Trash Talks: Two Big Changes Coming for All Santa Clarita Residents Beginning July 2023
by City Manager Ken Striplin
(Sunday Signal Column, January 2023)
The City of Santa Clarita prides itself on protecting the local environment and the City’s natural beauty, and in order to remain environmentally conscious and compliant with California state law, there are two big changes coming for all Santa Clarita residents beginning on July 1, 2023. This includes the transition to a new residential waste hauler and the implementation of a state-mandated organics recycling program. Let’s take a closer look at what these changes mean and how you, as a resident, can prepare.
The first change relates to the City’s waste hauler. The City currently has two different waste haulers that handle residential and commercial customers separately. However, those agreements are set to expire on June 30, 2023. In anticipation of these expiring agreements, the City went through a competitive bid process and has awarded Burrtec Waste Industries (Burrtec) the right to provide waste hauling service for both residential and commercial customers beginning July 1. While the City and Burrtec are working closely to ensure a smooth transition, it is important to note that all Santa Clarita single-family homes will automatically have their existing waste carts replaced with new Burrtec carts once the new service begins. These new carts will also follow a state-mandated color scheme, which requires black carts for garbage, blue carts for recycling and green carts for organics.
The second change relates specifically to the green organics cart. With new state laws designed to reduce harmful methane emissions that come from organic waste, the City is required to implement a state-mandated organics recycling program. That means, beginning July 1, both loose green waste (yard waste) and bagged food waste must be disposed of in the same green organics cart. To help with this change, Santa Clarita single-family households will receive new, kitchen food waste pails that can be used to collect food waste in their home, which includes common expired foods like fruits, vegetables, meats, dairy, breads, plate scrapings and other non-consumable foods. It is important to note that food waste must be disposed of in a plastic bag in the new green cart, while yard waste must be kept loose and not contained in a bag.
While both of these changes are significant and affect all Santa Clarita residents and businesses, our top priority is to keep you updated leading up to the July 1 transition. In the meantime, I strongly encourage you to watch our informational video series titled “Trash Talks,” where City staff will provide timely information with episodes covering a range of relevant topics including organics recycling, an overview of trash cart colors, a demonstration of the new food waste pails and much more. Updates will also be sent by mail in addition to being posted to the City’s and Burrtec’s social media pages. You can follow both @GreenSantaClarita on Facebook and @BurrtecSCV on Facebook or Instagram to get the latest updates.
We know that many residents will have questions, which both City and Burrtec staff are prepared to help answer. While change isn’t always easy, the collective action of households participating in these important programs will help preserve and maintain the natural beauty of Santa Clarita for generations to come. To learn more about sustainability and all things green in the City, please visit GreenSantaClarita.com.
Ken Striplin is the City Manager for the City of Santa Clarita and can be reached at kstriplin@santaclarita.gov.
