Ceres passes curbside recycling changes. How do rates compare with Turlock and Modesto?
Ceres residents can expect to receive a curbside bin for organic waste because the Ceres City Council on Monday approved changes to garbage collection rules.
The changes to a three-cart system will cost Ceres about $1 million annually, including expenses related to new bins, disposal equipment and ongoing maintenance, Public Works Director Jeremy Damas said.
Adding 90-gallon organics bins in January will allow Ceres to meet California mandates, Damas said during the meeting Monday, and the state could offer funds to offset the cost in the future.
Senate Bill 1383 regulations, effective next year, aim to reduce statewide disposal of organic waste by 75% by 2025 in response to climate change. The law requires cities to provide green waste collection and educate residents on recycling organics, such as food waste and leaves, instead of sending them to garbage landfills.
The council passed updates to municipal codes 3-1, with Council Member Linda Ryno flipping her vote back to supporting the changes after opposing them two weeks ago. Ryno declined to comment after the meeting, but asked staff questions about what happens when neighbors overfill other people’s bins.
Public works staff do not plan to fine people who can show someone else is overfilling their bins and preventing lids from closing, Damas said. Staff would knock on the neighbor’s door in those situations, he added.
Before charging fines for illegal dumping or improperly sorting trash, Damas said staff plan to give a grace period of six months to a year. Then, after a warning, Ceres residents and businesses can face a $25 fine for the second, $100 for the third and $250 for fourth and subsequent violations. In the new system, recyclables like glass bottles go in the blue cart, garbage goes in the black cart and organics go in the green cart.
Education and outreach will be the main strategy for getting compliance, Damas added.
“By no means is this a means for the city to collect additional revenues through fining people,” Damas said.
In September, monthly waste collection rates are set to increase to $28.21 for residents with 60-gallon bins and $32.93 for those with 90-gallon ones. Rates are scheduled to rise to $31.75 and $37.06, respectively, in 2025 to pay for the additional service, per a rate schedule the council approved this past November.
How do Modesto, Turlock handle recycling?
Turlock Scavenger began providing a three-cart system for residential curbside waste collection in 1992, per its website. The company continues to provide this garbage, recyclables and organic waste collection service for Turlock. The city charges $27.40 per month for the standard solid waste services, according to the online municipal code.
Meanwhile, Modesto residents have two curbside bins: one for trash and another for organics. Bertolotti Disposal, which also contracts with Ceres, and Gilton Solid Waste Management provide Modesto’s collection services. The city’s monthly garbage rate is $36.63 per month as of last October.
Modesto offered curbside recycling from the early 1970s to 1997, The Bee previously reported, and ended a blue bag recycling program in 2009. Modesto recently contracted R3 Consulting to develop plans for complying with Senate Bill 1383 next year, Recycling Program Coordinator Vicki Rice said in an email. The consulting company will consider curbside collection recommendations in its overall review, Rice said.
“We have been diverting organic materials for years for both residential customers and commercial businesses to our own city-owned and operated compost facility,” Rice said. “As far as recyclables that would traditionally go in a ‘blue’ can, we support local buy-back centers in Modesto.”
Modesto residents can find additional information in the city’s recycling guide or by visiting the CalRecycle website.
This story was originally published June 30, 2021 at 4:00 AM.
