Modesto council changes organic trash pickup schedule after hearing that the bins can stink
Modesto residents will get weekly pickup of organic trash, and a rate hike, following a Tuesday night vote by the City Council.
It also appointed a volunteer board to monitor spending of the 1% sales tax enacted by voters in November. Both votes were 7-0.
Residents had complained of odors and pests with the organic bins being emptied every other week. Starting Aug. 1, pickup will be weekly.
This green-colored bin is one of three in Modesto’s trash service. The blue one for recyclables will continue to be collected every two weeks. The black container for all other trash is weekly.
The council also raised residential trash bills from $51.25 to $56.01 a month. This includes $3.14 for the more frequent organic pickup, as well as general inflation. Businesses also will see increased rates.
Trash bills have risen all over California due to a mandate to divert most organic waste from landfills. The buried material reacts with microbes that generate methane, a potent climate-changer. Modesto long has had a large composting facility where oxygen is mixed in to prevent methane.
Nine residents will monitor Modesto sales tax
The new sales tax is expected to yield about $42 million for city government each year. The ballot language required that the council’s spending decisions by reviewed by a Measure H Oversight Board.
The board members must be registered voters in Modesto but cannot work for the city. Six of the seats represent the six council districts. The other three are at-large.
The members are:
District 1: Alexandra von Stade, lab technician at Merced College and leader with the Modesto Area Disc Golf Club
District 2: Galen Carroll, police chief from 2013 to 2020, now deputy director of security at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
District 3: Kirstie Boyett, executive director of American Leadership Forum, Great Valley Chapter, and former State Theatre leader
District 4: Chris Guptill, teacher at Davis High School and leader of cleanups along the Tuolumne River and Dry Creek
District 5: Realtor Mike Kelly, whose service included a year as president of the Central Valley Association of Realtors
District 6: Jesse Franco, former engineering division manager for the city
At-large: Attorney Aaron Anguiano, president of the Latino Community Roundtable of Stanislaus County
At-large: Tom Hallinan, attorney for a few nearby cities and former board member for the Yosemite Community College District
At-large: Michael Moradian, active with the La Loma Neighborhood, Modesto Chamber of Commerce and other groups.
The board must hold at least two public meetings per year and produce an annual report. The council already has earmarked Measure H money for the fiscal year that will start July 1. The priorities are help for homeless people, enhanced police and fire services, road and sidewalk repairs and park maintenance.
