July 13, 2005

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Publication Date: Wednesday, July 13, 2005

Cover story: Rethinking waste

By Marion Softky

Almanac Staff Writer

Near Gilroy, among the fields of strawberries and garlic, piles of rich, black compost glint with diamond-like sparkles.

Just five months ago, this gardener's delight was household garbage discarded by residents of Woodside, Portola Valley, and other south Peninsula cities.

Here Greenwaste Recovery takes the garbage and yard waste collected at residential curbs, and transforms it into mulch and soil amendment.

Yard waste compost can be sold to local farmers and landscapers for crisper lettuce and healthier roses. The mulch from garbage is processed separately; it enriches landscapes and golf courses, but doesn't go into food crops.

Greenwaste's garbage-to-mulch program marks a major departure in extracting resources from the messiest stuff that people throw away. While Californians and their waste companies have learned to save paper and recycle cans and bottles, what people throw into the garbage still mostly goes to the dump.

BFI, which serves most of San Mateo County -- including Menlo Park, Atherton and Ladera -- takes the garbage it picks up to the transfer station in San Carlos, and then to the landfill at Ox Mountain, in the hills north of Half Moon Bay. There it stays.

Curbside garbage from Woodside and Portola Valley also goes to a Greenwaste station in San Jose, where it is sent on to the 77-acre Z-Best Products facility east of Gilroy. There it is sorted, ground up, and put into 350-foot long plastic bags.

Fans pump oxygen through the bags to speed composting at temperatures up to 140 degrees, hot enough to break down medicines, pesticides solvents, and pizza boxes, says Michael Gross, marketing manager for Greenwaste.

After 16 weeks, the compost is screened, cured, screened again to one-eighth inch size, and ready to be sold to nourish non-food crops. "It's the size of coffee grounds," he says.

The result: Seventy-eight percent of the household garbage from Woodside and Portola Valley is recovered; only 22 percent ends up in the dump, says Jesse Weigel, Greenwaste general manager.

"We are the only ones I know that are doing what we do," says Mr. Weigel, who has built the complex business over the last 20 years. "We take the whole waste stream."

By the way, the glitter in the garbage compost comes from specks of glass that was thrown into the garbage instead of the recycling, and got ground up during composting process.

"Our biggest contaminant is glass," says Mr. Weigel on a tour. "It doesn't hurt. But please don't put glass in the garbage; put it in the recycling -- even if it's dirty."

Woodside and Portola Valley are very happy with their service.

"Greenwaste is very innovative," says Woodside Town Manager Susan George. "There are a lot of ways to reduce the waste stream. You just have to keep your eyes and your mind open."

Reducing waste

Greenwaste is part of a larger movement that is transforming California from a throwaway state to one that mines its waste to reclaim resources and create products of value.

"Northern California really drives the recycling industry," says Mr. Gross of Greenwaste. "There are a lot of innovations coming out of the Bay Area."

The movement has been driven by the shortage of landfill space to accommodate the increasing amounts of trash and garbage that people and businesses were throwing out, and the response of government to that landfill shortage.

The hero of the recycling movement is former state Sen. Byron Sher of Palo Alto, who produced the landmark bill that has been forcing governments in California to reduce the waste going to landfills. AB 939, passed in 1989, required that cities and counties cut the percentage of waste going to landfills by half, between 1990 and 2000.

While the state didn't quite make the 2000 deadline, it has made dramatic progress. Thanks to huge efforts by state and local governments, waste companies, and recycling enthusiasts, California increased the amount of waste diverted from dumps from 17 percent in 1990 to 48 percent in 2004. No fines have been imposed.

Woodside is very proud of the state plaque hanging in Town Hall honoring the town for achieving a diversion rate of 64 percent in 2003, the last year official numbers are available. Portola Valley and Atherton achieved 63 percent and 65 percent, respectively, in 2003.

Menlo Park, a city with major commercial and industrial development, achieved 45 percent diversion, according to state calculations.

Dianne Dryer, Menlo Park's environmental programs manager, thinks the state figures are skewed by a formula that ties tons of waste to factors related to population, sales tax and demographics. "In actuality, it's closer to 50 percent," she estimates.

