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S P R I N G 2 0 15
Diversions
Serving Alamo, Danville, Lafayette, Moraga, Orinda, Walnut Creek and the adjacent unincorporated areas of Central Contra Costa County.
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Your cutting-edge resource for cutting waste
From Our Team
A Fresh Start for Spring
Here at the CCCSWA, we’re really excited about
the coming months! Not only because of the new
services we’ll soon be delivering to you and your
family, but also because our agency has a fresh new
look. We’re now
RecycleSmart, and
you’ll start seeing our
new name and logo
more and more in the
coming months.
In March, new
contracts with
collection providers will go into effect, to improve
customer convenience and help divert even more
material from landfill. This issue of Diversions
highlights some of the new services. Take a look
to see what’s coming! We think you’ll like the
changes, and want to thank you for your continued
participation in our programs.
Best wishes for a beautiful spring,
The RecycleSmart Team
Ashia Derksen and Kathy Torru discuss the food scraps program.
A Neighbor-to -Neighbor Chat
Food Scraps Collection
Program Expands
In March, food scraps collection expands
to Alamo, Blackhawk, Diablo, Danville and
surrounding unincorporated areas. Food scraps
recycling veteran Ashia Derksen from Moraga
chats with Kathy Torru from Diablo about what
to expect.
Kathy: What scraps are okay to include?
Ashia: Pretty much anything from your
kitchen—fruit and veggie scraps, coffee grounds,
egg shells, meat and bones, table scraps…you
name it! Paper with food on it too, like paper
napkins, paper towels and pizza boxes.
Service Changes at a Glance
March: Republic Services starts providing
curbside collection, including yard trimmings & food
scraps, recycling and garbage. Look for their new,
low emission trucks!
March–April: You’ll receive a detailed recycling
customer guide in the mail, covering all services. New
materials accepted in curbside recycling include scrap
metal, rigid plastics and bagged plastic bags.
April–July: Your curbside carts will be exchanged
for new ones—green for yard trimmings & food
scraps, blue for recycling and black for garbage.
Look for a notice in the mail about a week before the
new carts arrive at your home.
If you have any questions or concerns, please email
authority@wastediversion.org or call us at 925-906-1801.
Kathy: I compost in my backyard, but some
of these items I wouldn’t put there, like bones. In
the food scraps collection they’re okay?
Ashia: Yes! From what I know, the contents
of our green cart get composted in a large facility
that uses a process quite different from backyard
composting. It can handle meat and bones.
Kathy: How do you collect your scraps?
Ashia: I keep a pail under the sink, so it’s
handy when I’m cooking or scraping dishes.
Kathy: Doesn’t the pail get a bit smelly?
Ashia: I haven’t had that problem. I put a
paper towel in the bottom to absorb moisture. I
also wrap soggier food scraps in newspaper and
empty the pail into the green cart pretty often.
Kathy: All that sounds good. I think I’m
ready to go!
New program participants will receive more information
in the mail in early February. You can also find details at
www.wastediversion.org/foodscraps.
What’s Your St yle?
Many Ways to Collect Kitchen Scraps
Fruit peels, veggie trimmings, table scraps… how do you gather them up before taking them out to the green cart?
Whether it’s style or practicality that matters most, we’ve asked residents to share what works for them.
“There are so many nice food scrap pails
you can buy! I got this one for my family,
and it looks great on our countertop.”
Jennifer Wakeman, Lafayette
“We use the pail we got when our food
scrap program first started! We keep it
on the counter so it’s always handy.”
Irma and Whitney Sevin, Walnut Creek
“We keep our food scrap pail in the
freezer. We only empty it once or twice
a week, and this way it won’t smell.”
Carol Horner, Lafayette
How do YOU collect your food scraps? If you’d like to share a photo, please send it to
Lois@wastediversion.org, and we’ll post it to our Facebook page!
