Most of us don’t think twice about the trash we generate. We drag and roll our bins and clutter to the end of our driveways every week but seldom question where it goes and how much energy it takes to get there. Los Altos and Los Altos Hills have met the requirement of state law AB 939 to divert at least 50 percent of their garbage to recycling in recent years, but some argue that more should be done to encourage recycling and environmentally friendly practices both locally and regionally.
Garbage and recycling downtown
Unlike some county cities, there are no recycling bins on downtown Los Altos streets and on any given day, garbage cans on Main and State streets are near capacity. Most of the garbage bins on Main and Second streets are full several times a day, said Assistant Public Works Director Jim Gustafson, while those on Main at State street have little refuse. Many downtown businesses that should contribute to garbage bins, Gustafson said, have refused to pay for them, asserting that it’s a city responsibility. The lack of recycle bins downtown can be explained by the cost to install them, according to Gustafson. He estimates the price tag could be as high as $80,000 for 80 recycling bins. But that cost could be deflected if retailers decided to pitch in. Gustafson refers to the concept of “extended producer responsibility,” advocating that producers of waste – retailers and manufacturers – should bear some of the burden of disposing of it responsibly. That includes items that can’t be recycled and fall under the universal waste, electronic waste and hazardous materials categories, he added. “Instead, some of them (businesses) are just leaving it up to the cities to deal with whatever waste is generated. Right now, we’re only collecting 1 to 2 percent of the universal waste created in the city,” Gustafson said. Los Altos Mayor Curtis Cole said he’s not sure if recycling bins on public streets are effective. “If people aren’t looking on a street, it’s much harder to get people to be responsible,” he said. Harry Price, a Los Altos attorney and member of the Los Altos Village Association, agrees that there is “definitely a need” for recycling downtown.
Single stream vs. dual stream recycling debate
Los Altos is one of only two cities in Santa Clara County that hasn’t switched over to single-stream recycling, a system that allows people to toss all their recyclable items, from mixed paper to plastic containers, into a rolling 64-gallon can. Residents here still use 18-gallon carts, separating mixed paper and newsprint from bottles, glass and other materials. Single-stream recycling is a trend city officials and residents have championed for its convenience factor but also because it helps cities reach the state-mandated goal of diverting 50 percent of waste produced toward recycling. Under AB 939, if California cities fall beneath that threshold, they pay exorbitant fines and are subject to other penalties. While Los Altos officials have researched switching over to the 64-gallon cans, discussions stalled when Los Altos Garbage Company representatives sought extra charges and asked for a contract extension, Gustafson said. Their contract with Los Altos ends in 2010 and the city plans to go out to bid on a new contract beginning next year. John Zirelli, general manager of the Los Altos Garbage Company, said the extra costs stem primarily from the price of buying the 64-gallon carts. Garbage trucks that service Los Altos would need to be reconfigured to pick up the larger bins. Los Altos Hills adopted single-stream recycling in 2005. Residents have the option of purchasing the single-stream cans for approximately $60 and area residents living in the county unincorporated received the 64-gallon recycling bins at no cost. Although single-stream recycling collects more recyclables overall, there are flaws, Gustafson said. People tend to throw more garbage in the bins, complicating the sorting process at the recycling plants. “With rolling carts (single stream) you get more contaminated waste,” he said. “If you’re able to put more in there, you get more garbage in there.” Some cities are looking into more environmentally friendly methods of collecting waste. As Los Altos Hills nears the end of an $860,000-a-year garbage and recycling contract with the Los Altos Garbage Company, town officials plan to review cost estimates for more eco-friendly garbage service. As town officials go out to bid for garbage contracts, Councilman Breene Kerr hopes haulers will embrace bio diesel, compressed natural gas or other cleaner methods of transporting waste. “We hope it will cause vendors to sharpen their pencils,” Kerr said. “The garbage service is one of the largest users of transportation fuels in Los Altos Hills.”
