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<br /> <br />FROM: Commission for the Environment <br />SUBJECT: Monthly Meeting Summary <br />DATE: April 8, 2013 <br />LOCATION: Southern Human Services Center, Chapel Hill <br />_______________________________________________________________________________________________________ <br /> <br />MEMBERS PRESENT: David Neal (Chair), Jan Sassaman (Vice Chair), Lucy Adams, May <br />Becker, Terri Buckner, Peter Cada, Loren Hintz, Bill Kaiser, Tom O’Dwyer, Gary Saunders, <br />David Welch <br /> <br />MEMBERS ABSENT: Sam Yellen STAFF: Rich Shaw, Tom Davis <br /> <br />GUESTS: Gayle Wilson, Cody Marshall, Kellem Agnew Emanuele, Jeanette O’Connor <br />_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ <br /> <br /> I. Call to Order: Neal called the meeting to order at 7:32 pm. <br /> <br />II. Additions or Changes to Agenda – None <br /> <br />III. Approval of Minutes – The March 11 meeting summary was approved unanimously. <br /> <br />IV. Food Waste Collection and Composting – Gayle Wilson and Cody Marshall (Recycling <br />Programs Mgr.) provided an overview of County’s food waste collection and recycling <br />program. Marshall described efforts to collect food waste and other compostable <br />organics from about 30 restaurants and groceries using a private contractor. He also <br />described efforts to increase the recycling of food waste, including a new collection area <br />at the Walnut Grove SWCC and a pilot project to collect food waste at three schools. <br />Marshall and Wilson answered questions from CFE members about the program. <br /> <br />V. Orange County Curbside Recycling Program – Neal reviewed discussion from the March <br />meeting about the County considering to eliminate its curbside recycling for residents in <br />unincorporated sections of the county and the potential privatization of rural curbside <br />collections through a franchise contract. He handed out a resolution approved by the <br />Solid Waste Advisory Board (SWAB) and a draft position statement he prepared for CFE <br />consideration. CFE members discussed the proposed statement, the idea of creating a <br />single solid waste collection and disposal tax district, and interest in maintaining an <br />integrated system for recycling waste from county and municipal residents. <br /> <br />CFE members restructured the position statement and asked Neal to make the final edits <br />for submittal as a memo to the BOCC prior to its April 8 meeting. <br /> <br />VI. Committee Meetings – The committees did not meet due to the late hour. <br /> <br />VII. Updates and Information Items – CFE members received updates and information on <br />the following: a) CFE recruitment efforts, b) the Orange County legislative agenda <br />package 2013, c) the potential repeal of the state solar tax credit, and d) the levels of NC <br />conservation trust funds in the Governor McCrory budget. Buckner reported OWASA <br />staff is willing to provide CFE members with a tour of the OWASA Mitigation Tract to see <br />the forest management activities on that site. Staff will work on the arrangements. <br /> <br />VIII. Adjournment – Neal adjourned the meeting at 9:40 pm. <br /> <br /> <br />Minutes by Rich Shaw, DEAPR Staff