Manhattan Beach has a new reason to boast about its green practices. The City Council approved a food waste recycling program at its July 7 meeting.
Almost 1,000 residences and some businesses had been participating in a trial program. Now the entire city will have access to the service.
In exchange for about 32 cents a month, residents will receive small square buckets to store their food waste, which will be picked up along with their trash and recycling. Waste Management will transport the waste to a facility where it will be converted to a sludge that powers the LA County Sanitation District’s facility in Carson.
“The overall goal is to send as little waste to the landfill as possible,” said Environmental Programs Manager Sona Coffee. “This diverts from the landfill and creates energy for the South Bay.”
A couple of residents complained about the fee increase. Some said the city should get back the energy it produced.
Coffee said that the city had received 25 letters in opposition to the program.
“We also received phone calls and emails,” said Coffee. “But once we explained how it works and the nominal fee, most residents seemed accepting.”
A representative from Waste Management said the company wouldn’t be making a profit.
“We’re not making money off the deal,” said Janine Hamner. “We’re spending money.”
A couple of residents praised the program.
Coffee said that bringing the service to businesses would help satisfy a state mandate that all cities offer plant and food waste recycling to their businesses by 2016. Businesses will be charged about $9 a month.
The program is scheduled to begin Aug. 1 for businesses and Sept. 1 for residents. ER
