For Modesto residents, the New Year is already more troublesome and more expensive, and it’s only just begun. The new one percent sales tax increase and higher garbage collection rates are bad enough. Then there’s the new recycling program and its complicated disposal system.
As the city’s website says, all residences must have three large waste cans — blue, black, and green — even though they may have space enough for only two. Furthermore, residents who fail to comply with the new rules will be subject to increasing fine amounts beginning at $250. A city employee will rummage through people’s trashcans looking for violations.
Waste in the wrong can might result in a fine. If the new blue recycle can is determined to be too dirty, the resident will be ordered to clean it or face a fine. Residents are also required to clean waste for the blue bins in certain circumstances. This is one instance in which wasting water will be encouraged.
When distributed at the end of December, the new blue bins included a list of items for each of the three cans. The problem is the list is incomplete. You have to go to the city’s web site for a more complete list. Citizens may have to call city staff with questions regarding items not listed on the web site.
There’s a fourth category of waste that can’t be placed into any of the three cans — toxic waste. Citizens must remember the list of toxic waste items or risk being fined for misplacing those items.
The last time I went to the Stanislaus County toxic waste disposal site, it was only open for a few hours on one day a week. The hours coincided with most working hours. At the site, a staff worker told me that about half the items I brought were NOT considered toxic waste.
The Blue Can
The blue cans were distributed several weeks ago. Many residents did not get the message about bi-weekly pickups, so packed blue cans are on curbs all over town.
When they decided how to implement the state mandate to increase solid waste diversions, the Modesto City Council and staff didn’t seem to remember the failed curbside waste program of the 1990s. Back in those days, recycle material was routinely stolen from the collection buckets to the extent that very little remained.
This time around, with clean cardboard included in the blue can, perhaps more will be collected, but will the volume be enough to justify the extra can? Moreover, a new problem has been created regarding the Green Can.
Changed Green Can Collection Schedule
Now that the Green Can will be emptied every other week, residents who have been filling their cans weekly will have their monthly capacity cut in half. This will force more green waste into the streets when the Green Can is full.
Another requirement of the Green Can is for kitchen waste, which stinks as it decomposes. Residents have said that the stench emanating from the green cans after two weeks will be overwhelming, especially in the summer months.
Plastic bags can’t be used in the Green Can, so the smell won’t be contained. Expect compliance with this requirement to be low.
What About The Black Can?
The State of California mandate is that more than seventy percent of the garbage stream must be diverted to recycling. Ergo, no more than thirty percent of garbage should end up in the black can in order to meet the mandate.
Let’s do some math, based on a random “average” amount of waste.
The black can will be collected every week. Only one other can will be put out each week with the black can. Theoretically, fifty percent of each week’s garbage collection capacity will be in the black can. If only thirty percent of a resident’s garbage should go into the black can, the black can may never be filled to capacity, unless total garbage amount exceeds our “average” amount of waste. In that case, leftover garbage will accumulate without an alternate means of disposal.
By allowing inadequate capacity in the green can due to the reduced collection schedule, some residents may choose to dump green waste into the black can rather than wait until the monthly street pick up. Residents are not supposed to dump green waste into the street until the day before the expected pick up, but who wants to store stinky green waste on their property for up to four weeks?
The collection schedule defeats the purpose of adding the third can for recycling. To encourage more recycling, green waste recyclables should be collected more often and the black can collected less often.
Wil Modesto’s new collection policy work for its residents or will the residents suffer from poor planning by city government? Time will tell.
My wife and I are retired. We don’t discard much trash. I put out the black trash can every other week, sometimes even every third week. My backyard has lots of trees and plants, so usually I put out the green can every week.
This is the dumbest thing ever …. On top of doing the work of the garbage company they are charging the residents of Modesto more …. Who are these people and where are their heads??.
Their heads are up their ass.
AMEN
As I understand it, cities and counties who are strapped for money, like to mandate fines, as an additional resource collection gimmick.
Bertolotti does come by and inspect cans, and leave warning notices. I recall one such incident, when grass clippings got so hot they clumped at the bottom of the green bin, and started to smell after weeks of not fully emptying.
It was not at all easy to loosen up the old grass so it emptied out into their truck, instead of stay in the green bin. I can see how difficult it would be for those disabled.
I would not count on just receiving a warning notice. Perhaps one per residence. Yet, not our call, is it?
