Are you doing your part to follow new state laws when it comes to recycling and sorting your disposables these days? The City of Folsom is hoping you are and plans to begin checking residential cans starting this month.
Known as route reviews, the City of Folsom Waste and Recycling staff will begin visiting city neighborhoods to perform random, periodic visual audits of curbside garbage, recycling, and organics cans to encourage residents to recycle right.
California state law SB 1383 was put in to place last year and requires jurisdictions to conduct regular collection route reviews.
City ordinance 8.32 requires recyclables, organic waste, and garbage to be placed in associated collection cans. Households where visible contamination exceeds the 10% threshold may need to coordinate extra pickups or special disposal services via the Household Hazardous Waste or Bulky Waste pickup programs.
According to the city, they see the route reviews as, “an opportunity to educate the community about recycling and leave real-time, actionable feedback through bin tags.” While the process may seem like an effort to penalize residents, the city cites that it prioritizes an education-first approach to recycling compliance.
“Folsom is doing its part to put food waste in its place,” said City of Folsom Communications Director Christine Brainerd. “We are proud to report that in just one year, the city’s Waste & Recycling Division has diverted more than 11,000 tons of organic material from local landfills making solid progress on the greenhouse gas goals outlined in new California state law SB 1383.”
So how will these route reviews and notifications take place? Although they will random when it comes to what neighborhoods are checked when, there is a standard protocol staff will be following during all of them.
Route reviews will take place on collection days in various neighborhoods. Upon their visit, staff will open curbside bins to review materials and may slightly adjust items on top, according to information Brainerd furnished to Folsom Times.
Once the review of your bins is complete, the staff members will leave a “Keep up the good work” tags on cans that contain accepted recyclables and organics. Cans with more than 10% of visible contamination in them (i.e non-organics in organics bin, etc.) will receive what the city is describing as an “oops” tag, to identify that some type of contamination was identified and to encourage future correct participation in the program.
According to the city, staff members will work in groups and pairs when performing the random inspections and will be dressed in visibility vests with proper identification badges. They note that no material will be removed from residential cans and they will only review cans when they are placed for curbside services.
Households where visible contamination exceeds the 10% threshold, however, may need to coordinate extra pickups or special disposal services via the Household Hazardous Waste or Bulky Waste pickup programs.
Residents that need clarification on SB 1383 and the city’s new Green Bin Program are encouraged to visit www.folsom.ca.us/organics. They can also email the city’s recycling division at recycle@folsom.ca.us.
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Trash bins that pass a route check inspection will be tagged with a notice praising the resident.
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