Higher Garbage Rates Looming?

The Santa Rosa Press- Democrat reports Sonoma County's main garbage collector, Ratto, is asking for a rate increase. A temporary one, they say, but we all know how that works. I can't help but wonder if this means we're also looking at a rate increase?

Three main reasons cited for Ratto's increases that should also apply to Humboldt: Very depressed prices for recycling materials. Shipping disruptions from the labor unrest down south, and the amount of regular garbage being mixed in with recyclables. 

Thank you Eureka City Council for forcing mandatory garbage service on us. Now we have no option no matter how high rates go.

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Of the three reasons given for the price increase, not much we can do about labor disputes and depressed prices.  We can sort our recyclables better, although you have to wonder how many people really care enough about that?

The story goes to some length to describe the sort of garbage being thrown in with recyclables and having to be removed.  That costs money. I recall calling the gal over at the place that used to process recycling up here and mentioning the garbage issue. I forget exactly, but she was saying they had to pay something like $20,000 a year(?) for getting rid of the garbage. Don't quote me on the number. Suffice it to say, though, it was substantial.

That was no surprise to me as I used to consider myself the "recycling nazi" and regularly snooped in people's bins to see what inappropriate things were being thrown in. I've since more or less given up on that but still notice things on occasion. I never cease to be amazed.

One house had a bunch of window glass broken during an earthquake. I told them that wasn't recyclable and they removed it. I noticed the same place also places uncleaned food containers in the bin. Hey! I know you can only clean some containers so much, but they'd just take all the usable peanut butter they could out of the jar, then toss it in without cleaning. How rude!

Some guy at the City Garbage recycling center told me years ago "they scrub all these things...", suggesting the end of process facilities clean up whatever they get. I doubt it. It's hard enough for us to clean some of those containers, never mind thousands at a time. I at least make an effort, and peanut butter containers aren't that difficult. 

Was working at a place once when the homeowner came out to dump some stuff in her recycling bin. What does she have? A large, hard plastic planter with ornate design all over it, and a framed needlepoint picture. I can see the confusion with the planter as it is plastic, but a picture??? She got all huffy when I told her those weren't recyclable, as if I'm just trying to jerk her around.

And those plastic "single use" shopping bags, they're not supposed to be put in the recycling bins. They are recyclable, if you're real close to the processing center, but it's not cost effective to ship. They can be taken to any large grocery store for "recycling", although what they really do with them I don't know.

I noticed a neighbor was putting plastic shopping bags in her recycling bin. I told her she shouldn't and how to dispose of them. She seemed surprised and I assumed had taken that to heart. Nope. She still dumps the plastic bags in the bin, and separately rather than putting them all in one bag and tying the bag closed. And she strikes me as a fairly left leaning gal. I don't get that.

Oh, and styrofoam. That shouldn't go in the bins, either. There's actually a place in Napa that takes old styrofoam and makes it into new, but styro is like plastic shopping bags; costs too much to ship for what they get out of it.

I'm sure what I've seen is just the tip of the iceberg, although I recall reading an article on recycling in the North Coast Journal years ago featuring Willits Solid Waste. They claimed they had little problem with garbage in their recyclables. I have a hard time believing that from what I've seen.