* WARNING: THIS IS AN UNOFFICIAL, INTRODUCTORY COPY OF THE BILL.
THE OFFICIAL COPY CONSIDERED BY THE CITY COUNCIL IS THE FIRST READER COPY.
INTRODUCTORY*
CITY OF BALTIMORE
COUNCIL BILL R
(Resolution)
Introduced by: Councilmember Cole
A RESOLUTION ENTITLED
A COUNCIL RESOLUTION concerning
Title
Informational Hearing - Trash in the Inner Harbor
FOR the purpose of requesting the Director of Public Works and the Cleaner Greener Baltimore Coordinator to report to the City Council on efforts to reduce trash and debris in Baltimore's Inner Harbor, both through citizen education and through controlling waste at the Inner Harbor's 27 outfalls.
Body
Recitals
Baltimore's Inner Harbor is the center of its tourism industry and is often the most recognizable landmark to visitors of this City. While visitors regularly cite the beautiful views from destinations like the Science Center, the Aquarium, and Federal Hill Park, they also comment on the amount of trash and debris that floats in the Inner Harbor from Locust Point to Canton.
Additionally, many waterfront businesses and home owners seek to preserve and improve the value of their property through a cleaner Inner Harbor and Chesapeake Bay. Many economic development initiatives are further fostered with a debris free Inner Harbor basin.
According to the Cleaner Greener Baltimore website, "Baltimore is not as clean and green as it should be." It further explains that "Mayor Dixon calls on each of us to take the initiative and keep our home - the City of Baltimore - clean and green. Our responsibilities do not stop at the doorstep of our houses, our offices, or our places of worship."
The Department of Public Works is responsible for controlling waste at 27 outfalls around the Inner Harbor. Over the years, the Department has utilized a number of resources to reduce debris in the Harbor. These include full-scale trash-collection screening systems, other smaller-scale trial trash-collection equipment, and increasingly outdated and costly trash collection watercraft. Some of these initiatives, including the full-scale trash-collection screening systems have shown increasing promise, such as the unit installed at the Harris Creek outfall, where over 40 tons of floating, recyclable debris has been collected in the past 18 months, preventing further pollution of the Inner Harbor and the Chesapeake Bay.
While the City works to address trash on our streets, we must also focus on the trash in our Inner Harbor, as there is a clear connection between the two. Baltimore residents need to understand the connection between trash left on the streets and trash in our Inner Harbor and its tributaries. Additionally, as the City works to promote recycling and sustainability, we must seek solutions to collecting trash from the Inner Harbor and its tributaries that allow for efficient, cost effective, revenue-generating recycling of debris even before it reaches our Inner Harbor, providing numerous benefits to the citizens of Baltimore, visitors, and to our environment.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF BALTIMORE, That the Director of Public Works and the Cleaner Greener Baltimore Coordinator are requested to report to the City Council on the efforts to reduce and eliminate trash and debris in Baltimore's historic Inner Harbor.
AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be sent to the Mayor, the Director Public Works, the Coordinator of Cleaner Greener Baltimore, and the Mayor's Legislative Liaison to the City Council.
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