WANT TO DO IS I'M ACTUALLY NOT GOING TO ALLOW PUBLIC TESTIMONY GO RIGHT AFTER THAT BEFORE WE GO INTO QUESTIONS. SO DO THAT. SO COUNCILOR DURKIN, THE FLOOR IS YOURS.
GOOD MORNING EVERYONE. THANK YOU, COUNCILOR, FOR CHAIRING THIS HEARING AND FOR CO-SPONSORING THIS DOCKET WITH ME. BOSTON'S COMPOSTING PROGRAMS PROJECT OSCAR AND CURBSIDE COMPOSTING HAVE PROVEN TO BE
INCREDIBLY POPULAR WITH RESIDENTS IN RESPONSE TO GROWING DEMAND, THE CITY CITY'S EXPANDED CURBSIDE COMPOSTING LAUNCHED IN 2022 FROM ITS INITIAL 10,000 HOUSEHOLDS TO 30,000 HOUSEHOLDS AND BUILDINGS
WITH SIX UNITS OR FEWER. PROJECT OSCAR, WHICH BEGAN AS A PILOT IN 2020 2014, HAS NOW GROWN TO 20 DROP OFF SITES CITYWIDE, INCLUDING RECENT EXPANSIONS IN THE WEST SIDE,
BEACON HILL AND THE FENWAY IN DISTRICT EIGHT. AFTER ADVOCACY FOR MAKING SUCH RENTS IN OUR OFFICE, IT IS INSPIRING TO SEE HOW RESIDENTS ARE COMMITTED TO SUSTAINABILITY. FOOD WASTE MAKES UP A SUBSTANTIAL SHARE OF WHAT ENDS
UP IN LANDFILLS AND CONTRIBUTES TO 58% OF GLOBAL METHANE EMISSIONS. REDUCING THIS WASTE HELPS US MEET BOTH THE CITY AND STATE WASTE REDUCTION GOALS AND MOVES US TOWARDS A CLEANER, MORE SUSTAINABLE AND MORE RODENT
RESISTANT BOSTON. BUT NOW WE ARE TREADING WATER. THE CITY HAS PAUSED FURTHER EXPANSION OF THESE PROGRAMS BECAUSE THEY ARE COSTLY AND OUR REGION LACKS THE INFRASTRUCTURE AND PROCESSING CAPACITY TO MEET THE GROWING DEMAND.
OUR CONTRACTED COMPOSTING FACILITIES ARE AT CAPACITY. MORE THAN 400 RESIDENTS REMAIN ON THE WAITING LIST FOR CURBSIDE COMPOSTING AND NEIGHBORHOODS AND MORE NEIGHBORHOODS ARE REQUESTING PRODUCT BIDS.
AT THE SAME TIME, THE STATE IS CONSIDERING EXPANDING COMMERCIAL FOOD WASTE BANDS AND POTENTIALLY EXPLORING RESIDENTIAL FOOD WASTE REQUIREMENTS. AS THESE CONVERSATIONS PROGRESS, BOSTON SHOULD NOT
WAIT TO REACT. THIS IS ONE OF OUR IF THIS IS ONE OF OUR PRIORITIES WE SHOULD BE THINKING AHEAD EXPLORING HOW WE INVEST IN COMPOSTING AND BUILD LONG TERM INFRASTRUCTURE NEEDED TO EVENTUALLY SUPPORT COMPOSTING CITYWIDE AS CLIMATE
CHANGE CONTINUES TO ACCELERATE EMISSION REDUCTION AND SUSTAINABLE PRACTICES BECOME INCREASINGLY NECESSARY AND GETTING AHEAD. AND GETTING AHEAD OF THE CURVE WILL ALLOW US TO SCALE EQUITABLY AND SUSTAINABLY. THIS IS A SUBSTANTIAL
OPPORTUNITY PARTICULARLY IN RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS WITH MORE THAN SIX UNITS AND ACROSS COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS WHICH PRODUCE HIGHER VOLUMES OF WASTE. WE SHOULD BE ASKING WHAT STEPS
WE CAN TAKE NOW TO MAINTAIN AND EXPAND ACCESS TO COMPOSTING FOR RESIDENTS AND WE SHOULD BE THINKING BOLDLY AND CRITICALLY ABOUT THE FUTURE OF COMPOSTING AND WHAT IT SHOULD LOOK LIKE IN BOSTON. I WANT TO THANK DENNIS ROACH
AND RANDY MONTGOMERY FOR ALL THEIR HARD WORK THE MAYOR'S ADMINISTRATION HAS DONE MORE ON THIS ISSUE THAN ANYONE THAN ANY FORMER ADMINISTRATION. SO IT'S REALLY JUST THIS
HEARING FOR ME IS REALLY ABOUT STRATEGY ISSUES THAT ARE AVAILABLE TO US TO HAVE A REAL CONVERSATION ABOUT THE COST OF THESE PROGRAMS. ALSO, I MEAN THERE ARE A LOT
OF FOLKS THAT ARE LEFT OUT OF SOME OF THE PROGRAMS AND I THINK THERE ARE GOOD REASONS FOR SOME OF THAT. YOU KNOW, THE CONVERSATION THAT WE NEED TO HAVE ABOUT WHAT THE COST LOOKS LIKE BUT AT THE SAME
TIME IT'S WE ALWAYS SEEM TO BE PUSHING FURTHER AND DIVERTING MORE FROM LANDFILLS. SO THANK YOU SO MUCH, CHAIR. I'M REALLY EXCITED FOR THIS CONVERSATION. THANK YOU, COUNCILOR.
THE REASON WHY I BECAME A CO-SPONSOR ON THIS IS BECAUSE MY DISTRICT HAS REALLY BENEFITED FROM COMPOSTING. I REPRESENT A MORE RESIDENTIAL AREA AND I CAN SEE THE SMALL
GREEN BINS ALL ACROSS OUR STREETS AND TODAY'S ACTUALLY PICKUP DAY SO I WAS ABLE TO SEE SOME OF THAT IN ACTION BEFORE COMING IN TO CITY HALL. AND WHAT I'VE BEEN ABLE TO SEE IS WE'VE ACTUALLY SEEN A
DECREASE IN SOME OF OUR NEIGHBORHOODS OF RODENT SITES SUBSIDING BECAUSE OF THE OSCAR OR THE GREEN BINS PROJECT. WE ALSO HAVE AN OSCAR PROJECT
OVER AT THE ROSLYN MUNICIPAL PARKING LOT WHERE FOLKS ARE ABLE TO DROP THEM OFF IF THEY DON'T HAVE ONE OF THE GREEN BEANS AND I'VE HEARD NOTHING BUT GREAT SUPPORT FOR THIS PROJECT SO I WANT TO SEE THIS
BE EXTENDED AND BE ABLE TO HAVE OTHER PEOPLE PARTICIPATE IN IT. I ALSO REPRESENT DIFFERENT BUSINESS CORRIDORS LIKE ROSLINDALE SQUARE, CLEARY SQUARE AND MATTAPAN SQUARE WHERE THE BUSINESSES THEY COULD
VERY MUCH BENEFIT IF THEY HAD A BEAN TO PUT THEIR THEIR THEIR FOOD WASTE IN SO THAT THEY'RE NOT THROWING IT OUT IN THE TRASH BINS WHICH ATTRACTS MORE RODENT POPULATIONS IN OUR
NEIGHBORHOODS. ANOTHER IDEA THAT I'VE HAD A CONVERSATION WITH WITH PARENTS AT BPP'S BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS IS THE POTENTIAL IDEA OF HAVING
THESE BINS ALSO AT OUR SCHOOLS SO THAT IF FOOD WASTE IS BEING DISREGARDED FOR OR THROUGH AN ENTOURAGE THEY CAN BE PUT ON A COMPOSTING BIN AND WHICH COULD CONTINUE TO ADD TO THE CLEANLINESS OF OUR CITY.
SO I JUST VERY MUCH APPRECIATE COUNCILOR DURKAN FOR MOVING THIS FORWARD AND I ALSO WOULD BE REMISS IF I THINK ALEX ALEX YOU SENT A PUBLIC TESTIMONY COMMENT AND YOU MENTIONED NEW YORK.
