Next Meeting May 20, Room 111, Town Office Building, 7:30pm

Present: John Fedorochko, Kate Fricker, Katherine Fisher, George Woodbury, John Andrews, Jill Stein, Jeanne Krieger, Laura Dickerson

On June 9 there will be an all-day Pay-As-You-Throw workshop at Cary Hall in Lexington, sponsored by Massachusetts DEM.

George Woodbury reported that because of the mild winter and the economy, we are now in excess of our GAT (Guaranteed Annual Tonnage). We are buying too much stuff that needs to be thrown out, and we are not recycling enough. George is planning a town-wide mailing to encourage residents to increase their recycling rate.

Montessori School is expanding its recycling program. They have taken students to see the NESWC incinerator.

Jill Stein and John Andrews made a presentation to Town Meeting which went well. The reports were laid out for Town Meeting Members on the Information Table. George will send reports to our legislators. John also spoke at a New Members Coffee of the League of Women Voters, and he wrote an article for their newsletter. They will study solid waste this year, and we should work with them.

The Household Hazardous Waste Site is again open, with 9 more communities joining. It will also be open for businesses that are Very Small Quantity Generators (VSQGs).

John has written a task list in an effort to focus our actions. It lists articles for the Minuteman and League of Women Voters, web site enhancement, Discovery Day, meetings, brochures, the Solid Waste Forum and a second report to the Selectmen.

The DPW will have an expanded space at Discovery Day, and CLC will use part of its space for SWAT materials. Kate will have a FAQ sheet, Laura will prepare Recycling Basics, Jill will prepare Why Recycle?. Laura will investigate whether Cans for Cancer will put out boxes for deposit bottles.

Other items:

• We need entry level information about recycling, and "gourmet" level information.
• For information on how to dispose of items which the Haz. Waste Site won’t take, see the Health Director, Beverly Anderson.
• Fran and Eileen have finished their pamphlet on recycling for the schools.
• The FAQ list is ready for the web site as soon as Pauline checks it for accuracy. (Now done)
• The SWAT may want to ask members to recycle all they can and measure it, so we can report on what is possible.

• George can get grant money for pamphlets we write.
• We need good graphics for our brochures and web site.