The Central Costa County Solid Waste Authority (CCCSWA), the body that determines how much residents pay for the disposal of their trash and recycling, will adopt new rates in January and an increase in fees charged to Orinda residents and businesses is likely. The recommended rate adjustment is a 2.4% increase for Orinda residents and a 3.6% increase for Orinda's commercial customers. Vice Mayor Victoria Smith and Council Member Steve Glazer serve as representatives to the CCCSWA Board.
A commercial food waste program, sponsored by the CCCSWA, is geared to begin later in 2010 and will enable local restaurants and food stores to recycle food waste in the same way that residents use their own green bins. The goal of the CCCSWA Board is to get the most diversion of waste from landfills possible, explained Smith. "Unfunded" state mandates require cities to divert 50% of the waste generated by residential and commercial customers away from landfills but provide no financial resources to make this happen. The CCCSWA has partnered with Allied Waste Management and East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) in the commercial food waste program that is designed to "digest" food waste, which represents 19% of all commercial waste, in a process that captures the methane produced by the waste and pipes the energy into the EBMUD plant and grid.
A commercial food waste program, sponsored by the CCCSWA, is geared to begin later in 2010 and will enable local restaurants and food stores to recycle food waste in the same way that residents use their own green bins. The goal of the CCCSWA Board is to get the most diversion of waste from landfills possible, explained Smith. "Unfunded" state mandates require cities to divert 50% of the waste generated by residential and commercial customers away from landfills but provide no financial resources to make this happen. The CCCSWA has partnered with Allied Waste Management and East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) in the commercial food waste program that is designed to "digest" food waste, which represents 19% of all commercial waste, in a process that captures the methane produced by the waste and pipes the energy into the EBMUD plant and grid.
Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA