The countdown has started to Jan. 1, 2011 — that’s 1/1/11 — when residents of 12 San Mateo County communities will enter a new era for better and greener garbage pickup and recycling.
It’s the date that two new franchises will kick in: for collection of garbage, recyclable materials, and organic waste in Bayside communities from East Palo Alto to San Bruno; and for operating the new Shoreway recycling center and the transfer station in San Carlos.
Both services are now provided by Allied Waste Services, which took over from BFI in 2005. Allied Waste just finished converting its trucks to biodiesel fuel early this year.
At the same time, the present recycling center, at 333 Shoreway Road, just east of Bayshore in San Carlos, will be torn down, and a $20 million Shoreway Environmental Center will be built to accommodate an additional 50,000 tons per year of recyclable materials.
“I expect it to be the largest and the greenest facility of its kind in the solid waste industry, anywhere in the U.S.,” said Kevin McCarthy, executive director of the South Bayside Waste Management Authority (SBWMA), the joint powers agency managing the process.
Over the next year, SBWMA will be evaluating bids for two contracts currently held by Allied Waste Services:
• Four proposals have been submitted for neighborhood collection of solid waste, organics, and materials for recycling. The franchise will cover 12 cities, including Menlo Park and Atherton, plus unincorporated areas represented by the West Bay Sanitary District and San Mateo County. Woodside and Portola Valley are not included; they have separate franchises with Green Waste Recovery.
• Seven companies have bid on operation of the new recycling center and transfer station. “We’re looking for companies with a track record of innovation and great customer service,” Mr. McCarthy said.
When the SBWMA awards the contracts in spring 2009, Allied Waste may continue to hold one or both of the franchises, Mr. McCarthy said. The skills are very different for running a garbage collection service and operating a state-of-the art recycling facility, he noted.
However, Allied Waste will continue to dispose of the waste collected at the transfer station in San Carlos at its Ox Mountain landfill at least through 2019, Mr. McCarthy added. “Regardless of who operates the transfer station, the trash will still go to Ox Mountain.”
Green plans at San Carlos.
There will be lots of action at the waste collection site in San Carlos over the next couple of years, as the present recycling center is torn down and the new environmental complex built.
The Shoreway Environmental Center will have many green building features as well as state-of-the-art recycling programs. It is joining the PG&E ClimateSmart program to reduce its carbon footprint.
Residents and businesses will be able to put all their cans, bottles and papers in a single container; the new center will have equipment to process “single stream recycling.”
There will also be a new environmental center so that school children can learn more about waste and recycling, and demonstration gardens. “Then kids can go home and tell their parents to recycle,” Mr. McCarthy said.
The nearby transfer station, where garbage trucks dump their loads, will be expanded and made more efficient and convenient for customers bringing loads. “Our goal is to improve service to our customers,” Mr. McCarthy said. The present facilities are “outdated and inefficient.”
For information
A number of local agencies and companies can provide information on solid waste collection, recycling, and other questions:
• South Bay Waste Management Authority (SBWMA): 802-3500; rethinkwaste.org.
• Allied Waste of San Mateo County: 592-2411; alliedwastesanmateocounty.com.
• San Mateo County Recycleworks: 1-800-442-2666; reccycleworks.org.
• GreenWaste Recovery: 569-9900 (from Woodside and Portola Valley); greenwaste.com.
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