THEY ACTUALLY HAVE A FRIEND CITY COUNCILOR COLLEAGUE THAT REPRESENTS NEW YORK AND HE IS ON THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMITTEE DOWN THERE. HE WAS ABLE TO SHARE A LOT WITH ME ON WHAT THEY'VE BEEN ABLE TO DO. SO I'M CURIOUS TO SEE WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM OTHER
MUNICIPALITIES ON WHAT WORKS OVER THERE AND HOW WE CAN BRING IT HERE TO THE CITY OF BOSTON. BUT WITH THAT ALTHOUGH TO TRANSITION OVER TO YOU ALL. FOR BRIEF OPENING STATEMENTS. THANK YOU.
MY NAME IS DENNIS ROACH. I'M THE SUPERINTENDENT OF WASTE REDUCTION FOR THE CITY OF BOSTON WHICH FALLS ON IN THE BOSTON PUBLIC WORKS BASICALLY OVERSEE ALL OF OUR WASTE PROGRAMS INCLUDING OUR RECYCLING STREAMS WHICH ALSO
INCLUDES OUR FOOD WASTE STREAM. I'M JOINED BY MANAGEMENT COMPANY WHO IS OUR ZERO WASTE PROGRAM MANAGER. SHE IS KIND OF INCUBATED THIS FOOD WASTE PROGRAM THE CURBSIDE COMPOST AND BEEN KIND OF THE
KEY LEAD ON THAT PROJECT SINCE ITS INCEPTION. WE ALSO HAVE CAMILA ALVES WHO'S IN THE IN THE AUDIENCE HERE THAT'S ALSO A ZERO WASTE COORDINATOR FOR US. IT'S A TEAM THAT'S BUILT OUT OVER THE LAST FOUR OR FIVE
YEARS WITH THE SUPPORT OF THE MAYOR AND THE CITY COUNCIL ABOUT FUNDING THE ZERO WASTE TEAM. THEY ARE FOCUSED ON BUILDING THIS ZERO WASTE THAT THIS FOOD COMPOSTING PROGRAM THROUGH EDUCATION AND OUTREACH TO ALL
OF OUR RESIDENTS THE CITY OF AUSTIN I THINK THEY'VE DONE A PRETTY GOOD JOB A GOAL OF QUICKLY WITH A LITTLE OF A HISTORY OF IT BUT FOOD WASTE MAKES UP A SIGNIFICANT PORTION OF MY TRASH STREAM.
HE ESTIMATES THAT IN THE U.S. 24% OF THE MATERIAL IN MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE AT LANDFILL IS FROM FOOD. THE 2019 ZERO WASTE PLAN PROVIDED RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE
CITY ABOUT ABOUT IMPLEMENTING FOOD WASTE PROGRAMS GO BACK TO 2014. THE CITY OF BOSTON'S MAYOR'S OFFICE OF NEWER MECHANICS STARTED THE PROJECT OSCAR PROGRAM IN THE NEIGHBORHOODS AS
A PILOT PROGRAM WHICH HAS SINCE BEEN PASSED TO OUR DEPARTMENT TO CONTINUE TO RUN THAT PROGRAM BEEN INCREDIBLY SUCCESSFUL AND WE GET A LOT OF DEMAND FOR THAT ACROSS THE CITY TO EXPAND THAT PROGRAM AND WE'VE DONE THAT OVER THE YEARS.
I THINK WE'RE UP TO 20 LOCATIONS NOW. WE CERTAINLY WITH MORE RESOURCES WOULD EXPAND IT EVEN FURTHER AND WE DO HAVE DEMAND EXPANDING FURTHER. IN 2022 WE DECIDED TO LAUNCH A
CURBSIDE PROGRAM. WE'VE PARTNERED WITH A WONDERFUL PARTNER GARBAGE TO GARDEN WHO HELPS US MANAGE THAT PROGRAM. THERE ARE CONTRACTOR IN THAT PROGRAM. WE STARTED WITH SIGNING UP
10,000 RESIDENTS CITYWIDE IN THAT PROGRAM. THOSE SLOTS FILLED ALMOST IMMEDIATELY AND WE'VE EXPANDED THAT PROGRAM WHICH IS PRETTY
CLOSE TO 30,000 PEOPLE TO DATE . WE DO CURRENTLY HAVE A WAITLIST FOR THAT PROGRAM BECAUSE BECAUSE WE'RE KIND OF BUDGET RESTRICTED ON THAT. BUT BUT THE DEMAND FOR THAT
CONTINUES TO INCREASE AND WE CONTINUE TO FOCUS ON EDUCATIONAL AND OUTREACH TO GET PEOPLE TO USE THE FOOD WASTE MORE OFTEN FROM A COMPOSTING PERSPECTIVE FROM GETTING IT OUT
OF YOU FROM A RODENT PERSPECTIVE. BUT IT HAS BEEN A FOCUS OF MY DEPARTMENT FOR QUITE SOME TIME NOW. IT DOES BECOME ABOUT RESOURCES WITHIN THE CITY AND GROWING
THAT PROGRAM ORGANICALLY AND GETTING RESIDENTS TO USE IT MORE OFTEN AND PUT MORE FOOD WASTE IN THEIR BIN. IT IS A VERY COSTLY PROGRAM TO THE CITY AND WE CAN SHARE SOME OF THE COSTS A LATER POINT BUT
IT'S SOMETHING THAT IF WE GET MORE ADOPTION IT WOULD KIND OF REDUCE THE COST OF THAT AND TO GROW IT TO IT TO A GREAT ABILITY I THINK WOULD ACTUALLY HELP WITH THE COST THAT I THINK SOME OF THE CHALLENGES IN THE
INDUSTRY RIGHT NOW IS IS THE CAPACITY TO SERVE AS A CITY LIKE BOSTON. I THINK WHERE WE BRING OUR COMPOSTING RIGHT NOW WE BRING IT MOST OF OUR COMPOSTING TO
THE CORE AND WE DON'T ACTUALLY WE COMPOST YOU KNOW, MAYBE 20% OF OUR MATERIALS IN THAT NET THAT RANGE WE COULD USE MORE SOME MORE COMPOSTING FACILITIES AROUND THE CITY. A LOT OF THEM EXIST WITHIN, YOU
KNOW, ABOUT 30 OR 40 MILES OUTSIDE THE CITY. AND IF BOSTON MUST HAVE A LOOK TO EXPAND, I THINK GETTING SOME MORE RESOURCES TO BRING AND HAVE SOME COMPOSTING FACILITIES CLOSER TO THE CITY I THINK
WOULD BE WOULD WE WOULD BE BENEFICIAL TO BOSTON. THANK YOU. MATTY YEAH, I MEAN IT DOESN'T. GOOD MORNING. MY NAME'S MADELINE MONTGOMERY'S AIRWAY'S PROGRAM MANAGER.
JUST HAPPY TO BE HERE AND CONTINUE THIS CONVERSATION. THANK YOU SO MUCH. AND AS I MENTIONED BEFORE WE GO INTO Q&A. I DO WANT TO GIVE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR A QUICK PUBLIC
TESTIMONY. SO WE HAVE ONE PERSON ON THE LIST. ALEX ALEX, YOU HAVE 2 MINUTES HERE. YES, I ALSO BROUGHT SOME COPIES 15 PAGES.
WHERE DO I THINK THIS WEEK THEY ACTUALLY PRINTED? OH YEAH, WE KNOW THIS IS SOMETHING ELSE. OH, YOU CAN LEAVE THEM RIGHT THERE. THANK YOU. MY NAME IS ALEX. ALEX. I'M A RESIDENT IN DORCHESTER.
