City of Riverside Waste Management - Essay Example

of Riverside Waste Management Riverside was designated an American in the year 1998. The complied with the California waste management act of the 1989 statute amendment by achieving a 1995 waste recycling requirement of 25%. In 2000, the diversion improved to 50%. The riverside city council worked closely with the county and waste subcontractors in meeting its waste diversion responsibility. A study conducted on America on waste management states that the American people dispose about five pounds of trash per day thus this implies that 200 million tons of trash annually thus this therefore calls for proper thrash management policies so as to curb this global threat. Riverside County’s main city is the city of Riverside. The city is located 53 miles eastwards of Los Angeles, in southeast California. The department of public works in the city of Riverside provides solid waste collection services in the city. The waste collection services were organized by this department through various policies (City of Riverside, 1). The local policy, over time, the city policy of waste management has been dynamic in its mode of operation. In 1992, the policy stipulated that trash collection was reduced to once per week from twice a week, but it now incorporates the collection of green wastes once a week. Over time the policy has changed to improve waste collection, in 1994 the municipal code required that all projects provide enough space and collect recyclable waste. Solid waste service, this division of the public works department was mandated to provide integral waste management services in a manner that is cost effective. The division was basically mandated to collect, dispose and recycle solid wastes from every resident (The Friday Flyer, 1). Source reduction, this program of the public work was charged with management of waste reduction thus managing waste in its all diversities. This was achieved by formulation of workshop that advised participants accordingly. The division has also encouraged its residents to recycle grass as a reduction strategy. Diversion rates, the city of riverside has enjoyed the enviable distinction of reaching the year 2000 goal of 50%. Trash services for all single family resident were conducted by public works department by provision of 48 or 64 gallon carts trash management. This program is however conducted by placing of all trash in the recycling cart and trash was also placed in bags before loading to carts in instances that the cart is damaged; a contact number was given a public number through which the city council was contacted for replacement. The city authority sol bag tags at efficient prices of $2 at the city hall, these bags were used for purposes of filled trash carbs. This bag tags were each less than 40 gallons. Trash that was out of the carb was not picked by the track unless if they had a bag tags on them. The city authority provided extra carts for rent at a convenient price of $5.62. The authority’s number was given so that the public could contact the authority with ease for this service. The trash management authority also gave a reliable trash picking schedule so as to avoid inconveniences in this process. For instance, the trash cart had to be placed at a strategic position by a certain time on a specific day to ease their collection. The services were also conducted on holidays other than Christmas holidays (Riverside County Waste Management Department, 1). The curbid service, the city provided brush and pick-up for leaf in the fall on the spring. The date for this service was announced at least a month in advance on the city newsletter or the city authority website. This service encapsulated various rules which include: 1. Sticks had to be put in confines or rather bundles that do not exceed 2 feet wide and 4 feet long. 2. Paper biodegradable begs were used for items of leaf and brush. 3. The service was conducted on Fridays with regularity. Yard waste facilities service, residents were to take their yards waste to the yard waste facility which was not chargeable. A driver’s license was used for verification of riverside residence. Bulky items had to be disposed in one of the following ways: (1) by the use of public works facility, items such as households equipment and furniture was taken to the public works department and disposed of appropriately to proper dumpsites by the department. (2) Bulky items could be disposed by the use of tag. Bulky items were placed in curb for pick – up using tags that were purchased at the city hall for $10. However the policy allowed one tag per item. (3) Bulky item express service charged $50 for every five items and Freon item at $20. The city authority has organized outreach and educative sessions in respect to reduce, reuse and recycle so as to bring about environmental sustainability. This has been achieved through conjunctions between the city authority and a number of other institutions which include: 1. The city chamber of commerce 2. The county of riverside’s authority 3. The west county council of government 4. The local colleges and universities. 5. The local school districts. In the year 1992, the city council introduced policies that were aimed at improving environmental sustainability. The council authorized the purchasing department to allow a 10% purchasing preference for material that contained recycled content. This was achieved through reduced taxation on these products which resulted to reduced prices thus encouraging consumption by the public (Riverside County Waste Management Department, 1). The city council also motivated its residence and the business ventures in it to conserve the environment by embracing reuse, recycle and reduce principles. This was achieved through giving of awards and recognition to individuals, agencies and business venture that promoted environmental sustainability. Reorganization of individual or organizational effort motived them continue with environmental conservation. The city authority also ensured that its residents were properly informed about the need to create a sustainable environment. This was conducted in the city’s publications so as to communicate to residence at personal level at the comfort of their living rooms (City of Riverside, 1). The current waste collection policy is effective in the sense that it is explanatory and all residents are given full informed on how the collection of trash from each resident is done. For instance, how the cart is used is clearly illustrated for the public to understand. The service is conducted in the manner that all trash and recycling must be put inside the carts since anything outside the cart