I couldn’t agree more! Just another expensive green debacle.
Well said. Plus
1. Thuis makes things much harder on older and disabled people. Cleaning the cans and cleaning recyclables. SERIOUSLY! Plus having to handle garbage multiple times.
2. Who wants to take up valuable refrigerator space if you don’t want to store your organic waste in the open to attract cockroaches and rats. To say nothing of the smell.
I agree totally, My husband has Alzheimer’s this means I’m going to have to monitor him more to see what he throws away! Making my life MORE difficult!!!
Let me get this right, we can put can an plastic milk jugs and glass jars in the blue can, but only if we waste water and rinse them out. Aren’t we suppose to be saving water. Next you will suggest I put the stuff in the tub and clean then while I clean myself or save my rinse water from the washing machine to do it.
And if there’s a drop or two of water in it after you wash it out, they’ll fine you for that too.
If folks follow directions it should work. We have many who do not follow directions. Should reduce landfill impact some as mandated by the State. Having the green can picked up every other week doesn’t make me happy. I fill it a lot with cardboard and green waste I determine to be unclean. Most of my green waste is composted including kitchen waste. I can see the issues that will develop.
Most cities pick up all three bns every week.
I’d like it better if the city would make the rules clear, UP FRONT, instead of making me figure it out.
I would like a detailed list of what can he placed in each can. Also the hazard waste place needs to he open more hours or provide a place closer to town. How about biodegadable bags for food in green cans? 😲
Hmm, many other states and communities have same policies and their landfills have survived. I’m curious Why some people feel that they’re special and don’t need to care about the world’s environments.
Example: smog requirements in large cities but not rural communities. Those pollutant vehicles travel to these very cities, drive and pollute and why? It’s the same environment for 8 billion people.
Well said, Sherri
I agree Sherri.
In Ceres, the black and green cans are picked up each week. The blue cans are picked up every two weeks. We have two blue toters (which were supplied free) which we often fill up. We compost almost all of our food waste since we have room to do it. I also have a worm compost bin. Bertolotti is our company. The system works very well for us. Most of our garbage consists of recyclables. We often do not fill up our black can for several weeks but both blue toters will be full.
I have been an avid recycler from the “beginning” and have my collection/storage system all set up. I’m willing to make adjustments to my system but the city’s lack of clarity is making it difficult. Also, I’d like to see where all the so-called recycling is going and how it is being sorted. I used to take my recycling to Go Green, and every few months there would be another type of material they couldn’t take anymore, such as the clamshell plastic or bimetal cans. How can Gilton or Bertolotti recycle these if a commercial recycler can’t? I’m hoping the City will be lenient for a month or two as we adjust to the new rules. There are too many unanswered questions for my comfort.
Thank you, Anita. I have often wondered where all the so-called recycling is going and how it is being sorted. My black can serves 3 households and often in a week it isn’t full as I take recycled items to a transfer station and compost kitchen waste in my garden.
I frankly don’t understand all the bellyaching. I’m a disabled senior who has been rinsing & storing aluminum, glass & recyclable plastic for years before taking it to Go Green in Salida. I welcome the Blue Bin. It’s much more convenient for me to step outside the side garage door & deposit these items in the Blue Bin. I’m glad our waste company now accepts metal cans, too. I rinse them out when I wash the dishes & dry them in the dish rack.
Yes! My 87 year old mother does the same as you, has been forever (before getting separate bins) with no complaints and to this day still does not complain about this!
My wife and I always wash out food containers for the recycling can to avoid any food born bacteria from infecting the recycling program. I’m sorry Modesto cut the green waste pickup in half. My wife and I would need another compost pit if Merced did the same. I’m glad Merced keeps garbage collections as public non-profit entity instead of outsourcing the program to private parties who must main a profit to remain in business.
Years ago, I was told the Bertolotti take its recycling to Stockton.
I’m all for recycling, however if the city wants this to work they need to explain in lots more detail what goes where. There are about 7 types of plastic. We need to know if just 1 and 2 can be recycled. What about shredded paper in a paper bag? I think that goes in blue if bag is completely compostable. What about shredded credit cards? What about waxed fiberboard frozen meal packaging? Waxed paper plates? Used tissues and paper towels? I’ve spent hours online only to find conflicting answers. Is it asking too much for some good info since we are expected to comply? We don’t want to guess since there is a possible fine plus guessing defeats the purpose.
