| | Published March 13th, 2013
| Curbside Plastic Bag Recycling in Lamorinda?
One of many possibilities that will decide future of trash collection
| | By Sophie Braccini |  | | Dale Walwark recycles his plastic bags at Moraga Safeway. Photos Sophie Braccini
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"You may want to reconsider including plastic bags for your future recycling contracts; the issue is not as clear cut as it seems," said Allied Waste's Steve Moore at a Central Contra Costa Solid Waste Authority (CCCSWA) general board meeting Feb. 28. Moore came to offer his 'two cents' at one of the meetings where the next 10 years of trash collection and recycling are being decided for our service area.
With a state mandate of 75 percent diversion by 2020, CCCSWA must design a system that will improve on its existing one, but not result in a dramatic cost increase. Plastic bags are one of the issues residents can weigh in on at this time; the matter should be settled by the end of the summer.
Every 10 years, CCCSWA signs service contracts with trash collection and recycling providers. The current cycle is nearing its end and new contracts will be signed in 2014.
The board is comprised of two representatives from each member agency including local council members, mayors and vice-mayors, and this year is chaired by Lafayette Mayor Mike Anderson. The monthly discussions have already brought in some results. "The addition of plastic bags [for curbside pickup in recycle bins] has already been approved, as well as plastic containers #1-7, rigid plastic and small scrap metal," said CCCSWA Senior Project Manager Bart Carr, "but nothing is final until the Request For Proposal (RFP) goes out."
The plastic bag issue is a symbol of the complexity of the trash collection processes. Very little was recycled 30 or 40 years ago; everything would go to the dump, said Carr. "Today we introduce new processes that can reduce the amount of waste, but it requires large investments and/or a lot of man power that translate into cost for the clients."
Moore argued that recycling plastic bags at the curb could drive the plastic industry to produce more bags since they'd be recycled.
"At this time the position of the board is that a plastic bag ban will be coming either from the region or state," said Carr. "It is going to happen, there is a growing momentum. At this time our board has decided not to pursue the ban and to curb recycle."
"If a ban comes it will not be from CCCSWA, but jurisdiction by jurisdiction," said Anderson. "In Alameda County where I work they have a ban and I've had to get used to bringing my own bag or pay 10 cents a bag; it seems to be working."
But since plastic bags comprise such a small amount of trash by weight, the decision of whether or not to recycle them won't greatly impact the global diversion rate, which is approximately 60 percent in the CCCSWA service area, with the single-family owners being the best recyclers. "To reach our State goal of 75 percent by 2020 the focus will have to be on multi-family dwellings and business collection," said Anderson.
Carr is watching innovative technology being implemented such as the wet/dry recycling. "In this system, all the organic material - the wet: such as food waste, used napkins and paper plates, and landscape trimmings - goes in one can and all the rest - the dry - goes in the other," explains Carr. "A single hauler then collects, sorts and recycles the dry while wet can be composted or dry fermented. San Jose is achieving an 80 percent recycling commercial rate with this system." Carr adds that the San Jose system required partnership between the city and the hauler to upgrade facilities; it also created more than 100 recycling-related jobs.
The balance between new innovative services and keeping them affordable is definitely at the top of the board's priority list. "It is important to protect our constituency from rate increases," said Moraga Mayor Dave Trotter, who is also on the board. "We have defined the base level of services - a lot like the current one - and then will list possible add-ons for which the service providers will give separate proposals. If we choose new programs, they will be phased in over time to avoid jumping costs."
Among the new possible enhancements could be batteries, cell phones, CFLs, old clothing or polystyrene. Also recommended are food scraps collection and the same single-family recyclables for multi-family dwellings.
"I am excited about moving into a new franchise agreement, with the twin goals of stabilizing and keeping our rates down, and exploring new ways to recycle to divert more items from the landfill," said Orinda Council Member Victoria Smith. "Orinda's overall diversion rate right now is about 60 percent, and I think that (with the new contracts) the 75 percent rate by 2020 is doable."
For more information and meeting dates, visit www.wastediversion.org.
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 | | A bounty of bags await recycling at Moraga Safeway.
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA