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 or reuse of common construction and demolition (C&D) materials such as wood, drywall, metals and cardboard. Staff emphasized they would first try to identify and remove barriers for contractors before recommending a mandate.

- Pricing and rate incentives: Staff outlined options to widen residential rate differences (example cited: a 48-gallon cart costs only about $2 less than a 95-gallon cart) so small generators pay less and large generators pay more. Staff noted some cities charge proportionally more for larger carts or for extra trash containers, and that commercial customers already pay more for higher pickup frequency.

- Communication tools: Staff proposed a consolidated communications platform (app, texting service or similar) to push notifications about service changes (snow delays, program starts/ends), citing Republic’s texting service that currently reaches roughly half of customers. Commissioners stressed the tool should avoid over-notification and staff said any system would require customers’ permission to opt in.

- Residential food-waste diversion: Staff said only about half of compost customers currently use the service for food waste. The city recently expanded accepted food-waste items in residential compost carts and is piloting two multifamily food-waste drop-off locations (one near downtown/Fort Boise and one in West Boise). The pilot, launched about six months prior, has more than 100 sign-ups; staff set a one-year pilot target of 200 participants.

- Overflow/extra recycling education: Staff argued for clearer outreach on options for overflow recycling (extra carts, drop-off sites, properly flattened cardboard). They noted weekly recycling pickup is possible but carries higher cost and emissions from additional truck runs; an extra recycling cart is available for about $0.85 per month rental.

- Event waste policy for city property: Staff proposed developing a formal waste-reduction policy for events on city property (requirements or guidance such as providing recycling or reusable cups) to reduce event-generated trash.

- Reduce-and-reuse micro-grants: Staff proposed small grants (staff estimated “probably less than $10,000” total in initial funding) to support community organizations running repair, reuse or donation programs.

- Multifamily diversion program: Staff flagged multifamily housing as an equity and access issue where residents often lack recycling or compost service because property owners choose not to provide it. Potential actions include bundling recycling with trash service or requiring recycling for larger multifamily properties.

Commissioner feedback and recurring themes Commissioners praised the multifamily and event-policy concepts as likely high-impact, lower-barrier items and asked staff to return with more data on diversion potential and costs before moving toward mandates. Common concerns included: - Cost and cost-benefit: Commissioners repeatedly asked for clearer cost estimates and comparisons with peer cities, especially for weekly recycling or price signals that alter customer behavior. Staff said cost modeling was part of later analysis and that pricing changes would likely be phased in over years rather than deployed abruptly. - Behavior and equity effects: Several commissioners raised the risk that price increases could push some residents to illegal dumping or place undue burden on low-income households; one commissioner suggested discounts or exemptions for qualifying low-income customers. - Market and operational feasibility: Commissioners asked whether local recycling markets exist for targeted construction materials. Staff said markets exist for many C&D materials (wood, metals, drywall, cardboard) and that staff would only recommend requirements for materials with an existing market. - Communications and uptake: Commissioners and staff agreed on the need for better upstream education and clearer, low-friction notification options (texting, apps, neighborhood outreach) so residents understand pickup schedules and program rules.

Pilot details and near-term steps Staff said the multifamily food-waste drop-off pilot has two sites, more sign-ups downtown than on the west side, and an intended one-year evaluation period. Staff asked commissioners to score the eight concepts using a four-star support scale and promised to use the commission’s input alongside public feedback and a quantitative scoring matrix that will include estimated diversion and cost metrics.

Formal procedural actions The commission approved the minutes from the Feb. 5, 2025 regular meeting (motion by Commissioner Morgan; second by Commissioner Wirtz; motion carried). The meeting adjourned on a motion by Commissioner Lockett, seconded by Commissioner Ellis; the motion carried.

Outlook Staff said the strategic plan is intended to be a flexible 10-year guide. Commissioners asked staff to return with more detailed cost estimates, diversion estimates, market analyses for construction recycling, and clearer deployment options for communication tools before adopting mandates. Staff also noted ongoing coordination with Planning & Development Services on siting and requirements for drop-off locations and with Republic (the city’s service provider) on notification capabilities.