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Tag: <span>Recycling</span>

Recycling & Garbage

Don’t let your garbage go to the dump. Recycle it!

Garbage not picked up as expected?
Call 408-988-4500

Milpitas Recycling & Garbage Services
Residents and Business Representatives, please contact Milpitas Sanitation Customer Service at (408) 988-4500 from Monday – Friday, between 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., or via email at info@MilpitasSanitation.com, with all of your recycling and garbage service questions.  If you have any further questions, please contact City of Milpitas Public Works staff at (408) 586-2600.

Santa Clara County Recycle Hotline
1-800-533-8414
For information in Spanish or Vietnamese call: 408 924-5359 or e-mail: cdrsjsu@email.sjsu.edu.

About

I’m Appalled by What I Learned About Recycling. But We Can Fix It.
Should I throw it in the trash? Recycle it? And if I did, would it even get recycled?

Five myths about recycling
Brian Clark Howard is a senior digital writer and editor covering the environment at National Geographic.
April 20, 2018
From the kitchen table to the editorial pages, people have been debating the merits of recycling for decades. Does it really save energy and money? Can I recycle that yogurt cup or juice box? At the same time, recycling technology and global markets have evolved quickly, leaving some consumers confused or stuck in old, outdated ways. A lot of myths persist about those blue bins. Here are some of the most common.

How Big Oil Misled The Public Into Believing Plastic Would Be Recycled
September 11, 2020
NPR and PBS Frontline spent months digging into internal industry documents and interviewing top former officials. We found that the industry sold the public on an idea it knew wouldn’t work — that the majority of plastic could be, and would be, recycled — all while making billions of dollars selling the world new plastic.

Batteries

Milpitas Sanitation
Your Single-Family Curbside collection program includes HOUSEHOLD BATTERY COLLECTION:
• Place household batteries in a clear plastic zipper-lock style bag.
• Tape terminals on lithium and 9-volt batteries. (No car batteries allowed.)
• Place on top of (not inside) your Blue Recyclables Split Cart for collection.

Bills & Rates

Automatic Payment Service
You can pay your water and waste services bill online; however, it takes 6-8 weeks to process your request. You can set this up in a day or so with your bank’s online service, but the City’s service is free.

New Waste Management Account Portal
New owner in April 2023 meant new accounting system. You account can now be found here.

Bottle Bills & Other Reform

State Senate passes landmark Bottle Bill reform to shift responsibility to beverage distributors
June 3, 2021 SACRAMENTO ­– The California State Senate today passed landmark legislation to reform California’s antiquated Bottle Bill and to hold beverage distributors responsible for increasing the amount of containers that are recycled. SB 38 will transform the current broken system that has resulted in plummeting recycling rates, more containers in our landfills and consumers unable to find convenient locations to redeem their bottles and cans. The bill now goes to the state Assembly.

Compostable Garbage

Composting Education Program
The UCCE CEP is a partnership with the Cities and County of Santa Clara that seeks to educate our community about composting. In addition to a Master Composter training course, the UCCE CEP offers Community Classes throughout the county as well as technical resources. Home composting bins will be available for purchase at each workshop. 2022 Workshop Dates Coming Soon
408-918-4640 to register for a class.

See also Gardens

Computer and e-Waste Recycling

Computer and e-Waste Recycling in & Near Milpitas, CA
Recycling e-waste is a bit of a project: first you need to remove all personal data from the devices, and then you need to find a place that will accept both the type of electronic device and the quantity you wish to recycle, and preferably locally.

We No Longer Have Dump Days, but…

However, you can call and get two coupons allowing you to take limited loads of recyclable trash to the Zanker dump at your convenience. Call (408) 988-4500 from Monday – Friday, between 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.


GreenWaste Zanker Resource Recovery Facility
We’re the leader in construction and demolition (C&D) recycling, diverting over 80% of all materials from the landfill. We were the first to do it, we’re the most innovative at it, and we’re the first in the Western U.S. to earn LEED Certification, verified through the Recycling Certification Institute, the nation’s top independent industry auditor. That’s what we mean by “Greenovation.”

Milpitas Guide to Senate Bill (SB) 1383 – California’s New Organics Diversion Law
SB 1383 is a new State law that establishes statewide targets and local requirements to dramatically reduce the amount of organic waste disposed in landfills. The law also sets a statewide goal to recover at least 20 percent of currently disposed edible food by 2025 and redirect that surplus food to people in need.

Stink in Milpitas
The Silicon Valley odor problem seems incomprehensible. Learn about the history and current issues of the Newby Island Landfill.

Hazardous Wastes

CERLIS Superfund Sites in Milpitas
The Superfund Program is in the process of deploying a new information system, the Superfund Enterprise Management System (SEMS) which is replacing CERCLIS. CERCLIS was frozen as of November 12, 2013. Updated data will become available in early 2014 when SEMS is fully operational.
Kaiser Refractories Div Laboratory
North American Transformer

Hazardous Materials Business Plan
All facilities in Santa Clara County that use or store hazardous materials (defined as either virgin or waste materials) in any quantity are required by local ordinance to report such use or storage to the appropriate local agency.