All four cities have tackled one of the huge sources of waste -- debris from construction and demolition -- by passing ordinances requiring that over 50 percent of all "C&D" debris be recycled.

Atherton -- where so many houses have been torn down to make way for even bigger mansions -- was the first city in San Mateo County to pass an ordinance requiring that 65 percent of construction and demolition debris be recycled, says Town Arborist Kathy Hughes Anderson. Most of the debris goes to the recovery facility at Zanker Road in San Jose -- which is tied into the network of companies assoociated with Greenwaste.

The Zanker facility, near Alviso, diverts 85 percent of the debris it processes from the landfill into materials that can be sold for other uses, such as road base or Caltrain projects, says Mr. Gross. That debris includes concrete, shingles, roofing, tiles, metal, bricks, asphalt -- "Everything including the kitchen sink," he says.

BFI and San Mateo County

For starters, BFI, the chief waste company in San Mateo County, is no longer BFI. Starting July 1, it became Allied Waste Services, the second largest waste company in the country. Actually, BFI was bought by Allied Waste in 1999, reports spokeswoman Stacey Wagner.

The first truck repainted with the new logo rolled out July 1 to pick up garbage, Ms. Wagner says. More of the new garbage trucks will be appearing over the next year. "They will repaint all the trucks," she says.

Allied Waste works closely with the county and the cities to reduce waste and promote recycling, says Ms. Wagner.

"We encourage people to donate things before they throw them in the garbage," she says.

Twelve cities and communities south from Burlingame form the South Bay Waste Management Authority, which works with Allied Waste. Its motto is "Rethink Waste."

In the year 2000, the authority bought the transfer station in San Carlos, and the Recyclery next door, from BFI, which still operates it. The huge facilities on Shoreline Road process garbage, sort recyclables, and accept drop-off loads from residents and contractors.

Garbage numbers are a staggering measure of how much we discard. The transfer station handles about 28,000 tons of garbage bound for the Ox Mountain landfill each month, Ms. Wagner reports. At the same time, about 5,600 tons of recyclables pass through the Recyclery, and 6,700 tons of yard waste move through the transfer station.

Representatives of Allied Waste and the authority are pleased at the success of a new program to convert food waste from local restaurants, hotels, and cafeterias -- which normally goes in the garbage -- into compost.

Fifty-three restaurants from Menlo Park alone, from the Left Bank to Little House, are participating, says Ms. Dryer gleefully. "BFI makes good compost."

"It's gotten off to a great start," says Kathleen Gallagher, program manager for the waste authority. Besides taking organic waste from food establishments, the business program also takes yard waste and "anything that actually grows," she says.

"We hope to have handled 10,000 tons when the first year ends in September," she adds. And that's material that didn't go to Ox Mountain.

Ms. Wagner of Allied Waste is also enthusiastic about the program, which keeps 89 percent of the material out of the landfill.

"That makes a huge difference in the diversion rates for cities," she says. The garbage that goes to Newby Island for composting, comes back to the communities where is it is sold or given away, and ends up in places like Holbrook-Palmer Park in Atherton. "We're closing the loop," she says.

San Mateo County's voice for rethinking waste and educating the public is Jill Boone, program manager for Recycleworks, who is responsible for the informative Web site, www.recycleworks.org.

"Some people don't realize you can recycle junk mail," she says. "In home projects, think about the materials you use. They really do have an impact on the landfill."

Ms. Boone is proud of the new program with Goodwill Industries that allows people to drop off used computers, TVs, cell phones and electronics for recycling. Locally the trailer in the Safeway parking lot on El Camino in Menlo Park accepts electronic waste under the program.

"That's really important," Ms. Boone says. "Other places in the county will take electronic waste, but Goodwill takes it for free."

Competition and controversy

In the competitive world of waste disposal, there is always disagreement.

Some of it focuses on whether the Greenwaste compost, made from household garbage, is safe and free of toxics.

"The idea of taking household garbage and composting it is highly controversial," says Ms. Dryer, the Menlo Park environmental manager. "You have to be careful to get all the toxics out, so the material will be safe for people's gardens."

