[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6146889,"mediaKeyId","5523400-398a78743def9c22467d8c581eb2e4ae","parentId",5523400,"title","CSWD's Green Mountain Compost reports lower contamination after year of new policy, flags liner bags and school cafeteria waste","audioSeconds",223,"startMs",1222000,"endMs",1445000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5523400-398a78743def9c22467d8c581eb2e4ae&start=1222&end=1445","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5523400-398a78743def9c22467d8c581eb2e4ae/thumbnail_1222000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6146889/Chittenden-County/Vermont/CSWDs-Green-Mountain-Compost-reports-lower-contamination-after-year-of-new-policy-flags-liner-bags-and-school-cafeteria-waste","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6146889-5b43dc78b3b8be745eb679c326b18b15/orig.mp4?Expires=1771202614&Signature=mPJpOM2egE9b2MaeYxh~o-cpzr7Z5fqgE1670Uv5tWTuGBhtAOhEiim1Q1z1sHkdOJPSOl7Ul27CdjI9FE5xWlNC3jQuFuRXux6FuXk5Gxr9kx59HWa828U3Jyo6R9wALkW~ASAM15od1Rt1Xt33CG7fL1uR242vaLyhwl6fW0Hmw8EucM7UnANBORjn9FLoP60~QRNcjF1j~6WBgP66XFzmABfmak0-dURxj670X9YHjoUnV9VBPBiblG3e-oXehBTG9dNDioqYP-TmmYl875CD4j8ZgWZgD7yPg-fPtMqJc8iomterxa3Mt1nXT1srpyxjG5HlfN8HnPoM~hlr-A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Chittenden County, VT","date","2025-08-01T19:11:51.183Z","article","Chittenden Solid Waste District staff reported progress and continuing challenges on July 30 from the district's organic recycling facility (Green Mountain Compost) following the first full year of a board-approved contamination policy.

\"Our contamination policy is a volumetric threshold. If a load is over 5% contaminated, it goes into a contaminated load branch,\" Allison Smith, organics contamination and quality control lead, told commissioners. Loads exceeding 5% are charged a fee; loads over 10% are rare and subject to higher fees or removal.

Staff said the policy went into effect July 1, 2024, and that routine load checks and targeted outreach have improved incoming feedstock quality. Allison said she performed about 350 load checks over the past year and that most loads were under the 5% contamination threshold. \"Most of our loads coming into our facility are great,\" she said.

But staff identified persistent problem areas. The most common contaminant is conventional film \"liner\" bags that resemble compostable bags but are not certified; those bags break open and can scatter plastic through otherwise clean loads. Allison said certified compostable liners (typically certified by third-party programs such as BPI) are acceptable, but many consumers buy look-alike or greenwashed bags that are not compostable. \"Liner bags . . . are far and away the biggest one that we see,\" she said.

School cafeteria streams and some commercial break-room waste were also highlighted. Staff said direct outreach improves results but that punitive fees have been effective in at least one commercial case; Allison described sending notices and, when the stream did not improve, applying a fine that led the business to change behavior.

Operations improvements also reduced contamination in the curing/product area: staff credited new equipment, including an ARRIS wind sifter installed on a screener and upgrades funded by the board, along with manual hand-picking of overs (bulky woody material that can be cleaned and reintroduced into the process). Allison described a large cleaning-and-shredding effort that enabled material previously destined for landfill to be used in-house.

Financial results from fines were modest overall but notable in one month when a single excessively contaminated load generated a spike; Allison said that one load was billed at \"$150 per ton\" and that the tonnage (about 6.5 tons) produced the spike.

Staff said they will continue targeted outreach (particularly to identified school districts), increase public resources about certified compostable liners, and maintain ongoing load checks: \"The hardest part of contamination is that you have to maintain it,\" Allison said. Commissioners asked whether CSWD or haulers could sell certified liners to customers; staff said the district does not currently retail liners at facilities but may consider options at drop-off centers and will provide clearer web and printed guidance about certification and acceptable materials.

The presentation was informational; the board did not take formal regulatory action at the meeting.

","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Chittenden Solid Waste District - 7/30/2025","oneSentenceSummary","CSWD staff reported reduced contamination and ongoing problems with liner bags and some school cafeteria waste after the first full year of the district's contamination policy at Green Mountain Compost.","taxTitle","Chittenden County, Vermont","taxId",2749,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6146894,"CSWD commissioners ask for clearer reserve reporting; question Burlington recycling generation tax",861,150000,1011000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5523400-398a78743def9c22467d8c581eb2e4ae&start=150&end=1011","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5523400-398a78743def9c22467d8c581eb2e4ae/thumbnail_150000.jpg","/articles/6146894/Chittenden-County/Vermont/CSWD-commissioners-ask-for-clearer-reserve-reporting-question-Burlington-recycling-generation-tax","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6146894-982c171ca037ab240bd49c7b7cd41010/orig.mp4?Expires=1771202614&Signature=SHsHNwI843qp3rC2K6HEJ7rR3PeG5IrXXCK6S2Kbrp-TLmgBB1PT~BsqB5atUByW6JwKpln01~R47XGeXcyJTT5qnainTZpyx15we7ZQUzhfDGNRcEviUJ2rofujba7vxUc~yqX62DbzzvTqeFFfkLoHZ4~eErdRbuXkh5N0PYT-tKY5wF60YV-W8t7G4pMWK0TJzEio6PIoghbCqzNKR6JvI48jzM8RsfsjhrrlWsQmn~kREZhzET0hd-Xsl5YJOm5Y0x0uEG-jaaRsw8anbJrMuG7JAcWaeNpqBv9HUl3SnYhVYTSjUBD21n6JQFhza4IZ3nxWKdGKsSDfX8Y9-w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Commissioners at the Chittenden Solid Waste District on July 30 requested more frequent, clearer reporting on the district's reserve-designated funds and sought updated information on a City of Burlington recycling generation tax the district has been paying.

Board members asked staff to add flags or notes showing when a reserve balance changes and what the target or purpose of each fund is, to make it easier for commissioners who review the packet intermittently to see why numbers moved. \"I would love . . . an indicator on a monthly basis whether it's changed or not,\" Commissioner Ken said during the consent-agenda discussion. Staff said they will present a fuller year-end accounting in September and intend to update some of the reserve balances monthly going forward.

The discussion also touched on whether CSWD is obligated to pay a Burlington charge that the presenters described as a recycling generation tax levied on haulers who collect recycling in the city. Executive Director Alan (role identified in the packet as executive director) said the district has paid a fee historically tied to Burlington's bag revenue and that the district's memorandum of agreement (MOA) with Burlington expired in 2008. \"We no longer have an active MOA with the city for this tax,\" Alan said. He said he has requested a meeting with Burlington's Department of Public Works to clarify responsibility and related benefits to host communities.

Staff told the board the tax doubled starting July 1 to about $12.06 per household from roughly $6 and that, under the district's prior MOA language, the cost was folded into the bag price rather than billed separately. Alan and staff said the annual dollar impact on CSWD is small, roughly a few thousand dollars a year, but the increase and the timing of notice are matters for follow-up. \"It was not in our budget,\" Alan said. Commissioners asked whether host communities such as Essex could require payments for road maintenance; staff replied that such arrangements are typically handled through lease or MOA language and that CSWD has several site-specific agreements.

The board removed two consent-agenda reports (the finance warrant and the executive director update) for discussion and, after staff's explanations, accepted the remaining consent items as presented. Staff said they will circulate an explanatory memo about fund targets and plan to present final fiscal 2025 year-end figures at the September meeting so commissioners can see how reserve-designated funds moved during the year.

The discussion included technical clarifications from staff about how designated reserves are recorded in CSWD's financial statements: \"The funds are actually a claim against equity,\" a staff member identified as John said. Staff explained the cash is commingled although the district maintains labeled designations for particular purposes (for example, a capital fund for the Murph project, a landfill post-closure fund, a community cleanup fund) and some funds are capped until operational calculations require adjustment. Commissioners recommended additional monthly context and clearer hierarchies or labels; staff agreed and noted a memo exists that will be recirculated and that the September presentation will include year-end reconciliations.

