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E‑board backs pilot at middle school for composting and reusable utensils, plans bag‑fee grant program
Summary
Board members agreed to pursue a middle-school pilot for composting and reusable utensils after teachers requested support; members proposed a community grant program funded by bag‑fee revenue to scale waste‑reduction projects for multifamily buildings and restaurants.
Board members reviewed an action-item request from Carbondale Middle School to begin composting and replace single‑use utensils with reusable flatware. Members said teachers requested help because the school currently uses disposable utensils and custodial staff identified logistical challenges for washing and tracking reusable items. The board recommended asking the middle school to submit a proposal with counts and wash-cycle capacity and to test the program there first before expanding to other schools.
Members discussed alternatives (compostable disposables vs. reusable utensils) and acknowledged the school district may hold budget authority over food-service purchases; the consensus was to obtain cost details from the middle school and let the school source supplies through their usual distributors if the board funds a pilot.
Separately, members proposed a bag-fee-funded community grant program to solicit ideas for waste reduction across Carbondale, including multifamily-composting pilots and restaurant support. The board emphasized designing an open application process with clear selection criteria to avoid appearing arbitrary when municipal funds go to private businesses. Staff noted legal and procurement considerations and recommended structuring the program as a competitive grant with a selection committee.
No final award decisions were made; board members directed volunteers to develop an application template and return a draft proposal for review at the next meeting.
