Taking a New Look at Trash
What’s Inside
Pg. 2
Salinas Valley Recycles takes a new look at the best approach to managing our trash
The Clean Fiber and Organics Recovery System
Pg. 3 Trash Management Options
Pg. 4 Get Involved!
SVR Needs Your Help to Shape the Future of Garbage in the Region
So, what’s in the trash?
BY K ATE G O N ZA L E S
S
The potential projects could include going to Monterey alinas Valley Recycles is looking at smarter ways to Regional Waste Management District for recycling (matemanage the region’s trash. The goal is to maximize rial recovery processing) and/or landfilling, or the constructhe value of what is thrown away and clean up the tion of a Clean Fiber and Organics Recovery System, in environment for future generations. which trash is heated with steam in an autoclave and autoResidents’ participation in the process will help Salinas matically separated based on material type. Cardboard, Valley Recycles (SVR) determine if there is a different and better way to manage our community’s trash. The fact is, what papers and organic materials (like food scraps) are broken down and separated. happens with our garbage decades, even centuries, after “We want to minimize what is landfilled and, again, it’s taken from our homes matters for the health of Salinas utilize waste as a resource, instead of leaving a future obliValley, both environmentally and economically. Salinas Valley gation to the next generation,” Warner says. Recycles, the joint powers authority responsible for managing the region’s solid waste, is researchThe challenge ing five projects that could potentially In approximately 40 years, Johnson reshape our approach to trash. The Canyon Landfill located east of Gonzaprojects must follow the California Enviles will reach its capacity. California ronmental Quality Act process, which state law requires all counties to have aims to reduce environmental harm at least 15 years of landfill capacity S U S A N WARN E R and enhance public participation. available. Landfills are not sustainable, Former Diversion Manager/Assistant General Residents of the SVR service area, Manager, Salinas Valley Recycles present long-term environmental and which includes the cities of Salinas, financial challenges to host communiGonzales, King City, Soledad, Greenfield ties and permanently impact the land. and eastern unincorporated county areas, are encouraged to Reducing landfilling also reduces greenhouse gases and participate, keep informed and be engaged as SVR considers other environmental impacts. these options. There is diminishing landfill capacity and finding sites for new landfills is difficult, as most people don’t want to The opportunity live near one. But why should Salinas Valley residents care about These challenges, however, give SVR a chance to what happens to trash once it’s out of sight? take the long view by making smart changes benefiting “Because waste is a resource,” says Susan Warner, citizens today. former Diversion Manager/Assistant General Manager with Salinas Valley Recycles. “Essentially any substance you can buy in any store anywhere is buried in that landfill.”
“Waste is a resource.”
Continue reading to learn about the projects Salinas Valley Recycles is considering — and how you can participate!
Organic Material (Food & Plants)
paper
construction materials plastic metal glass
65% of materials that fill our garbage are
organics (food scraps and yard waste) and fiber (paper and cardboard), according to a 2008 Salinas Valley Recycles study. These materials can currently be diverted or repurposed using new technology.
Making Trash I
Work for Us
n an effort to reshape how the region manages its garbage to maximize its value at a reasonable cost, Salinas Valley Recycles is analyzing five projects. One alternative is an organic material recovery system developed by Global OrganicS Energy (GOE). This system recovers materials that would otherwise
be sent to a landfill. It is a postrecycling solid waste management system that creates manufacturing-ready paper pulp feedstock and bio-energy. If a project is selected that uses GOE technology, it would be the first of its kind in the United States.
BY KAT E G O N ZA L E S
The clean fiber recovery process, step-by-step
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collection Garbage is picked up from homes and delivered to the GOE Clean Fiber and Organics Recovery System site.
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Delivery to autoclave All the unsorted trash is placed on a conveyor and delivered into the steam autoclave.
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Steam heat Once inside the autoclave, the waste is steam-cooked at a low temperature. After 45 minutes, the waste comes out sanitized and reduced in volume by 60 to 70 percent.
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Fiber washing
Sorting
The remaining paper and organic materials are fiber washed then diverted for sale to container board (cardboard) manufacturers in California.
Materials are run over screens from which unclaimed metal and plastic recyclables are extracted, cleaned, and sent to a recycling center to maximize recycling.
Powering the plant The dirty water, or “fiber wash water” that results from this process is converted to methane to power the GOE plant, with extra energy also available for commercial sales.
Water circulation Cleaned water is added, then recirculated back through the system. No dirty water is discharged to the sewer.
2 | Taking a New Look at Trash | Salinas Valley Recycles | A Special Advertising Supplement
A Look at Options
Salinas Valley Recycles eyes options for managing trash BY MAT T JOC KS
S
alinas Valley’s waste may be piling up on the ground, but the future is up in the air when it comes to dealing with it. As the area seeks to meet the requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), as well as the state’s goal that 75 percent of waste is recycled by 2020, Salinas Valley Recycles is looking at five options for the future of waste management and reuse.
