Whereas, 30% of all waste which otherwise end up at landfills or incinerators is compostable,
Whereas, burning or landfilling said waste comes at a health and economic cost to the taxpayers of the city of Revere,
Whereas, landfilling said waste creates methane that is 56 times more potent than carbon dioxide over a 20-year period emitting over 108 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent,
Whereas, the city of Revere recognizes that carbon emissions and its carbon footprint contribute to climate change which is eroding our city's coastal landscape and putting homeowners and residents at a disparate risk of displacement due to loss of dwelling, caused by exacerbated flooding,
Whereas, compost by-products can replace harmful synthetic chemical fertilizers that deplete soil, produce nitrous oxide, cause a formation of smog and respiratory problems and lung damage, and kill fish and other sea life,
Whereas, diverting 30% of all waste from traditional waste disposal mechanisms can potentially save the city millions of dollars in traditional waste disposal,
The city council resolves to direct the mayor invest no less than $25,000 a year from a mix of mitigation money, including mitigation monies from the traditional waste disposal programs, the general fund, or state, federal, or private grants, offsetting funds, toward creating and maintaining a partially or fully subsidized curb-side composting program for residents of Revere.
(C.O. 24-174, 11/25/2024)
"Community partners"
means non-profit organizations, residents, or community leaders with a particular emphasis on organizations or groups who operate in the food security space in the city.
"Compost"
means a dark, crumbly, earthy-smelling, biologically stable soil amendment produced by the aerobic decomposition of organic materials.
"Compostable material"
means organic material that may be turned into compost.
"Composting"
means the natural process by which organic matter such as leaves and food scraps, are recycled into compost.
"Curb-side composting"
means programs that are fully or partially subsidized by the city, via general fund appropriations, offsetting funds, or mitigation monies for regular pick up of compostable material from resident's homes.
"Low-income applicants"
for the purposes of this act shall mean any resident with a household income less than or equal to 60% of the area median income (AMI) or a fixed household income of no more than 75% of AMI.
"Offsetting funds"
means monies saved because of the diversion of compostable material from the city's traditional waste programs.
"Traditional waste"
means trash or non-organic recycling picked up regularly at residents' homes by the city or one of its contractors.
(C.O. 24-174, 11/25/2024)
The mayor shall design a curb-side composting program, said composting program must include at-least the following:
A. 
Compostable material shall be picked up at least as regularly as traditional waste is picked up;
B. 
The mayor shall advertise enrollment into the composting programs via the same methods as traditional waste programs are disseminated and at the least pursuant to the city's language access ordinances or regulatory framework;
C. 
The program enrollment shall prioritize including an equal number of participants from each ward in the city;
D. 
Exploration of potential regional curb-side composting programs or partnerships with neighboring municipalities;
E. 
That any company hereby contracted by these provisions run a program at Revere High School for the education of the students.
(C.O. 24-174, 11/25/2024)
The mayor shall create an enrollment process and fee schedule by which residents wishing to participate in the composting program can sign up for the composting program.
A. 
Said enrollment process and fee schedule shall include a fee schedule for subsidized participants or a fee waiver for low-income applicants and residents over the age of 65 years of age.
B. 
Enrollment outreach shall happen in a manner pursuant to the city's language access plan and or language access ordinances.
(C.O. 24-174, 11/25/2024)
The mayor in consultation with the city's chief financial officer and the department in charge of implementing the composting program shall create a data tracking program to track the metrics of the program and those metrics shall include, but shall not be limited to:
A. 
City wide enrollment by residents and out-of-pocket expenses for residents enrolled;
B. 
Tonnage diverted from traditional waste programs and city dollars save as a result of said diversion;
C. 
Demographic enrollment of residents in the program.
(C.O. 24-174, 11/25/2024)
The mayor shall create and solicit a request for proposal (RFP) for the purposes of executing the goals of the composting program. Said RFP shall be aligned with the expiration of the traditional waste disposal programs and explore and include at least the following in its scope:
A. 
Compostable material disposal costs per tonnage;
B. 
An outreach plan;
C. 
Start-up cost analysis for consumers and city;
D. 
Contractors or operators of a composting program shall have experience of successful implementation and municipal partnership in at least one other municipality;
E. 
A tiered schedule of per household cost relative to city wide enrollment and potential subsidies for residents looking to enroll;
F. 
Any other items deemed necessary by the mayor in consultation with their staff, city departments, city council, or community partners;
G. 
A plan for the city to make use of or monetize compost;
H. 
Any considerations in subsections B through D of this new section;
I. 
An RFP pursuant to this section shall be solicited no later than 90 days after the approval of the ordinance codified in this chapter.
(C.O. 24-174, 11/25/2024)
A revolving account shall be created where any savings are created in the traditional waste program from the implementation of the curb-side composting program or Section 8.10.060(G) of this chapter shall be deposited for the purpose of funding or expanding the curb-side composting program to more residents of the city of Revere.
(C.O. 24-174, 11/25/2024)