Customer Updates – 2nd Quarter 2024 Residential Newsletter

ICYMI: Three-cart system coming late summer 2024
Beginning in late summer 2024 all residential customers that have curbside service will be receiving carts for trash (unless you have a bear box), recycling, and yard waste. Informational material will be delivered along with the carts that will include a collection schedule, details on what goes in each cart, how to place them for collection, and more.

Estimated delivery is August/September, and STR will provide more information as implementation of the program gets closer. Updates will also be posted at: https://southtahoerefuse.com/resources/3-cart-system/

Service Reminders
• Bears are becoming more and more active this time of year. Please be sure to secure your trash! Check out tips from our local bear experts at tahoebears.org.

• Trash and recycling should not be placed out earlier than the morning of your collection day.

• Dumpsters should be closed and locked when not in use.

• Bear boxes must be incorporated with garbage cans, not instead of. They are not garbage receptacles. City and County ordinances require trash to be in containers, such as cans with lids. STR staff will not pick up loose material inside the bear box.

• Bear boxes are the property and responsibility of the homeowner. STR does not fix, maintain, or warranty bear boxes.

Free yard waste drop-off

Don’t forget that residential customers can drop off yard waste (pine needles, leaves, branches, grass clippings, slash, etc.) for free!

When: Monday-Saturday, 8am – 5pm
Where: STR’s Resource Recovery Facility, 2121 Eloise Ave.
How: Clean green waste only. If your load is boxed, bagged, or canned, you will need to dump the material out. No rocks or construction material of any type. No dirt, stumps, trash, milled wood, metal or plastic of any kind.

Go Paperless!
Take the hassle out of paying bills by signing up to receive e-statements and pay your bill online. www.southtahoerefuse.com

Composting Made Simple
Want to compost but don’t want to try it in your own backyard? Bring us your food scraps and we’ll deliver them to Full Circle Soils & Compost. Drop-off is free for residential customers. Tuesday – Saturday, 9am – 4pm at the STR Recycle Buyback Center, 2192 Ruth Ave. You can even get a free counter-top compost bucket. One per customer. Program details at: https://southtahoerefuse.com/resources/food-waste/

Upcoming Events

Earth Day 2024
South Tahoe Earth Day Festival
Saturday, April 27th, 10am-3pm
Lake Tahoe Community College
1 College Dr., South Lake Tahoe, CA
Join us for a day of learning and celebration. Interactive booths, food trucks, music, & more!

Community Cleanup Day
($5 Dump Day)
Saturday, June 8th, 8am – 4pm

STR Transfer Station
2140 Ruth Ave., South Lake Tahoe
Dispose of unwanted items at huge discounts at this annual event organized by Clean Tahoe. Details at www.clean-tahoe.org

 

 

 

Food waste recycling returns to LTUSD
STR is working with the City of South Lake Tahoe, California Climate Action Corps, and Lake Tahoe Unified School District to bring the food waste recycling program back to every school in the District. Implementation is starting with the elementary schools, and as of April 1st Sierra House and Meyers have already sent 4,000 pounds of food waste to be composted instead of going to the landfill. Bijou and Tahoe Valley are getting started next, then the program will expand to STMS and STHS.

The City of South Lake Tahoe’s two California Climate Action Corps fellows, Katie Sloan and Lily Summerville, have spent many hours providing classroom lessons preparing the students on how to separate their food waste properly. They help to monitor the process once it’s established in the cafeteria and are working with the schools to set up systems to keep the program running successfully for future school years. What a great partnership!

Classroom Presentations: 52
Students Reached: 1,125
Lbs. of Food Composted: 4,000 Lbs. (as of April 1st)

Keep costs down by separating organic material
If you bring material for drop-off at our Transfer Station, please be aware that yard waste (pine needles, leaves, branches, grass clippings, slash, etc.) must be separated from non-organic material and delivered to the Resource Recovery Facility at 2121 Eloise Ave. Drop-off of green waste is FREE for residential customers. If you bring it mixed with other material, you will be charged for the entire load, including a $100/yard contamination fee.

HazMat drop-off by appointment only
Do you have old paint, used oil, gasoline, pesticides, cleaning products, or other hazardous waste? These items are too toxic to go in the regular trash, but we accept household hazardous waste (HHW) at no cost up to 20 gallons per day for residents.

You MUST have an appointment to drop off. Call us at 530-542-8368 to schedule. Please call 1-2 days in advance.