Waste Management customers face fines for contaminated recycling.

Residents from Monterey County are voicing their frustration about Waste Management Inc., their trash and recycling service provider, due to policy changes that mean extra charges for overfilled bins or for having contaminants, such as liquids or plastic bags, in their recycling bins.

WM serves unincorporated areas in the county and King City. County Supervisor John Phillips says he and other supervisors have received numerous complaints about the new policies, and says so-called “congregate locations” are the most affected.

Prunedale resident Patricia Rastie says the front of her home is such a location, where she and her neighbors leave their bins. She has received multwarnings over bins that aren’t hers.

In 2019, 22 percent, or 1 in every 5 pounds of recycling, were deemed contaminated. That number increased to 30 percent in 2020, says Zoë Shoats, communications director for the Monterey Regional Waste Management District (MRWMD).

In January alone, WM sent 1,585 surcharge notices for overage and contamination, representing about 6 percent of the 26,000 customers WM serves in Monterey County. According to a WM press release, the surcharges ranged from $9.62 to $30.68.

Reducing contaminants in recycling will help the county meet the goals of Senate Bill 1383, which set a target to reduce organic waste by 50 percent by 2020, and 75 percent by 2025. The bill seeks to fight climate change and reduce methane emissions.

WM monthly rates increased 13.5 percent on Jan. 1 for residential and commercial customers. The cost of a 35 gallon residential bin in the MRWMD area rose from $33.16 to $37.64 and from $33.76 to $38.31 in the Salinas Valley Solid Waste Authority area. The Board of Supervisors approved the increase last September; Phillips said it was necessary because WM needed resources to update their equipment to comply with SB 1383.

Two months later, WM and the county launched a “recycle right campaign.” The county has a website and app called “What Goes Where,” where residents can check which items are recyclable in their zip codes. MRWMD has available their 2020 Guide to Recycling & Waste Reduction.

WM AND MONTEREY COUNTY DISTRICT 2 will hold a meeting at 5:30pm Thu March 4 that will include representatives from the Sheriff’s Office, WM and Salinas Valley Recycles. Zoom meeting: montereycty.zoom.us/95884714996 or call 669-900-683,3 ID 958 8471 4996. (Editor's note: This meeting blurb has been corrected to state District 2, not District 1.)