Boise Public Works commissioners test eight draft strategies for solid-waste plan

Boise City Public Works staff presented eight high-level concepts for a 10-year solid-waste strategic plan and asked the Public Works Commission for feedback during a focus-group-style discussion at a regular meeting of the commission.

The concepts — which staff said are based on a community survey that drew about 4,000 responses and two prior focus groups — include requiring recycling on construction projects, pricing and rate changes to reward less trash, improved customer notification tools, expanded residential food-waste collection, targeted education about overflow recycling, an events waste-reduction policy for city property, a micro-grant program for reduce-and-reuse efforts, and a targeted multifamily waste-diversion program.

Why it matters: staff said the plan is intended to guide materials-management decisions over roughly the next decade and reflect community values. Commissioners pressed staff for greater clarity on likely costs, measurable diversion impacts and where existing markets and operational capacity would limit options.

City staff presentation and scope Peter McAuliffe, the city’s Solid Waste Program manager, and public-works staff said they narrowed ideas from survey findings into about 20 concepts and brought eight to focus groups ‘‘so people don’t have to spend four hours’’ on the entire list. McAuliffe told commissioners the plan’s goal is to produce “community-supported materials-management programs and services” and that staff expect to finish the plan by the end of the year. He said staff have started a scoring matrix to prioritize ideas using community and commission feedback.

Eight concepts summarized - Construction diversion: Staff described a potential city ordinance that would require diversion…