As Judy says, very poorly executed. For instance, the calendar I got from the city didn’t show any difference in the colors of the alternate weeks — until I tilted it just right under the light. Then, a slight difference showed between blue/green and green/blue. I realized when I saw my neighbors put out all three cans the first week, that they probably couldn’t understand the directions, so let the driver pick up the right one. Now, they have it straight.
But what keeps bugging me is where is the break-even point? How much plastic was made and used to make all of those third cans? How much can possibly be recovered from the shreds of plastic, glass, paper, whatever from the third can? How much extra energy has been and will be used to do all of this? And will it ever show in reducing the landfill? I am undoubtedly missing a lot of info, but to me, this isn’t anywhere near getting at the roots of the problem.
And what are we supposed to do with all of our leaves in the fall? Some weeks even the once a week pickup isn’t enough for my area.
I had earlier thought it was a poor plan, poorly executed, but the more I think of it, I think it’s a bad plan poorly executed.
Do whatever the f*** you want to do, just don’t charge me anymore money life is hard as it is because of Brandon LET’S GO BRANDON
Nice example for your kids…
For me, it’s confusing. But there’s another problem. I don’t know about you, but people other than me use my bins. Without my knowledge. I’ve gone out to empty my trash and found it full with someone else’s trash.
I live in a back house. The front house can never stay rented and about every two years it’s redone and cleaned for the next person. If a previous tenant left stuff or damaged property, all kinds of things can wind up in my bin since they keep running out of space in the bins for the front house. Plaster, carpeting, paint, paint rollers, paint cans, spackle etc all end up in any bin that will hold it. And they overflow the top. Sometimes there’s no room in my bin for my stuff. I have no control over what someone else puts in a can that’s outdoors and accessible to anyone.
Then, there are the homeless and criminals who go through the bins looking for recyclables and may be ID theft. They put the stuff back however they want. This goes on all down the street and I live in a fairly nice residential area with mostly professional type residents. Attorneys, doctors, accountants, that type. Again, we can’t control or guard these bins 24 hours a day. And the fines are $100 to $25,000. We need to go as a united group of citizens and demand that these fines be eliminated.
I have another comment. I came from a town that was very corrupted and when I left, my arm was in a sling from the violence that was supported by the city government.
This problem of fines for an unclear and unworkable recycling system falls in the category of corrupt. I’ve always cleaned out my cans and bottles and recycled everything, too, no problem, but this system is guaranteed to cause you to fail and be fined.
I think it would be good to get neighborhood groups together, like neighborhood watch groups and have the emails of all residents in the area. And each leader can email the leader of the next neighborhood group over, etc. Each time we hear of something that’s possibly corrupt or detrimental to people rather than helpful, we can use this to confront the city as citizens to change it to something workable. And in the case of mandates with fines, as the poster said, it could be mishandling of funds and they are pushing it off on us, then we can demand an audit to see if they’re handling things the way they should be. With an auditor that we choose. If we let them get away with things, it will get worse. As people, we do have power. If we work together.
I have another comment. Wow, a lot. I tried to contact the Modesto city recycling and got the machine. Thursday and Friday. The city office said they take about 72 hours to get back to you and I’m assuming that’s only workweek hours, not weekends. So if you have a question the website doesn’t answer, you have a long wait.
I feel that if you’re sorting and trying your best and they see a mistake they should just leave a note on how to fix that, not fine you. We can’t afford that. Plus, mandates have often caused people to distrust the programs being mandated and to be against them. There was a large increase in anti-vaccine adherents after it was mandated and people lost jobs. They resented it. We don’t want people to resent recycling and taking care of the planet. It took years before the idea of reusing and taking care of our resources became mainstream. Now most people want recycling. I thought it was great until I found out about this.
I contacted KCRA to see if they thought the way this is being handled might be a story. I mentioned this and another article and the things I’ve mentioned here and what other commenters are saying. I also mentioned that Stanislaus County was fining people for recycling as well and it looks like more. They might do one. They’ll do some research.
If you think it would be good, maybe you could contact them also and see if they can find out what’s going on with this and perhaps influence them to make this more workable and not threaten our ability to pay rent with increasing fines rather than just a note to clarify where we’ve made a mistake.
I found out that the City of Modesto hasn’t had an auditor since they made Monica Houston resign in 2018. I wonder if this has something to do with things.