The matter was presented as informational; the board did not take new policy action on the tax or the reserves at the July meeting and directed staff to follow up with Burlington and provide more regular reporting to the board.

","Commissioners asked staff for clearer monthly indicators for reserve-designated funds and pressed for clarity on whether Chittenden Solid Waste District must pay the City of Burlington's recycling \"generation\" tax after the district's memorandum of agreement lapsed.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6146885,"Murph project update: staff models four operating scenarios and forecasts positive long-term cash flow under current assumptions",144,2946000,3090000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5523400-398a78743def9c22467d8c581eb2e4ae&start=2946&end=3090","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5523400-398a78743def9c22467d8c581eb2e4ae/thumbnail_2946000.jpg","/articles/6146885/Chittenden-County/Vermont/Murph-project-update-staff-models-four-operating-scenarios-and-forecasts-positive-long-term-cash-flow-under-current-assumptions","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6146885-7841d17829d472a04835b10562010bc3/orig.mp4?Expires=1771202614&Signature=CmF~bUKGds2c5EWWc4qbIQpod-yJeXV6IEIlOhcDKxWQB7IRe9XeT2nSanGjlCt0DrxpP-hJBR4dGzDgXtPYuxfIFiZTpoHRO2oEdL~aoTpz9GtuYvwbIJVUksrNVkQ8iLM1cNoFIt3XDMO233aMH0v6hJgdqs3zXUUFC0sjLWrraIY8G7a5D-2JUbzBjZhEO6Q~bj~Tg45xi5Vuz97cea0MWWZjHsKwMPVzMCJmr3ojf~n4y3jvJGL9Xhc3S9TlZNKBCMLRLlsyWn~lzxb7Adg9fMjrLOyBDtNICAWw2uwSxzBe0mXQREYMm6Mq-UEkI-s7kgOtDKgcTK~Lc1T1PA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","CSWD staff presented an updated financial model for the Murph materials-recovery facility on July 30, showing four scenarios that vary assumed processing volumes and whether operation would be contracted out or run by district staff.

\"For FY26 it looks like the Murph, given all of the assumptions listed in the memo, looks like we should have a positive cash flow coming out of the Murph as a standalone entity of $2,300,000,\" a staff member identified as John said while walking the board through the scenarios. He and other presenters emphasized these are modelled projections based on assumptions current to July 23 and that actual timing of commissioning, the construction schedule, decommissioning costs of the old facility and final debt terms will materially affect results.

The four scenarios presented were: lower volumes with contracted operation; lower volumes with district operation; higher volumes with contracted operation; and higher volumes with district operation. Across scenarios, annual cash flow remained positive in the model through the multi-year projection, though some quarters show negative cash flow when principal payments begin. Staff noted year-to-year variation depends on timing of transition from the old facility, the start of principal payments and final terms of any operating contract or bond amortization.

John said the district is preparing a request for information (RFI) and expects to issue a request for proposals (RFP) for operations in late 2025 or early 2026 to gauge market interest and firm up assumptions. \"We will go out to bid for the operations,\" he said. Staff also noted they are separating the operating contract from material-marketing services in the procurement.

Presenters said the bond bank completed a sale that staff will incorporate into amortization schedules and that additional inputs (final construction schedule, transition plan and broker fees for material marketing) will be integrated as they become available. Commissioners expressed that the near-term modeling showing positive multi-year cash flow under the presented assumptions was reassuring but reiterated the results depend on many uncertain variables.

No formal procurement decisions were made at the July meeting; the presentation was informational and staff outlined next steps including RFI/RFP work and further model refinements as construction and financing details are finalized.

","Staff presented four scenarios modeling operational cash flows for the new Murph (MRF) facility; under the assumptions presented July 23 the model shows positive annual cash flows across scenarios although some quarters show negative cash flow when principal payments begin.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

CSWD's Green Mountain Compost reports lower contamination after year of new policy, flags liner bags and school cafeteria waste

CSWD commissioners ask for clearer reserve reporting; question Burlington recycling generation tax

Murph project update: staff models four operating scenarios and forecasts positive long-term cash flow under current assumptions