would not be collected unless if the bag outside the cart bore a bag tag that could be purchased at the city hall and the provision for rent of additional carts was also availed to the public. In the case whereby a resident cannot literally push the cart to the curb, the city offered a front door pick-up service in which trash and recyclables were picked right from ones door step. However, qualification for this program was based on: (1) the resident in question has to have a doctor’s note which he or she is supposed to provide to the city hall. (2) One had to be physically disabled. Moreover, not all kinds of waste can be recycled, so glass waste disposal has been enabled by the city authority’s partnership with Ripple glass to provide a glass recycling container. This container was to collect green, blue, brown and clear glass. The glass only had to be rinsed before disposal without necessarily separating them on color basis (Riverside County Waste Management Department, 4). The service is a flexible one since it caters for all kinds of possibilities. In the case of loss of a cart or damage, the resident in question is supposed to contact the city council to report the theft or damage of the carb during normal use. The city authority is responsible for the repair of the cart for the damage incurred during normal usage but damages that were incurred as a result of carelessness; the resident is fully liable for the repair. If the cart is stolen, the residents are supposed to file a police report. These strategies ensure that at no time would the resident lack a cart and this improve efficiency in reuse, recycle and reduce which are the policies of Riverside waste management program. The department of public works also inhibits residents who are moving to different parts of the country the right to move with these carts. This therefore ensures that the residents are well served with carts since none of them is allowed to leave riverside at any instance. This strategy thus ensures no resident misses a cart and hence bringing about the aspect of efficiency. Riverside is among the leading urban Centres that have worked hard to meet the IWMA requirement. This great achievement has however been achieved through joint efforts the city council and the residents’ cooperation. The city authority seeks to increase this participation by a remarkable percentage so as to ensure the program succeeded in managing the city’s waste through recycling, reuse and reduction. Several outreach programs have been enacted in schools bearing in mind that students of all levels of education have a significant role to play in achievement of the sustainable environment. The city is also soliciting for support and cooperation from the private residential services in the bid to promote participation in curbside (Feldman & Gray, 2). The city authority also seeks to increase commercial waste reduction, reuse and recycling. The city however aims at achieving this through the implementation of a series of strategies: (1) the city council soot to develop a waste audit team to contact industrial, institutional generators in the city and large commercial institutions. (2) Implementation of an appropriate recovery system at the Nelson Transfer Station. (3) Ask commercial haulers to submit their clearly schemed plans of reducing, reusing and recycling waste. (4) require haulers to attain a 50% waste diversion rate and develop a well schemed recycling plan so as to signify its dedication in achieving the city’s goal of 50% waste diversion rate. (5) The city authority provides incentives for haulers so as to motivate them to increase recycling. The city authority does not allow putting of back yard waste to carts, so the council came up with a disposal plan for this kind of waste. The residents took their yard wastes to be composted with no charges, at the Damon Pursell Yard Waste Facility since yard waste is prohibited at the Riverside public works facility. However, the efficiency of the public works facility is limited by a number of factors. The city authority charges $2 for the bag tags and this therefore becomes so costly to resident that disposes so much waste thus limiting the city’s achievement of the 50% waste diversion. The authority should offer tags free of charge or at a reduced price so as to enhance achievement of this goal or rather the city authority should provide larger carts for trash collection. The authority should intensify the outreach so as to educate the public on the necessity of maintaining a sustainable environment; this act should be accompanied by an increase in the number of workshops held on the three crucial means of waste management: reuse, recycle and reduce. The city council should also increase the number of awards to be won annually to promote recycle, reuse and reduction in waste production. This incentive should be focused on the Riverside residents so as to motivate them to conserve the environment. Business venture that act according to this act should be flavored in taxation on the business itself or on the goods that it produces so as to motivate other industries to aim at producing recyclable (Feldman & Gray, 3). In conclusion, the environment is the most influential factor to man. Therefore, poor maintenance of this vital factor can result in non-harmonious existence of man. Global warming is a hazardous phenomenon that is caused by improper disposal of industrial wastes. The city council of Riverside has been among the leading town councils in the United States in combating waste disposal by diverting this waste to man-friendly and useful forms. Waste management in this city has not however been a walk on the park, but it took the cooperation of the city council and the Riverside residents to make this program a success. Policies were enacted and adhered to so as to grant the city its success in waste management. Work Cited City of Riverside. City of Riverside Trash & Recycling. 2014. Retrieved From: http://www.riversideca.gov/ City of Riverside. Household Hazardous Waste. City of Riverside. 2014. Retrieved From: http://www.riversideca.gov/ Feldman, Gray.,& Root, Gary. Hazardous Materials Management Division. Riverside County. Department of Environmental Health. 2006. Riverside County Waste Management Department. County Collecting Household Hazardous Waste Saturday in Temecula. Temecula Patch . 2014. Retrieved From: http://temecula.patch.com/groups/weekend-planner/p/county-collecting-household-hazardous-waste-saturday-in-temecula The Friday Flyer. Disposing of Christmas Trees and Batteries. The Friday Flyer. 2014. Retrieved From: http://fridayflyer.com/2014/01/03/disposing-of-christmas-trees-and-batteries Read More