Seeing red over green efforts: New color put on eco-friendly

By Desi Reno

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Everyone has a concept of what it takes for California to go "green." Some want to incorporate it into how we build infrastructure projects, with features such as roadways made of recycled tires. Others want to reduce air and water pollution.

Some want more mass transit options; others want to change food production. Some want the focus on preserving natural resources by changing purchasing behavior -- no plastic bags and less packaging.

Every definition of "green" requires investing today for a better tomorrow. But we have to distinguish between short-term goals and long-term goals.

In our community, recycling is a "green" activity we invest in. We comply with California's mandate to divert 50 percent of our waste stream from the landfill. Stanislaus County has achieved 60 percent waste diversion, and the city of Modesto 53 percent.

Our community leaders have achieved this difficult goal with extreme sensitivity to our wallets. Let me explain: Diversion is calculated on the weight of waste. Most of the local programs have focused on the bulkiest items which also have weight, such as glass, metals, grass clippings and other yard waste.

Modesto, with its two-can system, now encourages residents to put the newspapers, magazines and other items into the green toters for composting. This is far less expensive than, for instance, running a special garbage pickup for plastics, which weigh very little.

Unique and individual recycling approaches that may benefit the super recycler or provide extra services at the curb for collection are sacrificed for the bigger picture.

We implement recycling systems that are focused on the many and not necessarily the few. This gets the biggest bang for our buck. Local leaders have successfully balanced compliance with environmental goals with minimizing costs.

You could call this going "brown" instead of "green." In these economic times, "brown" is still an environmental color -- like dirt and the season of autumn -- and might be a softer approach that is more realistic. Short-term "brown" goals don't eliminate an eco-friendly approach for the long run.

There are numerous proposals to increase "green" goals in all sorts of areas -- air pollution, water use and so forth.

In recycling, a 75 percent diversion rate is being proposed. This will require significant capital investment by garbage companies, local government -- and ultimately taxpayers -- and a dramatic shift in our purchasing behavior.

In our area, it is still cheaper to throw away garbage than to recycle it. It costs about $75 per ton to recycle garbage -- to move items from residential curb sides to the processing plant. It costs about $55 per ton to transport garbage from the same curb sides to the disposal site.

Californians might be better served if state leaders would take a lesson from our local leaders and add some "brown" practicality to their plans. Mother Earth would still get the attention, and businesses won't be scared away from investing in California's long-term environmental goals.

The slow-go, "brown" approach is a good compromise to make our state livable -- environmentally and financially.

Reno, a Modesto resident, is the integrated waste manager for San Joaquin County. He was a visiting editor at The Bee earlier this year. Write him at columns@modbee.com.