Referred to: The Energy, Environment and Sustainability Committee (Chairman Hewitt and Legislators Donaldson, Greene, Litts, Nolan, Stewart, and Walls), and The Ways and Means Committee (Chairman Gavaris and Legislators Collins, Hansut, Kovacs, Nolan, and Roberts)

Minority Leader Kevin Roberts offers the following:

WHEREAS, Ulster County recognizes that solid waste is a problem impacting all county residents and the environment; and

WHEREAS, the Ulster County Legislature adopted Local Law Number 8 of 1991 (revised entitled “Ulster County Mandatory Source Separation And Recycling Law to reduce waste that needed to be transported hundreds of miles for landfill disposal; and

WHEREAS, the Ulster County Legislature adopted Resolution No 451 on November 19, 2019, a Zero Waste Policy to further reduce the generation of waste, that has yet to be fully implemented; and

WHEREAS, in order to comply with Local Law No, 8 of 1991, residents, businesses and/or institutions can have their waste recyclables picked up by a private hauler at their cost, or their waste and recyclables to one of 20 municipally and/or Ulster County Resource Recovery Agency owned transferred stations; and

WHEREAS, Municipal Recycling Drop Off Stations (MRDS) are operated by the Towns and the City of Kingston at various locations in Ulster County, but these MRDS facilities operate on a limited schedule, are very often closed on holidays and have limited weekend hours; and

WHEREAS, the Ulster County Legislature, pursuant to Ulster County Charter §C-11, is the legislative, appropriating and policy-determining body of the County; and

WHEREAS, pursuant to § C-74(B)(4) of the Ulster County Charter, the Ulster County Purchasing Director shall perform such other and related duties as shall be required and delegated by the County Executive or County Legislature; and

WHEREAS, the Ulster County Legislature finds that in order to meet its recycling goals of “maximum recycling” and to reduce waste being transported 400 miles round trip to Seneca Meadows, a privately run landfill, implementation of a Pilot Program for a “24-Hour Convenience Recycling Center” is necessary and appropriate; and

WHEREAS, the said “24-Hour Convenience Recycling Center” Pilot Program is anticipated to be established at a single site that is a minimum of 150’ by 75’ with suitable fencing, lighting and security for placement of covered roll-off containers to receive mandated recyclables at any time of day to be transported to a recycling facility and, if successfully implemented at that single site, the Pilot Program could then be re-evaluated for expansion to locations throughout the County; now, therefore, be it 

RESOLVED, that the Director of Purchasing shall within sixty (60) days of adoption of this Resolution, issue a Request for Proposal (RFP) on behalf of Ulster County to seek a vendor(s) to operate a “24-Hour Convenience Recycling Center” Pilot Program in Ulster County; and, be it further

RESOLVED, that prior to the RFP document being public, the Chair of the Legislature,or the Chair’s designee(s),shallhave the opportunitytoprovideinputonthe RFP document;and, be itfurther

RESOLVED, the Chair of the Legislature, and designees as determined by the Chair, shall serve as a members of the RFP evaluation committee; and, be it further

RESOLVED, that no section of this resolution shall be interpreted as augmenting the existing Legislative process for expenditures; and, be it further

RESOLVED, upon conclusion of the RFP process, all necessary information pertaining to any contract for services to operate a “24-Hour Convenience Recycling Center” Pilot Program in Ulster County shall be presented to the Ulster County Legislature with sufficient time to include funding for such in the 2025 Ulster County Budget,

and moves its adoption.

ADOPTED BY THE FOLLOWING VOTE:

AYES:                    NOES:      

Passed Committee: Energy, Environment and Sustainability on ________________.

Passed Committee: Ways and Means on ________________.

FINANCIAL IMPACT:

TBD