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HomeMy WebLinkAbout10/2009Page 1 of I From: Neville, Elizabeth Sent: Thursday, October 15, 2009 1:44 PM To: 'Al Krupski'; Andaloro, Jennifer; Evans, Louisa; Finnegan, Martin; Krauza, Lynne; Orlando, Vincent; Russell, Scott; Tom Wickham; William Ruland; Woodhull, Ruthanne Cc: 'Delehanty, Sean (US SSA)'; Jerry Schultheis; Kimon Retzos; Peter Meeker; 'Roy Rakobitsch'; Terry, Mark; Anthony Wolbert; 'fwills~earthlink.net' Attachments: Energy Grants NYSERDA_20091015115214.pdf The Energy Committee met last night and discussed the following items: 1. Possibility of applying for NYSERDA Grants. Long Island Towns received grants in the first round. (attachment) There is another round coming up soon. They would like the Town Board to assign Mark Terry to investigate Town participation in this second round of grants. 2. Status of "Dark Skies" legislation with the Town Board. 3. Street Lighting Survey. Possibility of removing unnecessary lights and lights that are not energized, but for which the Town is being charged. Survey is in DPW, Chairman Frank Wills will check with Jim McMahon. 4. Energy Conservation/Recylcling Public Seminar on December 9th. The committee will investigate the availability of speakers, etc. Elizabeth A.Neville Southold Town Clerk PO Box 1179 Southold, NY 11971 Tel 631 765-1800 Fax 631 765-6145 file://C:\Documents and Settings\bettyn. TOWNLMy Documents\COMMITTEES\ENERG... 10/15/2009 JA~IES BUNCHUCK SOLID WASTE COORDINATOR P.O. Box 962 Cutchogue, New York 11935-0962 Tel: (631) 734-7685 Fax: (631) 734-7976 dsw@town.southold.ny.us JULY 2008 SOUTHOLDTOWN SOLID WASTE DISTRICT SOME FACTS ABOUT GARBAGE AND RECYCLING IN SOUTHOLD 35,000 tons handled annually at Transfer Station and Compost Facility: MSW (i.e, "garbage"): 12,000 tons; brush and leaves: I 1,000; construction debris: 6,000; recyclables: 5,000; special wastes (hazardous, e-waste, etc): 1,000. Estimated approximately another 20,000 tons commercial waste handled privately In 1993, Southold was one of the first communities in New York State to adopt a "The Pay- As-You-Throw" (PAYT) program using the yellow Town garbage bags. In that year, state regulations required the closure of the dump in Cutchogue, meaning the garbage had to be trucked out of town at significant cost. Rather than fold it into the tax base, residents chose, after a series of public meetings, to try a fee-based system to pay this cost. The Town-bag program resulted in a 15% reduction in ~vaste disposed and 100% increase in recycling the first full year it was in effect (1994). There are now over 7,000 PAYT garbage disposal programs throughout the US. Southold's MSW is now long-hauled to Virginia for disposal. (There is not enough on- Island disposal capacity to handle all the MSW Long Island produces; 1.1 million tons - equal to 50,000 tractor-trailers - must be exported for out of state disposal, including Southold's). Eonstruction debris is hauled to the Brookhaven Town C&D Landfill, which is ONLY allowed to accept construction debris. Southold pioneered household hazardous waste drop-off (HHW) in New York State in 1985, and was among the first to begin separating mercury containing fluorescent bulbs from the waste stream in 1992. We began accepting E-Waste for special disposal in 2007. SOURCE: Southold Town Solid Waste Management District Southold's recycling rate is ~ 35% of the residential waste stream, more if compost and woodchips are counted. By weight, paper and cardboard account for the majority of recyclables at about 2,600 tons. That is followed by glass (800 tons), scrap metal (600), co-mingled cans and plastic containers (500), textiles (clothing-150 tons), waste oil (80 tons), and vehicle batteries (50). Miscellaneous recycling accounts for another 250 tons, including items left and taken at the "Re-Use Center", E-Waste, household batteries, and items scrapped from the waste area without the Towns' knowledge!! Recycling tonnage rose steadily from 1993 to about 1999 when nearly 7,000 tons of residential recyclables were collected. In 2007, the figure was just over 5,000 tons. While this drop may suggest lower participation, it is likely due more to the relatively high value of paper and metal which allows people to sell it directly to recyclers rather