WHILE I WAS IN NEW YORK CITY, I WORKED FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF SANITATION AND I HELP THEM WITH THEIR COMPOST ROLL OUT IN QUEENS. I SPOKE TO A THOUSAND PLUS RESIDENTS. IT WAS A SUCCESS BY THE CITY'S METRICS BUT I IDENTIFIED ISSUES THAT BOSTON IS REPLICATING WITH
THAT APPROACH. SINCE MAY OF DIVERTED OVER £500 OF FOOD WASTE AT THE PLACE WHERE I CURRENTLY WORK THE HUMMUS SHOP. I'VE COMPOSTED WHAT WOULD OTHERWISE GET TRASHED USING THE CITY LOT THAT I'M CONTESTING
FROM THE CITY IN DORCHESTER. I'VE ALSO DIVERTED A LOT OF FOOD WASTE BY GIVING IT TO PEOPLE ALONG MASS AB AFTER WORK INSTEAD OF THROWING THE FOOD AWAY. I WILL WORK AT THE BOSTON PUBLIC MARKET AS WELL A PROJECT
THAT THE CITY HAS CLOSE TIES TO AND SAW THE RIDICULOUS AMOUNT OF COMPOSTING RECYCLING THAT GETS TRASHED. WE KNOW THAT THE CITY AND THE COUNTRY TRASH WAY TOO MUCH FOOD £100 BILLION ANNUALLY WHILE WE SPEAK ENDLESSLY ABOUT HUNGER
AND MALNUTRITION AND FOOD INSECURITY. INDIVIDUAL BINS AT EACH HOME PLACES OUT ON THE SIDEWALK IS NOT A MODEL THAT WORKS FOR TRASH AND RECYCLING IS EQUALLY INEFFICIENT FOR COMPOST COLLECTION. I'VE SUBMITTED A PAGE DETAILING
MY IDEAS MORE FULLY BUT HERE ARE SOME OF THE BASICS. ONE IDENTIFY HIGH TRAFFIC ZONES IN COMMUNITY SPACES LIKE GARDENS, LIBRARIES AND SCHOOLS FOR CENTRALIZED DROP OFF RESIDENTS CAN GET VOUCHERS FOR
£1 OF PRODUCE FOR EVERY £5 OF FOOD WASTE THAT THEY DIVERT TO CREATE COMPOST PLANTS IN THE CITY. MORE JOBS AND VALUES RETURN TO RESIDENTS. THREE MY BOSTON SUMMER GAMES IDEAS GO INTO THE PARTICIPATORY BUDGET RIGHT NOW.
IT AIMS TO CLEAN THE CITY BY GAMIFYING LITTER CLEANUP AND REBUILDING CIVIC PRIDE THROUGH SOCIAL CLOUT. IT ALSO WORKS FOR COMPOST TO SAY CITY LEADERS WANT TO WORK WITH ME TO IRON OUT THIS LEGISLATION. WE SHOULD ALSO BE INCENTIVIZING
THE FOOD INDUSTRY TO DONATE FOOD AND PENALIZE IT FOR WASTING RESOURCES. SOME IDEAS INCLUDE AN OPT IN PROGRAM FOR RESTAURANTS AND GROCERY STORES TO DONATE FOOD IN EXCHANGE FOR TAX CREDITS AS WELL AS A COLLECTIVE COMPOST AS WELL AS A COLLECTIVE INDUSTRIAL
COMPOST CONTRACT THAT SENDS COMPOST TO LOCAL FARMS IN EXCHANGE FOR REDUCED PRODUCE PRICES FOR CITY BUYERS. I LOOK FORWARD TO THE COUNCIL TO REACH OUT TO START IMPLEMENTING THESE IDEAS. I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO REMIND THE COUNCIL THAT I SUBMITTED A SIMILAR POLICY.
SHE CONCERNING TRAFFIC AT THE HYDE PARK HEARING. THANK YOU. THANK YOU THANK YOU FOR YOUR PUNCTUALITY. OKAY NOW WE'RE GOING TO GO WITH
COUNCIL QUESTIONS STARTED WITH SPONSOR COUNCILOR DURKIN YOU HAVE I'M NOT GOING TO TIME YOU GO AHEAD. THANK YOU SO MUCH COUNCILOR PROVIDE CHAIR PEPPERED SINCE THE CURBSIDE
WASTE COLLECTION PROGRAMS LAUNCHED IN 2022 WHAT IS PARTICIPATION LOOK LIKE OVER THE PAST THREE YEARS? I KNOW THE MAXIMUM ENROLLMENT IS CURRENTLY 30,000 HOUSEHOLDS.
HOW MANY RESIDENTS ARE ENROLLED TODAY? HOW MANY ARE ON THE WAIT LIST DO YOU HAVE DATA BASED ON NEIGHBORHOOD OR DISTRICT? YEAH WELL WE DO THERE CURRENTLY
THERE ARE ABOUT 27,000 ENROLLED TODAY 27,000 A LITTLE BIT OVER 27,000 27,547 TO BE EXACT HOUSEHOLDS OVERALL TODAY AND
THERE ARE 638 PEOPLE CURRENTLY ON THE WAITLIST TODAY AND SO YOU COULD PROBABLY TAKE THEM OFF OF THE WAITLIST GIVEN THAT THE SO RIGHT NOW THE CITY THE CITY DUE TO BUDGET RESTRICTIONS
IS IS IN A WE'RE IN A HOLD AND A FREEZE ON ADDING MORE PEOPLE AND WE'RE HOPING THAT OVER THE NEXT BUDGET CYCLE WE'LL BE ABLE TO BRING THESE PEOPLE OFF THE WAITLIST OKAY WHAT DO YOU
QUANTIFY AS THE CURRENT COST OF BOTH THE CURBSIDE COMPOSTING PROGRAM AND PROJECT OSCAR THE CURBSIDE THE OPERATING BUDGET FOR THE CURBSIDE COMPOSTING IS 3.3 MILLION IN THE PROJECT
OSCAR PROGRAM IS ABOUT 135,000 FOR FOR THE 20 LOCATIONS THAT DOESN'T INCLUDE THE TO THE COST OF EXPANSION. IF WE WOULD EXPAND IT YOU'D HAVE TO BUY MORE BINS AND
THINGS LIKE THAT BUT THAT'S ABOUT WHAT IT IS TO OPERATE THE PROJECT. OSCAR DO YOU HAVE AN ESTIMATE ON THE COST OF OF PER TONNE OF FOOD WASTE PROCESSED THROUGH
THESE PROGRAMS? WE HAVE TRIED TO COME UP WITH SOME ESTIMATES. IT'S PRETTY COSTLY IN TERMS OF LIKE WHAT WE'RE GETTING PER TONNE NOW IT'S IT'S ROUGHLY FOR COLLECTION AND DISPOSAL.
IT'S SOMEWHERE IN THE $1,000 A TONNE RANGE WHICH IS WHICH IS FAIRLY COSTLY. THAT'S WHY WE'RE DOING A LOT OF OUR FOCUS ON EDUCATING RESIDENTS ON HOW TO USE THE BINS MORE EFFECTIVELY THE MORE
FOOD WASTE WE GET THE STREAM THE LOWER THOUGH THOSE COSTS WILL KIND OF DRIVE DOWN. DOES THE DATA TO YOU DEMONSTRATE THAT THE CITY THE CITY WIDE IMPACT AND SUCCESS OF THESE PROGRAMS SO FAR?
YEAH I MEAN I MEAN THE PROGRAMS ARE INCREDIBLY SUCCESSFUL I THINK YOU KNOW GETTING IT OUT OF OUR STREAM HAS MULTIPLE EFFECTS. I THINK IT'S TAKING STUFF OUT OF LANDFILL AND THOSE THOSE THINGS ARE GETTING TO COMPOST. I THINK THERE'S SOME A LOT
OF BENEFITS OF THAT. I THINK AS THE COUNCIL MENTIONED I THINK GETTING FOOD WASTE OUT OF OUR TRASH STREAM HELPS WITH THE RODENT POPULATION IMMENSELY. SO I THINK ALONG THOSE THINGS I ALSO THINK THE BOSTON HAS BEEN
A VERY FORWARD LOOKING CITY AND WE'RE LOOKING AT FUTURE WASTE BANDS THAT ARE COMING DOWN FROM DEEP. WE JUST WENT THROUGH THE MATTRESS BAN WHICH WAS IMPACT FELICITY AND LUCKILY WE WERE ABLE TO KIND OF SCALE UP FULLY.
