Morgan Hill has a long history of success when it comes to our
voluntary recycling programs. Clearly, most residents participate
in our recycling programs with gusto and the city
’s waste diversion rate has met the state’s goals – despite our
continued unlimited garbage collection system.
Morgan Hill has a long history of success when it comes to our voluntary recycling programs. Clearly, most residents participate in our recycling programs with gusto and the city’s waste diversion rate has met the state’s goals – despite our continued unlimited garbage collection system.
When we analyze what’s left in our residential waste stream – it’s a dirty job, but someone’s got to do it – we find that compostable waste makes up over 30 percent of what is currently being thrown away. Compostable waste includes items like vegetable scraps, plate scrapings, paper towels, soiled napkins, and nonrecyclable paper like pizza boxes.
We now have a program to address this 30 percent. Beginning Oct. 3, residents can add their food waste to their yard trimmings cart and South Valley Disposal and Recycling will begin collecting yard trimmings every week. You can place these materials directly into the yard trimmings cart, or, if you prefer, they can be placed in a paper bag first to minimize spillage. We’re sorry, but plastic bags cannot be used because they don’t compost.
Acceptable food wastes include:
n Fruits and Vegetables
n Meats, Eggs, Seafood and Cheeses
n Plate Scrapings
n Food Soiled Papers (napkins, paper towels, etc.)
n Pizza Boxes
n Grains and Breads
n Coffee Grounds
n Eggs and Seafood
In short, just about anything that isn’t liquid or plastic that comes out of your kitchen can now be added to your yard trimmings cart. Read the Eco-Fact below for information on the special tool we are providing to help you recycle your kitchen scraps.
Eco-Fact of the Week 1: The city provides two “under-the-sink” containers to assist residents store their food wastes.
The containers are available upon request. You get two, so that you’ll always have at least one to use even if one is in the dishwasher. To request yours, call 842-3358. We tried out a number of special containers and decided to use simple plastic pitchers because they can be easily placed in a dishwasher.
Eco-Fact of the Week 2: We are also adding batteries, scrap metals, and plastic bags to our recycling program. The latter two items can now be added to your mixed recycling cart with your bottles, cans, and jars. Batteries should be placed in a zippered plastic bag and placed ON TOP of your recycling bin.
Eco-Web Site of the Week: A brief article on why battery recycling is important can be found at www.earth911.org/master.asp?s=lib&a=electronics/bat_env.asp .
Anthony Eulo is a Program Administrator for the City of Morgan Hill who recycles all of his family’s food waste and batteries. He welcomes your questions, comments, and thoughts and can be reached at 779-7247 or en*****@mo********.gov .