than bring it to Cutchogue. The weight of some recyclables is dropping for other reasons too. For example, the lnternet has resulted in less advertising in newspapers and plastic and aluminum beverage bottles weigh 40% less than in 1990. Glass is a problem item to recycle. It is virtually impossible to keep it "clean" enough (i.e., no bottle caps, plastic rings, other debris) to market directly to a recycler. Southold's glass is crushed and re-used where possible on dirt/gravel road surfaces on the old landfill or as drainage material around pipes and drains. The Town plans to screen the glass to create a cleaner product that may have more widespread applications. In 2004, Southold became the first Long Island Town to require the use of bio-degradable paper bags for leaves. This saved the Town over $30,000 in processing costs for leaves that used to arrive in plastic bags. Since that was done by a private compost facility in Brookhaven Town and the "de-bagged" leaves were not returned to Southold, we also lost the value of the leaves as mulch!! The leaf bag program has been a great success and is about to be tried in Brookhaven and lslip Towns. Since 1993, over 60,000 tons of residential recyclables have been collected at the transfer station. Had these recyclables been in the garbage, they would have cost the Town (i.e., the Residents) an average of $72/ton, or about $4.35 million. With income generated from the majority of those recyclables, the combined value approaches $5 million! Again, about t/2 of that amount is due to implementation of the "Town-bag" garbage program. SOME WAYS TO KEEP A LOW WASTE PROFILE . . . Don't get lazy about recycling - Keep it up! Don't litter; waste less. Consider not printing e-mails and documents if you don't need to. Keep re- fillable travel mugs in your car (most convenience stores give a discount on coffee for this). Try to avoid purchasing items with excessive packaging. Walk more, drive less. Consider re-using or giving away before throwing away! Use compost instead of chemical fertiliTers. YARD WASTE/COI¥1POST SITE 'Ihe Southold Town Compost Site is adjacent to the Transfer Station property and accepts leaves, branch- es, and land-clearing (stumps, tree trunks) from residents and landscapers. Users must weigh in at the Transfer Station scales be- fore proceeding to the compost site. The facility processes the yard waste into compost, mulch, and wood chip products. When used by farmers, landscapers, and homeowners, these natural prod- ucts improve local soils and reduce the need for chemical fertilizers which, in turn, helps protect our bays a~nd groundwater. PAPER LEAF BAGS Leaves brought to the compost site must be either loose or in heavy duty, bio-degradable P,'IP£R LEdlF B,'tG$. PLASTIC BAGS ARE NOT ACCEPTED. Leaf bags are avail- able at the Transfer Station,Town Hall, and at many retail outlets in the Town. FREE blULCH PRODUCTS Residents are entitled to 500 lbs/person (per year) of free compost, mulch, or wood chips (or combina- tion) from the compost site. Additional amounts are sold by weight or volume. Call or check the website for current pricing and availability. FREE CURBSIDE PICK-UP Seasonal spring and fall* pick up of leaves and brush (no land-clearing) is provided FREE OF CHARGE to residents by the Southold Town Highway Department. Call the Highway Depart- ment (765-3140) for specific information on rules and scheduling. NOTE: LEAVES SET OUT FOR THIS SERVICE MUST BE IN PAPER LEAF BAGS (see above). *fall clean-up is for leaves only - NO BRUSH (as per TB Resolution) SOME WAYS TO WATCH YOUR WASTE... · · Don't get lazy about recycling - keep it up! It really does save money. · Use things up completely. · Consider not printing e-mails and documents if you don't need to. Keep travel mugs in your car - most convenience stores will re-fill at a discount. · Keep re-usable shopping bags handy. · Avoid purchasing "over-packaged" items. · Consider re-using or giving away before throwing away. · Walk more, drive less. Carpool. · Use compost instead of chemical fertilizers. · ...and PLEASE don't litter. We have a beautiful town - let's keep it that way. TO COMPOST SITE COMMERCIA2~ I TRANSFER / I s,,,,.o. / - ~ TO RT. 40 COX LANE TransfT~r Station/Rccycling Center/Compost Site 6155 Cox Lane, Cutchogue, NY 11935 · (631)734-7685 www. southoldtown.northfi)rk.net (click on "waste management") WASTE4WORKS A GUIDETO RECYCLING ANDTRASH MANAGEMENT IN THE TOWN OF SOUTHOLD 7be Town Of $outbold is pleased to offer its residents a wide range of waste management and [eeycling services. 