Stopwaste in 2014

I serve as Emeryville's representative on the Alameda County Waste Management Authority, also known as Stopwaste. I greatly appreciate all that this government organization has done to make Alameda County a national leader in terms of how much of our waste goes back into the economy through recycling and compost (food scraps and plant debris). We (Stopwaste) are also responsible for banning single use plastic bags at most retail stores county-wide. We also have required commercial businesses and multi-family residences to offer recycling.

But we still find that people need an additional nudge or more education to further reduce the amount of "good stuff" that is going to landfill. You may have received a mailer recently that gives a snapshot of how well our community of Emeryville is doing on this, in comparison with other cities in the county. This mailer is paid for by a "benchmark" fee, that also pays for additional data collection, so we can measure how well we are doing. the fee is $1.51/year for most accounts, more for larger trash generators. Questions you may have can be answered here, or you can email me directly at emeryvillewest@gmail.com.

Another challenge that we face in Alameda County is how to fund disposal of Household Hazardous Waste -- materials that cannot safely be put in a landfill. Over the years, our money to fund this has gone down (as it is based on fees on landfilled materials, which have been decreasing -- yeah!), so Stopwaste is finding new money to support HHW disposal, while also making it easier for households to take HHW to the facilities (making the hours more frequent and more regular). Ideally, someday, we will be able to phase out more of these toxic substances from our store shelves, or charge the person buying it at point of sale to cover these costs, but for now, we are proposing a fee on all properties in the county to support these services. You may have received a letter recently informing you about this fee and how you may protest it, if you choose. It will be $9.55/year for all properties, added to property tax bills. It will only be in place for 10 years, and will be reduced if the cost of services is reduced or other funding sources are more than projected. Go here to see answers to frequently asked questions.

I have asked for an information item on the March 4 council agenda to be sure we have a chance to discuss these fees at council. You may also contact me directly to get more information on these programs.

Recycling and Plastic Bag Ban

I serve as the Emeryville representative on the board of Stopwaste.org, the agency in Alameda County that supports increased diversion from the landfill of valuable materials, such as recycling and green waste. This board has 17 representatives from the cities, towns, county and sanitary districts in the county. Next month ( on Dec. 14), Stopwaste.org is considering 2 ordinances that will move Alameda County to the next level in terms of waste diversion. We are voting on a county-wide ordinance to ban plastic bags at many retail stores and to mandate recycling and composting to businesses and multi-family residences. Plastic bags are one of the greatest sources of pollution, as they easily blow around, even at the landfill, they create a real problem. They end up in the Bay and the ocean.

Both of these ordinances are designed to be phased in over time. Member agencies (the cities, towns, etc.) can opt-out of these ordinances if they wish, but I am hopeful that Emeryville will stay on board with both of these (City Council will consider this item on our Dec. 20 agenda), and see the amount of waste we landfill diminish as a result. By Stopwaste.org providing the outreach and legal documents, Alameda County jurisdictions gain from an economy of scale.

Both ordinances are supported by an Environmental Impact Report, which will also be adopted at that time. The plastic bag ban will require stores that provide a paper bag to charge a dime for the bag (the store keeps the dime), to provide an additional incentive for shoppers to remember their own reusable bag. It takes time and sometimes a nudge to change habits.

There will be a year of education and outreach surrounding this implementation. The support voiced at our public hearing last week, and in emails I have received, has been strong. We join a number of forward looking cities around the state and country. Our county-wide goal is to divert 75% of all waste out of the landfill. We are around 69% now (Emeryville is just above the county average at 70%). Eventually, we want to reduce the amount of recyclable and compostable material going to the landfill to be no more than 10%. In other words, if we can keep the "good stuff" out of the landfill, we can see economic benefits and job creation.

How much can you and your neighbors recycle?

Stopwaste.org is sponsoring a contest.  You can win!  All you have to do is be the best recycler and composter in town!  Go to Ready Set Recycle Contest to take a pledge and participate.  Single Family residences can win without entering.  But since many of us in Emeryville live in Multi-family residences, we must take the pledge to be eligible to win.  Folks from Stopwaste are auditing garbage, recycling and compost bins randomly, checking to make sure that you put everything in the right bin.  All paper, cans, bottles, cardboard and plastic containers (#1, 2, and 5) go in the recycling.  All food scraps, food soiled cardboard or paper, and plant debris go in the green bin. 

We want to minimize what goes to the landfill!  If it is packaged in something that must be landfilled, think twice before buying it.

Check out the website and try the quiz to see if you know how to recycle like a master!