Hazardous & E-Waste Recycling
We are glad you are interested in learning how to properly dispose of household hazardous waste and electronic waste for free at your local household hazardous waste facility and other approved locations.

Paint Manufacturer Operated Retail Take-Back Locations
Sherwin-Williams, 15 N Milpitas Blvd., takes back paint cans for proper recycling. Limit is 10 gallons per day per household, by can size not contents.
408-946-1765

Santa Clara County Household Hazardous Waste Program: Drop off household waste
Easiest to deal with. Free. Household hazardous waste is unwanted household products labeled as flammable, toxic, corrosive, or reactive. Common products include auto fluids, batteries, electronics, fluorescent and LED lightbulbs, garden chemicals, household cleaners, paint, medications, and many other products that require proper disposal to prevent harm to humans and the environment.​ Limit is 15 liquid gallons or 125 lbs per vehicle, but multiple vehicles per appointment is okay. (California limit on roadways without special permitting.)
Address available when you make an appointment. No drops ins without appointment. Near McKee and 101 in San Jose.
408-299-7300

Santa Clara County Hazardous Materials Compliance Division
Three groups: Hazardous Materials Program, Household Harzardous Waste Program, and Solid Waste Program.

Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition
While it is well known that the high-tech revolution has radically transformed late 20th century civilization, it is less well-known that high-tech development also harms people’s health as well as the environment that sustains all life.

Sterling & Associates
An Environmental Health and Safety consulting firm dedicated to providing clients with effective solutions to their occupational and environmental health & safety issues. 168 South Hillview Drive, 888-922-1656 or 408-262-1656.

Looking for Recycled Materials?

CalRecycle
The purpose of this site is to educate and motivate people to approach material reuse as the first option in diverting unwanted materials from California landfills. Businesses, schools, and nonprofits can utilize CalMAX to search for available and wanted materials.

RAFT – Resource Area for Teachers
SF Bay Area resource for surplus materials and reasonably priced workshops. Located in San Jose near the Santa Clara County Office of Education on Ridder Park Dr.

Westrock
The Container Division produces high-quality corrugated containers designed to protect, ship, store, enhance and display products made from recycled materials. Located at 201 S. Hillview Drive.

Recycling

 

Center for the Development of Recycling
Find information here about recycling and waste management programs for each city in Santa Clara County. This site includes information about landfills, transfer stations, curbside recycling programs, and key contacts for each city.

Earth’s 911
Milpitas-specific information. Database of where you can find where to dispose of various hazardous and recyclable materials. Edit the search box for what you want to recycle. Milpitas is already entered.

Olyns CRV Kiosk
Inside Safeway
555 E Calaveras Blvd.

Recovering Your Surplus Edible Food: SB 1383 Food Recovery Program Compliance
This website is designed to help you develop your own food recovery program in order to comply with new state regulations from Senate Bill 1383 about surplus edible food. Food recovery is the practice of saving surplus edible food that would otherwise be disposed of (in landfill or compost) and distributing it to people to eat. We will walk you through the steps to compliance, important dates, and how to get help if you need it.

Single Family Residential Rates
Learn what materials are recyclable and compostable and about other residential service options. The City of Milpitas values our seniors. There is a 50% cost reduction of the quarterly solid waste rate for residents 62 years and older.

Waste Management

Santa Clara County Recycling and Waste Reduction Commission
To conserve, protect and preserve the environmental resources of our community through advocacy, education and outreach programs. To reuse, reduce, recycle and intelligently dispose of waste materials. To promote composting, pollution and waste prevention and sustainable living practices for all the people in Santa Clara County.

Stink in Milpitas-Smell Map

The Silicon Valley odor problem seems incomprehensible. Learn about the history and current issues of the stink from Newby Island Landfill.

car window crankWhen I was a youngster 60 or so years ago, we had a song we would sing as we drove from Oakland to Santa Cruz for a day at the Beach-Boardwalk. We’d drive our parents nuts with the repetitive drone of “doo-do-n-do-doo” over and over again, and then shouting out the name of each city we went through for the whole hour+ drive. Each had a specific hand gesture, and I don’t remember most of them any longer, but for Milpitas we’d make the gesture of rolling up the car windows with window cranks (Remember those?) while really rolling up the windows as fast as we could. No air conditioned cars back in those days! Windows down the whole way…except through Milpitas. The stink was so bad back in the 50’s and 60’s and…so on. Back then the explanation was the rotten fruit and fruit peels from the canneries around here.

So why, 60 years later, does Milpitas still stink?

Milpitas has a history of odor problems that are related to industrial activities, landfills, and waste processing facilities in the surrounding areas. The smell that occurs when there are odor issues in Milpitas can come from many different sources, including sewage treatment plants, landfills, garbage dumps, petrochemical plants, and other industrial facilities. The exact source of the bad air smell can be difficult to pinpoint, and it may also be due to natural factors such as atmospheric conditions or wind patterns. Milpitas has worked to address the odor issues by regulating the industrial facilities and working with neighboring cities and counties to find solutions that reduce the odors.