THEY GAVE US A HEADS UP NEXT TIME. YEAH SO WE'RE GETTING A LITTLE BIT MORE HEADS UP FROM THE EPP THAT THEY'RE LOOKING AT BANS COMING DOWN THE PIKE AND I THINK BOSTON IS IN A GREAT PLACE FOR HAVING A SYSTEM AND A
STRUCTURE IN PLACE TO SERVICE THOSE BANDS AND THE ABILITY TO SCALE UP. IT'S GOING TO BECOME ABOUT RESOURCES AND COSTS. YEAH IT'S LIKE WE DO NEED TO LAUD WHERE WE'VE WHERE WE STARTED AND WHERE WE ARE NOW BUT THERE'S STILL SO MUCH MORE
WORK TO DO AND I KNOW WE'VE TALKED ABOUT ANOTHER HEARING'S ABOUT LIKE JUST THE AMOUNT THERE'S NO LIMIT ON WHAT AN INDIVIDUAL CAN THROW OUT YOU
KNOW ON THE SIDEWALK AND I KNOW I'M TRYING TO KEEP ALL MY QUESTIONS TODAY ABOUT COMPOSTING BUT IT'S ALL INTERRELATED BECAUSE IF YOU CAN THROW OUT AS MUCH AS YOU WANT, WHAT IS THE INCENTIVE YOU HAVE
TO DIVERT SOME OF THIS WASTE INTO COMPOSTING RIGHT. SO LOOKING AHEAD TO NEXT YEAR'S BUDGET, WHAT LEVEL OF FUNDING DO YOU EXPECT WILL BE PROPOSED FOR THE COMPOSTING PROGRAMS AND WITH THE CURRENT FUNDING LEVEL
WOULD YOU BE ABLE TO CONTINUE THESE PROGRAMS AS THEY ARE OR WOULD YOU NEED MORE RESOURCES GIVEN NEW CONTRACTS? WE WOULD DEFINITELY NEED MORE RESOURCES. I THINK WE WOULD LIKE TO CONTINUE TO SCALE UP THESE PROGRAMS, EDUCATE RESIDENTS TO
BECOME PART OF THESE PROGRAMS IN ANTICIPATION OF THE FOOD BAN THAT WE EXPECT TO HAPPEN FOR RESIDENTIAL IT LOOKS LIKE 2030 OR LATER BUT WE WANT TO CONTINUE TO GRANTED WE GROW
THIS PROGRAM. WE DON'T WANT TO HAVE WAITLISTS. WE WANT TO HAVE ENOUGH RESOURCES WHERE WE'RE NOT KEEPING PEOPLE FROM FROM SIGNING UP FOR THESE PARTICULAR PROGRAMS. SO THAT'S WHAT WILL BE OUR BUDGET ASK. I ALSO THINK THE CITY SHOULD BE
LOOKING WITH THE STATE IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE STATE MAYBE OTHER JURISDICTIONS AROUND US ABOUT HOW TO BUILD UP SOME FOOD WASTE CAPACITY AROUND US WHERE WE CAN BRING THESE THESE MATERIALS TO TO SITES AROUND THERE CLOSER TO THE CITY
AND I'D BE REMISS IF I DIDN'T MENTION THAT THERE WAS $4 MILLION IN ARPA MONEY THAT WAS SLATED THAT MY PREDECESSOR COUNCILOR BOK HAD SLATED FOR US TO CREATE AN ANAEROBIC
FACILITY. UNFORTUNATELY WE JUST WEREN'T ABLE TO GET THAT GOING SO THAT MONEY HAD TO BE REDIRECTED. I'M JUST CURIOUS IF THERE WAS
OBVIOUSLY I KNOW THOSE FUNDS WERE LIKE ONCE IN A LIFETIME BUT IF THERE WERE ADDITIONAL FEDERAL RESOURCES OR STATE RESOURCES AVAILABLE FOR A CITY OF BOSTON COMPOSTING FACILITY,
I'M JUST CURIOUS WHAT ESSENTIALLY WHAT WENT WRONG THERE IN TERMS OF LIKE GETTING THAT OFF THE GROUND SO THAT IF THERE WERE RESOURCES AVAILABLE IN THE FUTURE WE'D HAVE THE ABILITY TO DO THAT?
YEAH, I THINK THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE THAT BOSTON IS HAVING WITH THAT IS FINDING THE LAND TO BUILD A FACILITY LIKE THAT. WELL ALL THE BROWN PARKING LOTS WE WE DID IT WE DID A SITING STUDY A FEW YEARS AGO THAT THAT
IDENTIFIED SOME PARCELS IN THE CITY I THINK WE WERE COMPETING WITH OTHER INITIATIVES IN TERMS OF HOUSING AND OTHER THINGS LIKE THAT. SO THE CITY NEVER WAS ABLE TO IDENTIFY A SITE WITHIN THE CITY . THERE WERE SITES AROUND THE
CITY THAT WERE LOOKED AT WELL AND WE'VE JUST PASSED AN ORDINANCE SAYING, YOU KNOW, AFFORDABLE HOUSING GETS FIRST PICK OF ANYTHING. SO THAT WILL DEFINITELY BE SOMETHING THAT WE'RE GOING TO RUN INTO BUT WE ARE SEEING IN
OTHER JURISDICTIONS THAT THERE ARE THERE ARE COMPANIES OUT THERE ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE WORKING AND GETTING FEDERAL GRANTS AND BUILDING OUT THIS TYPE OF CAPACITY. WE JUST VISITED ONE A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO THAT WAS IT'S ABOUT 40 OR 50 MILES NORTH
OF BOSTON. THESE COMPANIES ARE LOOKING TO COME TO BOSTON. THEY'RE LOOKING FOR WAYS TO GET HERE THERE BUT BUT IT WILL TAKE THE CITY OF BOSTON IDENTIFYING SOME LAND EITHER IN THE CITY OR CLOSE TO THE CITY.
OKAY. SO ONE OF THE DATA INQUIRIES I'M GOING TO PUT LIKE SORT OF ON THE RECORD I KNOW THAT YOU BOTH COULDN'T ANSWER THIS QUESTION IS WHETHER THERE IS ANY CITY OWNED LAND WHERE
HOUSING IS FOR FORBIDDEN USE BECAUSE IT SOUNDS LIKE WE SHOULD START THERE LIKE ANY INDUSTRIAL YOU KNOW BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY LIKE YOU DON'T WANT A COMPOSTING FACILITY SUPER CLOSE
TO RESIDENTIAL. HE DID TELL ME I WAS JUST TO BE FAIR. OKAY. I HAVE LIKE A FEW MORE QUESTIONS. OKAY.
IF MORE FUNDING WERE AVAILABLE, WHAT WOULD BE THE MOST EFFECTIVE OR EFFICIENT WAY TO USE IT? WOULD IT WOULD WHICH ONE OF THESE PROGRAMS WOULD OBVIOUSLY IT SOUNDS LIKE IT'S A LOT MORE EFFICIENT TO NOT PICK
UP CURBSIDE BUT OBVIOUSLY LESS PEOPLE ARE PROBABLY USING THE PROJECT ALSO FOR EVENTS THAT ARE USING THE CURBSIDE BINS. SO LIKE HOW DO WE WEIGH THAT IN TERMS OF THEY'RE BOTH INCREDIBLY EFFECTIVE THE
PROGRAMS THEY'RE THEY'RE YOU KNOW, THE CURBSIDE GETTING IN FRONT OF YOU IN FRONT OF YOUR HOUSE BUILDING UP THAT CAPACITY IS HUGELY IMPORTANT. OH, SORRY. I MEAN FROM A COST EFFICIENCIES AND FROM A COST EFFICIENCY I MEAN I THINK WE COULD DRIVE
DOWN COSTS BY GETTING MORE PEOPLE TO USE CURBSIDE PICKUP BUT ALSO TO USE IT TOWARDS FULL CAPACITY. WHEN WE GO OUT THERE AND WE PICK UP A BIN THAT'S A THIRD FULL OR A QUARTER FULL AND THEY'RE NOT USING IT IN FULL
CAPACITY, IT DOES DRIVE UP THE PARTICULAR COST. IT'S IT SPENDING A LOT OF TIME EDUCATING RESIDENTS OF ALL THE THINGS THAT CAN GO IN THERE, HOW MUCH CAN GO IN THERE, HOW MUCH YOU CAN DIVERT AWAY AND USING IT FULL CAPACITY?
