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Home My WebLink AboutTIS 2023-06-05 Item 2A - Grant Application - 2023-2025 Local Solid Waste Financial Assistance with WA State Department of EcologyINFORMATIONAL MEMORANDUM TO: Transportation and Infrastructure Services Committee FROM: Nora Gierloff, AICP, Community Development Director BY: Nancy Eklund, AICP, Long Range Planning Manager/Recycling Coordinator CC: Mayor Ekberg DATE: June 5, 2023 (T&IS meeting date) SUBJECT: 2023 - 2025 Local Solid Waste Financial Assistance Grant Application Approval ISSUE Council committee approval is required for staff to apply for a grant requiring a City match. The City recently applied for the 2023-2025 Washington Department of Ecology (DOE) Local Solid Waste Financial Assistance (LSWFA) grant, valued at $38,262.66, which is a total of $28,772.00 in direct grant funds and $9,590.66 in local match. BACKGROUND For more than a decade, Tukwila has relied on the Local Solid Waste Financial Assistance (LSWFA) grant from the Washington Department of Ecology to support certain elements of the City’s Recycling Program. The LSWFA grant provides part of DCD’s budget and is regularly included in the City’s overall budget. The Department of Ecology requires documentation from King County that the projects supported by the grant are consistent with the King County Solid Waste Management Plan. DISCUSSION The LSWFA grant has historically been used by Tukwila to support its Recycling activities. Since 2021, the Washington legislature has made Homeless Camp Cleanups an eligible expense and increased the available grant total to cover this task. The LSWFA grant funds support the following: •Residential Recycling Collection Events ($13,000) Funds will be used to support events in Spring 2024 and 2025 to collect secondary recyclables (i.e., “hard-to-recycle” goods such as tires, sinks, batteries, furniture, bulky yard debris, etc.) from Tukwila and King County residents. 9 Transportation and Infrastructure Services Committee 2023-2025 LSWFA Grant Acceptance 5/10/23 Page 2 of 2 •Homeless Encampment Cleanup ($25,362.66) Funds will be used to supplement costs for the City’s cleanup of homeless encampments on public property in the City. As an example of costs, in 2022, the City spent $26,656.93 on encampment cleanups (labor and dump fees). FINANCIAL IMPACT For the Recycling activities reimbursed under the LSWFA grant, the City’s 25% match ($3,250) will be met through another recycling grant the City receives, the King County Waste Reduction & Recycling (WRR) grant. For the Homeless Encampment Cleanup tasks, the 25% local match will be provided through the General Fund’s support of City Public Works staff time dedicated to cleanup work. This cleanup task is already a part of the City’s scope of work. This grant will require no new outlay of city funds, other than those already allocated for such cleanup. RECOMMENDATION Approve staff’s application for this funding. Staff will work with Department of Ecology staff to refine the final contract for the grant funds and will return a grant to the City for signature. Since the total grant value is less than $40,000, the grant may be signed by the Mayor without Council review. Attachment A: •Tukwila’s Scope of Work for 2023-2025 Local Solid Waste Financial Assistance Grant - Proof of Coordination from King County Solid Waste 10 1 2023-2025 Local Solid Waste Financial Assistance Grant City of Tukwila – Scope of Work Basic Information Grant Project Manager: Nancy Eklund, AICP Recycling Program Coordinator Long Range Planning Manager City of Tukwila 6300 Southcenter Blvd, Suite 100 Tukwila, WA 98188 Direct: (206) 433-7141 Email: nancy.eklund@tukwilawa.gov Scope of Work Total Project Costs: $38,362.66 Tukwila’s State Share: $28,772.00 City’s Share: $9,590.66 Task #1: CROP Recycling Operations -2019 King County Comprehensive Solid Waste Management Plan, Section 4-20, page 102 -Total Cost Budget:$13,000.00 (State Share + Local Share) A)Schedule •2023: Spring (March/April) •2024: Spring (March/April) B)Activities •Total number of traditional Recycling Collection Events – Two (2) •Organic waste, moderate risk waste (MRW), and other hard-to-recycle items Materials to be collected may include: o scrap metals, appliances, and electronic equipment. o used refrigerators and freezers. o bulky and scrap wood. o propane tanks. o used tires. o lead acid batteries. o household batteries. o toilets and sinks. o cardboard. mattresses and box springs. 11 2 o The events may also provide an opportunity to distribute environmentally friendly products such as rain barrels and compost/worm bins. • Event Promotion: o Recycle event flyer will be posted on City website: https://www.tukwilawa.gov/departments/community- development/recycling-services/, detailing what residents can bring and giving credit to granting agencies funding the events. o Notices included in: • Event flyer mailed to 7,800 homes • Tukwila social media (Facebook/Twitter) • Event flyer sent to city staff in multiple departments for distribution • Event flyers in brochure racks at Tukwila Community Center, City Hall, and Tukwila Library • Event posted on King County website • Event dates included on the waste hauler’s annual calendar distributed to residents C) Deliverables: The City will promote the recycling events to Tukwila single-family and multi-family residents in a variety of ways to ensure a good turnout, and contract with knowledgeable, experienced contractors to assist residents attending the events. In return, the City anticipates collecting 25-35 tons material from the local waste stream each year. Benefits of diverting these recyclables from the waste stream include: ❑ Saving limited space in our area’s last remaining landfill ❑ Conserving natural resources ❑ Saving water and energy that would otherwise have been used in extraction of raw materials and in manufacturing D) Expected Outcomes/Impacts: By providing convenient and free collection at these Recycling Events, not only does it provide equal opportunity for all to attend, but Tukwila residents can help reduce the amount of environmentally damaging materials from finding their way to King County’s last remaining landfill, local storm drains and waterways, and vacant properties. With a population of approximately 22,000 residents, the City of Tukwila has experienced increased volumes in residents attending recent recycling events. The City anticipates this trend to continue with approximately 300-500 households participating each year, resulting in approximately 30 tons of materials diverted from the waste stream for recycling per event. 12 3 In addition to diverting materials from the waste stream, attracting residents to these ever-popular events provides an opportunity to distribute educational material on City and King County recycling programs, enhancing their knowledge and improving behavior in purchasing, handling, and disposal of recyclable materials. E) Evaluation Event reports will include: • Number of vehicles attending • Volume of each material collected • Event costs • Event summary write up Task #2: Managing Illegal Dumping and Litter/Homeless Encampment Response - 2019 King County Comprehensive Solid Waste Management Plan, page 6-11 to 6-13 - Budget: $25,362.66 (State Share + Local Share) A) Task Description: Cleanup – The City will coordinate with other departments and local agencies to cleanup active and or abandoned encampments on City owned and public property and continue to keep them clean. The City may investigate active and or abandoned encampments to assess and prioritize cleanup. City Public Works staff will complete the removal work, or will hire an on-call junk hauler to assist in removing unmanageable camps as determined by City staff. The City may choose to purchase services to provide portable toilets and or garbage collection at shelter-in place locations and other locations that have previously been assessed and these services are practical. The City would investigate active encampments to assess the level of infrastructure needed. B) Goal Statement: The goal of the task is to protect the environment through cleanup and prevent continued environmental harm at encampments. C) Expected Outcome: The City will track and report the pounds of garbage cleaned and properly disposed. The City anticipates multiple cleanups and will track the number of encampments cleaned and the number of cleanups performed at each encampment. 13