BACKGROUND:
The Integrated Waste Management Act and Beverage Container Recycling and Litter Reduction Act (AB 939) managed by CalRecycle requires all California jurisdictions to annually divert 50% of its waste stream from landfill disposal. Non-compliance could result in penalties of up to $10,000 per day until compliance is reached. CalRecycle is working toward a California that uses less, recycles more, and takes resource conservation to higher levels.
AB 939 requires all California jurisdictions submit an Annual AB 939 Report to CalRecycle documenting the progress the City has made in achieving the diversion mandates established by the assembly bills. The Annual AB 939 Report includes a summary of the waste diversion programs jurisdictions use to document progress and the tonnage diverted by each program.
Summary of Waste Diversion Programs
Xeriscaping / Grasscycling Backyard and on-site Composting Business Waste Reduction Programs Procurement
School Source Reduction Programs Material Exchange, Thrift Store Residential Curbside Residential Drop-off
Residential Buy-back Commercial onsite pickup
Commercial Self-haul Government Recycling Programs
Special Collection Seasonal Residential Curbside Organics Residential Self-haul Greenwaste Commercial on-site Organics Pick-up Commercial self-haul Greenwaste Tires
White Goods Scrap Metal
Wood Waste Concrete / Asphalt / Rubble
Electronic (Radio, TV, Web) outreach Print (brochures, flyers) Outreach Schools Education and CurriculumOrdinances
Composting Facility Hazardous Waste Permanent Facility
Annually, the Cathedral City community diverts 49%-60% of its waste stream from landfill disposal. To reach the diversion goals, set by the State, Cathedral City developed and implements the following environmental programs which comply with one or more of the Waste Diversion Programs identified within the Annual AB 939 Report:
Cathedral City Environmental AB 939 Programs
Stop Identity Theft Community (Shredding) Programs
Weekly Electronic & Tire Collection Program
Weekly Sharps and Unwanted Medications Disposal Program Multi-Family Recycling and Large Item Collection Programs Community Clean Up Programs
Bulky Item Collection Programs for Residential and Commercial WaterSmart Landscapes Grant Program
Smart Irrigation Controller Rebate Program
SB 1383 Residential, Commercial Organics and Recycling Programs Community and School Gardens, Backyard Composting Programs Government Source Reduction Programs
Residential Curbside Recycling & Organics Collection Programs Residential Buy-Back Programs (Cans for Cash)
Special Collection Seasonal (Holiday Trees)
Concrete/Asphalt/Rubble Recycling and Reuse Programs
Community Educational Mailers (Brochures, Flyers, Guides) Fall and Spring Mass Mailers that all residents receive. oDirect mailers to target areas that need a reminder to utilize existing programs for their disposal needs.
Cathedral City S.C.R.A.P. Gallery School Educational Program In 2000, Cathedral City partnered with the Student Creative Recycling Art Program (S.C.R.A.P.) Gallery to develop and implement an educational curriculum for Cathedral City schools that complies with two sections of the Annual Report (School Source Reduction Programs & Schools Education and Curriculum).
S.C.R.A.P. Gallery addresses two of today's most urgent issues - the environment and the education of our youth. Its mission is to actively engage youth as stewards of their environment through a concentrated, hands-on, educational effort to build a creative culture of sustainability in our schools and community. S.C.R.A.P. Gallery partners with all Cathedral City schools and local youth organizations.
The S.C.R.A.P. Gallery provides a link between industry, education, the arts, and the environment through its programs, featuring environmental presentations, exhibits, and workshops - using reused and recycled materials from the S.C.R.A.P. Gallery warehouse, directly diverting materials from the landfill. S.C.R.A.P. Gallery’s unique approach to helping solve environmental problems teaches children to be creative in their personal recycling habits and take care of the planet.
In November of 2022, S.C.R.A.P. Gallery received the Outstanding Service to Environmental Education Award from the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE). The NAAEE’s hallmark award recognizes leadership and dedicated service in the environmental education field. This marks the second time S.C.R.A.P. Gallery has earned this honor for Outstanding Service.
S.C.R.A.P. Gallery was also awarded the Environmental Sustainability Award at the Cathedral City State of the City in May 2023.
DISCUSSION:
The current Agreement for Services between the City of Cathedral City and the S.C.R.A.P. Galley, effective April 28, 2021, expired on June 30, 2022, and included an option to extend the current Agreement for 2 additional one-year terms.
Over the last year, Staff have been working with Karen Riley, Executive Director of the S.C.R.A.P. Gallery, to revise and expand the current Scope of Services in response to new legislation under AB 939, Senate Bill 1383 (SB 1383).
SB 1383 Legislation
The State of California legislature passed SB 1383, which set in motion the most significant change in 30 years on how Californians are to handle their solid waste, specifically organic waste. The goal of SB 1383 is to reduce 75% of organic waste sent to a landfill by having it recycled, reduced, and or composted.
Schools and universities generate about 562,442 tons of waste each year in California.
Almost half of school waste is comprised of organic materials like paper, cardboard, and uneaten cafeteria food. Much of the waste generated in the California education system is recyclable.
Scope of Services for the S.C.R.A.P. Gallery Program
The Scope of Services for the S.C.R.A.P. Gallery Program is included as Exhibit A of the Service Provider Agreement. Staff is requesting City Council approve expanding the S.C.R.A.P. Gallery’s Scope of Services to incorporate the additional programs that assist with AB 939 and SB 1383 Compliance and the requests from Cathedral City schools to offer S.C.R.A.P. Gallery programs to more grade levels.
All the programs and events listed within the Scope of Services comply with one or more of the following objectives:
AB 939 Reduce Reuse Recycle
SB 1383 Organics Recycling such as paper products and food waste. Air Quality/ Clean Air Programs
Water Conservation
The following Services shall be performed over a 12-month period to the satisfaction of the City.
A. Develop and maintain a material and exchange program for local businesses in Cathedral City. Service Provider will supply quarterly reports to the city, detailing materials collected.
B. Present environmental education programs to community groups at the request of a Cathedral City community group or the City.
C. Develop and implement monthly activities or programs for children or adults to be scheduled and presented at the S.C.R.A.P. Gallery located in Cathedral City.
D. Present three exhibitions and/or traveling exhibits annually for students and/or the public.
E. At the request of the City, coordinate with and participate in City sponsored events to promote the environment and recycling.
F. Coordinate at least three (3) recycle education projects per year benefiting Cathedral City students including Global Youth Service Day, Earth Day and the Walking for Water 6K.
G. Coordinate and host the Butterfly and Spring Festivals Family Friendly Events at local parks.
H. Educate and train Cathedral City school’s staff and students on waste reduction though inclusive STEAM (STEM plus Art) projects.
I. Create Green Teams: Green Teams is an interactive program empowering students and teachers to help the environment through waste reduction, reuse, recycling, and pollution prevention. S.C.R.A.P. Gallery provides activities, materials, and a Teacher Green Team Kit for students to set SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound) goals appropriate for each team.
J. Arrange field trips to the S.C.R.A.P. Gallery for public and private schools serving students in Cathedral City. Should transportation be unavailable, the Service Provider shall travel to the school site to perform educational programs. While the frequency of such programs to be presented shall be at the discretion of city school, Service Provider shall communicate in writing with the principal/headmaster within thirty (30) days of the start of school to provide information about services offered by the Service Provider in cooperation with the City.
K. Develop and distribute teachers’ curriculum incorporating California Education and the Environment Initiative (EEI); California’s Environmental Principles and Concepts (EP&Cs); and Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS).
L. Provide material reuse consultations and technical support to teachers, schools, businesses, institutions, and other organizations. If a material is suitable for reuse by Service Provider, Service Provider shall make arrangements with the generator to collect the material at a location, time and frequency that is convenient and effective for the generator.
M. Sustainable Superhighway Program: Provide virtual field trips, online workshops, presentations, conversations and participatory projects for youth/students and professional development and support for educators that support the State of California’s Environmental Principles and Concepts (https://www.californiaeei.org).
N. Educational Kits: Continue providing recycled/reused materials and education kits for students by delivery to local schools, community centers and for curbside pick-up at the S.C.R.A.P. Gallery.
O. Cans For Cash Recycling Program - School-based aluminum can drive.
Cathedral City elementary schools participate and compete in year-long promotions to create healthy recycling competitions amongst themselves. This program allows schools and individual classes to earn points based on participation in can recycling and S.C.R.A.P programs. The school that scores the most points will receive cash for their school.
P. Plastic Free July - Plastic Free July® is the global movement encouraging people to be part of the solution to plastic pollution. S.C.R.A.P. will host a series of events/projects for kids and community members to learn, take action, get tips on reducing plastic waste, and connect with others concerned about plastic pollution.
Q. School to Fork - School to Fork is a sustainable garden program for local schools where kids learn to grow what they eat and eat what they grow! S.C.R.A.P. will work with students and teachers to develop on-site, drought-tolerant gardens, from raised beds to keyhole gardens. Our goals are to establish a connection to nature and environmental stewardship by incorporating the following principles:
Sustainability, Collaboration, Responsibility, Art, and Perspective.