YEAH, I THINK THAT TO GET SOME SORT OF NEIGHBORLY STUFF GOING ON BECAUSE THE FOLKS THAT ARE FILLING UP THEIR THIRD OF A VAN LIKE I WOULD I MEAN I LIVE IN AN APARTMENT BUILDING THAT'S OVER SIX UNITS SO I'M NOT ELIGIBLE FOR THE CURBSIDE
COMPOSTING. I'M REALLY GRATEFUL FOR THE PROJECT OSCAR OPTION BUT IT I MEAN IF THERE WAS A NEARBY NEIGHBOR WHO HAD A HALF FILLED THEN EVERY WEEK I WOULD BE
HAPPY TO THROW MY STUFF IN WITH THEM AND BE MORE EFFICIENT. I MEAN MORE EFFECTIVE FOR ME THAN TO WALK IT DOWN THE HILL. YOU KNOW? SO I'M JUST WONDERING IF MAYBE THERE'S SOME STUFF I COULD
HAPPEN, YOU KNOW, JUST NEIGHBOR TO NEIGHBOR. OKAY. GIVEN THAT THERE ARE LIMITATIONS IN THE PROCESSING CAPACITY AND TECHNOLOGY, WHAT IS ABOUT TO PASS PATH FORWARD
FOR RESPONSIBLY EXPANDING THE COMPOST ACCESS ACROSS BOSTON LIKE UNTIL WE HAVE THIS BIG INVESTMENT IN A FACILITY LIKE HOW I MEAN I THINK IT'S THE APPROACH WE'RE CURRENTLY TAKING
IS TO GROW THE CURBSIDE PROGRAM ORGANICALLY. IT'S LIKE WE DON'T WANT TO LIMIT ORGANICALLY. YEAH EXACTLY EXACTLY. BUT WE DON'T WANT TO LIMIT RESOURCES. WE DON'T WANT TO HAVE WAITLISTS FOR THE LONG TERM. WE WANT TO IF PEOPLE THAT ARE
EXCITED ABOUT COMPOSTING WE WANT TO BE ABLE TO PUT THE BIN IN THEIR PLACE, LET THEM COMPOST AS MUCH AS WE CAN AND CONTINUE TO THIS GROW THIS PROGRAM. YOU KNOW, THERE'S THERE'S SOME DEBATE ABOUT WHAT WHAT IT WOULD LOOK LIKE IF BOSTON WAS FULLY
COMPOSTING HOW MANY RESIDENTS THAT WOULD MEAN WE THINK IT'S PROBABLY SOMEWHERE IN THE 75 TO 100000 RESIDENTS IF WE WERE FULL ALMOST AT FULL CAPACITY WE WOULD WANT TO CONTINUE TO GROW
IT THAT AS WE LOOK AT THE MASS WAISTBAND THAT'S THAT'S COMING IN FRONT OF US. SO AND THIS IS THE BIG IMPETUS FOR THIS HEARING WAS HAS THE CITY CONSIDERED INCREASING THE MAXIMUM NUMBER OF UNITS ALLOWED IN A RESIDENTIAL BUILDING
THROUGH PART OF THE PROGRAM? IT'S CURRENTLY SIX OR FEWER. THAT DOES FEEL LIKE IT PUTS AN UNDUE BURDEN ON AREAS WHERE I LIVE THAT ARE EXTREMELY DENSE. IT FEELS LIKE I'M AND OTHER
PEOPLE ARE. I MEAN I ACTUALLY THINK YES, GIVING ME MY OWN INDIVIDUAL VAN MIGHT NOT MAKE SENSE BECAUSE YOU KNOW I LIVE IN A SMALL APARTMENT BUT WHAT IF WE HAD,
YOU KNOW, SOME NEIGHBORLY COORDINATION AND IT WAS SUPER EFFECTIVE FOR YOU TO PICK UP FROM A SPECIFIC BUILDING THAT HAD 12 UNITS? YEAH, I MEAN SO THAT THAT'S A
DEEPER QUESTION IN TERMS OF LIKE OUR TRASH AND RECYCLING STREAMS IT'S VERY DIFFICULT FOR MUNICIPALITIES TO SERVICE LARGE BUILDINGS ON THE ON THE TRASH AND RECYCLING AND WE DO THE SAME RESTRICTIONS WITH WITH WITH WITH OUR CITY MATERIALS
WITH OUR MATTRESS BINS. IT'S VERY HARD FOR CITIES TO DO SERVICE. WE ARE THE ONLY ONE OF THE ONLY CITIES IN THE COUNTRY THAT THAT SERVICE IS LARGE BUILDINGS FOR TRASH. MOST OTHER CITIES DO IT
PRIVATELY THAT IT'S A RESPONSIBILITY OF THE BUILDING AND IT'S A VERY HARD MODEL TO REPLICATE. IT'S INCREDIBLY HARD TO REPLICATE A FOOD WASTE MODEL THAT'S ALREADY REALLY EXPENSIVE.
SO THAT'S WHY WE'VE CONTINUED IT OR WE TRIED TO EXPAND OUR PROJECT OSCAR AS ALTERNATIVES IN OUR NEIGHBORHOODS FOR LARGE BUILDINGS WE'VE WORKED WITH RESIDENTS MATTY'S WORK VERY CLOSELY WITH LARGE RESIDENTS ABOUT FINDING NEW LOCATIONS FOR
PROJECT OSCAR AND HAVING THAT AS A AS AN ALTERNATIVE. BUT BUT I AGREE I THINK I THINK WHAT YOU'LL FIND IS MOST CITIES NATIONALLY STILL FALL SHORT ABOUT HOW TO SERVICE LARGE BUILDINGS ON ALL TRASH TEAMS
BUT ESPECIALLY FOOD WASTE. OKAY, I WILL YIELD BACK TO THE CHAIR BECAUSE I'M NO I'M NO I KNOW I'M OVER MY TIME. THANK YOU. COUNCILOR DURKAN I THINK KIND
OF PIGGYBACK PIGGYBACK CAN A LITTLE BIT OF COUNCILOR DURKAN WAS TALKING ABOUT NOT JUST EXPANDING AND EXTENDING TO SIX UNITS OR MORE BUILDINGS BUT TWO
MORE BUSINESS CORRIDORS. HAVE WE LOOKED AT HOW WE CAN ADD COMPOSTING BINS OR PROJECT OSCAR TO AREAS THAT HAVE A HIGH DENSITY OF BUSINESSES ESPECIALLY RESTAURANTS? SO CURRENTLY NONE OF THE CITY
PROGRAMS ARE FOR COMMERCIAL ENTITIES. WE DON'T SERVE AS COMMERCIAL ENTITIES AT ALL FOR OUR WASTE STREAM SO WE HAVEN'T PARTICULARLY LOOKED AT THAT WHEN WE PUT OUT A PROJECT OSCAR BEING THERE FOR LARGE BUILDINGS
OR ANY RESIDENT THAT ONE WHO WANTS TO USE THEM THEY'RE THEY'RE NOT WE DON'T HAVE THEM SCALED UP TO SERVICE COMMERCIAL TYPE ENTITIES. THEY'RE WE DO FOLLOW WE DO TEND
TO FOLLOW WHAT MASTER EPP PUTS IN FRONT OF US AND AS THEY AS THEY BAN ITEMS THEY ALREADY HAVE A COMMERCIAL FOOD WASTE BAN I THINK IT'S A IT'S A HALF TON A WEEK BECAUSE I WOULD HAVE DONE A WEEK I THINK IF YOU IF YOU HAVE IF YOU HAVE MORE THAN A HALF TON OF FOOD WASTE A WEEK
YOU ARE REQUIRED AS A BUSINESS TO TO PUT TO TO GET A FOOD COMPOSTING FACILITY. I THINK WE'RE GOING TO SHRINK THOSE NUMBERS OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF YEARS GOING TO HAVE SO MORE SMALL BUSINESSES WILL HAVE TO COMPLY WITH THAT BUT WE
TEND TO FOLLOW WHAT MASTER PIZZA FOR FRONT OF US AND WE DON'T SERVICE COMMERCIAL ENTITIES IN THE CITY OF BOSTON. OKAY. OKAY. THE CITY RUNS ITS OWN COMPOSTING PROGRAM, RIGHT?
LIKE WE DON'T CONTRACT OUT NOW WE CONTRACT IT OUT. OKAY. THE CURBSIDE IS CONTRACTED OUT AND ALSO THE PROJECT OSCAR IS SERVICED BY A PROJECT CONTRACTOR. BUT WHAT ABOUT THE TRUCKS THAT
THE ONES THAT I SEE ALWAYS IN MY DISTRICT ARE THEY HAVE THE CITY OF BOSTON LOGO? YEP. IT'S A IT'S A IT'S A PARTNERSHIP WITH A CONTRACTOR GARBAGE TO GARDEN THERE THEY'RE OUR CONTRACTOR AND IT'S IT'S IT'S A JOINT PARTNERSHIP THAT THEY SERVICE OUR FOOD WASTE
CURBSIDE. OKAY AND I KNOW I'M CURIOUS AND I'M PRETTY SURE RESIDENTS ARE CURIOUS TOO FOR A CIVIC PURPOSE WHAT HAPPENS TO LIKE YOU PUT YOUR COMPOST IN THE BEND?