7bis brochure provides an overvyiew of these services and how to take advantage of them. For more information, please contact us. SOUTHOLD TOWN DEPARTMENT OF SOLID WASTE (631) 734-7685 www. southoldtown.nor th fork. net (click on "waste management") 2009 ~ PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPER, 30% POST-CONSUMER HOW THE SYSTEM WORKS... The Southold Town "Solid Waste District" operates a waste and recycling transfer station and yard waste compost facility on Cox Lane in Cutchogue. q~he transfer station and compost site are available to all Town residents and businesses for their recycling, garbage, and yard waste disposal needs. Users may bring their trash/recyclables to the Transfer Station themselves ("self-haulers") or they may l'fire a carter to do this for them. (The Town does notprovide curb- side pick-up of trash or recydables. This allows residents to manage their waste in the manner that works best for them, while helping to keq taxes down.) HOWYOU PAY FOR IT ... Costs for garbage disposal are collected primarily through user fees as opposed to taxes. This system, which charges people based on the waste they gen- erate, promotes waste reduction and recycling (re- cydables are accepted at the transfer station free of charge). Following are the types of fees charged to residents (PLEASE CALL THE TRANS- FER STATION OR SEE THE WEBSITE FOR CURRENT FEES): I. PERMITS AND ENTRY FEES ... Vehicles must display a residential or commercial permit or pay a single entry fee to use the transfer station for waste disposal. (Recycling is NOT consid- ered waste disposal, and therefore no permit or entry fee is required.) Permits are available at the Town Clerk's Office at Town Hall in Soutbold (765-1800). 2. THE "YELLOW BAGS" . · · A key part of Southold's fee system is its "Pay-As- You-Tm'ow" town garbage bag program. Under this program reidents must use specially designated bags supplied by the Town for everyday household gar- bage. The "Pay-As-You-Throw" system charges only for garbage - not recyclables - and encourages resi- dents to recycle more and throw out less. The bags are yellow, come in three different sizes and are required both for self haulers as well as residents who use pri- vate carters. Their cost covers the Town's expense for shipping the waste out of Town for disposal. They are available at many local retailers as well as at the Cu- tchogue Transfer Station and Town Hall in Southold. 3. TIP FEES ... Waste that cannot be easily bagged is charged a tip fee at the vehicle scales by weight or by the item as follows a. Rubbish (bulky items) - by weight b. Construction - by weight c. Scrap Metal - by weight d. Brash/Stumps - by weight e. Concrete - by weight f. Tires - by weight g. Major Appliances - per item Please check the website or call the Transfer Station for current rates or if you have items not listed above. RECYCLABLES The foil°wing item~ are designated as "Mandatory Recydables' in the Town Code, and are accepted at the Transfer Station free Of charge. Ify0u have curbside pickup, please check with your cart- er for recycling days and instructions on how to prepare recydables for collection. Mixed Paper Includes all NewsPaper (with inserts), M~ga- zincs,Junk Mail, Office Paper, Construction Paper, etc. PLEASE TIE WITH COT- TON STUNG OR PLACE IN BROWN BAGS TO PREVENT BLOWING. Car~lboard CORRUGATED ONL~ No processed pa- perboard (i.e., cereal boxes, shoe boxes, etc.) and NO Waxed or plastic coated Cardboard; co*mingl~! (mix~l Can~ & Plastic) Metal and plastic containers are mixed to- gether. Metal includes all tin and aluminum food or beverage cans and trays and EMP- TY aerosol or latex paint cans. Plastics in- dude bottles and food Containers with the #1 or #2 recycling logo). (Includes bottles for most beverages and other lif/uids.) NO TOYS O R APPLIANCES. Glass All beverage and food bottles are OK! Re- move caps and lids - these go in your reg~- Iar trash. DO NOT INCLUDE light b~lbs, window glass, mirrors, drinking glasses, dtc~ Scrap Metal All