Upcoming waste checks of residential and commercial bins

Published on June 03, 2024

RethinkWaste and Recology, on behalf of the City of Menlo Park, will perform waste checks of residential carts and commercial bin contents. These annual reviews, required by the State of California and Senate Bill (SB) 1383: State organics law, are performed to monitor contamination levels of each of the waste streams (garbage, recycling, and compost). This is an effort to keep these waste streams clean and increase what is recycled and recovered. This is more commonly referred to as “route reviews.”

Recology’s Waste Zero Specialists will audit randomly selected collection containers on each collection route for solid waste, recyclable materials, and organic materials for commercial and residential customers. The reviews will take place in the morning prior to Recology’s scheduled pickups. Each audit will consist of flipping the lid of the container, possibly opening contents of bags, and documenting materials found in the container. The reviews start in June and will last for 10-12 weeks throughout the summer.

For more information about SB 1383, visit the City’s webpage and Recology's webpage.