Committee reviews contamination-reduction plan: curbside audits, RFID tags and oops tags proposed

Director Baldwin (Division of Waste Management) and staff briefed the Environmental Quality and Public Works Committee on May 13 on a contamination-reduction plan developed by a new work group formed after the waste digester task force.

Baldwin said the work group began meeting in January and reported a high contamination rate in the cityrecycling stream: "our contamination rate for recycling, is currently sitting at about 35%" and the yard-waste stream was about 60% at the time of the staff report. He said the groupapproach combines three strands: staff training and empowerment (facility tours, frontline audits), public information and engagement (postcards, events, relaunch of recycling education), and an enforcement-backed process to change behavior.

Staff proposed a pilot curbside audit program with green/yellow/red tags: green for acceptable collection, yellow for a warning that the load is marginal, and red when contamination exceeds standards. Baldwin described an "oops"-tag educational first step and said the city would pilot audits, train auditors and notify customers by postcard, yard sign and other outreach before pursuing cart removal for repeat offenders. He said the work group proposes a three-strike approach; red strikes would fall off after 12 months and a resident can reapply for service if they move in or otherwise provide proof to reopen service.

Operational changes proposed in the presentation include in-mold cart labeling (permanent molded labels rather than stickers), RFID tags tested on several collection vehicles to track where carts travel, an expansion of audits to commercial and multifamily routes, and a proposed color change for yard-waste lids to a national standard yellow when carts are replaced. Baldwin flagged downtown routes as a special challenge and said RFID tracking could help identify how carts "get legs" and travel off-route.

Staff set phased contamination-reduction targets tied to implementation: a 3to5% reduction by the end of the fourth calendar quarter (staff referenced an adjustment to calendar-year language), an additional 5to10% reduction by the end of the first calendar year quarter of 2026, and an aggregate 10to20% reduction by the end of calendar 2027 depending on how aggressively the city and partners implement the plan.

Council members asked how replacement costs and contract language would be handled and whether the city had a current cart-removal process. Baldwin said the city currently has no formal cart-removal policy and described removal as a later-stage enforcement tool used after education, tags and outreach. He also said the cart-manufacturing contract expires in September and staff intends to include color and labeling requirements in the next contract to allow a phased rollout.

Questions from council members covered drop-off locations (some removed earlier because of illegal dumping), outreach to rural and multi-family residents, possible changes in cart sizes, and customer-facing tools such as a vendor app or QR codes. Baldwin and an education staffer, Jennifer, confirmed curbside recycling now accepts to-go paper coffee cups (but not the lids) and said staff will update public education materials as new equipment and tracking are deployed.

Baldwin asked the council for support on communication, approval of a new cart contract later this year, and approval of updated affiliate agreements. No ordinance or budget changes were adopted at the meeting; staff will return with implementation details and proposed contract language.