Cuyahoga County solid-waste plan update presented to Lakewood committee; committee refers ratification to full council

The Lakewood Public Works and Sustainability Committee heard a presentation Monday on the Cuyahoga County Solid Waste District's proposed 15-year Solid Waste Management Plan update and voted to refer the ratification ordinance to the full City Council.

Beth Biggins Raymer, executive director of the Cuyahoga County Solid Waste District, told the committee the district's plan is a 329-page master plan with a 15-year planning horizon that the district updates every five years. She said the plan uses 2022 as its base data year and that the district began the update process in 2023, including stakeholder meetings and a 30-day public comment period this year that yielded no written comments and a public hearing with no attendees.

The plan, Biggins Raymer said, aims to show the district has capacity to manage its waste stream, secure stable funding and meet the state-required goals for programming such as household hazardous waste, scrap tires and education. "There will be no new fee increases in this plan. Our $2 per ton generation fee will stay in place," she said. She added the district intends to use some of its fund balance to launch expanded programming rather than raise the per-ton fee.

Why it matters: the ratification affects 59 communities served by the district and requires legislative action by those communities. Biggins Raymer said communities must pass a corresponding piece of legislation by the district's August ratification deadline; municipalities that do not take action count as a "no". To certify ratification the district must receive affirmative votes representing at least 60% of the district population, inclusive of the City of Cleveland and county council, before sending the plan and tally to the Ohio EPA for review and director's findings.

Key changes and programs noted in the presentation include increasing grant amounts and refining grant types (splitting the container grant into a nonprofit grant and a schools/institutions grant), offering larger special-project awards (up to $25,000 per award), investigating organics consortiums for yard and food waste processing, and conducting a textile-waste analysis to identify where textiles originate and how they are handled. The district also plans to expand its environmental-crimes task force that investigates illegal dumping and to continue existing programs including household hazardous waste collection, a scrap-tire roundup and a pilot for battery collection.

Biggins Raymer described the district's funding mechanism: most Ohio districts use either a disposal-based generation fee or an active-landfill fee; because Cuyahoga County lacks an active landfill it uses a generation fee currently set at $2 per ton. She said that fee produces roughly $2.6 million annually for district programs, while noting the state average generation fee is about $4.75 per ton.

Lakewood council members and staff discussed local implementation and outreach. Committee members asked how the district can help increase recycling participation, reduce contamination in curbside recycling, and connect multifamily complexes and business clusters with technical help. The district highlighted free consulting for contracting and waste audits, an on-staff business-and-industry specialist (Doreen) who performs audits and outreach, and an education specialist (Karen Miller) who works with schools and civic groups. The district's website feature "What Do I Do With" was identified by committee members as a useful local resource for residents.

The committee voted to refer the ratification ordinance to the full Lakewood City Council for consideration. The committee also approved routine minutes earlier in the meeting.

Votes at a glance - Motion to approve April meeting minutes: passed (recorded: "Tom voted yes"; full tally not specified in the transcript). - Motion to refer the Cuyahoga County Solid Waste District ratification ordinance favorably to the full Lakewood City Council: passed by voice vote; exact tally not specified in the transcript.

The district's plan will next be considered by municipalities across the district before the district certifies the ratification tally and forwards the package to the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency for final review and findings, which Biggins Raymer said the district expects shortly after the start of next year.