The garbage composting takes place under state guidelines and supervision, and the material is tested monthly, says Mr. Weigel. "It's safe material and high in nitrogen. It's a good product."

The debate about recycling is more specific. Greenwaste collects all materials to be recycled in a single container. The sorting facility in San Jose separates the paper, plastic and metal that are all jumbled together and turns them into products that can be sold.

Residents of the BFI service area separate their recycling into two bins -- one for mixed paper, one for cans and bottles. This system has the advantage that the paper comes out cleaner than if it's mixed and processed with all the other stuff. It brings a better price, Ms. Wagner says. Most of BFI's recycled products are now sold overseas in China, she notes.

Mr. Gross counters that when you commingle materials, it's easier for the customer, easier for the collector, and you get better participation. "We get about a 30 percent increase in tonnage," he says, pointing to towering bales of squashed plastic. "We've got markets for all this."

What next?

As recycling takes hold, the forward thinkers are shifting toward a new goal: zero waste.

"Zero waste is about resource management, not simply waste management," writes Michael Closson, executive director of Acterra, an environmental organization based in Palo Alto. He urges attention to the processes that create products, what and how people buy, and packaging.

"That's how the trend is going," agrees Mr. Weigel of Greenwaste. "Now I believe in zero waste."

Meanwhile, there's a lot left to do to manage and mine the current waste stream. The mantra of the recyclers is: "Reduce. Re-use. Recycle."

"We inserted a 12-page recycling guide in the new phone books, says Ms. Gallagher. "We would like people to re-use things and reduce their waste. Donate; compost; buy less packaging; buy the biggest size you can; buy concentrates like lemonade. Bring a bag to the grocery store."

It's not just the big companies that are pushing to reduce waste. Small entrepreneurs and nonprofits keep popping up with new projects. For example:

** Paul Gardner's Whole House Building Supply in East Palo Alto helps deconstruct houses about to be torn down and sells anything that has value, from old bricks and doors to elegant faucets.

** GreenCitizen just opened on Earth Day to recycle electronic waste: computers, cell phones, monitors, batteries, CDs and DVDs. It is appropriately located in Palo Alto, almost adjacent to Fry's, the Mecca for buying new electronic gadgets.

** Freecycle encourages people to exchange things via the Web. It works a little like eBay to find or get rid of things -- but it all has to be free.

"When I think back 20 years, none of this was happening," Ms. Dryer concludes. "Progress has been phenomenal, but a lot more has to be done. And it has to be economically viable -- transformation of waste into useable materials."

Resources and information on recycling

The Peninsula is a hotbed of efforts to turn around the throwaway society. Lots of information about specific do's and don'ts and recycling programs is available on Web sites, and in newsletters distributed by waste companies. Here are contacts for the major players:

** BFI (Allied Waste Industries): www.bfisanmateocounty.com; 592-2411. Transfer station, 225 Shoreway Road, San Carlos.

** Greenwaste: www.greenwaste.com; 408-283-4800. 625 Charles St., San Jose.

** San Mateo County RecycleWorks: www.recycleworks.org; Hotline: 1-888-442-2666, and get a real person.

** San Mateo County Hazardous Waste: www.smhealth.org/HHW; 363-4718.

** South Bay Waste Management Authority , 12 agencies, runs the transfer station in San Carlos operated by BFI. Information: www.rethinkwaste.org; 802-4292.

Others play a key role in reducing the waste going to landfills:

** Goodwill Industries now accepts computers, monitors and electronic waste in the Safeway parking lot at 525 El Camino Real in Menlo Park. Information: www.sfgoodwill,org; 1-800-4GOODWILL.

** Whole House Building and Salvage recycles materials before demolition and sells them at 1955 Pulgas Raod, East Palo Alto. Information: www.driftwoodsalvage.com; 328-8731.

** GreenCitizen takes and recycles used electronics at 3180 Park Boulevard, Palo Alto (near Fry's.) Information: www.greencitizen.com; 493-8700.

** Freecycle supports an online service for people who want to find or give away free items. For local groups, see www.freecycle.org.

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