WHAT HAPPENS I'M CURIOUS WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENS IN THE PROCESS OF THAT. YEAH. DO YOU DID YOU WANT YOU GOT OH SO FOR THE CURBSIDE COLLECTION PROGRAM THE FOOD WASTE WILL GO
TO ONE OF TWO PLACES. IT'LL EITHER GO TO THE CORE FACILITY IN CHARLESTOWN WHERE IT'LL START THE ANAEROBIC DIGESTION PROCESS AND EVENTUALLY MAKE ITS WAY TO THE GREATER LAWRENCE SANITARY DISTRICT TO THEIR WATER TREATMENT PLANT UP THERE WHERE
IT IS MADE INTO CLEAN ENERGY TO CAPTURE THE METHANE THAT'S RELEASED FROM IT AND THEY USE THAT TO CREATE CLEAN ENERGY TO POWER THE ENTIRE PLANT AND GIVE BACK TO THE GRID WHICH IS PRETTY AMAZING BECAUSE WATER
TREATMENT PLANTS TAKE A LOT OF ENERGY AND THEN THE OTHERWISE SOMETIMES THE FOOD WASTE WILL GO TO GRIP BRICK AND FARMS IN SOUTH HAMILTON, MASSACHUSETTS WHERE IT'S MADE INTO COMPOST WHICH CAN THEN BE
USED AND ADDED TO SOIL FOR A PROJECT OSCAR ALL OF THOSE FOOD SCRAPS GO TO COMPOSTING AND THEY BLACK EARTH OUR VENDOR HAS A COMPOSTING SITE IN MANCHESTER
BY THE SEA IN MASSACHUSETTS. OKAY, I'LL ALSO TAKE A TRIP ON THERE. YOU KNOW IT ALL WORKS DEFINITELY. YEAH. OKAY. THAT'S GREAT.
I DENNIS I HEARD YOU SAY LIKE IT WOULD BE A GOAL TO EXTEND THE PROGRAM AND IN TERMS OF BUDGET LIKE IS THERE A NUMBER THAT COULD HELP EXTEND IT JUST TO HELP US CONTINUE
GROW ORGANICALLY THE CURBSIDE IT'S $3.3 MILLION NOW WE HAD TO PUT WE HAD TO PUT IT ON A WAITLIST OVER A $500,000 ADDITION BUDGET THAT WE DIDN'T GET. THAT'S WHY WE HAD TO CREATE THE
WAITLIST. SO JUST TO CONTINUE TO GROW THAT THAT 3.3 BECOMES FOUR AND THEN WE COULD JUST SO WE CAN CONTINUE TO GROW THAT ACROSS THE CITY AND JUST ALLOW PEOPLE THAT WANT TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS PROGRAM TO CONTINUE TO DO
SO. OKAY. JUST TO HAVE THAT IN THE BACK OF MY HEAD BEFORE BUDGET SEASON GETS HERE, THE CITY THE CITY HAS REALLY DONE A GREAT JOB IN PROVIDING THE SUPPORT AROUND IT
AND OUR TEAM LIKE I SAID I THINK I MENTIONED EARLIER MATTY'S POSITION WAS CREATED BASED UPON SOME OF THE WASTE CALLS WE HAVE THE CITY, WE HAVE SOME OUTREACH COORDINATORS THAT WORK IN
MATTY'S UNIT THAT ARE OUT THERE. THEY'RE TABLING EVENTS, THEY'RE WORKING ON ALL KINDS OF FUNDS ACROSS THE CITY TO GET PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND FOOD WAYS TO SIGN UP FOR THE FOOD WASTE PROGRAM SO WE'VE DEFINITELY PUT SOME RESOURCES IN THAT SENSE AND THAT'S WHAT THAT'S WHAT GOT TO
GROW FROM THE 10 TO 30. I THINK WE CONTINUE TO USE THOSE RESOURCES AND IF WE HAVE THE RESOURCES TO NOT HAVE WAITLISTS JUST TO CONTINUE TO EXPAND IT. THE LAST BIT OF QUESTION I HAVE
IS THE RELATIONSHIP WITH BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS. AS I MENTIONED PREVIOUSLY I REMEMBER WHEN I WAS A KID OR STUDENT AT YOU KNOW I HAD THE BOSTON WATER AND SEWER COMMISSION COME IN.
I LEARNED ABOUT RECYCLING AS WELL. IS ONE IS THERE EVER ANY EFFORTS TO TEACH STUDENTS ABOUT COMPOSTING AND LEARNING ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE ABOUT COMPOSTING AND TO MORE OF AN ACTUAL
PARTNERSHIP WITH HAVING A COMPOSTING THEN ADD LOCATIONS TOO? OBVIOUSLY NOT EVERY NOT EVERY STUDENT, EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEIR CHICKEN NUGGETS OR WHATEVER THEY'RE EATING THAT DAY.
SO I'M PRETTY SURE THAT THEY HAVE TO THROW THOSE AWAY SOMEHOW. I WOULD LOVE TO SEE COMPOST BE IN PRACTICE AT ALL OF OUR SCHOOLS SO WE THOUGHT ABOUT THAT IN THE NEAR FUTURE. YEAH. SO TO ANSWER YOUR FIRST
QUESTION WE WORKED CLOSELY WITH A SUSTAINABILITY TEAM AND WE GO INTO SOME OF THE SCHOOLS USUALLY IT'S BY REQUEST OF A TEACHER REQUEST THAT WE COME IN AND MYSELF AND MY TEAM WILL GO AND GIVE A PRESENTATION TO THE
CLASSROOM AND TALK TO CHILDREN ABOUT COMPOSTING AND OTHER WAY SERVICES. JUST EXPLAIN THE PROCESS AND LIKE WHY IT'S IMPORTANT TO DO IT. THE SUSTAINABILITY TEAM THEY'VE DONE ACTUALLY SOME GREAT WORK IN THE PAST COUPLE OF YEARS AND
THEY HAVE OVER 40 SCHOOLS THAT HAVE BEEN DOING BACK OF THE HOUSE COMPOSTING WHERE THEY HAVE THE COMPOSTING BINS IN THE KITCHEN SO ANY OF THE FOOD SCRAPS FOR A SCHOOL OVER 40. YES, WHICH IS AMAZING.
IT'S GROWN SIGNIFICANTLY. THEY HAVE A HANDFUL OF SCHOOLS THAT HAVE FRONT OF HOUSE COMPOSTING WHERE THE STUDENTS THEMSELVES ARE SEPARATING. THEY'RE EXTRA CHICKEN NUGGETS OR ANYTHING LEFTOVER SUFFERING
THOSE OUT. I DO KNOW THAT THEY COULD USE A LITTLE BIT MORE EDUCATION AND WORKING WITH THE STUDENTS TO TO TO BUILD THAT UP AND TO CONTINUE BUILDING IT TO OTHER SCHOOLS AS WELL.
BUT IT IS A TOPIC THAT THEY'RE DISCUSSING AND WE'RE IN CLOSE CONVERSATION ABOUT IT. OKAY. I ALSO JUST TO ADD I THINK IF YOU TALK ABOUT ADDING BUDGET I THINK ADDING BUDGET TO THE BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOL
SUSTAINABILITY PROGRAMS I THINK WOULD BE A HUGE WIN. I THINK A SCHOOLS IS A GREAT WAY TO EDUCATE ALL RESIDENTS WHEN IT'S WHEN IT'S DONE IN OUR SCHOOLS. SO JUST TO CONTINUE TO EXPAND THOSE PROGRAMS I KNOW THE NEW
THE VARSITY PLAN FOR FOR FOOD WASTE LOOKS TO BAN FOOD WASTE IN SCHOOLS PROBABLY WITHIN THE NEXT 2 TO 3 YEARS. SO I THINK THAT BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS WILL BECOME AND WITH SOME BUDGETARY ASKS IN TERMS
OF EXPANDING PROGRAMS WITHIN THEIR THEIR ECOSYSTEM. OKAY MAYBE WE SHOULD ALSO MEET WITH THEM AS WELL TO LEARN HOW ELSE WE CAN SUPPORT THEM. THAT'S GOOD TO KNOW AND LIKE WHEN YOU START EARLY YOU ALSO
START TO TRAIN JUST RESIDENTS EARLY ON AND AGAIN THAT'S HOW I LEARNED ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF RECYCLING. I TAUGHT MY PARENTS ABOUT IT SO IT WAS IT'S A BIG INVESTMENT HONEST AND JUST BY EDUCATING
STUDENTS AT A YOUNG AGE SO THAT'S ANOTHER. AND THEN CAN WE ALSO GET TO CAN I GET A LIST OF THE 40 SCHOOLS? I'M JUST I'M JUST CURIOUS. ABSOLUTELY. BECAUSE I WANT TO SEE WHICH ONES OF MY DISTRICT. YEAH, I'M RIGHT.