Milpitas Smell Map

Milpitas Smell Map
Click to view larger map

Milpitas Odor Info
The number one thing you can do is call the BAAQMD odor hotline (1-800-334-ODOR (6367)) every time you smell it, see the reporting page.  Subscribe to a BAAQMD email list. The City of Milpitas is trying to do several things to help with the odor issue.  However, Milpitas has no jurisdiction on The Newby Island Landfill OR the San Jose Waste Water Treatment Plant.

According to the Milpitas Odor Control Action Plan, potential sources of odors in the Milpitas area include:


A child explains the Silicon Valley odor problem to us adults in this Milpitas Odor Info video. Learn about the history and current issues surrounding Newby Island Landfill Expansion in the heart of Silicon Valley.

Politics and Lawsuits

Dateline June 12, 2018. Republic Services and other facilities throughout California lobbied and killed AB 1975 (the odor taskforce bill).  Opposition worked it hard this year and got facilities throughout the state to send letters and call their assembly members. Not enough votes to get the bill off the Assembly floor. It is very disappointing that other state assemblymen would go against a harmless bill that merely mandates the participation of odor nuisance offenders in a local task force. Kansen Chu’s staff will continue working with the air districts and local enforcement agency to see if something else can be done outside of legislation in the meantime. (Kansen Chu is no longer our state assembly member, and I don’t know if Alex Lee or Bob Wieckowski (our State Senator) has taken up the problem.)

Milpitas landfill reaches $210K settlement with Air District over pollution violations
September 1, 2022. CBS News
The Bay Area Air Quality Management District announced a settlement Thursday over numerous violations at the Newby Island Landfill in Milpitas. Browning-Ferris Industries of California Inc., and International Disposal Corp. of California agreed to pay $210,000 to settle with the air quality district. The settlement covers 30 notices of violation from 2014 to 2020 for non-compliance with air quality regulations at the landfill.

City Hall Phone Numbers to Talk to Someone


BAAQMD 3/20/2017 discussion of the San Jose/Milpitas odor issues
Watch Alameda County Supervisor Scott Haggerty grilled BAAQMD staff. He has gotten a lot of complaints from his constituents. He spoke out against San Jose’s bad decision and BAAQMD’s inaction. He called out the poor facilities siting near resident and that San Jose clearly stuck it to Milpitas and Fremont. He suggested San Jose should have used the existing ACE rail tracks to send waste to Altamont Landfill (in rural Livermore with no odor complaints) instead of processing waste within urban areas.

Milpitas, Calif., Opts to Continue Litigation Over Landfill Expansion Decision
The Milpitas City Council voted to continue litigation against the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery for not considering odor complaints in approving a landfill expansion.
Waste360 Staff | Jun 16, 2017

In November 2016, after putting off its decision for several months, Milpitas selected Garden City Sanitation Inc. as its new hauler, replacing longtime collector Republic Services.

OPINION: We Must Get Rid of The Smell
By Eric Shapiro, in Opinion on July 23, 2018.
In my mind, often, I say the word “Smellpitas.” Sometimes, while complaining, I say it out loud. And a dear colleague tells me “Milstinkas” is out there, in good, solid circulation. What exactly’s going on here? And how has it been allowed to sustain for so many years?

“They” keep telling us, “The number one thing you can do is call the BAAQMD odor hotline every time you smell it.” So the City put up this webpage with a form that allows you to complain about a bad odor. You will need to have location services turned on so they can map exactly where you reported the smell.

Report odor to 1-800-334-6367 or click here.

How bad is the stink?

Well, we have our own twitter hashtag for it: #MilpitasStinks.
Notice that most posts are fairly long ago. Has the air improved or have residents quit complaining?

We tried to limit expansion


Should a South Bay landfill on the border of San Jose and Milpitas be allowed to expand? Neighbors say no, and with a decision later this month, many neighbors are escalating grass-roots efforts to stop the expansion. NBC Bay Area’s Marianne Favro reports with a closer look at their last-ditch efforts to curb the unbearable smell. (Published Sunday, Jan. 4, 2015)

Home Buyers Beware!

The south end of town is spared the smell. Anywhere south of Calaveras Blvd. to the San Jose border. The older neighborhoods with yards are on the hill side (east side) of Milpitas and have names like Parktown (homes clustered around parks), and Milford. The southwest side of town, where BART is going in and Light Rail already exists, has lots of brand new condo-style homes. If you are very rich, living in a mansion in the hills is an option, but you will need to worry about wildfires, landslides, rattlesnakes, and coyotes eating pets. Oh, and wells going dry, and less than optimal sewage systems.

Where is the Newby Island Landfill, and What is Near it?

Newby Island Aerial Shot
Newby Island Aerial Shot

Note that the San Jose/Santa Clara waste water treatment plant is also in the same area. The future plans for this facility includes major odor mitigation strategies like covering the sludge drying area. However, this will take many years to fund and implement.

See also ~ Recycling & Garbage

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