Location: Echo Hill Park in Hunterdon County
Call to Order – The meeting was opened by President Alain Fortier at 10:05 a.m. at Echo Hill Park in Hunterdon County. He thanked Allan Johnson, the Hunterdon County HHW representative, for hosting our meeting and supplying morning refreshments.
Self-introductions followed.
Elections: The nominating committee: Renee Casapulla of Sussex County and Larry Gindoff of Morris County made the recommendation “that the current Slate of Officers continues for one additional year”.
2009 Slate of Officer’s:
- President – Alain Fortier-
- Vice President – JoAnn Gemenden
- Treasure – Chris Sikorski
- Secretary – Diana Vigilante
Motion was made by Larry Gindoff and seconded by Renee Casapulla. Motion was approved by all.
Treasure’s Report: Chris Sikorski was not in attendance for the meeting but forwarded the fiscal report which was read by Secretary Vigilante. The current account balance at the time of the meeting was $9,880.43. Motion to accept the report was made by Larry Gindoff of Morris County and seconded by Fred Stanger from Middlesex County.
Speakers:
- President Fortier introduced the first speaker: Lou O’Brien, Vice President of National Programs- PSC Environmental Services. Mr. O’Brien spoke about the CFL Home Depot Program and other services PSC Environmental might offer to counties.
From Oct. 2008 thru April 2009: Home PSC Environmental collected approx. 160,000 CFL bulbs in approx. 1,900 Home Depots nationwide. That equates to 3,200 boxes or 100,000 lbs. of material. PSC Environmental recovered 2 lbs. of mercury which is enough mercury to cause 126,000,000 gals. of drinking water to exceed EPA &FDA drinking water standards.
PSC Environmental currently has 200 HHW contracts in 24 states and services 76 fixed (permanent) sites.
Question & answer session followed.
- J P Gibbons from North American Transportation Consultants, Inc. (NATC) http://www.natc-inc.com. He is a former US DOT special agent with expertise with the HM215J and HM224D Federal Regulations relating to Battery handling and shipments.
Mr. Gibbons handed out and reviewed page by page a copy of the Federal Register dated Wednesday, January 14, 2009, Part III- Department of Transportation: 49 CFR Parts 171, 172, 173, et al. Hazardous Materials: Revisions to Requirements for the Transportation of Batteries and Battery-Powered Devices; and Harmonization with the United Nations Recommendations, International Maritime Dangerous goods Code, and International Civil Aviation Organizations Technical Instructions: Final Rule.
In summary, Counties who collect and offer for shipment batteries as part of their HHW programs will need to come into full compliance by January 1, 2010. The new requirements mandate that they be transported in a manner that prevents short-circuiting. DOT is suggesting that the shipper ensure the exposed terminals are protected with non-conductive caps, tape or other means and are hermetically sealed. This will have a significant impact on the counties that conduct county-wide battery collection programs. Some counties are considering scaling back or stopping their battery programs as a result.
Question & answer session followed.
Adjournment: Meeting was adjourned at approx. 1:00pm.