City vows improvements in response to grand jury's trash, recycling findings

Feb. 25—The city of Bakersfield said it is building toward a master plan for its waste division, despite a persistent staff shortage, in a response last week to a December Kern County grand jury report.

The report is based on the grand jury's findings from a tour of waste facilities managed by Kern County and the Bakersfield Public Works Department. And while the jury considered the fact that both agencies are understaffed, it found various issues with several of the nine county landfills, such as sending the wrong waste to the wrong site and a lack of labels on waste bins.

"The grand jury members spoke to several representatives of the city's Public Works Department and took tours of city facilities," city spokesman Joe Conroy said. "They were inquisitive and were very knowledgeable of solid waste management and wastewater treatment. The report was comprehensive and well written."

Kern County did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Friday.

"At this time of historically low unemployment, filling positions is challenging," the city wrote in its response. "The city has held job fairs and employed creative ways to lure qualified candidates to the Solid Waste Division ..."

Conroy said the city has begun an ad campaign to educate the public on proper separation of recyclables and organics.

"We certainly want to stress the importance of proper separation of recyclables and not contaminating organics with plastics and metals," Conroy said.

At the city's Materials Recovery Facility, the grand jury found that recycled paper stored there was ruined due to rain. The city agreed with the finding, saying that in its master plan project, as part of its Capital Improvement Program, the rain exposure is included in its scope of work.

"A consultant will be retained to evaluate all solid waste equipment, operations and infrastructure," the city wrote.

Reducing organic waste in landfills

This report arrives on the heels of California's introduction of SB 1383, which was passed in 2016 and took effect last year. It requires all municipalities to reduce the amount of organic waste they send to landfills and to find ways of converting more reusable waste into commodities, like energy and repurposed materials, that can be sold back to developers.

The bill's aim is to reduce methane emissions, a mega pollutant that is 84 times more potent than carbon dioxide, according to the California Air Resources Board. It establishes statewide targets to reduce waste disposed of in landfills — 50 percent by 2020 and 75 percent by 2025.

"With the largest-ever state investment of Organics Grant Program funds, California can grow its composting, biogas or organic waste processing infrastructure to cut pollution, create jobs and meet the state's historic organic waste recycling goals under SB 1383," said Lance Klug, a spokesman for CalRecycle's Office of Public Affairs.

California cities that do not begin a proper collection service risk a daily $10,000 fine from the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery.

The city and county have begun a three-can system — compost, trash and recycling — and plan to expand to every census tract that has more than 75 people per square mile by 2024, per the state guidelines.

"In conjunction with our franchise haulers, we will be implementing a three container program (non-organics, recyclables and organics) in the unincorporated portions of the county that meet the SB 1383 requirements starting on July 1, 2023," Kern County Supervisor Jeff Flores said.

Portions of Kern County's unincorporated areas are cleared from the penalties under the waiver exemption process that is available, as it met criteria for low population and high elevation exemptions, according to CalRecycle.

It also wants 20 percent of still-edible food from restaurants and groceries to be donated to food pantries and shelters to give to people in need. More than 11.2 billion pounds of food waste is thrown into California's landfills each year.

The Kern County Public Health Services Department said the Waste Hunger Not Food Kern County Initiative helps meet the donation requirement.

'Alternative technologies'

California's landfills account for a fifth of the state's methane emissions, according to CalRecycle. Kern County has eight closed landfill sites and nine active landfills that altogether cost $1.15 billion to maintain and operate. Some $330.7 million goes to maintaining closed sites.

It's all a part of the circular economy — selling recycled products found in trash — that California Gov. Gavin Newsom has put forward as the state's future economic design. Many recycled materials, such as paper, compost and other items, can be sold back to businesses to offset their operational costs.

The grand jury made several recommendations, including to purchase more "alternative technologies" like anaerobic digestion — which converts organic waste into mulch, topsoil and fuel — that could cut down on the agencies' reliance on landfills.

At the city's Mount Vernon Green Waste Recycling and Composting Facility, 155,000 tons of organic waste is converted annually into mulch, topsoil and biofuel. The mulch is free to the public and while topsoil is $1 per bag and $20 per square yard, residents can fill up two cubic yards of compost for free if they load it themselves.

Kern County will soon have its third green waste site, in Shafter, which will be able to convert organic matter in 28 days, as opposed to the 90 days at the Mount Vernon site. In its report, the grand jury recommended that both municipalities better advertise the sale.

"The Mt. Vernon Organic Facility advertises in the Farmers magazine, city website, social media platforms and staff hands out our pamphlets to users of the facility," the city wrote.

Funding the state mandate

The grand jury acknowledged the city and county's complaint that there is no funding associated with the state mandate, but recommended that the county apply for state grants to offset costs incurred.

"The Solid Waste Division and Public Works Department consistently penned comments to CalRecycle and the state of California about draft regulations and bills introduced," the city wrote. "(The) city is working with a legislative analyst to lobby for fiscally responsible regulation that does not burden local government."

According to CalRecycle, state funds are available for the food donation segment of the bill, including $180 million for local food waste recycling programs and $29 million to support food pantries and community centers that dispense the food.

Documents provided by CalRecycle show that various offices and businesses in Kern County are projected to receive $2.6 million in state grant funding — $459,000 of which will go toward the Waste Hunger Not Food Kern County initiative.

Local assistance grants associated with the bill were also awarded to both Bakersfield and Kern, in the amounts of $561,069 and $449,757, respectively.

For more information on the city's efforts, visit bakersfieldcity.us/trash.