§ 2.48.350. Environmental Review Committee.

A.

The goal of the City is to lead by example so as to encourage residents and business owners to use reusable and recyclable materials and to purchase goods from companies that practice energy use reduction and sequestration of carbon dioxide.

B.

In furtherance of this goal, there is hereby established an Environmental Review Committee within the municipal government. The Committee consists of the Directors of Planning and Zoning, Public Works, Recreation and Parks, Office of Environmental Policy, and the Purchasing Agent. The Director of the Office of Environmental Policy shall serve as the chair.

C.

As a minimum, the Committee shall:

1.

Review existing practices of the City to assure that its policies and procedures foster the use of materials that are compostable, recyclable, and reusable.

2.

Assess the effectiveness of the voluntary environmental reusable bag program.

3.

Assess the value of bans and/or fees on materials in furtherance of the City's goals.

4.

Develop a plan for distribution of re-useable bags as part of and consistent with the City's recycling plan as defined in Chapter 10.18 of the Annapolis City Code.

5.

Assist the various City offices to ensure that contracting procedures do not discriminate against reusable, recycled, or environmentally preferable products without sufficient justification.

6.

Evaluate environmentally preferable products to determine the extent to which they may be used by the City and its contractors.

7.

Review and revise contracting procedures to maximize the specification of designated environmentally preferable products where available.

8.

Following installation of computer software capable of data gathering for such purposes, facilitate data collection on purchases of designated environmentally preferable products by the City and its contractors and report the data to the City Council by July 31st of each year.

9.

Prior to fiscal year 2009, the Committee shall:

a.

Begin issuing to all City organizational elements purchasing specifications that comply with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Comprehensive Procurement Guidelines for products. Recovered Materials Advisory Notices (RMAN) shall be used as a reference for determining the recycled content specifications for these products. Third party certifications, such as Energy Star, Eco Logo and Green Seal, shall also be acceptable to identify preferred products.

b.

Monitor the implementation of the following:

(1)

To the extent available, all printing and copy paper products shall consist of a minimum of thirty percent post-consumer recycled fiber.

(2)

All janitorial paper products and plastic garbage bags shall consist of a minimum of fifty percent post-consumer content.

(3)

A ten percent price preference for processed chlorine-free paper shall be applied to (one hundred percent) of photocopy-grade and janitorial paper purchases.

(4)

Returning used toner cartridges for remanufacture and purchase re-manufactured toner cartridges when practicable.

(5)

Where available, no janitorial cleaning or disinfecting products shall contain ingredients that are identified by United States Environmental Protection Agency or the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health as carcinogens, mutagens, or teratogens.

(6)

Phase out the use of chloroflourocarbon containing refrigerants, solvents and other products when without risk of voiding manufacturers' warranties on the equipment in which it is applied.

(7)

All surfactants shall meet EPA standards as "readily biodegradable." No detergents shall contain phosphates.

(8)

The City shall procure wood products that originate only from managed, recycled or sustainable wood product operations.

(9)

Purchased or leased electronic equipment including photocopiers, computers, printers, lighting systems, HVAC, kitchen and laundering appliances, and energy management systems must meet U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) or U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) energy efficiency standards. Where applicable, the energy efficiency function must remain enabled on all energy efficient equipment. As part of any purchase or lease agreement for electronic equipment, a vendor must supply life cycle costs for each item.

(10)

All motor oil shall contain a minimum twenty-five percent re-refined base stock, and shall be used only when without risk of voiding manufacturers' warranties on the equipment in which it is applied. All re-refined oil must be American Petroleum Institute certified.

(11)

All motor vehicles operated by the City shall use recycled propylene glycol antifreeze where practicable, and shall be used only when without risk of voiding manufacturers' warranties on the equipment in which it is applied.

(12)

Paint purchased by the City or its contractors shall contain the minimum amount necessary of volatile organic compounds, and shall contain maximum recycled content where available.

(13)

The City shall implement an integrated pest management program for pest control. Any chemicals used to eliminate or deter insect pests and undesirable vegetation shall be the most readily and completely biodegradable product available for the given application, and shall be applied in a manner that is least likely to come into contact with humans and any other animals for which treatment is not intended.

(14)

All construction and renovation at least thirty percent funded by the City shall incorporate Silver LEED "green" building practices.

(15)

The City shall give preference to products that are produced and are within a reasonable geographic distance such that transportation costs, energy use and carbon dioxide generation do not outweigh the benefits of lower product costs.

(16)

All departments, offices, and agencies shall ensure that they and their contractors/consultants use double-sided copying. All photocopiers purchased by the City following adoption of this policy are required to be capable of double-sided copying when the equipment has the capability to copy double-sided.

(17)

The City shall reduce or eliminate its use of products that contribute to the formation of dioxin and furan compounds.

D.

The following are environmentally preferred products:

1.

Compostable and vegetative products;

2.

Horticultural mulch made with recycled land clearing and other wood debris, but avoiding the use of non-sterile mulch which may contain non-native plant species;

3.

Construction materials made with recycled cement concrete, wood, glass or asphalt;

4.

Alternative fuels and vehicles and rolling stock that utilize same including, but not limited to, electric, hybrid, compressed natural gas, hydro-diesel, hydrogen, biodiesel and ethanol. When comparing costs of alternative vs. conventional fuels and vehicles, the City shall give preference to alternative fuels and vehicles if their costs are no more than ten percent higher than conventional products;

5.

Cement and asphalt concrete containing glass cullet, recycled fiber or plastic, tire or rubber;

6.

Lubricating oil and hydraulic oil with re-refined oil content;

7.

Recycled plastic products;

8.

Remanufactured products made from recycled tire rubber, including rubber mats and play field surfaces;

9.

Low wattage/high efficiency lighting fixtures, including but not limited to traffic signals, crosswalks, street lights and all interior and exterior building fixtures, including fixed ballast fluorescent fixtures and motion sensitive switches;

10.

Solar powered traffic signals, traffic signs, street lights and buildings wherever available;

11.

Remanufactured laser printer toner cartridges;

12.

Other products as designated by the Mayor and/or the Mayor's designee, the Task Force and/or Coordinator; and

13.

No fertilizer with phosphorous shall be used on any land owned by the City of Annapolis, whether such land is located within or outside of the City's boundaries, except where a soil test determines that the soil is deficient.

E.

The Environmental Review Committee will formulate a plan by May 31, 2008, to promote the use of reusable shopping bags in the City of Annapolis. It will establish a goal of a forty percent reduction in the use of plastic and paper checkout bags in large retail chain stores by May 31, 2009.

F.

Nothing contained in the policy of this section shall be construed as requiring a department or contractor to procure products that do not perform adequately for their intended use, exclude adequate competition, or are not available at a reasonable price in a reasonable period of time. The City shall give preference to any environmentally preferable products if their costs are no more than ten percent higher than conventional products.

G.

One year from adoption of the ordinance codified in this section, the Environmental Review Commission will evaluate the effectiveness of the internal and voluntary programs for reusable materials and make recommendations in furtherance of these efforts for consideration by the Mayor and City Council.

(Ord. O-27-07 Revised Amended § 1, 2008)

(Ord. No. O-17-12 Amended, § I, 7-23-2012; Ord. No. O-12-16 Amended, § I, 5-23-2016)