Misconceptions about recycling: what can and can’t go in
Some of that fuel is used to transport items to the Newby Island Recyclery in Milpitas. In a sprawling gray warehouse, workers in hardhats maneuver above a three-story-high labyrinth of conveyer belts, cranks and motors. Depending on the quality of what they receive, the materials are sold to paper mills and other factories where they are remade into products. Set on a 340-acre site amid marshland, the Recyclery receives approximately 8,000 tons of recycling and approximately 52,000 tons of garbage each month from cities including Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Cupertino, San Jose and Santa Clara. Not everything is recycled; between 10 and 15 percent of what the recyclery receives each month is trash that is sent to landfills. Recycling plants like Newby Island occasionally find unacceptable items like diapers, batteries, paint cans in the mix. It’s up to residents to be responsible about what gets thrown in, said Mark Buntjer, the recyclery’s general manager. In the single-stream recycling system, he added, there tends to be more garbage in the mix. Often, there is confusion over the plastics numbering system. Plastic bottles, containers and wraps are often labeled with a recycling symbol and a number (one through seven). But the numbering system doesn’t necessarily ensure all of that gets recycled, Buntjer said. Los Altos Garbage Company and many other garbage haulers accept all numbered plastics in the recycling bin; those with the most market value to be resold and re-made into plastics are Numbers 1 and 2. But if you’re in doubt, “throw plastics in the recycling bin” Buntjer said. Pizza boxes are fine to recycle as well, even though the garbage company typically lists them under unacceptable items. A couple strings of cheese stuck inside is not catastrophic, Buntjer said. Corrugated cardboard is a valuable recyclable, and it’s wasteful to throw it out. Likewise, don’t be afraid to toss bottles and cans with a bit of juice of soda still on them in with your recyclables, he said. Buntjer reminds people to bundle up plastic bags and stuff them inside one bag – the best way to get them recycled. Otherwise, loose, individual bags get lost in the mix and if workers don’t extract them manually, they are sent as trash to landfills. Perhaps most important to remember: it’s illegal to dump universal waste items like batteries, thermostats, electronics and fluorescent light bulbs into trash or recycling. Many of these items contain mercury, hard metals and other chemicals that can contaminate ground water, start chemical fires and poison the environment. The Los Altos Garbage Company also collects green waste – leaves and other yard trimmings from both Los Altos and Los Altos Hills. It is processed separately into compost, a valuable new commodity, at a green waste facility off Zanker Road in San Jose.
The big picture, taking recycling to the macro level
Some local garbage and recycling experts are adamant about creating economic incentives for businesses that recycle. One of those advocates is Bruce Olszewski, the director of the Center for Development of Recycling in the Environmental Studies Department at San Jose State University. The center’s website, www.recyclestuff.org, offers detailed information, such as where to bring universal waste products, including some e-waste items that aren’t picked up at the curb. Olszewski began to study recycling methods and their impacts in the late 1980s, when it was still a neophyte field of study. “The new red, white and blue is green,” he said. “When you recycle, there are a plethora of environmental benefits. It’s the best way to save natural forest land, reduce air pollution, save energy and reduce the need for oil imports.” But Olszewski, a stalwart environmentalist, is certain that the waste we make can also play a hefty role in generating big money, more jobs and a more efficient economy. As landfills grow, garbage haulers will have to drive further and spend more on getting rid of garbage. The obvious answer to cutting costs is recycling. “The real issue is developing markets for recycling, creating jobs and turning recyclables into products. The reality is that some of our top exports like paper, scrap steel and plastics are recyclable,” he said. The catalyst for change will be laws that motivate businesses to use recycled materials, Olszewski said, and the federal government should create disincentives for those using raw materials.
A push for better garbage and recycling practices
Both Los Altos and Los Altos Hills waste programs partner with the county’s household hazard waste program, which includes both universal waste, e-waste and hazardous waste drop-off centers. For a full list of drop-off locations, visit www.hhw.org. A number of harmful items get dumped into recycling bins like paint cans, medical waste, motor oil and computer monitors into the recycling, Buntjer said. The recyclery has even found hypodermic needles. In Los Altos, officials are trying to push residents to get rid of their hazardous waste properly. “We really encourage residents to get rid of e-waste through licensed e-waste contractors, churches and community centers,” Gustafson said. Los Altos resident Randall Hull said he believes city retailers should take initiative on cutting down on waste and offering more recycling opportunities to their customers. “We as a city need to make a concerted effort. Recycling shows a responsible attitude toward resources. This is something our city can do. We need to put pressure on council to put pressure on city staff,” he said.
The value of resources
While feel-good words like renewable, sustainable and green have become a familiar refrain in our collective lexicon, the concepts are meaningless until people appreciate where their resources come from, environmentalists like Olszewski say. “We have not been raised to think critically about every piece of material as a rare natural resource with energy content,” Olszewski said. “There’s a natural forest in every piece of paper. There’s a subsidy of taxes that have already been paid for. There’s a city and county fee that goes into it when it gets thrown away.” For more information about how to dispose of universal waste, electronic waste and hazardous materials, visit
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