aVv~ces, bicycles, toys, furniture, car parts, etc~ made mostly or entirely of metal are w(tghed at the scale and brought to the metal bunker. HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE (HHW) Items such as oil-based paints, automotive fluids, pesticides, aerosols, and chemical cleaners can be brought to the Transfer Station for proper dis- posal on designated days throughout the year. Please call or check the website for a listing of current HHW dates. ELECTRONIC WASTE (E-Waste) Computers, televisions, video game and home theater systems, stereos, fax machines, handheld games and portable media devices are examples of "E-Waste." E-Waste con- tains metals and other toxic substances that should not be included with normal trash. The Transfer Station accepts "E-Waste" dally from residents free of charge. WASTE OIL There is a tank at the Transfer Station for waste motor oil and cooking oil, which is accepted from residents daily, free of charge. The oil is filtered and re-used as heating fuel. Solvents such as gasoline and brake fluid are not accepted. These contaminate the oil and make it unusable. (They should be brought to a HHW day - see above). JULY 2008 Install CFLs in hard-to- reach areas, such as hall- ways, closets, vault:ed ceilings, etc. You won~ have to climb a ladder again for years to come! A FACT SHEET FROI~ THE SOUTHOLD TOWN DEPARTMENT OF SOLID WASTE Compact Fluorescent Bulb Disposal & Handling Most CR-s are rated for outdoor t:~se, but read the ~ care- fully to make aJm. CFLs can be u~ with timers, motion detec- tors, photocelts and occu~ sen- ~ors. If you need to use a dimmer switch, look for a CFL designed specifically for dtmrr~J~. You can use CFEs to re- place bulbs in many halogen lamps, which will save energy and greaUy reduce the dsk of fir~ THE SOUTHOLD TOWN DEPARTMENT OF SOLID WASTE The Southold Town Transfer Station is located at: 6155 Cox Lane Cutchogue, NY 11935 Phone: 631-734-7685 Or visit www.southoldtown.nor thfork.net THIS BROCHURE WAS PRODUCED iN COOPERATION WITH THE BROOME COUNTY (NY) DMSION OF SOLID WASTE HANAGEM~T. 100% Post Consumer Recycled Paper Compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs when compared to standard incandes- cent bulbs use 2/3 less energy and last up to 10 times longer. Replacing a 60 watt incandescent bulb with a 13 watt CFL can save at least $30 in energy cost over the life of the bulb. Do CFLs contain mercury? Yes, CFLs contain a small amount of mercury that is sealed within the glass tubing; an average of 5 milligrams (equivalent to the tip of a ball point pen). Mercury is an irreplaceable ele- ment in CFLs and is what allows it to be an efficient light source. '~As a comparison an old thermostat could contain up to 3000 milligrams of mercury and a old thermometer could have up to 500 milligrams. Should ! be concerned about us- ing CFLs in my home? put a drop cloth on the floor so that any accidental breakage can be easily cleaned up. What is the proper way to dis- pose of a CFL bulb? CFLs should be disposed of properly. The Southold Transfer Station ac- cepts CFLs (as well as standard fluo- rescent bulbs) during normal busi- ness hours (7:00 am--5:00 pm, 7 days a week, except holidays). The bulbs are removed by a special haz- ardous waste handler for proper dis- posal. There is no fee for household users. (No bulbs or other hazardous wastes are accepted from busi- nesses. The Transfer Station office can refer businesses to companies that can assist with their hazardous waste disposal needs). will spread m~rcury containing dust thrOughout the area as well as con- ~minating the vacuum, What you ShOuld do isi .Ventilate the area. · If ~ble, redu~ the tempera~re. · g~ss~, coveralls orold dothing, and w~ the sti~ side of duct, ~ng m maskir~ taPe; WiPe ~ area with mate!!a!s u~ to clean uP the bulb in a ~ c!~ container.