very small compared to the <br /> big heavy frozen food packaging filth that they get. That is where most of their money <br /> comes from . The grocery bags just go right in the bale with that. We can sell it if we <br /> can get it properly sorted . <br /> Bowerman asks if margarine tubs - would we be able to add that. <br /> Taylor states that we are finding markets for injected molded plastics and some <br /> processors are starting to invite that material in with the traditional cans and bottles <br /> mix, yet they are not opening it up to all resin types . We have moved away from <br /> telling people that we want # 1 or # 2 plastics, to all bottles, which is a simple message . <br /> We have considered how to ask for those materials and what type of contamination <br /> would come along with it. Should we go back and ask for ' injection molded but only <br /> # 2 and #5, would that make people more crazy ? <br /> Wilson notes that we are cautious because we want to keep our materials salable and if <br /> we allow too much contamination it will be rejected and landfilled . <br /> Taylor notes that if we had our own processing capacity, we could accept more <br /> materials . Relying on other processors means we have to take them only what they <br /> accept. It' s possible to accept injection-molded tubs and cups only at drop off sites . <br /> 5 <br />