Purpose

The Solid Waste Alternatives Advisory Committee (SWAAC) was established in Spring on 2016 as a standing advisory committee to the Board of Supervisors. The creation of this Committee is consistent with the Long Range Solid Waste Solutions Advisory Committee's 2015 Final Committee Report, the County’s Comprehensive Plan, the organizational vision of Albemarle County, and the Regional Solid Waste Management Plan facilitated by the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission.

The Committee provides general information to the Board in a semi-annual update, including a summary of sustainable materials management (SMM) issues being considered by the Committee. The Committee can provide review and input on actions proposed by the County that contain a solid waste/SMM component; can submit specific policy recommendations to the Board as they are developed, and will support these recommendations with thorough budgetary and relevant impact analyses.  The Committee's policy development will focus on longer range planning that considers the role of climate change actions, including greenhouse gas reductions; public education strategies for SMM activities that are current or are planned for future implementation; equitable access to SMM services in the County; evaluation of regional opportunities for programs; and metrics for evaluating and validating the effectiveness of the County's SMM activities and programs.

Meetings

The full committee meets the second Thursday of each month, 4 – 5:30 pm; subcommittees meet on an ad hoc basis, see the County Calendar for dates and times.

Recordings of past virtual meetings can be found on the County's YouTube channel.