Washtenaw Food Policy Council
Policy Action Team Meeting Minutes
Use this form to take minutes at each Policy Action Team meeting. Proposed minutes must be available within eight business
days after a meeting. Approved minutes must be available within five days after the meeting at which they are approved. Send
proposed and approved minutes to Kathy Fellabaum at fellabaumk@ewashtenaw.org
Policy Action Team:
Food and Food Packaging Waste
Date of Meeting:
September 24, 2013
Time of Meeting:
3:30 – 5:00 PM
Address of Meeting:
City of Ann Arbor, City Hall, 301 E Huron Street
Basement Conference Room
Washtenaw Food Policy Council attendees:
Nicole Chardoul
Additional attendees (first and last names):
Public comment (first and last names):
Note taker:
Agenda:
Date minutes approved:
Abby Lemmon, City of Ann Arbor
Tom McMurtrie, City of Ann Arbor
Jeff Krcmarik, Washtenaw Co.
Noelle Bowman, Washtenaw Co.
Kristen Schweighofer, Washtenaw Co.
Phel Meyer, Bizee Box
Priya Khangura, Food Gatherers
None
Abby Lemmon
1) Introductions
2) Approve 8/20/13 meeting minutes
3) Review approved Action Items
4) Review facts and LCAs on plastics for the FAQ
5) Draft Policy Language on EPS Ban
6) Review status of mapping project and survey, if available
7) Next Steps
a. Next Meeting: October 15th
b. Survey and FAQ
c. Guest speaker on Policy Framework?
October 15, 2013
Meeting Minutes:
1)
2)
3)
4)
Started at 3:30 pm
Introductions
Approve August Minutes - Moved by Jeff Krcmarik, seconded by Tom McMurtrie, approved unanimously
Review council-approved Action Items
a. Full Council approved the PAT in moving ahead with these Action Item, but would like the PAT to
next develop strategy about how to go about carrying them out (i.e. influence, create policy
language, provide consultation, direct recommendations, etc.)
b. Action Item #1 – PS ban/new EPP policy (see agenda item #6 below)
c. Action Item #4 – require all municipal-sponsored events to be zero waste compliant.
i. Add: Require all municipal-sponsored “or events in municipal locations” to be zero
waste compliant by July 2014.
ii. Language too strong – maybe change “require” to “support”
d. Action Iten #5 – Support a decision to require all the minucipalities in the County to offer
curbside compost and/or food waste containers.
i. Language too strong – maybe change “require” to “allow”
5) Review facts and LCAs on plastics for the FAQ
a. School cafeteria tray PS to Reusable cost analysis – Phel
i. Cost of reusable trays would be less over time than the cost of disposable (polystyrene)
trays – 1.5 year payback.
ii. Does food go directly on trays in schools, or are there other dishes used? Can other
containers be switched to reusable as well?
Washtenaw Food Policy Council
Policy Action Team Meeting Minutes
Use this form to take minutes at each Policy Action Team meeting. Proposed minutes must be available within eight business
days after a meeting. Approved minutes must be available within five days after the meeting at which they are approved. Send
proposed and approved minutes to Kathy Fellabaum at fellabaumk@ewashtenaw.org
6)
7)
8)
9)
iii. Need to add silverware to the model and take into account another driver to be able to
make the rounds to all AA schools.
iv. Reusable preferable to compostable
b. Other facts to be shared at next meeting/incorporated into FAQ
i. How much PS is being recycled through the AA MRF and RAA’s DOS, and what are the
markets - Tom
ii. Life cycle analysis of reusable vs. throw-away/compostable – Phel has already provided
iii. Life cycle analysis of PS vs. PET - Daniel
Review Draft Policy Language on EPS Ban
a. Action Item states: ‘Develop, and advocate for, a ban on expanded polystyrene (EPS) (or all PS#6)
disposable food service containers in response to public health and waste management
concerns. Provide recommendations for suitable alternatives, prioritized and customized, to
Washtenaw County’s conditions and support the development of a purchasing cooperative for
lower cost container alternatives. Revise the current Washtenaw County Environmental
Preferable Purchasing (EPP) Policy and develop sample language for all the municipalities to
adopt.’
b. Ask someone with policy knowledge to come to a meeting and/or help with policy framework -Nicole to talk with Jim Frey of RRS; Phel to talk with an Environmental Policy professor from
SNRE.
c. Look for other counties in Michigan that have similar bans—how does the county go about
getting support for such a ban? Present it as a public health issue. Countywide ban makes more
sense than individual cities/townships, but is this possible?; ordinance at the County level would
fall under Public Health code.
d. How do we go about banning Styrofoam? What about grocery stores? U-M? Often, PS bans
exempt unprepared foods (eggs, meat) because there is no public health concern.
Review status of mapping project and survey
a. Review draft survey to food service providers on PS ban/take-out containers
i. Make FAQ to go along with survey—why is polystyrene bad? What are the other
options? What do the other options cost? Etc. Nicole to draft FAQ for next meeting.
ii. How will we send out survey? Kirsten from Wash Co. says no one will respond to an
email. Have someone go door to door? Going in person would help answer questions
that restaurants have. Nicole will check to see if any funding may be available through
the council. If we go door-to-door, what else should we be surveying?
b. Noelle mapped all food service providers, farms, composting sites in Washtenaw County. Priya
will get Noelle a list of Food Gatherers’ partners (where the food comes from) to add to the map.
Next Steps
a. Next Meeting: October 15th 4th floor Conference Room of Ann Arbor City Hall.
b. FAQ facts research
i. How much PS is being recycled through the AA MRF and RAA’s DOS, and what are the
markets - Tom
ii. Life cycle analysis of PS vs. PET - Daniel
c. Draft FAQ - Nicole
d. Ideas on survey distribution?
e. Guest speaker on Policy Framework for PS ban?
Meeting adjourned 5:00 pm