Upper Valley Disposal & Recycling provides a green cart for the weekly roadside collection of compostable materials like yard waste, food waste and food-soiled papers.
As of January 1, 2022, you must sort your recyclables and organic waste including paper, cardboard, yard waste, food scraps, and food soiled paper from the garbage. It’s the law!
Did you know that Up Valley customers can now put food scraps and food-soiled paper along with yard trimmings in their compost carts for curbside collection AND it’s now the law?
As of January 1, 2022, a new law (SB 1383) requires that all Californian’s properly sort their organic waste for composting from materials that go to the landfill. This service is included as part of your residential service package with Upper Valley Disposal & Recycling. The good news is, as long as you’re sorting all your organic waste into your green cart, you’re in compliance.
Visit our Multifamily Services page to review the container options and set out rules for Multifamily customers.
When organic materials end up in landfills, they generate methane, a powerful greenhouse gas. South Lake’s compost facility, Quackenbush, instead turns this valuable material into organic compost. When compost is used in landscape and agriculture it builds soil nutrients, conserves water, and reduces the need for fertilizers.
Please do not include any plastics in the compost carts besides the BPI certified bags for kitchen waste.
Put all your yard waste, food scraps & food soiled paper into your green cart(s). Do not overfill; make sure that the lid closes securely when placed at the curb for collection. Please remember that any materials extending beyond the rim of any cart will be subject to an extra charge or your cart not being picked up.
These materials can be placed in the yard waste/food scraps cart(s).
These materials can be placed in the yard waste/food scraps cart(s).
You may use unlined brown paper bags to collect food scraps, but if you choose to line your kitchen pail with compostable bags, they must meet Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI) standards and show the BPI symbol.
Bags can be purchased at:
If flies cannot get to your food scraps, they will leave them alone. To keep fruit flies and other bugs out of your kitchen pail and green cart always keep the lids closed tight. As an extra precaution, cover your food scraps with paper towels or newspaper and tuck the edges along the inner wall of the pail.
The smell of meat and dairy products is often what lures critters like rats, mice or raccoons to your garbage and food scraps. If possible, cover your food scraps with yard waste to help minimize odors. Make sure the green cart lid is closed tight. Remember, your pick-up services require that the lids of carts open easily so please do not use weights, bungee cords, or rope to keep lids closed. These devices might also inadvertently end up in the trucks with the food scraps and yard waste
Garbage disposals aren’t meant to handle large quantities of food. Sending food into the sewer requires additional water to flush the food down your drain. Conserve water by collecting your food scraps for composting. By doing this, not only do we protect the environment, but we also capture personal cost savings from less water use and community savings from less wastewater treatment costs.
Soiled paper, bones, seafood shells, and fruit pits, as well as fats, solidified oils, and grease (FOG) should never be put down the drain, but can definitely be composted. FOG can cause sewer blockages leading to spills and overflows, which are harmful to the environment and public health.
We know that it can be difficult to determine what materials are compostable. All materials in the green carts or compost bins go to the Upper Valley Composting Facility where they are made into a nutrient rich soil amendment, compost. Contamination is very hard to remove once it is in the compost container.
Compost carts/bins WILL NOT be emptied if contaminated with trash or non-compostable materials.
If the driver notices contamination, he/she may not be able to empty your container. If this happens, a Non-Collection Notice will be left on your cart letting you know why the cart was not collected. You will also get an OOPS TAG which will tell you what contamination was found so will know the next time. You will be given the opportunity to clean up the container so it can be emptied on your next service say. Or you may opt to request a special pickup (for a fee) after removing the contaminants from the container.
We make every effort to emptying your container(s) on your service day, but on occasion, we may miss you. We apologize if this happens.
Quakenbush Resource Recovery Park offers compost made from the organic material we collect.
Dispose of materials like batteries, paints and household cleaners properly at a collection event for residents in Lake County.
ABOUT US
© 2022 South Lake Refuse & Recycling
