Waste Reduction in Tehama County

Residential Waste Prevention, Reuse, and Source Reduction

The Tehama County Sanitary Landfill Agency (TCSLA) promotes backyard composting. The first backyard composting program began in 1995 and was funded by a state grant. Under this program, the county distributed low-cost compost bins and brochures on composting to interested residents. The county has also partnered with a local newspaper to promote home composting. The newspaper published an article on composting and distributed bins provided by the county to residents free of charge. As of February 2000, Tehama County has distributed approximately 100 free and low-cost compost bins to residents.

GreenWaste of Tehama targets appliances collected in its bulky waste programs or those delivered to the landfill for recovery. GreenWaste sells working and repairable items to local used appliance outlets.

TCSLA established an "ABOP" (antifreeze, batteries, oil, and paint) collection point at the landfill. The agency allows residents to take paint left by other residents for reuse.

A "pay as you throw (PAYT) system  serves as economic incentives for residents to reduce trash disposal. Because GreenWaste does not track or report residential trash generation separate from commercial trash, the county does not have data on reductions in residential trash. But the PAYT system seems to be reducing trash generation. Recycling in unincorporated Tehama County and in the City of Tehama increased from 554 tons in the last half of 1998 to 703 tons in the first six months of 1999.

Besides county reuse programs, many independent thrift stores offer Tehama County residents the opportunity to reuse clothing, furniture, books, and other household items.

Recyclables Collection

During 1998 and 1999, new contracts required residential haulers in Tehama County to offer new services to their customers. Uninc.-Tehama and the City of Tehama expanded their list of materials accepted for recycling in July 1998, when their new collection contract took effect.

Corning and Red Bluff added materials to their recycling programs in November 1998. In addition to beverage containers, the new curbside recycling programs accept paper products and other containers. Tehama County and the cities of Tehama and Red Bluff began offering residential yard debris collection at the same time they began their expanded recycling programs. Corning began offering curbside yard debris collection services in April 1999.

In its service area, GreenWaste of Tehama collects residential recyclables and yard debris on alternating weeks. GreenWaste uses semi-automated dual-collection trucks for collection of recyclables, yard debris, and trash. A single crew member drives the truck and collects materials. The trucks are split into two compartments. The collector places trash in one side. The other side is used for recyclables or yard debris, as appropriate. GreenWaste provides two 18-gallon recycling bins to its customers. The company will provide additional containers upon customer request.

At curbside, GreenWaste accepts the following:

• metal cans (including aerosols)
• juice boxes
• milk cartons
• plastic bags
• all resin numbers one through seven (#1–#7) plastic containers
• scrap metal (including aluminum foil and pans, frozen juice lids, empty paint cans, pots, pans, and small metal appliances)
• glass bottles and jars
• mixed paper (including boxboard, brown bags, catalogs, colored paper, computer paper, construction paper, envelopes, mail, magazines, egg cartons, telephone directories, and white paper)
• newspaper
• corrugated cardboard
• used motor oil and oil filters
• water-based paint

Residents must place used motor oil in a translucent screw-top jug (GreenWaste provides containers upon request) and drained oil filters in clear leak-proof bags. Water-based paint must be in its original container with a lid and set next to recycling bins. Residents commingle all other recyclables in their recycling bins.

Of the households in buildings with four or fewer units in the GreenWaste service area, 65 percent of those in unincorporated Tehama County and in the City of Tehama, and 80 percent of those in the City of Red Bluff, subscribe to curbside collection services.

PAYT trash fees serve as an incentive for GreenWaste customers to maximize recycling. Customers who recycle may be able to save money by subscribing to a smaller garbage service.

The 1998 addition of materials to the collection program allowed residents to divert a significant portion of their waste streams from disposal. In the first half of 1999, corrugated cardboard, mixed paper, and newspapers accounted for more than 75 percent of the recyclables collected by GreenWaste.

Source: Tehama County Sanitary Landfill Agency, 2000.

Corning Disposal provides every other week recycling collection to the 1,550 Corning households residing in buildings with four or fewer units. The households receive trash collection Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday and recycling or yard debris collection Thursday or Friday.