THEY'LL BE GREAT. I'M OKAY. ONE LAST QUESTION AND IT IS IS THERE ANY PARTNERSHIP WITH BLACK, BLACK OR WITH COMPOST?
AND ALSO HAVE WE EVER CONSIDERED SOME THIS HAS COULD WE CONSIDER A CONTRACT WITH BLACK EARTH COMPOST? THEY CURRENTLY SERVE SOME COMMERCIAL ENTITIES SPECIFICALLY THOSE WE NEED TO
AVOID THE BAN OF MASTER EP AS MENTIONED SO BLACK EARTH IS OUR CURRENT PROVIDER FOR PROJECT OSCAR BINS. THEY SERVICE THE BINS, THEY TAKE CARE OF BINS. THEY'RE THE ONES THAT OWN THE FACILITY UP IN MANCHESTER BY THE SEA SO THEY BRING ALL
OF OUR BLACK ALL OF OUR COMPOST FROM THE PROJECT COST ARE BINS UP TO THE COMPOST UP AT MANCHESTER. THEY HAVE EXPRESSED SOME INTEREST IN WORKING MORE WITH THE CITY IN TERMS OF THAT TYPE
OF CAPACITY THEY'D LIKE TO COME IN IN TERMS OF THE CITY THEY DO A LOT OF THE COMMERCIAL ENTITIES THEY DO SERVICE FOR THEM. WE ALSO HAVE A SECOND PROVIDER WHICH IS GARBAGE GARDEN ANOTHER THAT THEY DO A CURBSIDE PROGRAM
AND THEY WORK WITH THE HAMILTON FACILITY OUT THERE TO BRING COMPOST AND ALSO THE CORE IN CHARLESTOWN. SO BUT THERE ARE MANY COMPANIES LIKE THOSE THAT ARE LOOKING FOR MORE CAPACITY IN THE CITY. WE TOURED THE SITE MANCHESTER
BY THE SEA OF THE BLACK GROWTH SITE PROBABLY TWO WEEKS AGO WHERE THEY RECEIVED IT WAS A COUPLE MILLION DOLLAR USDA GRANT TO BUILD OUT THAT FACILITY TO ACTUALLY TO TO COMPOST MORE MATERIALS AND
THINGS LIKE THAT. THEY THEY'RE ALL CHOMPING TO LOOK AT SITES IN THE CITY OR AROUND THE CITY TO BUILD MORE CAPACITY. SO THERE ARE GRANTS AVAILABLE. IT BECOMES ABOUT LAND AND
IDENTIFYING LAND AND INFRASTRUCTURE WITH THE CITY OR AROUND THE CITY. I PERSONALLY THINK IT WOULD GREAT MAKE A GREAT PARTNERSHIP WITH MANY JURISDICTIONS AROUND THE CITY WHETHER IT BE BOSTON,
CAMBRIDGE SOMETHING TO LOOK AT A JOINT SITE SOMEWHERE AT SOME POINT TO BUILD UP SOME MORE CAPACITY THAT WOULD BE PROBABLY PRETTY UNIQUE IF WERE IN THE CITY BOSTON TO DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT BUT I THINK THAT'S
HOW WE HAVE TO BE LOOKING AT IT AND IT'S NOT A BAD IDEA CONSIDERING THE FACT THAT WE REALLY DON'T HAVE THAT MUCH EXTRA LAND ANYMORE IN THE CITY. EXACTLY. SO THAT PARTNERSHIP COULD BE A GREAT IDEA. OKAY.
THANK YOU FOR THAT. THAT'S IT FOR ME IN TERMS OF QUESTIONS, COUNCILOR DURKAN, YOU HAVE ANY MORE FOLLOW UP QUESTIONS? YES. WELL I MEAN I'M NEVER OPPOSED
TO ENDING EARLY BECAUSE IT CLEARLY OUR COLLEAGUES ARE SOMEWHERE ELSE BETTER TO BE IN TODAY BUT I PERSONALLY FEEL
LIKE I KNOW THAT WE CAN'T SOLVE THIS ISSUE BY THE I THINK THE COMMERCIAL SIDE OF THIS IS SUCH A BIG OPPORTUNITY TO PROMOTE SUSTAINABILITY IN THE CITY.
SO I KNOW THAT WE CAN'T SOLVE THAT ISSUE AND DON'T HAVE THE RESOURCES TO SOLVE THAT ISSUE FOR BUSINESSES. BUT I'M JUST CURIOUS IF THERE HAD BEEN SOME PROPOSALS THAT
THE CITY AROUND FOOD DIVERSION AROUND MAKING SURE THAT EITHER FOOD WAS OFFERED YOU KNOW, NOT NOT NOT DIRECTLY INTO COMPOSTING BUT THAT NO FOOD
WENT TO WASTE THAT YOU KNOW, ESSENTIALLY I KNOW THIS IS SOMETHING THAT FORMER COUNCILOR ARROYO WORKED ON BEFORE. SO I'M JUST CURIOUS SORT OF AND
THEN COUNCILOR CLAUDE AS A PARTNER I'M CURIOUS SORT OF WHAT THE CITY AND FROM A ZERO WASTE PERSPECTIVE THINKS ABOUT BUSINESSES THROWING OUT FOOD THAT'S GOOD AND ALSO
MANDATING POTENTIALLY COMPOSTING FOR BUSINESSES. IS THAT BECAUSE IT'S JUST ME AND MY HOME KITCHEN THE SCALE IS JUST SO DIFFERENT AND SO JUST FROM AN ENVIRONMENTAL
PERSPECTIVE, HOW ARE WE GOING TO POTENTIALLY MANDATE BUSINESSES OR DO YOU THINK THAT'S COMING FROM THE STATE SOON? WELL, I THINK I THINK IT ALWAYS GETS DICTATED BY THE STATE.
I KNOW THE OFFICE THE CITY HAS AN OFFICE OF FOOD RECOVERY THAT HAS PEOPLE WORKING ON THESE TWO PARTICULAR KIND OF PROGRAMS. IT DEFINITELY FALLS OUTSIDE OF OUR JURISDICTION OF WHAT WE DO IN SERVING RESIDENTS. SO I THINK YOU KNOW I KNOW MATT
HAS WORKED WITH THAT PERSON IN THE PAST BUT BUT I THINK THE CITY IS FOCUSING ON FROM THAT PERSPECTIVE FROM THAT OFFICE. IT JUST FEELS LIKE IN TERMS OF ZERO WASTE I KNOW THAT WE'RE FOCUSED ON RESIDENTS BUT IT
JUST FEELS LIKE FROM THE SCALING PERSPECTIVE THAT WE COULD HAVE A BIGGER IMPACT BY SOLVING THE REGULATORY ISSUES WITH BUSINESSES OR EVEN LIKE AT
THE YOU KNOW AND I KNOW THIS ISN'T NEW BUT SORT OF AT THE POINT OF PERMITTING THE BUSINESS ENSURING THAT THEY HAVE A PLAN FOR THEIR WASTE BECAUSE I THINK OFTENTIMES
WE'RE TALKING ABOUT WHERE THE TRASH BINS ARE YOU KNOW, AND LIKE WHERE THE TRASH CAN WHERE THE TRASH COMPANY IS GOING TO PULL UP AND WE'RE TALKING ABOUT ALL THESE VERY BUT I MEAN I THINK A BIGGER ISSUE IS HOW ARE
YOU MAKING SURE THAT YOU'RE OPERATING IN A SUSTAINABLE WAY THAT YOU KNOW, WE CAN YOU KNOW WE CAN JUST BECAUSE FROM A SKILLED PERSPECTIVE I WOULD
LOVE TO WE'RE ALL YOU KNOW, WE ALL CARE ABOUT OUR OWN PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY BUT IT ALL FEELS LIKE THE JIMMY CARTER MALAISE SPEECH A BIT TO BE LIKE MAKE SURE THAT YOU THROW OUT YOUR
ONE PORTION OF MACARONI THAT YOU KNOW AND YOU PUT IT DO IT IN SOME SUSTAINABLE WAY WHEN THERE ARE COMPANIES THAT ARE THROWING AWAY TRAYS OF THINGS THAT WOULD BE BE IMPORTANT FOR
THAT TO LIKE MOVE IN A DIRECTION. SO IT'S LIKE I KNOW I TOUCHED ON THAT A LITTLE BIT IN THE HEARING ORDER SO I KNOW THAT THE ADMINISTRATION YOU KNOW, WE
DIDN'T GET EXACTLY THE TEAM TO ANSWER THAT QUESTION BUT I DEFINITELY WANT TO READ INTO THE RECORD BECAUSE I THINK THAT IN TERMS OF FIGURING OUT HOW WE'RE GOING TO ACTUALLY DO THIS, WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT COMMERCIAL DISTRICTS HAVE SOME