· Take the oUS Wa~ FaciliW, CFLs are safe to use. Mercury is not released when bulbs are in use. CFLs are made of glass tubing that may break if dropped or mishandled. Cau- tion should be exercised when remov- lng the lamp from its packaging, in- stalling it or replacing it. Remember, the next time you replace a bulb, to health risks. BeloW are some dis, u~ a ~um; A ~ndard vacuum Note: For more descriptive directions to clean up a small mer- cury spill please visit the Environ- mental Protection Agency at www.epa.qov -How does the price compare to plastic? The new paper bags do cost,from 7¢ to 10¢ more than the plastic bag~ most people usedin the past. That means -.someone usbg 50 bags would, on average, spegd less than $5 more on bags~ Still, the bags are'cheaper than similar ones elsewhere, including the home improvement stores (which will also charge sales tax), and by using them residents ensure they will continue to have their bags picked up mice-per- year during the Southold Town Highway Depar,tmenrs seasonal yard waste cleanup program. How do the paper bags hold up? The I~ags are ~trong Z they hold up to 60 lbs. They are also durable: they are made of heavy duty, wet-strength paper designed to last up to one month at the curb, in all weather conditions. In storage, the bags will last indefi- nitely. · Are they only for leaves, or can I use them for other kinds of waste? The bags are specifically designed - and only required -for leaves left. at the curb for the Highway Depa~tmenrs cleanup program. You may bring leaves yourself to the compost site in the bags, but you do not have to. (If you bring leave, s in plastic bags, how- ever, you will be required to emp~ them.) The bags should not be used for other yard waste. OF COURSE, THE BAGS SHOULD NEVER BE USED FOR GARBAGE, LI1TrER, 0t~ OTHER DEBRIS! I've seen similar bags in stores. Can I use them, or must i buy onlY the Town's bags? Any similar bags may be used so long as they are "wet-strength" treated ~ paper bags. Mar~y home improve- ment stores sell them, although they will cost more than the Town's bags and will include sales tax. SOUTHOLD TOWN'S LEAF COMPOSTING PROGRAM Questions? Go to h ttp : / / southoldtown . north fork met// , click on "waste disposal." Or call 734-7685 Produced by Southold Town Department of Solid Waste September; 2008 ABOUT SOUTHOLD'S PAPER LEAF BAG PROGRAM · September 2008 ~RINTED ON 1OO% RECYCLED PAPER SoutholdTown is proud to c0nfi'ibute to the "greening" of our community through the Use of... Biodegradeable Paper Leaf Bags. In 2004 Southold Town bec6me a pi- oneer in keeping an important natural ,' resource.., welJ, natural! That year, it began Long Islan'd first.town-wide "paper leaf bag program" for *.~ ~!i~;.,. bagged leaves brought to the corn-~':?~ post facility in Qutchogue. Thi's pro- gram has worked in Southold and is a key part of "going green" in many communities nationwide. The Paper Bags are required' for all bagged leaves placed out for pick- up by the Town High'w_ay Departmerit during the spring and fall cJeanups~ and for bags left at the compost site · by residents. (NOTE: if you bring your. leaves to the compost site yourself'you may use plastic, but the.bags MUST be emptied at the site.) PLASTIC BAGS ARE NOT PICKED UP, AND WILL BE LEFT BEHIND IF PLACED AT THE CURB! ~ NO F~BAGS! HOw much do .they cost and where can I buy them? · The bags cost 41 ¢ each. They also come in 5 packs for $2.05 each. Sales tax is not charged. They are available at the Transfer Station. Office, the Town Clerks' Office, and the fo!lowing retail outlets: ,,~ ~ ? · Angels Country Store, East Marion · Greenport IGA · Harts Hardware, Southold · Polywoda Beve~rage, Southold · Patriot Gas, Greenport · Southold IGA · Southold 7-11 · Cutch°gue7-1_l · King Kullen, Cutchogue · Orlowski Hardware, Maltituck · Handy Rantry, Maltituck Paper leaf bags-may also be available at other'locations - check with your favorite store. Why Paper Bags? Better Service. The paper will decompos~ with the leaves, allowing the Town to make more compost to give away to residents (500 lbs/year per person), or sell to offset costs. Saves Money. Leaves delivered in plastic bags cannot be de-bagged effectively and used for composting - they must be disposed of at a cost of more than $30,000 per year of ~,our tax dollars!-By the end of 2008 the leaf bag program will have saved the Town -AND the taxpayers - over $ ! 50,0001! EnvirOnmentally Sound' Eliminating plastic from the leaves -enables the Town to produce a cleaner more marketable compost - most of which will be used to improve the soils of farms, vineyards, and homeowners right here in Southold., This in turn should result i.n application of less chemical fertilizers in our Town, and reduce threats to our groundwater.