When it comes to disposal of garbage and organic waste, the City of Ripon could soon go to a two-cart system.
That’s the direction staff received at last Monday’s Ripon City Council informational workshop.
The goal, according to Director of Public Works James Pease, was to provide elected leaders with information on SB 1383. He noted that the target of the bill is to reduce organic waste disposal by 75 percent by 2025 and rescue 20 percent of the currently disposed of surplus food by 2025.
Pease pointed out that initial goal of SB 1383 was to reduce organic waste disposal by 50 percent in 2020. “The program failed in its first goal,” he said.
Council mentioned the State is the one forcing the City of Ripon to implement the new requirements and, because of that, residents can expect to see a rate increase in this service.
Ripon currently uses a one-can system. Regulations, however, require the City to take the black cans to a facility that separates and recover 50 percent of organic material as the specified goal for this year. According to Pease, Cal Recycle has not yet designated any of its facilities to do this degree of separation and recovery while Gilton Resource Recovery in Modesto is actively been working towards this goal.
The two-can service requirements has one container for organic waste only and the other for mixed recyclables and trash. This option would eliminate some of the inspection and enforcement from City staff – as used under the one-can system – while requiring recyclables to be hauled off to a separate facility.
Staying with a one-can system would mean a 32 percent rate increase to residents. Pease said there’s reason for that.
“The tipping fees are so expensive that the cost to dump under the one-can system is higher than the capital and operational costs of a three-can system,” he added.
The two-can system calls for the City to purchase green cans for all residential homes.
The additional 1,250 green cans would come at a capital cost of $113,000 and an operational cost increase of $85,000, Pease said.
Staff is working with the current facility to identify acceptable compostable food items in order to begin the outreach efforts.
Pease added that it’s important to note that even with the two-can system, the City still wouldn’t be in complete compliance with the State law.
“This is the best we can do in order to be incompliant because the required facilities do not yet exist – Gilton is working towards providing a compliant facility by mid-2023 and at that point the City would need to revisit this and possibly add a third can,” he said.
Staff was given direction to proceed with the two-can system and bring it back to Council for approval.
In addition, Pease said that the next steps will include the purchasing and implementing green cans for all residents, developing ongoing education and outreach to all residents and unfamiliar business owners, and begin work with the permitted haulers in order to implement SB 1383 and revise the procurement policy.