The options are in the review process, awaiting the completion of economic benefit and environmental analyses. The outcome will be presented in an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) which will outline the pros and cons of each project. Here is a brief look at the possibilities:
deliver waste to the Monterey regional Waste Management District This project would not require any new facilities to be built. Instead, the Monterey Regional Waste Management District (MRWMD) would receive most of the Salinas Valley trash and process it for recycling and/or directly bury it. • MRWMD’s waste recycling facilities could provide for increased recycling and public diversion services
• Requires vehicles currently using existing Salinas-area facilities to be re-directed to MRWMD’s facilities for waste and recycling services • Existing Salinas Valley Recycles Sun Street facility would close and public would drive to the Marina area for services.
F U LL PU BLIC SERV ICES
INCREASES RECYCLING
No project
All-In-One Facility
This proposal could involve the construction of a new enclosed facility that would include both a Transfer Station/Materials Recovery Center for increased recycling as well as a Clean Fiber and Organics Recovery System. This project would allow Salinas Valley Recycles to collect and process:
C L EA N FI BER R EC OV ERY S YS T EM
• Up to 1,500 tons of waste per day • Full public services including municipal solid waste, yard waste, recyclables and household hazardous waste
SITES CONSIDERED: Harrison Road, Salinas • Direct freeway access • Architectural design will be important due to highway visibility F ULL P UB LI C S E RV I C E S
NEW FAC I LI T Y
I NC R EA S E S R EC YCLI N G
Transfer/Material Recovery Only This project would include only a transfer station and a material recovery center in one of three sites. A Clean Fiber and Organics Recovery System could also be built, but on a separate site. This project could include full public services including municipal solid waste disposal and recycling of yard waste, recyclables and household hazardous waste.
FU L L P U BL I C S ERV I C ES
SITES CONSIDERED: Harrison Road • See site description above
Crazy Horse Closed Landfill, Salinas • Capacity to transfer waste from all of north Monterey County • Set back from highway, but accessible
Sun Street, Salinas • • • •
“Temporary” facility for the past 10 years Mostly industrial area Permanency could improve efficiency Opportunity to lessen the impact of noise and dust on its neighbors
INCREASES R E C YC LI N G
NEW FAC I LI T Y
Clean Fiber Recovery System only
As with any set of options under CEQA review, the option of no project must be considered. If the no project option is selected, all options currently under consideration will be placed on hold. However, all stakeholders could continue to explore the benefits of the various options.
F U LL PU BLIC SERV ICES
Some improvements could be made to the materials recovery center on Sun Street. However, the Clean Fiber and Organics Recovery System, or consolidating Salinas Valley waste at the Monterey Regional Waste Management District, would be put on hold.
This project could include the construction of the Clean Fiber and Organics Recovery System. This system could potentially have environmental impacts, including steam release. Building this system could reduce trash volumes and greenhouse gas emissions and prolong the life of the landfill.
I NC R EA S ES R EC YC L I NG
C LE A N F I B E R R E C OV E RY SYSTEM
SITES CONSIDERED: Johnson Canyon Landfill, Gonzales • Remote setting • Requires road improvements to accommodate increased traffic
Harrison Road • See site description at top
NEW FAC I LI T Y
A Special Advertising Supplement | Salinas Valley Recycles | www.salinasvalleyrecycles.org| 3
You Have a Say! Salinas Valley Recycles considers new projects in the community
W
e generate garbage every day — and it has to go somewhere. Salinas Valley Recycles is evaluating the options for how the region manages its garbage — with a vision of minimizing the need for landfills and using waste as a resource. As Salinas Valley Recycles considers options to divert trash from the Johnson
Canyon Landfill as it approaches capacity, it wants the wider community to be informed of the process and provide input. “It’s important to hear from the public,” says Simon Salinas, President of the Salinas Valley Recycles Board of Directors. “We want to make sure we’re listening to what the public has to say.”
proposed project site locations
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Crazy Horse Landfill
Castroville
Harrison Road MRWMD Salinas
Marina
Sun Street Transfer Station 1
Make Your Voice Heard Salinas Valley Recycles will host Public Information meetings in May 2017 to gather community input on potential projects. All meetings are from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Mon., May 8
Wed., May 24
The Maria J. Torres-Gil Community Center 245 Calle Cebu, Salinas, CA 93901
Gonzales City Council Chambers 117 4th St., Gonzales, CA 93926
Wed., May 10
Monterey County Free Libraries Marina Branch 190 Seaside Circle, Marina, CA 93933
Monterey
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Johnson Canyon Landfill Gonzales
Thurs., May 25
Gavilan View Middle School 18250 Van Buren Ave., Salinas, CA 93906
Wed., May 17 Prunedale Grange Hall 17890 Moro Road, Salinas, CA 93907
128 Sun St., Ste. 101 Salinas, CA 93901
831-775-3000
www.salinasvalleyrecycles.org
Mission Statement: “To manage Salinas Valley solid waste as a resource, promoting sustainable, environmentally sound and cost-effective practices through an integrated system of waste reduction, reuse, recycling, innovative technology, customer service and education.”
P U B L I C AT I O N S
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