Get Ready for Spring with Reuse & Clean-Up Days
De-clutter your home and help those in need at the same time! Many reusable items collected during the
biannual Reuse & Clean-Up Days are donated to charities. For details visit www.wastediversion.org/ReuseDays.
C
E
A
D
B
A Place trash in garbage bags on
the curb by 6AM on your CleanUp Day, up to two cubic yards
(equal to fourteen 32-gallon bags).
B Set items for reuse on the
curb by 6AM on your Reuse Day.
Bag or box smaller items.
C Small appliances and
electronics are accepted in working
condition (for reuse) or nonworking condition (for recycling).
D Mark reusable items with the
2015 Reuse & Clean-Up
Days Schedule
CommunityDate
Unincorporated CountyFeb & Aug
Danville
Mar & Sep
Walnut Creek
Apr & Oct
Moraga & Orinda
May & Nov
Lafayette
Jun & Dec
A new program brochure will be mailed to you two
weeks prior to your Reuse & Clean-Up Days. For
details call Mt. Diablo Recycling at 925-682-4518.
“Stuff us all in one, ‘cause bags
just wanna have fun!”
—The Plastic Bag Boys
blue stickers mailed to you two
weeks before your Reuse Day.
E Reusable items include
clothes, shoes, furniture, office &
crafts supplies, gardening supplies
and household items.
Coming to Your Curb
Cleaner, Greener
Collection Trucks
What runs quietly, has low emissions and uses
domestically produced compressed natural gas (aka
CNG)? Republic Services’ new collection trucks!
“CNG burns a lot cleaner than diesel and with
lower greenhouse gas emissions, making our
new trucks healthier for our communities and
the environment,” says Rick Lewis, Operations
Manager at Republic Services of Contra Costa
County.
The new collection fleet also comes with
improved operational efficiencies. This means
trucks will spend less time on the streets as they
pick up curbside carts. They’ll also run more
quietly—a big plus, especially during the early
morning collection! Look for one of the 38 new
trucks on your street, starting in March!
Starting in March, bagged
plastic bags are accepted
in your recycling cart.
Ask the AUTHORITY
Dear Authority,
I hear there will be new curbside carts in new
colors for everybody. Why the change?
—Mystified in Moraga
Dear Mystified,
You’ve heard correctly! As part of our new
curbside collection services starting this spring,
each home will receive new carts—green for yard
trimmings & food scraps, blue for recycling and
black for trash. These colors are the most common
in the Bay Area and throughout California. The
advantage? For one, having a regionally uniform
color scheme reduces confusion, no matter which
city you’re in. Another reason is that the new
containers will have lids with durable graphics of
all acceptable materials, making recycling easier
than ever! Republic Services will deliver your new
carts (and pick up your old ones) between April and
July. They’ll send you a notice in the mail about a
week before.
Signed,
The Authority
Do you have a question for us? Please email
authority@wastediversion.org.
Diversions
RecycleSmart (CCCSWA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 925-906-1801
www.wastediversion.org
email: authority@wastediversion.org
ORGANICS, RECYCLING AND GARBAGE:
REPUBLIC SERVICES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 925-685-4711
www.republicservices.com/site/pacheco-ca
Questions concerning your recycling, yard clippings/food
scraps or garbage carts, billing, new service, vacation
hold requests, computer & TV collection, special
cleanups or to request motor oil recycling containers.
CONTRA COSTA RECYCLING HOTLINE . . . . 1-800-750-4096
RecycleSmart HOME COMPOSTING . . . . . 925-906-1801x306
HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE . . . . . . 1-800-646-1431
REUSE AND CLEAN-UP DAYS:
Reuse (Day) questions:
Mt. Diablo Recycling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 925-682-4518
Clean-Up (Day) questions:
Republic Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 925-685-4711
Printed on paper made from responsibly harvested wood
(Forest Stewardship Council ® certified), with 50% recycled content
(25% post-consumer); processed chlorine free.