As Earth welcomed its 7 billionth child Nov. 1, international concern for diminishing world resources and mounting pollution are on the rise. This concern not only stems from the number of people on the planet, but how those people consume and dispose of their resources. However, depending upon how the international community prepares for that challenge, it could serve as an opportunity for positive change. The Sacramento City College’s Student Associated Council has recognized the international concern for its impact on the planet by creating a new position to help facilitate the campus’ desire to reduce its waste by welcoming plant biology major Michael Viscuso to the newly created posi

Is the city of Sacramento losing out on an opportunity to bring in more revenue? According to the most recent city audit, the answer is yes. In a report to the City Council Tuesday, City Auditor Jorge Oseguera outlined four areas for needed improvement in the Revenue Collections department of the city’s Finance Division, along with 12 recommendations for remedying the problem areas. The audit, which was started in late November 2010, found that the city could improve its cash handling procedures, that the performance measures for Revenue Division management lack efficiency and the process for collecting transfer tax revenue is inefficient. “(The Finance Department) does have good practi

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

The city of Sacramento should react to Arizona’s strict new immigration law by opposing and possibly boycotting Arizona businesses, the City Council decided Tuesday night. The elected officials asked city staff to prepare a resolution strongly opposing the Arizona law. The resolution will include language on economic boycotts the city could take against Arizona. In June, the City Council will make a decision on the resolution. City staffers have not yet presented information on all of the city’s existing business relationships with Arizona businesses. The City Council made its decision after hearing from about 70 people with strong views on the law. Most of the speakers opposed the law,

Last Night's NAG proves to be informative and contentious. Last night's Neighborhood Advisory Group (NAG) meeting started off with a low key police report and not much news on issue updates. The general plan goes to City Council for review on March 3rd. There will be a session of the Preservation Roundtable on March 14th, The primary announcement was the merger of Marshall School Neighborhood Association and the adjoining New Era Park Neighborhood Association. A presentation by Doug Huston a Program Analyst with the Solid Waste Division on E-Waste removal was the first agenda item. The city has programs to collect batteries, cfls and other florescent lights that can not go into land fil

On January 15th, during a technical workshop that was poorly attended by the public and local media, the Sacramento City Council voted on a proposal that could wind up affecting the citizens of Sacramento for many years to come. The Council voted to table the City’s yearlong effort to replace the costly and environmentally detrimental practice of trucking Sacramento’s non-recyclable municipal solid waste (MSW) over the mountains to a landfill east of Reno, Nevada with a sustainable, less costly and more environmentally friendly waste-to-energy (WTE) approach. Our Sacramento-based company, U.S. Science & Technology, submitted a proposal that was ultimately selected from among 11 responses

Did you get a new gadget for the holidays and need to get rid of the old one? Considering buying a new TV for the DTV conversion next month? Electronic waste (E-Waste), such as televisions, VCRs, computers, and iPods cannot be just thrown out in the garbage. There are four easy ways to properly recycle your E-Waste devices in the City of Sacramento. 1) Neighborhood Clean-Up Program: Residential rate payers are entitled to one free clean-up day per year to dispose of bulky waste. This includes E-Waste. To learn more or to schedule an appointment call Customer Service by dialing 311or (916) 264-5011. 2) The City of Sacramento Household Hazardous Waste Facility accepts E-Waste. CRT’s (telev

Every year after Christmas until the first of the year arrives, neighbors all over town take their Christmas trees down and put them out on their front curbs. Yesterday I saw many lonely trees that were no longer useful. What should happen to these trees that we spend years growing, just to be chopped down, put in a warm home for less than a month, and finally, kicked to the curb. Apparently, when put out on your curb, these trees are added to the landfills like any other trash. I have been researching and have discovered some solutions on how to put these trees to good use yet again. According to the county of Sacramento, Waste Management and Recycling, on December 27 and January 3 onl

Have you ever wondered what the proper way to recycle something was but then instead of looking it up, you just put it in your garbage can, closed the lid and forgot about it? How would one recycle carpet? Pesticides? Wheelchairs? Cooking oil? On the Sacramento Regional Solid Waste Authority's Waste Management & Recycling Web site, there's a whole section titled "How Do I Recycle?" with over 30 different types of common waste products that can be recycled. For example, metal crutches and canes, walkers and non-motorized wheelchairs can be donated to the North Area Recovery Station in North Highlands. Inmates in correctional facilities restore these items to like-new condition and they a

In 2007, the City of Sacramento generated an average of 750 tons/day of solid waste. About 348 tons/day (46%) of this was recycled, leaving 402 tons/day to be trucked across the Sierra Nevada mountains and buried in the desert at the Lockwood Regional Landfill in Sparks, Nevada. The City, consistent with its sustainability initiative, has been exploring more environmentally sound alternatives for the unrecycled portion of the waste, including the prospect of converting it into energy and other useful products. On August 24, 2007, the City issued a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) to attract a development partner to build, own, and operate a resource recovery and waste-to-energy facility in