Waste Reduction Subcommittee
November 7, 2017
2:00 p.m.

Commissioners present: Marni Koopman, Risa Buck, Roxane Coryell-Beigel and Jamie Rosenthal
 
Public attendee: Louise Shawkat
 
Subcommittee Priorities were identified as:
1. Plastic straws
2. Revisit bag ban
3. Education on waste reduction
4. Address disposables city wide
 
1. STRAWS
Louise communicated her desire to see Ashland join many other cities in a plastic straw ban or voluntary effort to reduce straw use 
 
Seattle and Austin have programs to reduce the consumption of straws in those cities. 
Commissioners will do some research to see what other cities are doing, how they communicate it, whether there are cost savings that can be touted, what problems they have encountered, and how successful they are.
 
Can we talk to Standing Stone about their straws and how successful they have been. 
Would Jamie at Mix/Flip be willing to be a guinea pig and try out other straws/no straws?
 
2. BAG BAN
We need an update on current progress and enforcement
What is the current state of compliance? How many stores enforce, forget to enforce, or willingly defy the ban
Can we get pre-and post-ban bag use from Albertson's?
How do we determine whether the fee needs to be increased? What is the goal that we are aiming for, and what is the threshold that should lead to an increase in the per-bag fee?
 
3. EDUCATION/OUTREACH
Sharing film Plastic China - contact the director to see if he will enter it in the Ashland Film Festival.
See if the Varsity would play it for Climate Week (first week of March). Also host a panel discussion. 
Other outreach options - SOU, high school
 
4. Address disposables city wide - long term goal. Not yet addressed. 
 
Submitted by, 
Marni Koopman