The City Council approved a change Tuesday to a controversial waste management contract that decreases the distance city trash travels for disposal, but increases the cost to the city – and, ultimately, to ratepayers. Council members voted in support of the amended contract with an 8–1 vote. Councilman Darrell Fong voted against the agreement. The service contract between the city and the current waste management provider, BLT Enterprises, sends 150,000 annual tons of city waste to a landfill in Lockwood, Nevada at a cost of $47.60 per ton. Under the new service contract, USA Waste (a subsidiary of Waste Management, Inc.) would take the place of BLT as provider, and city waste will be s

The City of Sacramento Department of Utilities will launch the 2011 Recycling Incentive Awards, sponsored by AT&T Real Yellow Pages and the Sacramento Recycling and Transfer Station on May 2, 2011. Each week through June 27, the City will randomly select recycling containers in a selected Council District and check it for proper recycling. If the container holds only clean recyclables, the City will award owners of clean recycling bins with $100 and the chance to win an iPad2. “Recycling right is the right thing to do. Clean, dry and usable recyclables limits waste going to the landfills and is a win for the environment,” said Marty Hanneman, Director of the Department of Utilities. "So m

Gina Knepp has worked in high-stress city government jobs for more than two decades. But even though she spent nearly 20 years at the city’s 911 call center and now heads the 311 call center, her sense of humor remains intact. Knepp, 48, is the division manager of 311. She reflects her humor in certain activities – designating a day to wear tin foil hats – and in her office décor, which includes a sign that reads: “Dumb should hurt.” The 311 center, which handles a wide variety of queries about city services, has lost about 65 percent of its budget to cuts in the last couple years, she said. Though her division is understaffed and 311’s budget is tight, Knepp conveyed great enthusiasm a

The Problem with Food Waste       Lift the lid to your garbage can, ugh! It stinks. The scraps from Monday’s dinner are the culprit. By the end of the week, when it is time to take the can out to the curb, the stench can be difficult to bear.       Once that trash gets picked up, the smell is no longer your problem; it is gone, far, far away to stink somewhere else. That stinky food waste goes with the rest of your trash to a smelly transfer station and then a stinkier landfill. Statewide, food waste accounts for more than 15 percent of what is sent to landfill, according to the California Integrated Waste Management Board’s (CIWMB) 2008 Waste Characterization Study.       Sacramento resi

Learn how to turn yard waste into compost and improve the health of your soil! These free seminars include a how-to lesson, a special compost recipe and the ability to purchase a Biostack compost bin for $65 (retails for $129). Each seminar will feature a special lecture on various topics that will help your garden continue to flourish all year long. Composting is great for flower and vegetable gardens and can help conserve water and recycle yard waste. No reservations necessary. Come join us! March 13, 2010 8 a.m.-10 a.m. Southside Park Community Garden 5th and W Streets Lecture Topic: Adding green manure/cover crops to garden BioStack Compost Bins will be available at-cost ($65, retail