Drafter
Clerk 10/16/2007
Title
A MOTION requiring a review of the utility and functioning of cordless compaction waste receptacle systems in the maintenance of parks facilities.
Body
WHEREAS, the parks and recreation division of the department of natural resources and parks manages over one hundred eighty parks and trails within the King County system of parks and recreation; and
WHEREAS, these parks resources include over twenty-five thousand acres of land which require management by the division, and
WHEREAS, among the routine maintenance tasks that responsible parks management demands is the regular collection and disposal of garbage from garbage receptacles placed for the convenience of the visiting public, and
WHEREAS, the voters of King County have recently approved a parks levy ballot measure, with the expectation that maintenance standards at county parks facilities would be increased, and
WHEREAS, innovative devices and techniques for receiving and managing this waste stream, utilizing solar-powered self-compacting receptacles placed to receive garbage generated in the parks from the visiting public, have been developed in recent years; and
WHEREAS, these devices are being considered by public entities elsewhere in the nation to evaluate the extent to which they can reduce the frequency with which waste receptacles need to be attended for disposal, and
WHEREAS, these devices may hold promise for reducing the demand on parks staff for routine waste-collection related maintenance duties, freeing staff for other parks needs, and
WHEREAS, costs for purchasing and operating these devices, and maintenance and management requirements, would need to be more clearly understood and evaluated in any consideration of incorporating such devices into parks maintenance strategies,
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT MOVED by the Council of King County:
That the parks and recreation division of the department of natural resources and parks undertake a revie...

Click here for full text