Resolution 11-100 Requesting the Borough to Perform a Feasibility Study for a Community Composting Operation at the Homer Solid Waste Transfer Facility

CITY OF HOMER
HOMER, ALASKA

Mayor

RESOLUTION 11-100

A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF HOMER, ALASKA, REQUESTING THE KENAI PENINSULA BOROUGH TO PERFORM A FEASIBILITY STUDY FOR A COMMUNITY COMPOSTING OPERATION AT THE HOMER SOLID WASTE TRANSFER FACILITY.

WHEREAS, The City of Homer adopted a Climate Action Plan (CAP) in 2007; and

WHEREAS, The CAP recommends the City of Homer "Establish a program aimed at greatly increasing the percentage of households that routinely recycle materials" and "Form an advisory group to work with the Kenai Peninsula Borough to help develop a comprehensive plan for improvements at the Homer Baling Facility"; and

WHEREAS, The CAP notes that the "Waste reduction strategies primarily seek to prevent or reduce the release of methane at landfills and other facilities by diverting recyclable and compostable material from the waste stream."; and

WHEREAS, Composting is processing and recycling materials into a locally useable product; and

WHEREAS, The southern Kenai Peninsula has a growing agricultural industry, a successful and growing farmers market, and a vibrant personal gardening community, all of which would participate in and be supported by a community composting operation; and

WHEREAS, The Kenai Peninsula Borough is in the design and construction phase of a solid waste transfer facility which will replace the Homer area landfill and subsequently truck municipal solid waste to the Soldotna landfill; and

WHEREAS, Composting could divert a significant amount of solid waste that would otherwise be trucked to Soldotna for landfilling, and could potentially reduce methane emissions, reduce hauling costs, and create a usable end product; and

WHEREAS, It is timely to perform a study to determine the feasibility of a community composting operation to operate in parallel with the new transfer station; and

WHEREAS, In order to best integrate a potential composting operation in the development of the transfer station, it is important that a feasibility study be performed as early as possible in the transfer station design process; and

WHEREAS, A viable composting program could benefit all areas served by the Borough solid waste program, and a successful pilot project could result in other areas being served with a potential reduction of operational costs for the solid waste program; and

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the City Council of Homer, Alaska, requests the Kenai Peninsula Borough to proceed as soon as practical with a composting feasibility study for the Homer area solid waste transfer site.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this resolution be forwarded to Borough Mayor Dave Carey and members of the Borough Assembly.

PASSED AND ADOPTED by the Homer City Council this 24th day of October, 2011.

CITY OF HOMER

_____________________________
JAMES C. HORNADAY, MAYOR

ATTEST:

______________________________
JO JOHNSON, CMC, CITY CLERK

Fiscal Note: N/A