Santa Barbara County Public Works Department

The History of Solid Waste Collection in Santa Barbara County Waste Stream Targets

In the past, all waste generated from a home was thrown into the same trash container and hauled away by a service provider either once or twice a week. The only concern of the service provider was to ensure that household hazardous wastes and other materials that could not be disposed of in a landfill were not put into the trash container. In the late 1980’s, increased interest arose over the quantity and type of waste being discarded. Recycling programs were implemented as markets for these discarded materials developed.

In California, awareness and involvement in solid waste management peaked in 1989 with the passage of the Integrated Waste Management Act of 1989 (aka AB 939), requiring that all jurisdictions in the state divert 25 percent of the amount of waste generated in 1990 from the landfills by 1995 and 50 percent by the year 2000. Jurisdictions failing to meet these requirements could be fined up to $10,000 per day. Under this legislation, jurisdictions were required to characterize the waste stream in their area and to implement education and diversion programs based on the waste stream information. In Santa Barbara County, curbside recyclables collection was made available to over 34,000 homes by 1990. Residents were asked to sort recyclables into different containers based on material type and to place the containers at their curb on a weekly basis. Remaining trash was still collected either once or twice a week. In addition to the curbside recycling program, other significant diversion programs were implemented including: the promotion of backyard composting, assistance with recycling in the commercial sector, and an aggressive educational outreach program. Moreover, private companies initiated programs to divert construction and demolition debris. Due to these programs, the County reached a diversion rate of 28 percent by 1995.

Communities across the state started to implement yard and garden waste collection programs to augment their recycling and trash collection programs, as it became apparent that the recycling of organics could help jurisdictions meet their diversion requirements. Organic materials such as kitchen and yard waste comprised up to 35 percent of Santa Barbara County’s residential waste stream so the Public Works Department determined that yard waste would be collected in the unincorporated areas in mid-1997. Beginning in spring 1996, the County conducted a series of 20 workshops and dedicated a hotline to provide the public with an opportunity to help design a new system suitable to meet their needs. The central goal for the County was to ensure that the three waste streams -- organics, recyclables, and trash -- were collected separately. The new collection systems were designed based on the feedback received from the public.

Franchise Agreements

The licenses that enabled the County’s waste haulers to exclusively service particular areas were to expire in June 1997, so the County began negotiations with the service providers for new franchise agreements in September 1996. In December 1996, the Board of Supervisors approved franchise agreements that delineated the type of service that would be provided, as well as the rates the service providers could charge for the collection of materials.

In spring 1997, the solid waste service providers distributed information regarding the specific service level options, rates, and collection schedules for the new system outlined in the franchise agreements. In July 1997, the County began implementing the new system and completed the rollout Countywide by December 1997. With the implementation of the new residential collection system and the enthusiastic support of the public, the County made significant progress toward achieving the goal of 50 percent diversion.

Residential Collection System
When the new collection systems were designed in 1996, the central goal for the County was to ensure that the three wastestreams -- organics (yard and garden waste), recyclables, and trash -- were collected separately. Collecting the materials separately would allow the organic materials and recyclables to be delivered to facilities other than a landfill for reuse. The organic materials are delivered to a facility where they are ground into mulch, a product used for weed suppression and soil and water conservation. The recyclables are delivered to a processing facility where the materials are sorted, baled and sold to companies that reuse those materials in their manufacturing processes. Only the remaining trash is delivered to a landfill where it is buried.

Last updated: July 25, 2006