Putting trash on wheels

New carts proposed for garbage, recycling as part of automated pickup system.The Huntington Beach City Council was talkin’ trash Tuesday night, discussing the details of the city’s new waste collection system.

Huntington Beach is moving to an automated pickup system, similar to programs used by most communities in California.

Gone are the days of pulling trash barrels out to the curb to be emptied manually by workers walking alongside the garbage truck. The new system proposed by Rainbow disposal will use specially designed carts that can be lifted and emptied by a mechanical arm of the truck.

The technology is nothing new -- Huntington Beach is one of the last cities in California to implement the system. Yet it marks a big change for the way the city takes out its garbage. Residents will now be limited in how much trash they can take out at one time, although company chairman Ron Shenkman said each household will be able to tailor its own trash needs to meet demand. Residents will also be asked to separate recyclables themselves; in the past all disposables could be thrown into one bin and then separated at the garbage processing plant.

Shenkman said a number of recent issues prompted the changes. Worker’s compensation rates have increased substantially for Rainbow, whose trash collectors pick up an estimated 26,000 pounds of garbage each day. Environmental regulations designed to free up space at landfills has also put pressure on trash collectors to improve recycling rates.

“We have an obligation to reduce waste,” Shenkman said.

Rainbow also plans to introduce a new fleet of cleaner-burning natural gas vehicles, which will be powered using an on-site filling station Rainbow plans to construct. Shenkman said Rainbow plans to enter into an agreement with Huntington Beach allowing city vehicles to power up at the same site.

As for the cost of the program, Shenkman said, “the rates aren’t going up; we’re paying for it ourselves.”

Rainbow plans to spend about $20 million on the program, which includes providing new containers at no cost. Residents will be given three separate 95-gallon carts: blue for recycling, green for yard waste and brown for trash. Shenkman said residents can obtain an extra brown trash container with a one-time cost; they can also request smaller 65 and 35 gallon carts.

Several council members said they were concerned that it might be difficult for residents to begin separating trash and recyclables themselves.

“What you’re going to have decide is, How punitive do you want to be?” said Shenkman, adding he would like to emphasize education and information to get residents to keep 90% of recyclables out of trash. Nonetheless, recyclables placed in the trash will be separated when it reaches the processing plant, he said.

Councilwoman Debbie Cook said she was enthusiastic about the program.

“I think our neighboring cities will be jealous,” she said.

Shenkman said he hopes the proposal gets approved by April 2006 and that the carts and trucks will be purchased several months later. A public information campaign would be launched by January 2007, and the initial rollout would start three months later. Shenkman said he hopes the system is fully implemented by September or October 2007.

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