New Recycling Program Offered

I don't mind putting my green bin out every other week, but this certianly sounds more convenient. Will it raise costs for consumers?

Bravo AW for adding kitchen scraps to the green bin! Where can we pick up the compost?

How do you vote no for it? This seems like an over kill and do we really need the additional heavy trucks going down our streets every week rather than every other week.

For me every other is fine for yard waste. It's the paper that builds up for me. I end up filling 10 paper shopping bags and they get wet in the rain.

Go for it. We generate so much that we need it done every week.

My wife and I already compost all our non-meat food scraps and half of our yard waste, so it's of no advantage to us. If not more expensive, it would be good for those who don't or can't do their own composting, though.

Allied Waste already is robbing us blind with exorbitant fees. This is a good idea only if fees are not raised and if Allied Waste customers get free compost (since we're providing the materials for it and paying for it as well).

Finally, our local city governments should stop letting Allied Waste use its monopoly position to extort ever higher fees for lesser services (remember when we didn't have to take our garbage cans to the curb?). Now, we customers have to do more than in the past, while Allied Waste eliminates jobs and provides less service at higher prices!

Yes, there is a small charge. In fact some Councilmen voted against the program because of the small cost to consumers. Fortunately, the overwhelming majority of citizens who spoke to the Council on this issue supported it. We begged the Council for months to institute this new program with its nominal cost.

This program will allow us to recycle the food containers like pizza boxes, etc. that we cannot recycle at the moment unless we want to compost them, which takes a long time. I compost all my food scraps but am happy to pay a small fee to ensure that San Carlos does not add anything to the landfill that can be composted.

San Carlos residents do get free compost and have for a long time.

There is a new garbage contract that will go into effect on Jan 1, 2011. There will be improved service from the new contractor but the cost will probably be higher than what we now pay Allied.

It's finally here! You can now put your food scraps in the green waste container and have them picked up every week. They will be composted, not put into the landfill. In addition to food scraps, you can put pizza boxes, paper napkins, paper towels, any paper items contaminated with food, which can't go into the paper recycling.

If you really put everything allowed into the "organics" program, per the flyer you got in the mail, you may be able to use a smaller garbage can and reduce your garbage bill.

Please participate and help to reduce the volume of garbage going into the landfill.

Thanks,

Pat

Does that apply to Belmont or only to San Carlos? We got no flyer in the mail here.

Secondly I assume that only NON-MEAT food scraps should go into the green bin. Meat scraps should still go into the garbage can. Correct?

This is only in San Carlos because we BEGGED our Council to increase our rates a little and start this program now instead of waiting until the new contract starts in 1/2011. I'm not sure Belmont is going to participate in the new contract with the rest of the cities that now use Allied Waste.

Not only can we put meat in the "organics," we can put in bones!

I am sorry to disagree but I think it is nasty and it isn't even hot yet. The can sides are coated, flys are all over and I don't feel like cleaning a huge garbage can every week. By summer it will probably smell so why not add a little more fun to dragging up the can every week and paying AIW yet more than I already do. If you want to compost I say do it in your yard or start a neighborhood site. At least that way it doesn't have to sit for up to a week before it goes to the compost heap. Who ever thought of industrial composting anyhow?

Why would your garbage be any smellier in the green can than in your old garbage can? You can put your organics in a paper bag if you want to keep it confined, I put weeds or other garden waste in the bottom to keep the food scraps from landing on the bottom of the can. I've also used a cardboard box inside the green can to dump the food waste into. That keeps the can clean and everything gets composted. I do compost in my back yard but the commercial operations can compost things I can't, like those big boxes that Costco pies come in, meat, etc.

I don't know who thought of industrial composting, but I think the motivation was financial. Farmers and ranchers wanted to reuse their scraps rather than pay to have them hauled away. The large-scale composting operations of big farms and ranches have been adapted for use by those of us who are out of touch with where our food comes from.

You can save money with this program by switching to a smaller garbage can, which will lower your bill to less than what it was before the increase for the organics program. If you put everything that you now put into your garbage disposal into the green can, we will have less sewage to process, which will also save money.

When Ox Mountain is filled up we'll have to find somewhere else to put our garbage, which will cost money. The more garbage you put into the landfill, the sooner that cost will hit. In the meantime, the rotting garbage that is not composted releases methane gas into the atmosphere, which is many times worse than carbon dioxide.

