EVOLUTION IN RECYCLING
Posted on 24-05-2023 12:08 AM
EVOLUTION IN RECYCLING
RECYCLING CHANGES
Manteca is switching to larger carts and three weekly collections for recycling
Recycling is changing in Manteca.
At the same time, the city will have three solid waste collection trucks delivering waste to homes in Manteca later this year
In an upcoming talk at the Manteca Historical Society meeting, Avneet Mahil will explain what can be recycled and answer other questions.
Located at 600 West Yosemite Avenue, Manteca Museum, the program is from 7 to 8 p.m. Attendance is free for members and guests. Afterwards, refreshments will be provided.
A Stockton firm has been able to secure a contract with Manteca to accept newspapers, other types of paper and glass recycling. In that case, city officials will once again allow these items to be placed in the blue carts.
During Mahil's talk, he will explain exactly what can now be recycled and provide instructions on how to do so.
The city will switch all customers to three 96-gallon carts this summer to collect recyclables and yard/food waste. Weekly collection will be carried out for each.
As a result, people will not be able to contaminate recyclables with garbage because of limited garbage cart space.
Recent years have seen the city waste much of what they collect from residential residences due to garbage contamination, defeating the purpose of recycling.
By 2025, the city must divert 75 percent of organic waste from landfills. These changes are part of that plan.
As a result, the city will have to increase its solid waste division manpower and equipment by over 33 percent in order to service residential accounts.
Currently garbage is collected weekly. Recycling and green waste are collected every other week on a rotating basis, with green carts collected one week and blue carts collected the next.
The need for three visits each week from the solid waste department is driven by the fact residential food waste minus all packaging to meet the state-imposed mandate will need to be placed in green carts along with lawn clippings trimmings and other organic yard waste.
The material will then be composted.
By collecting the green and blue carts weekly, a fourth cart would not be necessary.
In addition, it would minimize any smell issues that could arise from food waste sitting in green carts for up to two weeks, especially in hot weather.
Manteca found that other cities' fourth carts for food collection have not proven effective.
Then Manteca would still need to collect garbage at every home if they followed that route regardless of residents' non-compliance.
It now costs $475000 a pop to buy a solid waste truck. Among the 24 or so waste collection vehicles in the city's fleet, the city tries to replace one or two a year. To implement an organic waste diversion program, Manteca will need to purchase several trucks at once.
It will also cost more to maintain the existing workforce in terms of wages and benefits as stepped up collection requires more manpower.
Over the years, dumping fees at Austin Road landfill have gone up from $24 to $140 per ton.
Rate hikes are unlikely to be impacted by higher fuel costs.
The reason is that Manteca has been refining its own fuel for the past three years.
In the wastewater treatment plant, natural compressed gas is produced by combining methane gas byproducts with organic materials.
The CNG fuel now powers a fleet of over a dozen garbage trucks and a vacuum truck at the treatment plant in Manteca.
In the western United States, Manteca was one of the first cities to implement this initiative that reduces greenhouse gases released during wastewater treatment.
Furthermore, it means that trucks burning solid waste burn clean fuel instead of oil-based diesel or gas.
Lovelace Transfer Station now receives commercial food waste from restaurants, supermarkets, convenience stores, and Manteca schools and hospitals that are separated using a giant food separator.
Food and packaging are separated by it.
The ground food waste is then converted to a slurry and composted.
It is estimated that the city's transition to food waste diversion will be less expensive because it opted for a three-cart system nearly 30 years ago whereas neighboring communities went for a two-cart or a one-cart system.
To meet state requirements, most cities must buy at least one more cart per household to make their programs work.
The carts cost between $100 and $150 each.
By extending landfill life, Senate Bill 1383 also reduces methane gas emissions from landfills as garbage decomposes.
There are 27 million tons of organic waste generated in California every year, according to a 2017 study.
In terms of the waste collected, 18 percent of it is organic food. Paper accounts for 18 percent, lumber for 12 percent, and other organic waste makes up 19 percent.
The remaining 33 percent is composed of nonorganic waste.
Send an email to dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com to contact Dennis Wyatt
High Quality Fence
https://highqualityfence.com/
(209) 815-9015
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