Recycling and Renewable Energy Committee

Date & Place:  May 2, 2007, 7:00pm, Meeting Room A, Town Hall, Provincetown, MA

Attending:  Michael Leger, Amy Germain, Jim Denietolis, Lee Bartell

Preceding Minutes:  approved

SEMASS:  Jim reported that things are the same, i.e., Bourne is accepting our trash and that SEMASS is reimbursing our costs.  He'll send us the SEMASS hotline tel. #.

RECYCLING BINS: Big discussion on this topic.  Mike ordered a pair of cans, which he had hoped would've arrived by tonight, but...  They're $60 each, 50 gallons, and he ordered a roll of bags that fit them.  Lee brought a few ideas for bins from the internet.  Amy suggested checking with Conwell Lumber, and Lee said that she would.   If it turns out that we end up using big plastic cans, then we'll need to weight them down with sand, cinder blocks, bricks or something at the bottom of each, with the bag placed on top of the weights.  Jim was asked if the DPW had any spare 50 gallon drum cans available, but he said no.  Mike said that he checked with Perry builders in Truro, about building a shed for the two cans, and their cost is $195.  There's a "fencing" unit that surrounds two cans, for a lot less, from the folks Mike ordered the cans.  Mike put two recycling bins at the airport and folks are using them.  We decided that we'd check out Lopes Square after our meeting, to see what's there, and how we could add our recycling units to the mix.  We found that there are at least 8 wood barrels, in addition to the many cement circular trash bins.  Jim will ask if we could adapt those barrels to be our bottle and can receptacles.  While we are under the impression that separating glass from plastic and metal is important, we need to make certain that that is the case.  If we're able to mix these, then one receptacle would suffice next to each trash can at all our test sites except Lopes Square.  There are so many trash cans there, that we'd need more than one in that area. 

DPW TOUR:  We feel that meeting all folks involved in the DPW, both in the office and at the Transfer Station, would be a good idea.  We're hoping to do this starting at 1:00pm on Wednesday, May 16th, at the Transfer Station, and when finished, go to the office on Alden St., to meet Sandy and others.  Jim will confirm this date with us.  We also need to meet with the Board of Health, and the Selectboard, to let them know what we're doing.

NEW BROCHURE:  Jim has begun the process, barely, and will bring what he has to our next meeting.

EARTH DAY:  Mike reported that PUP (Picking up Provincetown), which coordinated it this year, picked up a lot of trash from Shankpainter Road, Conwell Street, Harry Kemp Way.  Next year, WE need to sponsor this, or try to co-sponsor with the Beautification Committee, and any other group (schools?).

CANVAS BAGS:  Mike ordered 50 bags @ $1.50 each, so we'll see their quality when they arrive.  Do they have a "gusset"?, what do the straps look like?, well made?  As Jim pointed out, if it lasts for a year, that's fine.  He said that the new Shaws in Orleans has a pile of them that you grab to shop with, and buy at checkout, or put it back. Mike is talking with Mike at the GU, about getting them there, too.  One idea is to give/sell them to HOW, ASGCC, CASAS, etc. so that they could put their logo on them and sell them at a profit, maybe setting up a table at the GU.

TRASH/RECYCLABLES PICK UP:  A big discussion on this.  Mike mentioned that a guest house owner said that they often had more than one bin's worth of recyclables to put out on collection day, but the limit is one.  We all agreed that as much recyclables as possible will be recycled, and no one should have to throw away what doesn't fit inside a recycling blue bin.  Jim wondered if bins couldn't have two dividers inside, creating three smaller sections, for glass, plastic and cans, paper.  Another suggestion is for everything (recyclables and trash) to be picked up the same day.  What's obvious is that we need to make recycling as easy as possible for folks.

KEITH BERGMAN:  Looks as if he may be heading to Nashville.  Mike'll try to get him to make an ICLEI presentation to us.

HOORAY:  Hats off to Conwell Lumber for their green building supplies section.  Mike is talking to Mike at the GU about having a green cleaning/paper product/light bulb section, too.

AIRPORT:  Mike is on the Airport Committee, and reported how since 9/11, the TSA has taken over 1/3 of the interior space of the terminal building.  They're talking about expanding the airport, to make up that space.  And in the discussions are a windmill, just 30', as it's always windy there.  There's a man (from Eastham or Harwich) who built the one at Race Point Beach/Hatches Harbor, and says that one has to be careful as there are some unscrupulous folks in the "green" movement.  Also, that home windmills don't work.  Mike would like to see a meeting with that windmill man, us, the Airport committee, Keith Bergman, and maybe the public(?) to talk this over.

SOLAR: Amy told us about Sun Slate, that looks like a slate roof but is tiny solar panels, and is 3 times the cost of standard photo voltaic panels.  Still, what a wonderful way to do it, if possible and affordable.

OUR JOB:  Jim cautioned us to stay with recyclables at first, get them underway, then go onto other ideas.  While recycling is happening already, our job is to enhance it, get more folks doing it, and getting our tourists doing it, too.  Our recycling bins are a huge first step, one that can only be fabulously successful.

HOMEWORK:  Bring a list of 10 things that we can do, to help reduce/reuse/recycle.  Mike mentioned a Martha Stuart magazine, Body & Soul, that had some ideas in it.  Time magazine had ideas.  It's everywhere, and let's see how creative we can get, while being practical.

ADJOURNED:  7:55pm, for our walk over to Lopes Square (it was still light!).

Minutes submitted by Lee

Lee Bartell
9 Seashore Park Drive
Provincetown, MA 02657
508-487-8838
cell 508-237-6111
capewoman@cape.com