To help the City of Sacramento save money, collecting your next batch of leaves from in front of your home may cost you more, particularly if you live in a very “leafy” neighborhood.
LEAF COLLECTIONS are often made with tractors in neighborhoods such as Land Park, Curtis Park, East Sacramento and the Pocket. / Photo courtesy, Steve Harriman
Yard waste collection is provided by the City’s Department of General Services. Residents with this service can place a single pile of yard waste, up to two cubic yards, between the sidewalk and the curb for collection.
This spring the Department of General Services will ask the City Council to place a measure on the November 2012 ballot repealing 1977’s Measure A, the law which prohibits the City from requiring containerized yard and garden collection.
“Our primary objective is not to raise rates for several years, but part of the challenge is it’s very inefficient and expensive to have two different green waste programs,” explained Steve Harriman, integrated waste manager. He said his office operates like a business and staff are currently looking at different scenarios for the collection programs.
“The monthly collection fees we charge customers pay for labor, employees, disposal of the material, equipment, maintenance and replacement,” Harriman said.
The City collects a total of 80,000 tons of green waste through the City’s two programs, the Containerized Yard Waste Collection Program and the Loose-in-the-Street Collection Program.
City officials say that current rates for the Loose-in-the-Street program aren’t enough to pay for the program. An increase may need to occur to help the city’s budget.
Nearly 13,000 residents on the program pay $13.71 a month to have their bags collected. Only those on the program have their piled leaves on the streets picked up. If rates don’t increase, frequency of pick-up of leaf piles and lawn trimmings for those who don’t use green bins would have to be reduced.
“During leaf season, between Thanksgiving and New Year’s, the City collects nearly 27,000 tons of yard waste,” said Harriman. “Containers are not enough during this time of the year. The leaf collection program helps keep leaves from blocking storm drains and prevents decaying leaves from polluting our lakes and streams.”
Nearly 103,000 city residents use the 96 galloon green bins that the City provides, at a monthly rate of $10.35 for the weekly pick-up. They also benefit from the loose leaf service eight times a year. A majority of the residents on the program live in midtown, Land Park, Curtis Park, East Sacramento, the Pocket, and Del Paso Heights.
“It only takes one employee and one vehicle to pick up the bin collection, therefore using much less fuel, less traffic congestion,” Harriman said. “Versus the Loose-in-the-Street piles takes two employees and two vehicles with rear loaders and ‘claws’ that scoop up the leaves. The container program also leaves the street quite a bit cleaner, less spillage on the curb, less danger of leaves spilling over onto drains, less residue left behind.”
Brady Helmes lives in the leafy district of Curtis Park and said, “Leaf collection is a basic city service that should be funded through existing revenue. The goal is to have storm drains free from clogs and our neighborhoods looking clean. If this system doesn’t work, then we need to explore other options.”
City staffers are currently working with the Utilities Rate Advisory Commission to come up with new solutions.
“In the next couple of months, we’re also getting ready to go out into the community and neighborhood associations to ask for people’s input,” said Harriman.
One idea the City is playing with is having a bi-weekly collection for their curbside recycling collection.
OVER 27 THOUSAND TONS of leaves are collected by Sacramento’s yard waste collection staff. / Photo courtesy, Steve Harriman
“All the other jurisdictions inside Sacramento County pick up every other week. Weekly collection is very convenient and easy for customers, but it’s also very expensive,” Harriman added.
“We used to have it as a bi-weekly pick up in the past, and I think I can live with that if it keeps my monthly rate down,” said Land Park resident Pete Madefield.
The City offers containerized customers eight scheduled Loose-in-the-Street collections per year. To comply with state law, the City can only provide the service as it is defined onto those customers who are paying for it.
- January: Collection second full week
- February: Collection last full week
- May: Collection last full week
- October: Collection last full week
- November and December: Collection will be two times per month, however schedules may vary during leaf season
For more information about the Containerized Yard Waste and Loose-in-the-Street Service Guidelines log onto www.cityofsacramento.org/utilities/solid-waste-recycling.
Illegal dumping an issue for City collectors
City officials from the Waste Program are conducting “spot checks” of city streets to make sure there is no illegal dumping in neighborhoods.
“It’s a headache, people are abusing the program and it’s costing the City money that we could use in other places,” said Harriman. “Gardeners doing yard maintenance in other cities are driving their waste into the City of Sacramento and dumping it in neighborhoods where they know we have regular pickups.”
The Department of General Services has one code enforcement officer whose job is to locate and cite the illegal dumping.
“It’s a big city and the enforcement is difficult, especially when the dumping happens at night,” explained Harriman. “We’ve confronted a number of gardeners, but it’s also helpful if residents that see the illegal dumping report it so we can take action.”
Where does all the waste go?
Waste collections from city residents are not recycled back to Sacramento.
“The collected leaves are made into compost to fertilize agriculture lands and landscaped areas outside of Sacramento, “ explained William Skinner, collections superintendent. “Compost places in urban areas like Sacramento are hard to manage. They always have an odor that affects the neighboring homes.”
Yard waste consists of materials normally generated in the maintenance of gardens, yards, lawns, or landscaped areas whether residential, commercial or public. This includes leaves, grass clippings, plants, shrubs and pruning. State law says that 50 percent of all waste generated in the City of Sacramento is to be recycled.
The Department of General Services works with a private company that takes the collected material for different types of recyclable usage:
- Alternative daily cover goes to Yolo County Landfill. The garbage has to be covered with dirt and other material, such as yard waste to keep birds and other animals away from the landfill.
- Cogeneration facilities burn waste materials as a fuel source at Rio Bravo-Rocklin Power Station in Lincoln. The burning occurs mainly in the spring and summer months.
- Compost and mulch facilities turn waste into compost and this then goes to Napa County. The compost is mixed with manure and sold for agricultural use in the area.
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“Is this enough for a riding lesson?” A handful of crumpled dollar bills and some change from two little girls six years ago was the first spark on the road to creating Horses, Hope and Healing, a program that provides horse riding lessons for children who could otherwise not afford it.
Nestled near the west end of Marconi Boulevard, this 9-acre horse ranch is both home to former race horses and disadvantaged youth who Oreglia saw needed a program that helps build their self esteem. So, she joined with other parents, horse owners and volunteers to create such a program.
Oreglia leases the property, which she said has a high rent, but said it’s worth it because it’s located in Del Paso Heights “right where we are most needed.” Many of the children ride or walk over to the ranch and others can take public transit to get there.
