Getting rid of corrugated cardboard boxes that spike significantly during the holidays will get easier this year in Manteca..

That’s because the City of Manteca is ready to launch weekly collection of blue (recyclables) and green (organic/yard waste) carts weekly along with the brown (garbage) carts starting the week of Dec. 2.

As such, residents will be able to at least double the amount of recycling plus organic/yard waste  they will be able to have collected over the course of every two week with the switch to universal 95-gallon carts.

Those who have been switched from 32 and 64 carts for either recycling or garbage will enjoy an even bigger increase in the amount of solid waste they can have the city pick up.

Public Works Director Carl Brown said due to the struggle the city is having securing commercial truck drivers, collections may end up taking place later in the day as Manteca may have to run some drivers on overtime initially to cover three collections on every route.

“If the carts are still out at 2 p.m. that means we haven’t gotten to them yet,” Brown said. “We will get to them on that day.”

After a few months, Brown expects to have all start-up issues dealing with weekly collections — including manpower— addressed.

The city is effectively increasing its weekly solid waste residential collection effort by 50 percent.

Currently, green cart and green cart collections alternate every other week.

Brown stressed households will continue to be serviced on days they are now assigned.

The  third cart — assuming a household places all three out weekly — will create some challenges.

They need to be set at least three feet apart for the automatic hydraulic arm to work.

The third cart will also take up more space curbside.

Residents are reminded not to crowd carts they — or their neighbors — set out on collection days with vehicles parked on the street.

The three cart weekly collection is the first step toward getting more compliance with existing city rules as well as looming state mandates requiring a significant reduction in the amount of solid waste buried at landfills.

By increasing the capacity of what people can place at curbside, the city in the coming months will be stepping up efforts to have all households comply with basic rules.

They include:

*having all cart lids close flat. 

Doing so means debris that may end up on the ground will be at an absolute minimum. It also will increase efficiency and prolong the life of the hydraulic arms given overflowing carts more often than not exceed weight limits.

*being able to tell if carts were placed out on time.

A number of calls to solid waste collection services including those operated directly by cities center around carts being “missed” by drivers. The city currently will go return to the address to tip the carts. Although they are able to charge for the return service if carts were placed out too late, currently it is difficult for the city to be sure when that is the case.

*determining who is contaminating recyclables as well as organic/yard waste by placing items that are prohibited from being placed in a specific cart color.

That will allow the city to pinpoint what specific household is contaminating recyclables in a bid to further educate them. If  that fails, then customers will be cited.

The ability to do so is a precursor to the city’s goal of being able to renegotiate a contract that expires with Lovelace Transfer Station or switch to a new vendor to being able to recycle more items than the city currently does,.

That contract change will happen in mid-2025.

The technology that will allow the city to do the above is being placed on all solid waste trucks complete with the necessary cameras.

It will read numbers on carts assigned to specific addresses and record what is being tipped from the carts.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com