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.
"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;
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)