Committee of the Whole Meeting - A. MAX BACON CITY HALL, HR TRAINING ROOM — Minutes
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January 16, 2025 6:00 PM City of Smyrna Mayor and Council Meeting 2800 King Street SE Human Resources Training Room Page 5 of 9 • Day 3: Wards 3 & 4, 427 homes Contamination Rate – 55% (Smyrna), 16% (National Average) The Contaminants: • 35.6% Recycling in plastic bags • 22.5 % Loose plast bags • 21.6% Miscellaneous Plastic • 15.7% Other – raw meat, clothes hangers, hula hoops, air filters, drainage hose, storage shelves, galvanized siding • 2.9% Foam • 1.6 % Glass Why a High Contamination Rate Matters 1. Jeopardizes relationship with MRF (materials recovery facility) a. Household hazardous waste is extremely detrimental to MRF b. Plastic bags jam machinery and halt operations in the MRF until they are removed by hand 2. Doesn’t fulfill social contract with citizens a. Recycling trucks with HHW (household hazardous waste) contamination are going to the landfill 3. Missed opportunity for more effective use of resources (staff, trucks) Why There’s So Much Contamination 1. Confusing labeling & greenwashing 2. Wishcycling and lack of education about accepted materials 3. Staff sorts out some key contaminants but also collects materials that are considered contaminants Improving the Contamination Rate 1. Strengthens relationship with MRF 2. Improves citizen trust 3. Increases effectiveness of city resources Proposed Solutions Citizen Education 1. Updated door hangers for recycling trucks 2. Stickers of accepted/not accepted on trash cans 3. Social media education campaign through KSB 4. Utility billing insert through KSB Improve Collection Process 1. Train staff about additional contamination items and no longer collect them – Emphasis on bagged recycling and plastic bags Timeline: October – April It was asked why glass is not recyclable curbside. Ms. Barwig answered that it is because glass breaks and can contaminate other recyclables, glass is very heavy and more expensive to recycle, and glass tears up the trucks. Contamination could go down 30% if plastic bags were not used to hold multiple recyclable items. Only bright orange Hefty bags should be picked up.