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City Council to provide staff direction concerning the yard waste program proposal made by Browning Ferris Industries (BFI). REPORT: Finance Director, April I, 1996 Billing and Collections Manager Holmquist presented the staff report and introduced Bob Hilton, of Hilton Consultants, consultant to the South Bayside Transfer Station authority (SBTSA), and Dan Day, Deborah Sergeant and Gino Gasparini of BFI. Redwood City is a member City of the SBTSA which is negotiating with BFI for a yard waste program to meet the state mandated goal of reducing landfill by the year 2000. Under the proposal BFI would collect yard waste and recyclable materials on an enviromnental day. To offset the increased cost of this new service the enviromnental day would be every other week, and would be on a day other than the refuse collection day, and the "free" month end pick-up would be eliminated. The goal of AB 939 and this proposal is to reduce waste filling up refuse sites, encourage recycling and provide composted yard waste to be used instead of topsoil. This proposal has been discussed with the Senior Affairs Commission, the Chamber of commerce and the Neighborhood Association co-chairs. Bob Hilton consultant to SBTSA, elaborated on the requirements of AB 939 and said there were only so many opportunities to meet those requirements. Mr. Hilton said the collection of yard waste was the last, best way to reduce landfill by removing it from the refuse stream and changing it into topsoil. Mr. Hilton said the proposal was designed to be cost neutral, but admitted the elimination of the "free" end of the month pick-up was the sticking point. In response to Councilman Claire's questions, Mr. Hilton said that the current cost was based on a per can rate and would continue to be. The program would be voluntary - people could keep disposing of their yard waste in their regular refuse cans, or they could separate it out for enviromnental day pick-up. The objective was to be revenue neutral. It was up to the Council to set the rate structure. In response to Mayor Hartnett's questions, Gino Gasparini elaborated on the program and said the people who do not participate in the end of the month pick-up are subsidizing those who do, so the "free" end of the month pick-up was not really free. He said the proposal would bring people back to the regular service of once a week refuse pick-up with the cost based on per can usage, and would add two enviromnental days for green waste and recyclables pick-up. In response to Councilman Claire's questions regarding studies on the use and impact of the end of the month service, Mr. Gasparini referred to visual inspections and can studies done in 2000 plus residential sites including Farm Hill, Woodside and around Sequoia High School. He said the ratio was 55% brush and 45% refuse. MINUTE BOOK NO. 54 Page No. 164 Special Study Session Minutes April I, 1996 Page 6