Title
Environmental Commission Resolution to Support Funding for Organics Recovery in FY 19
Memorandum
The Environmental Commission is recommending that the Ann Arbor City Council allocate $100,0000 on education, outreach, and collection equipment to improve organics recovery rates in the FY 2019 budget.
Staff
Prepared by Commissioner Hutton
Body
Whereas, The City of Ann Arbor's Comprehensive Organics Plan ("The Plan"), dated May 2017, notes that approximately twenty percent (20%) of the city's waste currently being landfilled is food waste;
Whereas, The Plan identifies "robust education and outreach" as one of its principal recommendations, "helping residents and businesses to identify the environmental benefits of reducing and diverting organic wastes and promote the programs available to them to divert organic wastes";
Whereas, The Plan recommends an annual expenditure of $3 to $4 per household ($67,500 to $90,000 for 22,500 households) for education and outreach aimed at the residential sector;
Whereas, The City's Solid Waste Resource Plan Update 2012-2017 and the City's Sustainability Framework both tout the benefits and opportunities related to organics recovery in general and food waste composting in particular;
Whereas, The City has not funded specific food waste recovery education and outreach in the residential sector since the program's initial launch four years ago;
Whereas, The Plan estimates that fewer than 25% of curbside residential households have a compost cart, and of those that do, only 30% are placing food waste into those carts, a food waste participation percentage of roughly 7.5% after four years of program history;
Whereas, Integrated and expanded community outreach/education, discounted compost curb carts and free kitchen countertop containers can be expected to increase compost awareness and recovery rates in the near and long-term;
RESOLVED, That the Environmental Commission recommends that City Council allocate $100,000 in FY...
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