Order for a hearing regarding recycling, compost, and waste services in the City of Boston.
Lucky number. Zero two for two. Councilor Bullock offered the following or for a hearing regarding recycling, compost and waste services in the city of Boston. The chair recognizes counsel. Counsel, walk up the floor. Thank you, Mr. President. And, Mr. President, can I please request suspension of Rule 12 and add Councilor Braden and Councilor Flaherty as original co-sponsors on the item? It is console console boxing suspension of Rule 12 to add councilors, councilors, Braydon and Council Clarity. Yes. He has original co-sponsor seeing and hearing no objection. Those councilors are added. Thank you, Councilor Bach. The floor is yours. Great. Thank you so much, Councilor Flynn. And this is another city services thing and a sort of core municipal function, which is all the different ways that we deal with waste in the city of Boston, and in particular thinking about how we deal with all the ways. That isn't just simple trash. I think the real intention of this hearing order is one information. I think often residents in the city of Boston don't know about all the ways that we have of disposing of things like e-waste or the existing car host program, cardiovascular or, you know, things about how single stream recycling works. So certainly we want to create a platform for kind of informing people about the city's suite of programs right now and making sure that councils are up to speed on those. But this is another space where exactly, as Councilor Baker said, there is a real opportunity and a pressing need and in this case, a pressing environmental need to expand the services that the city offers and to think about how we do that internally in the city, how we build capacity, have good public jobs. And and really composting is something that we've sort of been at the edges of thinking about a serious curbside composting program for a while as a city. It's something that many other cities in the US thinking of Seattle, San Francisco have and have had robustly for a while now that we in Boston have not. And it's definitely a kind of another sort of systems need and it's a set of job opportunities. But then also I think with the the e-waste so thinking about how people dispose of batteries, how people dispose of all the electronics. Are more and more part of our life. And have these rare earth metals that are, you know, the reason for all kinds of all kinds of mining activity all over the world. I think we just have to think about what are the cutting edge strategies for getting these things recycled most effectively and well. And then as we know and it's something that Councilor O'Malley has brought up repeatedly. Recycling and the economics of recycling have really shifted over the last few years, such that what used to make the city money now cost the city money. There are some places in the country that are sort of experimenting with other approaches in order to reverse that dynamic. There's also questions again about it and the point at which we're paying other people to do a lot of processing instead of them paying us for the privilege, you know, does it make sense to bring some more of that in-house? So this is really designed to be a little bit of a catch all hearing to talk with public works. It's the same story. Our public works staff do an unbelievable job with waste and handling all these different streams. And just think about how the how the council can support them and support the city in building out more robust systems for the kind of the kind of green waste management that we really need in the contemporary city. So I'm looking forward to holding a hearing. And thank you, Mr. President, and to my co-sponsors, councilors. Great. And employers. Thank you, Councilor Bach. Anyone else like to speak on this? The chair recognizes. Counsel Baker. Counsel Baker. You have the floor. Mr.. Mr.. President, if I. If I may. This is a point of order. My co-sponsors, councilors Brayton and Flaherty. I think it might. If there was an opportunity for them to speak before the open floor, that would be. Appreciate it. Yes. Yeah. That was my mistake. The good Shia recognized as Council of Britain. Thank you, Mr. President. And thank you to the media for including me in this as a co-sponsor. This conversation is timely for us to review and very timely for us to review the cities recycling, compost and weeds with services, as well as ways to increase public awareness. Our office also conducted a survey last year distributed to members and leaders within our Orthodox Jewish community here in Brighton, with many community members expressing frustration that they could not drop off the list on the designated Saturdays when they observe the Sabbath. So as a result, we partnered with our local public works yard to host alternatives, hazardous waste drop offs, top up for members of the. Orthodox. Community, ensuring that our services were in ensuring that our services are increasingly culturally competent and accessible to all of our community members. This is a an opportunity that we offer twice a year in partnership with our public works department. And it really helps get those recyclables that folks are want to have just full stuff with responsibly to have them an opportunity to recycle on time that's culturally appropriate. I also look forward to discussing the status of expanding the project roster and the city's 24 hour community compost pilot program. We have only one location here in Brighton at the San Gardens Beach Development and we look to increasing, look forward to increasing convenient access to this service and and also with regard to the cost of recycling. We did then go from being a money maker to being a cost to actually making a cost to to recycle. But I just heard a news story on the on the radio this past few weeks about a city. And in New Hampshire, it's actually generating income from their recycling program. Obviously, it's a much smaller municipality, but I think we need to look at ways to make our recycling program more effective and to not be such a drain on our city resources. So I really look forward to this conversation and thank you to the maker. Thank you, counsel. Counsel Bret and the Chair recognizes counselor Flannery. Counsel Flannery, the floor is yours. Mr. President, then I want to commend the leadership of our colleague, Counsel Locke, and thank you for including me in recognizing my efforts on the Council during the single stream recycling. Myself and Councilor Ross on behalf of the Council led those efforts, as well as the distribution of those big blue recycling bins that were distributed across the city. And the previous Speaker Council nailed it with respect to the recycling cost. Our efforts back then to do the single stream recycling was to reduce the cost of the trash collection. And then we started a partnership working with folks that wanted to do the compost, and we thought it would sort of be a three legged part of the stool. You put your household trash in, you put your recyclables, and then you have a compost option. And as she just referenced, the recycling costs now are arguably outpacing the trash cost with no one really knowing what to do or where to put it, whether you're shipping out your bag, you know, your truck it out. But ultimately those costs are increasing. And we continue to see the city's trash collection costs go through the roof. And most folks obviously enjoy the one day a week. There are some communities, the ones that are more densely populated with very little space, have enjoyed at 1.2 day a week collections. But in any event, keeping our eye on these costs, trying to be creative in identifying ways to eliminate one that costs, but also sort of the distribution, I guess, of our waste. And clearly the share a lead sponsor here is right on the ball. I look forward to partnering with her to find these creative solutions to drive those costs down, but to give folks creative options, to do their part, to make our world a better and in much cleaner place. Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you, counsel. Clarity. The chair recognizes Counselor Baker. Baker Council. Baker, you have the floor. Thank you, Mr. Chair. And thank you to the makeup Counselor Bok for for keeping our eye on this counsel. Flynn said again, this can be looked at and viewed as a way for us to build infrastructure, especially at this time, especially with is ARPA money ARPA money out there with with something like with an investment, a true investment, whether it's ten, 15, $20 million. If we were to build an organic digester and to be able to divert all your organic organics waste out of that stream, it would be it would be a cost savings for the city. It would do wonders for the environment, and we would also be provide jobs. That's one thing I think we should be looking at it as a as a as a body. Also, we need real conversations around recycling. We went to the singles frame where we used to, you know, separate out the the the cardboard from the from the glass from the from the plastic. I think we're going to have to get back to something more more designated like that, where we're more separating out because it's in that it's in that mixing up everything that the recycling becomes contaminated, then we're unable to sell it. Not to mention that the places that we're buying, all our recycling in China or India are now no longer buying any, any of that. So all the things that we've heard about recycling being, we never really made that much money with it, but it was at least cost neutral. Now that cost is being on added on top of our of our waste contract. I think the last I think last year not sure we're just throwing it out there. We spend about a 250 million on our contracts for shipping costs, for our for our trash and our recycling. So if we're able to build any infrastructure with money that's available to us and put people to work and healthy, that help help our bottom line numbers and also put people to work, I think that's a win. So again, Council Bach, thank you for bringing this to our attention and please sign my name. Thank you. Thank you. Councilor Baker, anyone else like to speak on this matter? I will speak. I will speak briefly. I just want to echo some comments Councilor Baker has made. It's also critical to make sure that we educate residents on how to take out trash, how to take out recycling. I've spent a lot of time and effort on this in the Southend and in Chinatown as well, but it's not as simple as just taking your trash out. We do have to work with residents. We have to work with neighborhood organizations, small businesses, restaurants to really educate people and including providing this information in other languages as well . But the public awareness campaign is also a critical part of this, and I hope we can add that aspect as well during the day during the hearing. So. So thank you, Counsel Bach. If anyone else would like to add their name, please raise your hand, please, at councilor me here, please. Councilor Arroyo. Please. Councilor Laurel, please. The chair, please. Councilor Murphy, please. That Councilor Tanya Fernandez Anderson, please. That council. Have adjourned. God please out console Laura Dawkins zero two for two will be referred to the Committee on City and City Services Innovation Technology. Mr. Clerk, please read docket 0243, please.