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August 20, 2024 (South Lake Tahoe, CA & Douglas County, NV) – The City of South Lake Tahoe, El Dorado County, and Douglas County’s new 3-cart curbside collection program begins at the end of this month. This new semi-automated collection program will be safer for our workers and reduce the use of plastic bags.
In California, the program is designed to comply with California’s Senate Bill 1383. SB 1383 is changing the way our waste stream is handled all across the state. The goal is to reduce air pollution from organic material decomposing in the landfill.
In Nevada, the 3-cart program is a voluntary option for customers that would like to continue to participate in keeping recycling and yard waste out of the landfill.
3-Cart Program:
For all California customers and customers that signed up for the 3-cart program in Nevada, three new carts will be provided: one for recycling, one for yard waste and one for garbage (bear box customers will not receive a garbage cart). Your new carts will have wheels for easy maneuvering and a lid to keep things tidy and dry. Garbage cart lids will have a locking mechanism to deter animal access.
It’s important to remember that although the garbage cart has a locking mechanism, each jurisdiction has guidelines in place prohibiting trash from being placed at curbside until the morning of your collection day.
The new carts will begin arriving at residents’ homes starting Monday, August 26th. Delivery will begin in California and continue through early October. An instructional packet will be included with each delivery. STR will post announcements about the delivery schedule on social media and through the notification system in the South Tahoe Refuse app which can be downloaded in Apple’s App Store or Google Play.
Crews will drop off a trash cart (black body, black lid labeled GARBAGE) to all accounts that do not have a bear box and a recycling cart (black body, blue lid labeled RECYCLING) and yard waste cart (black body, green lid labeled YARD WASTE) curbside.
- Most residential collection pickup days will remain the same, however recycling and yard waste will alternate weeks being picked up the same day as your trash. You will receive a calendar with your cart delivery. Please note while your pickup day may remain the same, pickup times may vary.
- Start using your carts once you get them. They will start to be serviced the following week.
- Details on what materials go into each cart will be printed on the carts. Please separate your waste as indicated and on collection day place your carts at the curb by 7 am. Note that for California customers, SB 1383 requires the material to be separated properly – it is not optional, and jurisdictions are required to monitor for contamination.
- No plastic bags are allowed in the Recycling or Yard Waste carts.
Recyclable materials include glass bottles and jars, aluminum and steel cans, paper products (including newspapers and flattened cardboard), empty plastic bottles, and containers #1, #2, and #5. To help limit contamination, make sure all containers are clean, empty and dry before placing them into your recycling cart.
Some items that cannot be recycled include plastic bags, paper towels, pizza boxes, electrical equipment, batteries, and clothing. These items often get mixed into recycling carts because of “wishcycling,” or the hope that they can be recycled. While well-intentioned, non-recyclable items cause serious issues. However, certain items can be recycled if dropped off directly at our Resource Recovery Facility at 2121 Eloise Drive and/or the Transfer Station at 2140 Ruth Ave. Acceptable drop-off items include electronic waste, batteries, anything with a lithium-ion battery, appliances, tires, furniture, carpet, asphalt and concrete. Fees apply for some items. Please visit our website for additional information at www.SouthTahoeRefuse.com.
Yard waste includes pine needles, (branches up to 3” diameter, leaves, and plant trimmings. Items that cannot go into the yard waste cart include food waste, pet waste, painted / treated wood, recyclables, garbage, plastic bags and hot ashes.
For more information on what can and can’t go into the cart, to find your recycling day, plus answers to other Frequently Asked Questions visit www.SouthTahoeRefuse.com or contact STR office Monday – Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. 530-541-5105.
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