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Committee outlines surveys, outreach and data gaps as Charlevoix County begins Materials Management Plan work
Summary
Charlevoix County staff and EGLE outlined the plan format and next steps for a county Materials Management Plan, including issuing an RFP for technical assistance, drafting three surveys for varied stakeholders, and identifying outreach venues and local data gaps to address.
Officials at the Charlevoix County Materials Management Planning Committee meeting on April 24 said the county will use the Michigan EGLE plan format as the base for its Materials Management Plan and is seeking technical assistance to calculate solid waste rates and material tonnages.
Tracy Tomazsewski, Recycling Specialist at the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE), provided the committee with a Materials Management Planning presentation and the EGLE plan format the county will use.
Mathew Cooke, DPA representative, said the county has issued a request for proposals for technical assistance and that staff will develop three surveys "for residents, local units of government, and businesses to respond to." Cooke said a draft of those surveys will be available for committee review at the May meeting and that the surveys are planned for release in June and run through the summer.
Committee members suggested sites and organizations to aid outreach, including the ferry and Beaver Island airport, MSU Extension offices and local programs such as Boyne City Composting. Vice Chair Tim Nemecek cautioned that Boyne City has "had to look at restricting usage of compost services as they exceed tonnages leading to an increase in costs to the city residents," a local constraint committee members indicated should be reflected in planning and survey questions.
Robin Hissong-Berry said the committee lacks data on volumes and contamination at a drop-off site in Melrose Township; members identified this as a data gap staff should try to fill through surveys or technical assistance.
Members also discussed community engagement tactics, including attending local events and meeting with municipalities and businesses directly to encourage responses. Mathew Cooke asked for suggestions about community events where staff could promote the survey and noted staff will present the draft surveys at the next meeting.
Eliza Hensel, the committee representative for a composting facility, said she will step down from the committee because she is moving; the committee will seek a replacement to represent composting facilities.
The committee did not take any formal policy votes related to MMP content at the April 24 meeting; the next procedural steps are staff-produced RFP evaluation, survey drafts at the May meeting and a planned survey release in June.
