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.

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.

“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.

elizabeth@valcomnews.com

SACRAMENTO – The City of Sacramento Department of Utilities reminds its Containerized Yard Waste customers that their Leaf Season Loose-in-the-Street Yard Waste Collection begins Oct. 25 and will continue every-other-week through Dec.23.

Customers should note that their loose-in-the-street collection day is not the same as their containerized yard waste collection day. Residents who are unsure of their loose-in-the-street collection day can use the Pick-Up Day Finder at http://www.cityofsacramento.org/utilities/solid-waste-recycling or call 3-1-1.

Because Leaf Season brings large piles for collection, the City may fall behind in its scheduled collections. Customers can verify when the City will be collecting loose-in-the-street piles in their neighborhood by viewing the Leaf Collection Map at http://www.cityofsacramento.org/utilities beginning on Nov. 1.

Acceptable material for collection in the yard waste program is leaves, branches, and grass trimmings. Pet waste and fencing material is not accepted. Customers are requested to limit their tree trimming and to fill their container first and then to place overflow materials in a pile no bigger than 3’x3’x6’ on the street.

The Department of Utilities offers eight loose-in-the-street yard waste pick-ups to customers who use a container to collect and dispose of yard waste. A calendar of these pick-up days can be found at http://www.cityofsacramento.org/utilities.

They came with both barrels blazing: A city councilmember, a former mayor, and a dozen or so city employees there to make a point – containerized pick-up for green waste is the future, and it is time to get on board.

The Department of Utilities invited residents to an informational meeting Jan. 21 at Kennedy High School to discuss the benefits of using cans to dispose of yard and lawn clippings. Edison Hicks, general manager of Integrated Waste from Sacramento’s Department of Utilities, led the charge, along with Sacramento City Councilman Robbie Waters and former Sacramento Mayor Anne Rudin.

The advantages are overwhelming: lower costs, cleaner streets, safer streets, and less likelihood of fostering West Nile virus.

“In 2004 we (the city of Sacramento) began using containers on a voluntary basis,” said Hicks. “Right now, about 70 percent of the city is using containers, and we hope to be at 80 percent by the end of February. With loose-on-the-street pick up, we pay two employees, driving two vehicles, to service 1200 households. With containers, one driver can service 2,000 households a day.”

And that difference in cost may be reflected in utility bills for Sacramento customers.

Currently, about $10 of your utility bill is for the removal of yard waste. If residents continue to use loose-on-the-street, their bill may increase by about $30 a month. A second can may be requested, for a charge of an additional $5 a month.

Customers using the 96-gallon cans will receive an additional eight loose-in-the-street collections, once a month for January, February, May and October. The months of November and December will see collections a minimum of every other week.

Walt Siefert from the Sacramento Area Bicycle Advocates spoke of the dangers to bicyclists by having to ride through piles of leaves, or around piles, thus riding into traffic.

And David Brown, manager for the Sacramento-Yolo Mosquito Vector Control told the group how piles of yard waste create a haven for mosquitoes.

“When people hose down their driveways and sidewalks, the yard waste gets into our sewer system, creating an ideal environment in the catch basins for breeding mosquitoes,” he said.

“I couldn’t wait to get the yard container,” said Kathy Garcia, a 16-year resident in the Pocket. “I love it. I’ve been using the container since they first offered us the cans. And we put our green kitchen scraps in there, too. But I do hate seeing the cans left out on the street.”

“I’m glad we went to containers,” said Sue Armi, who has lived in her Pocket area home 33 years. My concern is during leaf season or after a big storm, if we’ll have too much waste for the container. But I don’t like the piles in the street. We live on a curve, and when cars come around the corner, it’s constant clean-up.”

But not everyone is in love with the idea of using the containers.

“It’s not that I’m against them,” said Ted Kellogg, “I think they (city utilities) should provide enough flexibility. Occasions arise when you need extra pick-up. During the summer there’s often a need for some extra pick-ups without charging extra. I would not like a rate increase at all, but I guess I’d be forced to use a can if my bill goes up.”

“Originally I chose to use the container. It used to be when you had overflow you could put it out in the street and it would be picked up,” said Phyllis Hill, who moved into her Pocket home in 1973. “But a few months ago, I got a notice on the door saying I had 5 days to remove the yard waste, or I’d be fined $500. It took two days to cut it into small enough pieces to fit in my can and the cans of two neighbors. In the process, I found out I could turn my container back in, so I did. I’m unhappy if I have to go through that again. With our yards that are on the levee, we have a lot to deal with. I have 80 roses, 12 fruit trees, five redwoods, plus oak and dogwood. And I have three compost piles going. I can only do much.”

 

What do you think about green waste containers? Do you want one? If you have one, what do you think of the service? And should the city be mandated to pass on the savings from the containers back to citizens? E-mail ryanrose@valcomnews.com. Letters on the matter will be printed in a future edition of The Pocket News.