SOLUTION THAT WORKS FOR THEM AND EVEN I THINK THE CITY ASSISTING IN MAKING SURE THAT CERTAIN COMMERCIAL DISTRICTS ARE CONNECTED WITH THE RIGHT RESOURCES TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT
BECAUSE I THINK ABOUT I HAVE CAUSEWAY NEWBURY STREET, YOU KNOW BOYLSTON STREET SORT OF THE TREMONT STREET LIKE THESE SORT OF BIG BUSINESS CORRIDORS THAT IF THEY WERE ALL PARTNERING TOGETHER ON A
SUSTAINABLE SOLUTION IT WOULD LIKELY BE A LOT CHEAPER FOR THEM SIMILAR TO WHAT WE'RE DEALING WITH. YEAH AND I THINK WE'RE KIND OF AT THE FOREFRONT OF THAT WITH WHEN IT COMES TO THE MASTI
PEOPLE ISSUED THE BAN WITH HALF A TON OF FOOD WASTE PER WEEK AND I THINK THAT MOSTLY QUALIFIES BIGGER BUSINESSES BUT I THINK THEY'RE GOING TO LOWER THOSE THRESHOLDS THE NEXT TWO YEARS AND I THINK YOU'RE GOING TO SEE MORE KIND OF ENFORCEMENT
ON THAT THOSE AND YOU KNOW YOU LOOK INSIDE THE CITY AND IT'S PROBABLY EXPANSION OF THE THE SITE CLEANLINESS PERMANENT WITHIN ESD WHICH REQUIRES YOU TO FILE A TRASH PLAN. BUT I THINK IF THERE WAS MORE
BANDS FROM OUR STEP ALSO BE FILING A FOOD WASTE PLAN AS A BUSINESS AS WELL. SO THAT'S HELPFUL TO KNOW. WELL I GUESS THOSE ARE ALL MY QUESTIONS. I OBVIOUSLY YOU BOTH HAVE BEEN
SO TRANSPARENT AND AVAILABLE SO I KNOW THAT A HEARING IS NOT THE ONLY WAY TO READ TO AND I'M JUST REALLY GRATEFUL FOR ALL OF YOUR WORK. I THINK IT'S SO IMPORTANT THAT WE HAVE THAT WE HAVE THE
OPPORTUNITY TO TALK ABOUT THESE ISSUES BECAUSE THERE ARE MAJOR TRADE OFFS BUDGETARY YOU KNOW, BUDGET WISE. BUT WE ARE ALL INTERESTED IN MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE
DIVERTING AS MUCH FOOD WASTE FROM LANDFILLS AS POSSIBLE. AND I THINK THAT I KNOW THAT THE ADMINISTRATION SHARES THAT GOAL AND IT'S WE'RE JUST ALL TRYING TO ROW TOGETHER.
SO I THINK YOU CAN COUNT ON OUR SUPPORT DURING THE BUDGET PROCESS AND WE'RE REALLY GRATEFUL FOR THE WORK THAT YOU DO. I THINK OF COUNCILOR I DO HAVE ONE QUESTION THAT I BEEN
CURIOUS ABOUT. I REMEMBER A WHILE BACK BEFORE I WORK FOR THE CITY I TRIED TO GET DONATIONS LIKE THAT AT THE DUNKIN DONUTS THAT WAS CLOSING.
THERE WAS A LOT OF EXTRA DONUTS AND THEY WERE GOING TO THROW THEM AND ASKING CAN I TAKE THEM TO DONATE THEM? THEY SAID NO BUT BECAUSE SOME SORT OF THING THAT PROHIBITS THEM FROM DOING THAT IS THERE A
LAW THAT STOPS THEM THAT STOPS THESE BUSINESSES FROM DONATING EXTRA FOOD BEFORE THEY CLOSE? I AM NOT AWARE OF ANYTHING. I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S A LIABILITY OR A LAW OR WHAT IS
THAT BUT WHAT THE REASON FOR THEM NOT DOING ANYTHING THAT BUT I'M NOT AWARE OF ANYTHING THAT DIDN'T START WITH SOMETHING THAT WE IN MY DEPARTMENT WOULD BE MONITORING SOMETHING LIKE THAT. BUT I'M NOT AWARE DO BUSINESSES
GET TO COME UP WITH THEIR OWN POLICIES? I WOULD THINK BUSINESSES WOULD HAVE SOME OF THEIR OWN POLICIES BASED I MEAN BASED UPON EITHER A LAW OR LIKE LIKE I SAID LIKE
A LIABILITY THAT THEY MAY HAVE BUT I'M NOT AWARE OF ANY. OKAY. AND I'M JUST CURIOUS BECAUSE I KNOW THAT'S STOOD OUT TO ME I ALWAYS THOUGHT ABOUT LIKE IS THERE SOMETHING PROHIBITING I MEAN I KNOW THEY DONATE TO
ORGANIZATIONS SO LIKE THEY YOU KNOW BUT I DON'T KNOW WHAT DRAWS A LINE LIKE THEY'VE WORKED WITH THE CITY IN DONATIONS ON SOME EVENTS AND THINGS LIKE THAT DUNKIN DONUTS IN PARTICULAR BUT I DON'T KNOW WHAT WHAT MAKES THEM DRAW A
LINE RIGHT WHEN WHERE AND I USE DUNKIN DONUTS AS AN EXAMPLE I FEEL LIKE WAS SUCH A AWESOME THING TO DO THAT WAS DONE DOING THAT BUT LIKE YEAH I'M THINKING ABOUT EVERY EVERY BUSINESS IN GENERAL. YEAH THAT'S.
GOOD TO KNOW. OKAY THAT'S IT FOR ME. CORA DO WE HAVE ANY VIRTUAL PUBLIC MONEY? NO WE'VE DONE AREA PUBLIC HERE. OKAY, I OH, CLOSING STATEMENTS.
DON'T SAY ANYTHING. OH, COUNCILOR DURKIN, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING THE SPONSOR ON THIS IN FRONT OF ME AS A CO-SPONSOR TO MATTY AND DENNIS THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE WORK YOU ALL DO. THANK YOU FOR LEADING OUR CITY
TO BE JUST MORE ECO FRIENDLY AND CLEANER SO YOU HAVE A PARTNERSHIP AT LEAST IN THE TWO OF US HERE IN OUR OTHER CO-SPONSOR. I ALSO DO WANT TO MENTION THAT WE DID RECEIVE A LETTER OF ABSENCE FROM COUNCILOR TO US
ABOUT THE WISH TO BE HERE. BUT COUNCILOR FLYNN, HOW'S ABOUT TO BANG MY GAVEL TO CLOSE OUT? WOULD YOU LIKE TO SAY ANY
CLOSING STATEMENTS BEFORE I DO SO THANK YOU, MR CHAIR. THANK YOU, MR CHAIR. AND THANK YOU TO THE ADMINISTRATION TEAM THAT IS HERE.
I DO APOLOGIZE FOR BEING VERY, VERY LATE. I WAS AT A MEETING WITH THE SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT AT JOSIAH QUINCY SCHOOL SO RESPECT THE
WORK YOU'RE DOING. MR CHAIR, THANK YOU FOR HOLDING THIS COUNCIL COUNSELOR AS WELL. THANK YOU FOR SPONSORING THIS AND I'M GOING TO ACTUALLY TAKE
A LOOK AT THE AT THE VIDEO SOMETIME OVER THE OVER THE WEEKEND AND THANK YOU TO BOTH OF MY COUNCIL COLLEAGUES IN THE ADMINISTRATION TEAM. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, COUNSELOR FLYNN AND
I KNOW THAT COUNSELOR FLYNN HAS A DISTRICT THAT CAN REALLY BENEFIT FROM OAK PARK COMPOSTING AND HE'S BEEN A GREAT ADVOCATE FOR IT AS WELL. SO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SHOWING THAT. THANK YOU, SIR. OKAY.
NOW WITH THAT THIS HEARING ON DOCKET NUMBER 1748 IS ADJOURNED