By Mellow DeTray

Here’s our recap of the Normandy Park City Council meeting held on Tuesday, Mar. 14, 2023.

Re+ Program, Reinventing the Region’s Waste System
The meeting began with a presentation on Re+, King County’s zero waste program. Seventy percent of what is currently getting thrown away could be recycled, composted, or repurposed in some other way. Re+ will lead to much less garbage going to landfills, fewer trees being cut down for new materials, and reduced food waste and disposal costs.

Additionally, more plastic being harvested and recycled means less oil requirements. Greenhouse gasses will also be reduced significantly, with the plan to redirect over 400,000 tons of material from the landfill.

The program also foresees an increase in green jobs as these changes are implemented. Grants will fund the program, and they are asking cities to support state legislation for the Re+ action plan.

A community survey showed that 63% of respondents were in support of this plan, with only 8% in opposition. 29% were undecided. The survey also showed that people want more harmonized recycling across various service areas, so that what they recycle at work would also be recyclable at home.

King County provided one of the nation’s first curbside recycling programs. Recycling rates have remained relatively flat for the last decade, however, and the Re+ program hopes to change that. One change that Re+ is initiating in various cities is picking up recycling bins weekly rather than every two weeks.

Another strategy being worked on at the state level is to extend producer responsibility, so companies are responsible for the waste they produce, which will encourage them to produce more compostable or recyclable packaging.

Following the presentation, Council decided to discuss this further at an upcoming Study Session. For more on the Re+ program, see their website.

Regular Study Sessions Coming
Council decided to have a trial run for a few months before codifying the new Study Sessions. These meetings will fall on the 4th Tuesday of every month, but a regular time could not be agreed upon at this time; an earlier time is better for city staff who must be present, but a later time is needed for Councilmembers who need to commute from their day jobs. For now, the next Study Session will take place on March 28 at 7 p.m.

These meetings give Council a chance to dive deeply into topics and presentations, and should help regular Business Meetings to function more efficiently. Additionally, Study Sessions should reduce the frequency of some committee meetings.

Arbor Day at Marvista Park
Coming the last Saturday in April, Normandy Park will celebrate Arbor Day from 10 a.m. to noon. Last year there was a tree giveaway as well as other fun activities.

Normandy Park 70th Birthday Celebration will be June 8
The festivities will be held at Highline Heritage Museum, from about 5-8 p.m. Attendees will be able to RSVP to this event soon.