Point Reyes Light - October 16, 2003

Stinson may be first town to try single-stream recycling

By Andrew Pridgen

Directors of the Stinson Beach Water District will consider a proposal from Waste Management, the garbage-pickup company that serves all of West Marin, to become the first town in the area with "single-stream" recycling.

The proposal, which directors will vote on at the November meeting, will be presented during a meeting at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 18, at district headquarters.

Single-stream recycling would allow customers to dump all their recyclable garbage in one can.

Single-stream study

A March 2003 County of Sonoma-financed study on recycling conducted by the San Francisco-based consulting firm, Conservatree, concluded:

"While the local governments like single-stream because it reduces workers’ risks, the paper mills feel that the safety problem has not been solved. Rather, it has been pushed up the line to them.

"Finished products contaminated with glass have been pulled and disposed of at the mills."

Water-district general manager Richard Dinges on Wednesday said whether or not single-stream recycling is incorporated into a contract revision with Waste Management, the garbage conglomerate, will likely "push for rate hikes."

"We haven’t had an increase in garbage rates since 1996," Dinges told The Light Tuesday. The district signed a 10-year contract with Waste Management in 2000.

Rate increases proposed by the garbage collector are as follows:

Weekly collection from a 20-gallon can, $10.20, up from $9.90; collection from a 32-gallon can, $13.60, up from $13.20; collection from a 1.5-cubic-yard commercial bin, $146.80, up from $138.75; collection on a two-cubic-yard commercial bin, $212.82, up from $201.15.

"The proposed increases would be roughly three percent for residential service and five percent for commercial service," Dinges said.

Any new rates and services will be voted on in November will go into effect on Jan. 1.

New plant and filter

Also at Saturday’s meeting, water district directors will consider what kind of filter should be installed at the a new water-treatment plant. The new plant, slated to cost between $600,000 and $700,000, will replace the existing 25-year-old Laurel treatment plant at the same location.

The new plant is slated for completion by next fall, Dinges said.

"We’re evaluating the new plant piece by piece," Dinges added. "Saturday we’ll consider four types of filters to replace the sand filter that’s currently at the plant."

The new plant will process roughly 300-gallons of water per minute. The old plant currently uses a sand filter, which will not meet state requirements in the years to come Dinges noted.

"It was cheaper to replace the plant than to repair it," Dinges explained.

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