As the SF Bay rises, billions of dollars will be spent to deal with the problem. Whose dollars? Yours. Are you getting the picture? It's all a big circle, or should be, putting back into the land what we have taken out of it.

Why would you want to throw something so valuable into the landfill? Farmers and ranchers live very close to the whole food production process and understand that it's a circular process, there's no need to throw anything away.

You may not live long enough to see the results of our years of selfishness, but I have grandchildren who may well be alive in 2100, if we leave them a livable planet.

PB

Thanks Pat for helping us work this through.
I am personally excited about the prospect of more opportunities to get free compost for my yard. My back yard composter is not big enough to produce compost for all the beds. The plants just love it and it saves on fertilizer.
jenn

Another way to keep the bottom of the green bin from getting yucky is to put newspapers in the bottom. I have a small step can in my kitchen, so the food scraps stay there until it's full. I'm not using the bucket we got from AW. Then I dump it in the green can, in a cardboard box if I have anything runny. If there comes a time when I don't have a box to get rid of, I'll use newspapers. So far my can is clean.

Pat

Thank you for the ideas. It is good to share when not everyone sees the big picture. I, myself, couldn't get past thinking of those little plastic triangles we used when I was a kid for food scraps. Before there was garbage disposals.

I remember those little triangles, I haven't thought of them in a long time.

I'm glad you weren't offended, I was afraid of coming on too strong. Glad to help. The small step can costs money, but for me it's worth it. It's easy to use, doesn't take up a lot of space in the kitchen, and actually holds a surprising amount of food scraps. Rinsing out that small liner once a week isn't a big deal. The bucket from AW just didn't work for me.

Let me know if you have more questions and I'll try to help.

Pat

Pat - is there anything special about the small step can you are using, or is it just a standard small can? We're looking for alternatives to the green bucket, which my wife thinks is nasty sitting on our counter. Thanks.


Ethan

Pat - is there anything special about the small step can you are using, or is it just a standard small can? We're looking for alternatives to the green bucket, which my wife thinks is nasty sitting on our counter. Thanks.


Ethan

There's nothing special about my step can. I think I got it at Bed Bath and Beyond. I like it because it sits on the floor, I can open it with my foot, and ut gas an inner bucket I can take out to empty into the green bin. I minimize cleaning by putting that slick junk mail or kitty litter in the bottom so the food doesn't get stuck to the bottom.

Thanks for participating,

Pat

I would like a pick up every week instead of bi-weekly as my garden trims and my recyclables is always full within the week. I would however, find it difficult to pay an increase in fees.

I was able to more than offset the increase in cost by switching from a 32 gallon garbage can to a 20 gallon can. i really only have some forms of packaging to put in the garbage. When the new contract starts, we will be recycling even more plastics than we do now so there will be very few things that go into the landfill.

I believe all the communities in the SBWMA (most cities around here) will have weekly pick up starting in Jan 2011. Some services may be optional, so whether you have "organics" recycling may depend on where you live. I haven't kept up with the final version of the contract except as it applies to San Carlos.

Pat

Susan - I live in a place where there was no recycling at all until just last year. Recycling can be free - I just collect the cans, bottles, paper, cardboard, etc. and take them to the recycling center. Allied Waste (in San Carlos/Belmont on the east side of 101) has a buy-back line (takes forever), and a drop-off only line. There's one bin for the cans, bottles, etc., and others for cardboard and mixed paper.

I haven't been to the Palo Alto one in years, but I think they have separate bins for the various things - and will take more types of plastic. Won't reduce your bill, but will get rid of the recycling more often than now.

dg

We need to work on a good place to dispose of paint, as a local handyman/contractor I try and help my clients to dispose of old paint. (many buy their dream house only to find out the garage is full of old paint)a real hassle when you are not the owner any one have any ideas

Latex paint can be dropped off at Allied Waste on Shoreway in San Carlos. If you have a lot to drop off all at once you might want to call them first.

Pat

Anyone know where to dispose of old fire extinguishers that are not rechargeable?

Here's the link for the form to make an appointment to drop off household hazardous waste:
http://events.smhealth.org/events/EditContact.aspx

The South Bayside Waste Management Authority, which is the Joint Powers agreement that negotiates our garbage and recycling rates and services, is looking into a service that would pick up hazardous waste at your house any time you call them. If this sounds good to you, let your city know or call Cliff Feldman at 650.802.3502. The more people who want this service, the more likely it is to be available to us.

Pat