Feb 7 - Peninsula Towns Compost More Than They Landfill

Thanks to a new residential composting program and increased education and outreach by Recology and RethinkWaste (the South Bayside Waste Management Authority), residents of San Mateo County sent more materials to compost facilities than landfills in 2011. A single stream recycling program has also increased the collection of traditional recyclables. The San Mateo Daily Journal reports that "in 2011, compost collection increased 29 percent compared to 2010 and residential recycling jumped 25 percent during the same period."

The agressive outreach and ambitious new programs implemented by Recology and RethinkWaste have proven to be very successfull in an area that includes both urban and suburban areas.

The San Mateo Daily Journal describes the changes they've implemented:

The CartSMART weekly recycle, compost and garbage collection services were launched just more than a year ago after Recology took over the service from Allied Waste.

Figures show that Recology hauled more than 75,000 tons of compost in 2011 compared to the 58,000 tons Allied hauled the year before.

Recology put in nearly 12,000 tons less garbage into Ox Mountain in 2011 compared to Allied’s figures for 2010.

The new single-stream blue recycling bins have likely proved more convenient for customers, leading to higher diversion rates, Gasparini said.