10 Draft Integrated Waste Management Plan - City Council - City of ...

2012 Davis Integrated Waste Management Plan
Containerized yard materials and food scraps implemented together
The program would be more accepted by the public if food scraps were accepted in the yard material carts from
the beginning of the new program. The City would include a number of community workshops to solicit
feedback, allow customers to voice concerns and to help explain the benefits of containerization.
If the City should decide to switch to collection of yard materials in carts, the City would need to notify DWR at
least nine months in advance of the change so that DWR can order the carts and appropriate collection
equipment. Once DWR receives the carts, they can distribute them to all customers within one month.
Although it may take customers some time to become accustomed to the new collection method, during the
adjustment timeframe DWR cannot operate both collection systems at the same time. As soon as containerized
collection begins, the loose-in-the-street pick-up will need to stop in order to keep costs low. Running both
systems simultaneously will be very expensive and will only prolong the time it takes for customers to adjust to
the new system. Extensive outreach will need to be done prior to and for the first few months of the new
system.
4.2.2 Residential Collection of Food Scraps
Another reason to switch from loose-in-the-street collection of yard material to automated collection in carts is
to facilitate food scrap collection.
The 2008 CIWMB Waste Characterization Study identified food scraps as comprising 25.4% of the total
residential waste stream. As shown in Appendix J, this represents a significant amount of material in Davis.
In order to reach the City’s year 2020 waste reduction target, it is necessary to begin collecting food scraps for
composting.
Of 21 jurisdictions surveyed, 5 currently have a residential food scrap collection program in place.
DRAFT
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