New Residential Program begins July 1st
As part of the Zero Waste program in Palo Alto the city is initiating a program for composting of residential food scraps. While this new program is NOT MANDATORY, we ask you to consider participation to reduce the amount of landfill waste in Palo Alto.
With this new program, many of the items you now dispose of as ‘garbage’ (landfill waste) will move to the compostable category. This includes not only food scraps, but also food soiled paper products and containers.
That being said, as a multi-family common interest development, we have special considerations in order to implement this program properly. More than half of our units SHARE common areas for the garbage, recycle, and yard waste bins, and with that, must SHARE the task of moving the bins to and from the curb on collection day. Even though every unit is entitled to their own black, blue and green bins, there simply isn’t enough space available to accommodate them. Here at Barron Square, we have identified a multi-tiered approach:
- The GREEN Yard Waste bins are available in several sizes: 32 gal, 64 gal and 96 gal. (The jumbo 128 gal bin will not fit through the door of the shared trash area.) All of these will be supplied free of charge by Green Waste.
- New 96 gal GREEN bins will be located in the SHARED trash areas for use by the units listed:
- Building 3 – Units 4142 – 4152
- Building 8 – Units 522 – 528
- Building 9A – Units 502 – 508
- Building 9B – Units 510 – 516
- Building 10 – Units 531 – 541
- Building 12 – Units 4131 – 4141
- In other buildings where there is no shared trash area, we suggest that neighbors whose trash cabinets adjoin each other consider sharing a combination of 2 black bins (garbage), 1 blue bin (recycle) and 1 green bin (compost). The recommended green bin size would be 64 gal which is the same size as most people’s blue recycle bin. You will need to contact Green Waste Customer Service at (650) 493-4894 to arrange for a bin swap.
- In the future as we determine our actual volumes of compostables, the bins can be exchanged for the appropriate sizes.
- Now that there will additional bins being processed, we urge everyone to place the bins at the curb as late as possible on Tuesday afternoon and return them to the storage areas as soon as possible after collection on Wednesday.
RECYCLE YOUR OLD GARBAGE CANS
As you may be aware refuse rates in Palo Alto will be increasing, in part to cover the cost of the new program. But there is still an opportunity for you to save money. Most ‘old fashioned’ garbage cans are 32 gal capacity. We suggest that you recycle your old plastic and rubber cans and replace them with a 20 gal black garbage cart which is available FREE from Green Waste. This will reduce your refuse fee by about $20 per month. The 20 gal carts are easy to roll to the curb so you can also save the $3 per month ‘side yard’ collection charge.
PLEASE DO NOT DUMP RAW FOOD SCRAPS INTO THE GREEN BIN.
Green Waste has distributed 3 gal ‘pails’ to each residence for collection of food scraps. These scraps, along with other compostable materials, are to be put into the GREEN yard waste bins. We ask that you put your food scraps in “compostable” bags to help eliminate odors and reduce the attraction of animals (raccoon, skunks) and rodents. These bags are available in several sizes, including a 3 gal size which fits the small pail, in local stores or online at minimal cost. If there is sufficient interest, we may set up a bulk order for our residents. IF YOU DO NOT WISH TO USE THE COMPOST PAIL YOU RECEIVED, please do not discard it. Contact our Zero Waste Block Coordinator, Vickie Martin, at 424-9872 or leave it at her residence (4168, Bldg. 4) and she will return it to Green Waste.
WHAT ITEMS DO I PUT IN THE GREEN BINS?
- Food Scraps (in a compostable bag) including meat, bones, vegetables, dairy products, coffee grounds and filters, and tea bags
- Food soiled paper (paper towels, cups, napkins, take-out containers, pizza boxes)
- Compostable plastics (made from corn, potato or other starch)
- Yard trimmings
MEET AND LEARN SESSION
On Monday, July 20th, 7 PM to 8:30 PM there will be a Meet and Learn session with representatives of Zero Waste in the Barron Square Community Center. Come and learn about the Zero Waste program and get answers to your questions about composting. If you are planning to attend please RSVP to our Zero Waste Coordinator, Vickie Martin at (650) 424-9872 or email her at vickiem@barronsquare.org as soon as possible. For additional information on the composting program, visit the Zero Waste website
The City of Palo Alto has provided a colored brochure and a detailed list itemizing what goes where. For a quick overview watch the video below.
TAKE A TEST
Think you know what goes where for Zero Waste? Test your knowledge with the CAN-TASTIC Smart Sorter Game!