Gilton Solid Waste officials recently provided the Riverbank City Council with an update on services after new legislation, SB1383 was passed which has new requirements on each jurisdiction on solid waste services. The update was given at the meeting held last Tuesday. The Council directed staff to initiate the Prop 218 process to analyze the proposed rate increases and negotiate a new contract for services with Gilton. The issue will be revisited at a future meeting.

Tracy Norris with Gilton provided the council with a presentation on their long-term sustainable solution, collection service costs and continued partnership.

SB 1383 is an effort to reduce emissions of short-lived climate pollutants (SLCP) by reducing organic waste disposal by 75 percent by 2025. The new legislation was finalized on Nov. 10, 2020 and is set to be implemented on Jan. 1, 2022.

To meet these mandates there are changes that will be made to the current waste disposal system that may include additional cans, trucks, and staff that were discussed at the meeting. Instead of adding a third can Gilton proposed a high diversion Material Recovery Facility (MRF) system which would sort the waste to the appropriate designation.

Norris stated, “There is a sustainable solution in place that is going to ensure that you are meeting your SB1383 mandates with the state of California. Gilton is here to make sure that you do that. Gilton is one of only 35 compost facilities in the state that can accept food waste.”

A few things that were noted in the presentation that Gilton will provide the City is the highest amount of organic material diversion, a smooth transition for customers with no disruption in service, secured capacity for waste material, and a permitted composting facility that accepts food waste.

During the presentation Gilton explained the new costs associated with the new changes to comply with SB 1383 that would see the average residential cost increase approximately $11.57 a month which is about 33 percent. It was noted that the current garbage and refuse service is $23.40 a month for a single-family residence and with the increase it would change to a monthly total of $34.97.

The City Council formally supported the compliance strategy laid out by Gilton to comply with the SB 1383 legislation.