The County of Santa Cruz
contracts with Green Waste Recovery to collect curbside
yard trimmings and wood waste in green carts. Only “clean
green” yard trimmings
and unpainted, untreated wood are accepted, and there
are size limitations. Green cart service is included in the
services offered to cart collection customers at no additional cost,
and to bin service customers for a modest fee. Material collected
is transported to processing sites at Santa Cruz County’s
Buena Vista Landfill and Ben Lomond Transfer Station.
Private haulers, including homeowners,
landscapers, construction professionals and others also deliver
yard trimmings and wood waste to the
County processing sites in accordance
with the strict acceptance policy.
From collected materials, Vision Recycling produces soil
products primarily from yard trimmings, and bio-fuel
primarily from wood waste.
In 2009, over 42,000 tons
of yard trimmings and wood waste were received at
Santa Cruz County’s Buena
Vista Landfill and Ben Lomond Transfer Station. Collection
in curbside green carts totaled 14,000 tons and 28,000
tons were brought in by private haulers. From
this, about 26,000 tons of mulch and compost feedstock
and 16,000 tons of biofuel were produced.
General Info
Collection
and Processing