Corning Disposal provides all households with two 18-gallon recycling bins and accepts the following at curbside:

• all plastic containers
• glass bottles and jars
• newspaper
• magazines and mail
• office paper
• metal cans
• waste oil and used oil filters

Residents must place used motor oil in a translucent screw-top jug (Corning Disposal provides containers upon request) and drained oil filters in clear leak-proof bags. Residents commingle all other recyclables in their recycling bins. Single-person crews collect recyclables from the curb in recycling trucks with compartments. The collector sorts materials into three compartments of the truck during his route: one for paper, one for glass, and one for beverage containers and plastics.

Corning Disposal's residential trash fees include recycling at no extra charge. Residents who do not recycle do not receive a rate reduction. Furthermore, all Corning households are required to contract for trash services. Corning's residents are encouraged to recycle, since they pay for the service whether they use it or not.

Yard Debris Collection

GreenWaste collects yard debris simultaneously with trash on alternate weeks. Residents may set out unlimited amounts of yard debris—including grass clippings, leaves, and brush—in labeled cans and/or biodegradable bags. Residents may bundle and tie brush and set it beside their cans or bags. The GreenWaste PAYT trash fees encourage residents to divert yard debris rather than pay to dispose of it.

Corning Disposal provides its residential customers with a 96-gallon cart for yard debris. It collects yard debris on Thursdays or Fridays, on alternate weeks from recycling collection. A single-person crew collects yard debris in an automated side-loading truck. As with recycling, Corning residents pay for yard debris collection whether they use it or not.

Drop-off Recycling and Composting Opportunities

Tehama County's three transfer stations also serve as drop-off stations for recyclables and yard debris. The sites accept the same materials collected in the GreenWaste curbside recycling and yard debris collection programs.

GreenWaste also operates drop-off facilities for recyclables and yard debris at the Tehama County-Red Bluff Landfill. These drop-off facilities are located past the landfill scale house and site users must pay the same tip fee for recyclables and yard debris as trash.

Two new recycling opportunities, an ABOP (anti-freeze, batteries, oil, and paint) container and a lube rack, were added at the Tehama County Landfill in 1998. The ABOP accepts anti-freeze, automobile batteries, used motor oil, and water-based paint for recycling. A private company built the lube rack using grant funding awarded by the CIWMB. County residents can use the rack for doing their own oil changes. The site has collection bins for used motor oil and filters.

In addition to public drop-off opportunities, eight State-certified private buy-back centers operate in Tehama County. All of these facilities accept beverage containers; some also accept corrugated cardboard, paper, and glass.

Processing and Marketing of Recyclables

As of February 2000, GreenWaste of Tehama hauls recyclables to a private materials recovery facility (MRF) in San Leandro, more than 100 miles away. GreenWaste is constructing its own MRF at the Tehama County Landfill and intends to have the facility operational by July 2000. The new facility will have a capacity of more than 150 tons per day and will use magnets and air classifiers to remove metal and plastics. Workers will sort remaining materials manually.

Corning Disposal delivers its recyclables to a Waste Management-owned MRF in Butte County, approximately 20 miles away. Workers manually sort recyclables at this facility.

Yard Debris Processing

GreenWaste processes yard debris at the Tehama County Landfill. At this site, GreenWaste grinds the debris. It sells wood chips to a local co-generation facility for use as fuel. GreenWaste uses other ground yard debris as alternative daily cover at the landfill.

GreenWaste is developing a composting facility at the landfill. The company planned to have the facility on-line by July 2000. At the planned six-acre site, GreenWaste will be permitted to have up to 2,500 cubic yards of material at any time. GreenWaste plans to compost yard debris in turned windrows. Under the terms of their contracts, GreenWaste will provide 10 percent of its finished compost to the cities of Red Bluff and Tehama, and to unincorporated Tehama County, at no charge. GreenWaste plans to market the remaining compost.

Corning Disposal delivers its yard debris to Waste Management Inc. facilities in Butte County. Waste Management tub grinds and converts materials to static pile windrows.

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Last updated: October 26, 2007