Green Can Service

WHAT GOES IN THE GREEN CAN

"IF IT DOESN'T GROW, IT DOESN'T GO!"

Lawn trimmings, weeds, leaves, shrubbery trimmings, pumpkins, limbs (up to 3" in diameter) and any other organically grown material can go inside the "green can".

NO DIRT IS ALLOWED IN THE GREEN CAN. Dirt makes the can so heavy that its handles snap right off when the truck's lift mechanism tries to dump it.

You may also place one (1) tied bundle of cuttings two feet by five feet (2ft x 5ft) next to the can for pick-up, or instead of the green can you may put three (3) tied bundles two feet by five feet (2ft x 5ft) at the curb on your scheduled pick-up day.

If you have any extra yard waste, which is not in your can, it is our policy that you call the day before your pick-up and advise us of the extra. Otherwise, the extra bags/bundles will be left. There is a $6.00 charge for each bag/bundle.

NO EXTRA YARD WASTE WILL BE ACCEPTED WITHOUT PREVIOUS NOTICE.

WHAT CANNOT GO IN THE GREEN CAN

"IF IT DOESN'T GROW, IT DOESN'T GO!"

DO NOT put any plastic bags, paper bags, boxes, dirt, rock, pet waste, garbage, or any other recyclable items in the Green Can. If any of these items are found in your Green Can it cannot be composted and will not be dumped.

• Please be sure that the lid will close before moving your can to the street
• Collection is bi-weekly (every other week)
• Your Green Can must be at the street for collection no later than 5:00am
• DO NOT leave your Green Can at the street after collection (as you are responsible for that can)
• Your Green Can will be picked up on your regular pickup day every other week.

What Happens to Our Green Waste?

Your green waste is taken to the Redwood Sanitary Landfill in Novato where it is dumped in a separate location away from the regular garbage. All of it is run through a large grinder and is now used for erosion control around the perimeter of the landfill. The landfill no longer uses it for Alternative Daily Cover (ADC) as it had in the past.

What Is ADC?

By law, all garbage dumped at the landfill MUST be covered within a few hours by a layer of dirt to control odor and vermin. The state accepts using ADC instead of dirt for this purpose. However, since ADC produces methane gas as it decomposes, the landfill no longer uses it for this purpose.

What About Food Waste Composting?

The Redwood Landfill in Novato recently announced that they expect to be able to begin receiving food waste by early 2010. In such a program, residents will mix food waste with yard waste. Because food waste rots and smells, we'll have to pick up green cans on a weekly, rather than the current bi-weekly, schedule. However, before this new service can be added, we need to determine the costs and then go before the city councils of each area in which we operate to get permission to make this change. We'll keep you posted as the details of this new program begin to take shape.