R. School Site Gardens/Kids Compost Connection - S.C.R.A.P. Gallery will provide instructional support to teachers and administrators at Cathedral City schools, including garden development, composting demonstrations, and presentations on composting and its environmental benefits. The goal is to engage with students and educators to help them reduce their schools' contributions to the waste stream.
S. Cycle Cathedral City - S.C.R.A.P Gallery will coordinate and schedule sessions with schools and after-school programs to involve students participating in a pedestrian/bike safety campaign. The campaign aims to help students learn about safety tips for walking and bicycling and how walking/biking to school can be fun, safe, and environmentally responsible.
T. National Bike Month - Activities will include bike helmet art contests and the Recycle Bicycle sculpture contest during National Bike Month.
U. Community Bike Ride - A coordinated community bicycle ride open to bike riders of all ages along the Cathedral City portion of the CV Link; these events will be held in conjunction with neighborhood cleanup.
V. Zero Hero School Program - The Zero Hero Schools Project is a combined effort of S.C.R.A.P. Gallery and the City of Cathedral City to provide educational and experiential recycling and composting opportunities to Cathedral City schools.
S.C.R.A.P. Gallery, partnering with Palm Springs Unified School District, works to help schools undertake zero waste projects, food scraps recycling, and implement practices that help the environment and their local communities. Third and fourth-grade students receive free zero waste training, recycling, and compost containers. Signage and student incentives will be provided. Schools can be certified as a Zero Hero School and receive prizes and awards through the process.
W. Food Waste Private Eye - This program is a participatory program available to all grade levels. S.C.R.A.P. and students will conduct lunchtime food waste audits to help educate students about how much food they waste in their school cafeterias and encourage them to reduce waste. Upon completing audits and studying the data, students, and schools can develop and implement food-waste reduction strategies that make the most sense for their school site.
X. Table Talk - Targeting middle to high school students, this traveling exhibit about food waste turns the school cafeteria into a classroom, prompting conversation and conservation.
Y. Food Waste Prevention Week (FWPW) - Held April 1-7, 2024, FWPW is a national campaign focused on raising awareness around the issue of food waste to educate and inspire culture change about food waste. S.C.R.A.P. Gallery participates as an official partner of this project.
Z. Submit Annual Report: Report should summarize all events, programs, description of material reused, tonnage of material diverted if applicable, environmental impact statistics and images of activities/events performed during the 12-month period. The Annual Report is due to the City by July 30 of each year and will be included within the City’s Annual AB 939 and SB 1383 report to CalRecycle.
Funding
Since 2018, the Agreement with the S.C.R.A.P. Gallery allocated $54,000 per year in funding to support Cathedral City activities. Karen Riley, Executive Director of the S.C.R.A.P. Gallery, spends 54-60 hours weekly on Cathedral City-related programs and projects. The average school visits/classes per week is five to seven.
Over the last year, more grade levels are requesting projects and programs. Rio Vista Elementary would like to expand recycling education to the kindergarten classes, Nellie Coffman Middle School requested the environmental services learning projects include eighth grade; Sunny Sands Elementary would like to add additional fourth and fifth grades and afterschool clubs to the program and Aqua Caliente Elementary has requested implementing bottle/can recycling program for the entire school and assistance expanding on their school garden program. Cathedral City High School is requesting a S.C.R.A.P. Gallery partnership with the interns from the DATA Program.
These requests are in addition to the programs that S.C.R.A.P. Gallery already implements and will require additional support, staffing and funding.
The S.C.R.A.P Gallery has proven its value to the community and the City year after year, especially in supporting the overall City Community in compliance with AB 939 requirements. Staff is therefore recommending the City enter a new Agreement with the S.C.R.A.P. Gallery reflecting an annual increase in budget from $54,000 to $90,000 per year which equates to a monthly not-to-exceed amount of $7,500 per month. The two (2) year Agreement will also have provisions to allow for 3 one (1) year extensions.
Please note: The last increase in the budget for the S.C.R.A.P. Gallery was in 2018.
FISCAL IMPACT:
Funding for the S.C.R.A.P. Gallery budget and this increase are included within the FY 2023/2024 Environmental Conservation/AB 939 Budget under the Environmental Services Fund, account 246-900-910-911-8600-8620.
Please note: No General Fund expenditures are allocated to this Program.
FIVE-YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN:
City Council Goal: Innovation
Objective: Cathedral City continually focusses on improving service delivery and customer experiences by successfully leveraging technology and creative initiatives to improve public services, public safety, and stimulate economic growth.