Environmental Improvement Commission

Tuesday, September 28, 2021 7:30 I. Call to Order: Chairman Ted Witte called the meeting to order at 7:30. Present were Shamili Ajgaonkar, Cathy Coleman, Nancy Flynn, Brian McKee, Kay McKeen, Tony Pope, Allison Torrence, Seema Wadia, and Bob Young. Absent were David Popham, Christine Richardson, and Jessica Wozniak . II. Approval of Minutes: Bob moved that the minutes from the August meeting be approved. Tony seconded. The minutes were approved by unanimous voice vote. III. Budget Report: Bob reported that expenditures total $18,533.45, so $2,966.55 remains open to spend. IV. Public Comment: None V. Reports: 1. Electronic Recycling (Sept. 11): Bob reported that he, Brian, and Kay worked the event with 7 E- Works employees. 273 cars came through, with 147 from Wheaton, 53 from Glen Ellyn, 22 from Carol Stream, 7 from Elmhurst, 7 from Wheaton, and between 1 and 4 cars from 18 other communities. About 300 bulbs were processed, and a lot more scrap metal than usual was collected. 2. Invasive Plants: Brian gave an informative presentation on types of invasive plants, their effects on the environment, and ways to deal with them. VI. Upcoming Projects: 1. Electronics Recycling (Oct. 9): Bob, Tony, and David will work this event. 2. Adopt a Highway: Nancy scheduled the fourth clean up of the year for October 30 from 8-9. VII. Unfinished Business: 1. Battery Recycling: Kay has continued talks with HazChem about battery recycling. The EIC feels this is a project we need, since over 20 people who attended the September event asked if we were taking batteries yet. Some issues to work out--we would need a way to collect fees to cover the costs by charge card, we would need volunteers who cover it every month, we would charge $2/pound and the minimum charge would be $2. 2. Green Citizen Award: Shamili presented her draft of the nominating process and criteria. Shamili had suggested adult and student categories, and members suggested adding organization and business categories. The name was changed to Wheaton Sustainability Award. The award(s) would hopefully be presented at the April city council meeting. 3. Nurses’ Closet: Nancy reported that there are still a few areas to work out between city staff and library staff.  ENVIRONMENTAL IMPROVEMENT COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES September 28, 2021 4. Green Up Day/Pick Up 5: Kay will talk to Susan Bishel to see if a blurb could be added to the newspaper with a few suggestions about how residents can help keep Wheaton looking good, and info about the impact it would have if each resident “picked up 5”. VIII. New Business: 1. Smoke Detector Collection: Bob moved that $1300 be used to purchase a Curie smoke detector kit for proper disposal of smoke detectors. Kay seconded. The motion carried by unanimous voice vote. This will be used for detectors brought in by participants or dumped in the storage area. 2. Cardboard, magazine, and book collection at Electronics Recycling events: The commission felt this is unnecessary, since residents can recycle cardboard and magazines at the curb, and this would negatively impact our contracted hauler. 3. Spray can and small propane tank collection: The commission felt that these items cannot be safely stored at the storage yard and should only be collected if they are removed from the area on the day of collection. 4. Review of city code regarding commissions: The city council will be reviewing this for each commission. 5. Pumpkin Smash (Nov. 6): Kay moved that we allocate $75 for pumpkin pies for the drawing. Cathy seconded. The motion carried by unanimous voice vote. 6. Special After-Thanksgiving Cooking Oil Collection (Nov.27) 7. Funding for EIC events: no additional funds needed at this time IX. Adjournment: Bob moved that the meeting be adjourned. Cathy seconded. The meeting was adjourned at 9:10. The next regular EIC meeting is scheduled for October 26, 2021, at 7:30 P.M. Respectfully submitted, Cathy Coleman 2