City not expected to meet year-end recycling goal

"It's do-able," said Environmental Compliance Coordinator, Vern Bessey, about the need to increase San Mateo's recycling. "It's just a matter of focusing on it and moving in that direction."

Under the state law, which was introduced by then Assemblymember Byron Sher and passed in 1989, municipalities were required to meet a 25 percent waste diversion rate by 1995 and are required to meet a 50 percent rate by the end of 2000.

Under state law, municipalities not meeting the goals could be fined $10,000 per day until compliance is met.

San Mateo met the 1995 goals at 40 percent waste diversion. Since then, the amount the city has saved from the landfill has been up and down, with the lowest rate in 1998 at 29 percent.

Despite the fact that the city will, in all likelihood, not meet the state mandated goals this year, at most they may get a slap on the wrist.

Roni Java, spokesperson for the California Integrated Waste Management Board, a division of the state Environmental Protection Agency, said that if municipalities show a "good faith effort," the board will work with them to gain compliance.

Municipalities can also apply for an extension to meet the goal. "We want to take a look with them together to see what might be preventing them from getting there," Java said. "This board is very understanding of the challenges that cities and counties face."

Compliance Coordinator Vern Bessey could not say why the city is having problems meeting the state's goal. The city has residential curbside recycling program, but getting businesses to use a commercial recycling program is a bit more difficult. And recycling construction debris, like wood, concrete, and utility fixtures are what Bessey said the city is trying to focus on the most.

"A lot of residences have been recycling for some time," Bessey said. "The areas we are presently trying to get greater diversion from is big construction projects."

Unfortunately, there is a lack of adequate facilities accepting construction debris, according to Jill Boone, the county recycling program coordinator. "There's a tremendous amount generated and there aren't enough facilities to deal with it," Boone said.

One reason why the city may be having trouble meeting the goals is because the city has no coordinated effort to reduce the largest type of waste generated--food. Food waste accounts for twenty-percent of household waste and 17-percent of business waste, mostly from restaurants. Individual backyard composting spots are the only way residents in the city can recycle food. There are no plans to change that.

The city will rely mostly on county level education campaigns to get the word out about the need for more recycling. It also hopes to reduce the amount of waste headed for the landfill with a city-wide garage sale on Oct. 14.

If all else fails, the city will apply for an extension on the state goals next year.