Modesto, green? You bet

Modesto officially dumps its blue-bag recycling program at the end of this month, leaving some residents believing the city isn't doing enough to be "green."

While the community hasn't chosen the same environmental route as others — most notably those with a third can designated only for recyclables — there's persuasive evidence that Modesto's strategies are working well to reduce the amount of garbage going into landfills and to get a second use out of most of the trash.

And they will be even more effective as residents learn how to properly use the green and black toters.

Composting

Modesto was an early player in municipal composting — turning grass clippings and yard prunings into a soil supplement.

Its composting facility has been operating since 1997, and in the last few years, with the addition of new equipment to screen and sort, the city now composts paper, cardboard and food scraps, including sizable volumes from restaurants and hospitals.

By following the new guidelines for what can go into their green toters, many residents find they can reduce their black-toter trash to a fraction of what it used to be.

Where does the green matter go? First to the garbage companies' transfer stations and then out to the 50-acre composting site adjoining the wastewater treatment facility, a 4,000-acre expanse off Jennings Road about 10 miles west of downtown.

An average of 250 tons a day of yard and paper waste arrives at the facility. Large branches and other items are chipped, and the restaurant waste is screened to remove wine bottles and contaminants.

The materials are then mixed and placed into windrows, which are watered regularly and turned weekly — steps that promote rapid decomposition. The process takes about six months.

At the end of the process, the product is screened to remove stray plastic or pieces of wood larger than › of an inch. The end result is a rich compost, which is sold to the public and to landscaping contractors and farmers.

From the city's perspective, the composting facility offers two big benefits: It pays for itself and it counts toward the state mandate of diverting material from landfills.

The waste-to-energy plant

The garbage that goes in Modestans' black toters ends up at Fink Road just west of Interstate 5, and goes either into the county landfill or into the waste-to-energy plant operated by Covanta Energy. The city and the county are co-owners of this plant, the Stanislaus Resource Recovery Facility, which turns about 800 tons a day of municipal solid waste into electricity, which is sold to Pacific Gas & Electric Co.

The plant was built 20 years ago specifically to reduce the amount of material going into landfills. It achieves that. James Healey, the facility manager for Covanta, says there's a 90 percent volume reduction. What comes out the back side of the plant are ash and metal items — tire rims, for example — that survived the intense heat. The iron is recycled; the ash goes into a designated area of the landfill nearby.

Producing electricity has always been a byproduct, but its value has increased with the rise in oil prices and the push toward "green energy."

The plant operates 24-7 and generates up to 22 megawatts of electricity, enough for 20,000 homes.

Recycling plastic, cans and glass

The city isn't directly involved in but strongly encourages the return of plastic, aluminum and glass beverage containers covered by the state's 23-year-old California Redemption Value program.