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At many Napa apartments, recycling's not an option
Christian Baker dumps recyclables. His apartment complex in north Napa has recycling facilities, however other complexes in the city do not provide recycling bins to their tenants.Lianne Milton/Register | Buy photos
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CommentMalia Legros didn't enjoy adding to the jumble of cardboard -- boxes for diapers, cereal, a television, detergent -- overflowing from two of the Dumpsters at her apartment complex.
But as she moved in, and the empty boxes piled up, Legros did something she hasn't done in years. She reluctantly threw away perfectly recyclable materials -- cardboard, and clean cardboard at that, she said.
But as she moved in, and the empty boxes piled up, Legros did something she hasn't done in years. She reluctantly threw away perfectly recyclable materials -- cardboard, and clean cardboard at that, she said.
Legros admits she probably won't save up recyclables to periodically load into her sedan and haul off to the south Napa dump. It's just too inconvenient, she said with a frown.
But as Legros met the gaze of her 10-year-old daughter Emily, she thought twice.
But as Legros met the gaze of her 10-year-old daughter Emily, she thought twice.
"Maybe we'll continue to recycle and get money for it and save up for something fun," Legros told Emily.
"Disneyland?" Emily asked in an excited whisper.
"Disneyland?" Emily asked in an excited whisper.
"Well that would take a long time," Legros replied. She let out a frustrated sigh.
"I don't see why they couldn't designate different bins -- one for trash and one for recycling," she said gesturing to two Dumpsters in the parking lot of the Vineyard Terrace Apartments.
The management of Vineyard Terrace Apartments did not return several messages seeking comment about the absence of recycling containers for their 138 units.
The complex is not the only one in Napa to decline recycling containers and pick-up provided at no extra charge with standard trash pick-up by Napa Recycling -- the city's waste collector.
Out of the 105 apartment complexes with 10 units or more in Napa; about 70 recycle, according to Kevin Miller, the city's recycling manager. He approximates that the recycling percentage is lower among smaller complexes, those with 5-10 units, because space and access issues are more often a problem there. He added that smaller apartment buildings also seldom have an on-site property manager to oversee and coordinate recycling.
Seldom is there a situation where recycling can't be arranged, Miller said. Sometimes it involves trading in a large Dumpster for a smaller one to make room for a recycling bin -- which come in all sizes from the four-foot-high bright blue container to Dumpster size.
Convenience is the bottom line when it comes to enticing people to recycle, according to Miller and Napa Recycling officials.
In October 2005 when Napa Recycling changed from requiring customers to separate their recyclables -- glass from aluminum from paper products -- to single-stream recycling, where all recyclables are thrown into the same container, there was a 24 percent increase in Napa's residential recycling, Miller said.
In this spirit of convenience, Napa Recycling provides recycling service for free by folding the cost into the trash pick-up expense. This creates a financial incentive because by recycling and reducing their trash load, people consequently lower their trash-bill, said Tim Dewey-Mattia, public education coordinator for Napa Recycling.
The cost savings for an apartment complex participating in the recycling program is substantial, according to Kristine Abueg, the property manager for Montrachet Apartments, a newer luxury complex on Soscol Avenue built in 2004. The majority of the residents in the 200-unit complex recycle, she said.
The fact that Montrachet's trash enclosures were designed to provide enough space for both trash and recycling containers eases the whole recycling process, Auberg added.
Older complexes with smaller enclosures pose challenges, but seldom is there an obstacle that can't be overcome, Miller said.
More often, the problem is people simply aren't interested in recycling, or perceive it as a big hassle, Miller said.
For this reason, the city and Napa Recycling continue reaching out to the public through education and the occasional incentives.
Part of Sara Gallegos' job as the city's recycling coordinator is to give bilingual presentations within the Spanish-speaking community on the hows and whys of recycling.
Napa Recycling also offers annual monetary awards for the apartment complex that does the best recycling job, an achievement measured by which one has the least recycling in the trash and vice versa.
"It's kind of like golf where the low score wins," Miller said. "Really it's a token award to show the best practices. But everybody is rewarded by the ongoing savings they'll see on their garbage bills from recycling."
"I don't see why they couldn't designate different bins -- one for trash and one for recycling," she said gesturing to two Dumpsters in the parking lot of the Vineyard Terrace Apartments.
The management of Vineyard Terrace Apartments did not return several messages seeking comment about the absence of recycling containers for their 138 units.
The complex is not the only one in Napa to decline recycling containers and pick-up provided at no extra charge with standard trash pick-up by Napa Recycling -- the city's waste collector.
Out of the 105 apartment complexes with 10 units or more in Napa; about 70 recycle, according to Kevin Miller, the city's recycling manager. He approximates that the recycling percentage is lower among smaller complexes, those with 5-10 units, because space and access issues are more often a problem there. He added that smaller apartment buildings also seldom have an on-site property manager to oversee and coordinate recycling.
Seldom is there a situation where recycling can't be arranged, Miller said. Sometimes it involves trading in a large Dumpster for a smaller one to make room for a recycling bin -- which come in all sizes from the four-foot-high bright blue container to Dumpster size.
Convenience is the bottom line when it comes to enticing people to recycle, according to Miller and Napa Recycling officials.
In October 2005 when Napa Recycling changed from requiring customers to separate their recyclables -- glass from aluminum from paper products -- to single-stream recycling, where all recyclables are thrown into the same container, there was a 24 percent increase in Napa's residential recycling, Miller said.
In this spirit of convenience, Napa Recycling provides recycling service for free by folding the cost into the trash pick-up expense. This creates a financial incentive because by recycling and reducing their trash load, people consequently lower their trash-bill, said Tim Dewey-Mattia, public education coordinator for Napa Recycling.
The cost savings for an apartment complex participating in the recycling program is substantial, according to Kristine Abueg, the property manager for Montrachet Apartments, a newer luxury complex on Soscol Avenue built in 2004. The majority of the residents in the 200-unit complex recycle, she said.
The fact that Montrachet's trash enclosures were designed to provide enough space for both trash and recycling containers eases the whole recycling process, Auberg added.
Older complexes with smaller enclosures pose challenges, but seldom is there an obstacle that can't be overcome, Miller said.
More often, the problem is people simply aren't interested in recycling, or perceive it as a big hassle, Miller said.
For this reason, the city and Napa Recycling continue reaching out to the public through education and the occasional incentives.
Part of Sara Gallegos' job as the city's recycling coordinator is to give bilingual presentations within the Spanish-speaking community on the hows and whys of recycling.
Napa Recycling also offers annual monetary awards for the apartment complex that does the best recycling job, an achievement measured by which one has the least recycling in the trash and vice versa.
"It's kind of like golf where the low score wins," Miller said. "Really it's a token award to show the best practices. But everybody is rewarded by the ongoing savings they'll see on their garbage bills from recycling."
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Envirowacko wrote on Mar 31, 2007 9:16 AM:
Amy wrote on Mar 31, 2007 9:44 AM: