Minutes from Salem Recycling Committee Meeting
Tuesday May 6th 7:00-8:30
· Earth Day event at Carlton school went well.
o Katie made posters based on Susan and Jennifer’s research displaying what can and cannot be recycled, including tips labeled “Ready for a challenge?” such as recycling milk cartons with paper once you “cut out the spout” and recycling pizza boxes if you cut off the greasy parts. Marcia and Katie manned the table and heard many positive comments from people who didn’t realize some things were recyclable or who were proud that they have been recycling certain things.
o Julie sold around 12 recycling bins.
· June 14 Green Living and Renewable Energy Fair at Old Town Hall 10:00-3:00
o Our group will be responsible for bagging up the trash, collecting the recycling at the end of the event and leaving them in Old Town Hall for pickup
o If possible, Jason will arrange for 2 Big Belly solar trash compactors with recycling components to be dropped off outside (we will not need to bag up materials from them)
o Jason is also looking into purchase of indoor recycling containers with round holes for bottles, etc and a slit for paper. These could also be used at future city events. If they are not purchased we will need to come up with another way to collect, such as blue bins with custom lids that we make ourselves or large rolling bins.
o We will have recycling bins and lids for sale at our table for $5/bin (Julie, what is the price for lids?) so we will need to be able to make change and have someone on hand at all times to keep track of the money. At the end of the event we can give it to Tom Watkins (Project Manager in the Mayor’s Office; on the Renewable Energy Task Force) or save it to give to Julie at our next meeting.
o We will have brochures and a fact sheet about the new recycling contract (which has not yet been finalized, but will be by June 14) to hand out
o We can also act as recycling “ambassadors”, greeting people at the door or at our table and letting them know where the recycling bins are, and what can go in them.
o We can ask presenters at the event to mention that recycling containers are available.
o Volunteers so far: Katie, Jennifer (part of the day), Randy (probably) and Susan (when she’s not busy with the Salem Sound Coastwatch table)
o More volunteers would be much appreciated! (Lynn, you mentioned in email that you might be around that day--would you be able to come?) Others? Please respond by email to the group if you are able to help out, even for part of the day.
o Katie will create some signs to label the recycling areas and promote our table, such as “Buy your recycling bins here”
· May 17th flower sale on the common
o Marcia offered to hand out brochures. Julie asked for volunteers to sell rain barrels etc.
· Update on education goal: the new recycling contract will include funding for education, so we can work with the winning vendor on that.
· The city will be starting mandatory cardboard recycling and enforcing a 3 trash barrel limit per household. There will need to be an educational period before this goes into effect.
· It is possible to call and arrange to buy a recycling bin at a different time than the hours listed on the site. We should mention this on the site so that people know.
· Website: Randy suggested some updates to the website—all agreed that we should add what we have so far so that it will look less empty. We can make further updates as needed. We hope to start posting the minutes to the site as well.
· Upcoming projects: we discussed breaking into sub-groups to tackle a few projects between meetings, with the goal of starting before the next meeting
o Salem Ferry: Ask them what the barriers to recycling are; possibly look at getting a bottles/cans bin put in the parking lot for the Ferry crew to deposit recyclables in. Shelly and Jason (who attends city/ferry meetings)
o Recycling at businesses and apartment buildings: look at education of down town business to promote recycling; possibly have a recycling vendor give a ½ day seminar to interested businesses. Julie, Katie, Randy, Shelly. Julie, Katie and Randy met on the 13th.
· Agenda items for next time (Tuesday, June 3rd):
o Officers
o Task Force vs. Committee
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