Staff from Resource Conservation Division and Land Use updated the Sustainable Materials Management Element of the Boulder County Comprehensive Plan (BCCP) in Docket BCCP-16-0001, which was approved by Planning Commission on June 21, 2017.
Past Public Meetings
Planning Commission Public Hearing – September 20, 2017
Staff provided updates on the status of the Boulder County Comprehensive Plan (BCCP) Sustainable Materials Management Element, along with a recommendation regarding approval of the plan. Planning Commission approved and adopted the Sustainable Materials Management update. Public testimony was taken.
Documents: Staff report for September 20, 2017
Board of County Commissioners Public Meeting: Docket BCCP-15-0001 Boulder County Comprehensive Plan Update – Open Space Element and Docket BCCP-16-0001 Boulder County Comprehensive Plan Update – Sustainable Materials Management Element – July 18, 2017
Staff provided brief overviews of the approved Open Space Element and the draft Sustainable Materials Management Element for the Boulder County Comprehensive Plan. The Open Space Element was approved by Planning Commission on June 21, 2017, and the Sustainable Materials Management Element will be presented to Planning Commission on July 19 for final approval.
Documents: Staff report to Board of County Commissioners for July 18, 2017
Study session and review with Resource Conservation Advisory board – June 28, 2017
Staff gathered input from the Resource Conservation Advisory Board (RCAB) on the draft update of the Boulder County Comprehensive Plan Solid Waste Element, to be called the Sustainable Materials Management Element (SMME) following the update.
Documents: DRAFT Sustainable Materials Management Element Goals and Policies, updated June 21, 2017
Joint Study Session with Planning Commission and the Resource Conservation Advisory Board – March 22, 2017
The purpose of this session was to gather input from the Planning Commission (PC) and Resource Conservation Advisory Board (RCAB) on the draft update of the Boulder County Comprehensive Plan Sustainable Materials Management Element.
Documents: BCCP-16-0001 Staff Packet for March 22, 2017
Open House for the Sustainable Materials Management Element – January 23, 2017
An open house was held to provide an opportunity to discuss initial changes under consideration, and to collect public input about the future of sustainable materials management in the county. View Draft of Sustainable Materials Management Element update, January 19, 2017
Resource Conversation Advisory Board “Kick Off” – July 27, 2016
Staff provided an update and an introduction to the Sustainable Materials Management Element update project to the Resource Conservation Advisory Board. The Resource Conservation Advisory Board (RCAB) was updated on the timeline and goals of the project and staff presented a list of potential goals and policy ideas and asked for initial reactions and feedback.
Resource Conservation Advisory Board Meeting – September 28, 2016
Staff provided an overview of the Boulder County Comprehensive Plan Process and the Sustainable Materials Management Element Update. The Resource Conservation Advisory Board and members of the public provided input on key ideas and themes that should be implemented in the draft.
Resource Conservation Advisory Board Meeting – December 14, 2016
Staff provided a very brief summary of the Sustainable Materials Management Element to the Resource Conservation Advisory Board. The Resource Conservation Advisory Board provided feedback for staff to help guide the element moving forward.
Background
A team of staff from the Resource Conservation Division, the Commissioners’ Office of Sustainability, and the Land Use Department began working on the Sustainable Materials Management Element (SMME) update in 2016. The last full update for this element was in 1987 and much has changed in the industry, including, for example, the advent of single-stream recycling and curbside compost pick up.
The purpose of this element is to set forth the goals and policies that will guide regulations and management plans adopted by the county for the 21st century. This element and its goals shall guide the implementation of the county’s plans on zero waste and sustainability. This includes recycling, composting, discards, disposal, reuse, and waste reduction/repair facilities, programs and operations.
Goals for the update included:
- Update and broaden the goals and policies to reflect changes in the range of programs and services provided by the Resource Conservation Division, their facilities and their partners, and to reflect changes in technology in the market
- Eliminate redundancies and references to specific programs
- Streamline and simplify the document narrative
- Provide a forward-looking focus to help navigate future opportunities and challenges
One of the most notable changes is the focus on Sustainable Materials Management, which is:
“a systemic approach to using and reusing materials more productively over their entire lifecycles. It represents a change in how our society thinks about the use of natural resources and environmental protection. By looking at a product’s entire lifecycle we can find new opportunities to reduce environmental impacts, conserve resources, and reduce costs.”
Sustainable Materials Management encourages the use of materials throughout their full life cycle, from manufacture, to use, reuse, and end of life.
Documents:
- Adopted Sustainable Materials Management Element, June 21, 2017
- Policy Evolution Guideline
- Updated Draft Sustainable Materials Management Element Goals and Policies, June 6, 2017
- Draft Sustainable Materials Management Element Goals and Policies, May 2, 2017
- Existing Solid Waste Element – Boulder County Comprehensive Plan, Dec. 16, 1986
- Public comments on BCCP-16-0001