Yard Waste on the Street: Which Council Candidates Support Containerization?

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"Davis is one of the few communities in the state that still permits green waste (lawn clippings, prunings, etc.) to be placed in the street instead of green waste containers for pick up. Because of this practice the City also sweeps the streets once per week entailing significant additional expense. Further, run-off from street-deposited green waste sends organic materials, fertilizers, and harmful pesticides into the storm drains potentially increasing mosquito breeding in the wetlands. Would you support or oppose conversion to containerized green waste pick-up in Davis?" -Sierra Club Yolano Group

The street side pick up was thought of as an innovative program when it was developed, but times have changed and I wholeheartedly support containerization of green waste. On the whole, Davis could collect more types of waste, including compostable waste. It would improve safety of the bicycle corridors, which, with more people safely riding bikes, would also reduce our GHG emissions.

In some areas of town, including those lots with small yards, it can be difficult and unsightly to store an extra container. I would ask Davis Waste Removal to be proactive in switching the larger black “waste” containers with smaller containers to make this adjustment easier. (We should NEVER have had a default “waste” container that was 96 gallons in the first place). In addition, I would like to see a waste disposal cost structure that promotes conservation, unlike our current waste disposal cost structure, and would proactively work with DWR to make this a reality.

We might be required to go to green waste containerization.

I have lived in a number of different cities on the east coast and coastal California, and I can tell you that, living in an older part of Davis, we face unique challenges, especially for senior citizens. In our older neighborhoods, our tree canopy, unlike that at the California coast, is mostly composed of very large deciduous trees. On the East Coast, the leaves fall over a short period of time, and people would rake or blow their leaves into one huge pile and burn them (not acceptable today!). It was a big job, but manageable. In Davis, leaves fall slowly over many, many months. And residents are not allowed to cut down the street trees, nor would it be good for the environment to allow them to do so.

Many senior citizens cannot lift their leaves into containers. And because the leaves fall over a very long period, the expense of hiring someone to do this over a four or more month period would be great, especially for senior citizens on fixed incomes who are also facing massively high water/sewer bills.
Any green waste containerization program in our climate should take into account the needs of senior citizens in our heavily-treed areas of town.

I support containerization of green waste. I think an additional container for green waste that is picked up on trash day would be a good thing. In most cases, the container would be of sufficient size to handle all of the green waste needs of the resident.

For the times when the container is of insufficient size, I would like there to be the option for a homeowner to be able to call and schedule on an as needed basis the current type of units to come and collect the green waste from the curb.

There are times during the year when a homeowner is performing a large yard project where having the ability to use the present method would be appropriate.

I would also like the same ability for the homeowner to call and have large items hauled away (mattresses, sofa’s, etc.)

New water quality concerns related to green waste practices have emerged among state storm water program regulators. Residues of urban yard waste have been identified as contributing to the depletion of dissolved oxygen and increases in algae growth in waterways, and, consequently, to adverse affects on aquatic life forms. In response communities have been required to prevent green waste from entering storm water systems that discharge to waterways.

The City should engage the public in a discussion on a reasonable program that will move us to green waste containerization. There will still need to be street pile collection during the time of the year when leaves would overwhelm a 96 gallon container. There could also be street pickup on a once a month basis.

Yes, I strongly support the containerization of green waste. Not only would it reduce harmful run-off, it would also increase bicycle safety. However, I would go further. I would like to see a citywide composting program in place. Our city was the first in the region to adopt a zero-waste resolution, and the only way to truly accomplish that is through significant waste diversion by individual households. Some downtown restaurants are already doing so as part of a pilot program. 

We should work with Davis Waste Removal and others to develop a community-wide curbside composting program. DWR is willing and able; they just need the green light. And in light of AB 341, we frankly don’t have much of a choice when it comes to waste diversion.

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