2019-03-27 Meeting Minutes (EMC)

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Chair Bennett thanked Mr. Lekven for his presentation, saying they could discuss this for hours. Director Kucharski said DEM’s recycling staff was present to give their polystyrene presentation, so the meeting went next to agenda item 6b(2). (2) Status of the polystyrene educational program, and PowerPoint Presentation by the Recycling Section of the Department of Environmental Management. Director Kucharski said the industry groups have raised concerns about the ordinance, so there may be amendments being proposed to the Council prior to July 1, 2019. He called up George Hayducsko, DEM’s Recycling Coordinator, who introduced Chris Chin-Chance and Sanne Berrig, who are DEM Recycling Specialists working on the project. As time was running short, Chair Bennett asked Mr. Hayducsko to skip the PowerPoint and give the EMC an abbreviated version of the presentation to the County Council. st Mr. Hayducsko explained that the ordinance bans polystyrene starting July 1 of this year. The ordinance not only bans polystyrene products, but states what can be used as substitutes. The county’s recycling program has to respond to the markets, however, and the markets are no longer taking many of the plastics they used to take. DEM has to make sure that if they are telling people something is being recycled, it does get to the market. The main problem is plastic. The county will no longer be able to accept the popular plastic clamshell containers which they were able to accept when the bill was written. The only alternative, per the ordinance, is that a container be of certified compostable material. They have been researching this and have learned of BPI (Biodegradable Products Institute), which is a third-party independent certifier who looks at products and certifies whether they’re compostable. The rules they have drafted state that containers must be BPI certified, which means they comply with the ordinance. Mr. Hayducsko said their recycling team designed an educational program at the beginning of the year, and gave a PowerPoint presentation to the County Council on it. The Council accepted having products certified by BPI, and that is now written in the rules. They have been having discussions with the local business people on what the next step is and recently, as per the rules, set up and met with a Small Business Advisory Committee. The main recommendation of the businesses, should the ordinance go back before the Council for possible changes, is to keep it a ban on polystyrene. The businesses accept that banning polystyrene is something they want to do, but they would also like the flexibility to look at alternatives other than a certified compostable product. Chair Bennett asked whether the compostable products are readily available and expensive, and Mr. Hayducsko said that from their research and listening to the Small 9