It is expected that in 2022, residents of Santa Cruz will be provided with a bucket similar to this one to collect roadside food waste. (City of Santa Cruz-Contribution)

SANTA CRUZ >> Due to a new state law, most Santa Cruz County residents will be able to put food scraps in their green yard bins during the weekly scavenging period next year. The law basically forces garbage transporters to separate food waste from garbage in 2022, transfer organic waste from landfills, and increase large-scale composting. 

The statewide goal is to reduce food waste sent to landfills by 75% compared to 2014 levels. For example, at Santa Cruz’s landfill on Dimeo Lane, nearly 25% of the waste comes from food, city officials said. 

City officials said that unlike other parts of the county, residents of Santa Cruz are expected to receive a separate food waste bin, which will be collected during the weekly garbage collection period in the spring of 2022. Leslie O'Malley, a waste production reduction manager in Santa Cruz, said the barrels are the same as those used in this year's pilot project. 

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City officials said that Watsonville residents are expected to put food waste into the garbage bin in the yard before the summer.

In Capitola, Scotts Valley, Live Oak, and other unincorporated areas in Santa Cruz County, residents are expected to put food waste in yard trimming bins. Greenwaste is the garbage and recycling porter in these areas.

GreenWaste’s customer service and outreach manager Sara Treat said: “For some people, this will be a transition. You know, the idea of ​​recycling organics is new to them.” “But many people are excited about it and Ready to start the plan." 

In Capitola and Scotts Valley, residents expect to be able to put food scraps in their yard bins starting January 1. 

In Watsonville, residents who do not yet have yard bins are expected to receive them by June 2022. 

A representative of Greenwaste said that Live Oak, Soquel, Aptos, San Lorenzo Valley and other unincorporated counties are likely to collect food waste in their yard bins in 2022, but it is not clear when. 

Larry Laurent, Capitola's assistant city manager, said the regulations in his city are based on state guidelines. It is expected that other cities will have similar regulations. 

Capitola leaders stated that the items accepted in the yard bins will include:

Items not accepted include:

At the Capitola City Council meeting on December 1, Laurent stated that organic waste will be transported to the Monterey area waste management area near Marina. 

In 2021, a pilot project in the city of Santa Cruz will collect food waste. (City of Santa Cruz-Contribution)

It is expected that starting in the spring of 2022, residents of Santa Cruz will see the biggest changes in food waste collection. Starting from the east side and expanding westward, city residents will receive 6-gallon food waste buckets for regular weekly collection of roadside garbage and recycling.

Leslie O'Malley, the waste production reduction manager for the city of Santa Cruz, said that "supply chain issues" have caused the barrels to be delivered in the spring. 

Christian Di Renzo, director of Temporary Public Works and Utilities in Worstonville, said that in Watsonville, nearly half of the residents have green yard waste bins, but thousands of residents do not. 

Since the yard trash cans will now be used to dispose of food waste, Direnzo said that by June 2022, everyone will get a yard trash can. Direnzo said that media campaigns are expected in the spring.

November,. On September 9, the Watsonville City Council voted to spend $300,000 to purchase 6,000 35-gallon yard bins for residents without bins. 

Direnzo said that once the food scraps are collected, they will be taken to Monterey for composting. "Part of the requirement is that we purchase compost," he said. “So we generated a waste stream and then bought it back as compostable for distribution throughout the community.”

Direnzo said that the city of Watsonville is still studying the market for compost in the community and how to implement the distribution.  

According to a contract with San Jose-based GreenWaste Recovery Inc, the garbage from Capitola and Scotts Valley was towed away. Greenwaste representative Sara Treat stated that the plan is to collect food residues in trash bins in the yard starting from January 1. 

Organic matter and food waste are collected by GreenWaste and then composted by Keith Day Company in Salinas.

For other unincorporated Santa Cruz counties, Tritt said that residents may but are not sure whether they will use their green yard bins to dispose of food waste. It is not clear when this transition will occur in 2022.

Capitola: Residents pay $18.15 for a 32-gallon trash can. On January 1, the interest rate will rise to $25.81.

Santa Cruz: Residents pay $32.04 for a 32-gallon trash can. O'Malley said there are no plans to raise interest rates.

Watsonville: Residents pay $35.65 for a 32-gallon trash can. Direnzo said that it is expected that by June 2022, interest rates will remain unchanged.

Scotts Valley: Residents pay $22.84 for a 35-gallon trash can. On January 1, the price of 32-gallon trash cans will rise to $25.81.

Live Oak, Aptos, San Lorenzo Valley, and other unincorporated areas in Santa Cruz County: Residents pay $30.68 for a 32-gallon trash can. 

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Allison Gasparini (Allison Gasparini) is a science writer who recently graduated from the University of California Santa Cruz Master of Science Communication Program. She has written for the "Monterrey Herald", "Mercury News" and "Forbes" science section.

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