SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – South Tahoe Refuse is addressing community concerns as the South Tahoe community transitions to the anticipated three-cart system. The company finished rolling out the three carts, a bear resistant solid waste cart, recycle cart and yard waste cart, to residences on Sept. 10.

Jeff Tillman, President of STR, provided an update to City Council on Tuesday night, Sept. 24. He said despite the information delivered with the carts, community members have still had many questions.

“We’re slowly starting to get through it,” he said, “and I think all in all, it was pretty smooth.”

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Just a few weeks in, STR is already seeing results.

“We’re starting to see the recyclables increase and are a lot cleaner on those days that we’re picking them up.”

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The three cart system helps individual separate recyclables, solid waste and yard waste, something they see residents already utilizing. “What we’re really thrilled about, we’re seeing the green waste is really coming in clean.”

The switch has reduced the reliance on plastic bags. “We’ve eliminated, I don’t know, how many thousands of plastic bags that we’re not seeing right now and that was really one of our main goals was to try to eliminate those plastic bags, as well as us not putting out blue bags anymore.”

They’ve run into issues with the bear resistant solid waste carts not locking due to pins that needed removal and other adjustments. STR has been addressing those. Second homeowners also haven’t been home to put the carts away. Crews have been taking those carts back to get them off the roads.

Some of the negative comments and concerns he’s received are some individuals wanting to switch to smaller carts, some lacking storage space for the carts, and others flat out refusing the carts altogether.

In speaking with other companies, he said, it’s typical to have a six month to a year adjustment period.

“I don’t know all the answers yet,” he said, “We’re working on them.”

In the works is a locking mechanism for the recyclables cart amid concerns of bear getting into those.

Katie Sheehan, Executive Director, Clean Tahoe mentioned in comment that Incline Village has had these carts for a long time now. From what they’ve seen there, the bears will get into the recycling carts at first but then they do leave them alone. “So as long as the recycling is clean,” she said, “I’m confident moving forward that the messes, they’re always much smaller, and the bears will start to move on.”

Tillman explained they will swamp in requested smaller waste carts in November and are providing extra carts upon request.

Concerning those refusing the carts, Tillman plans on working with city staff and legal to address those customers since these carts are required by state law as well as ordinances and franchise agreements.

He also cleared up concerns regarding bear boxes. “Bear boxes are always going to be used, and we are not stopping the use of bear boxes.” This includes anyone wanting to put in a new bear box and opt out of the solid waste cart.

Tillman addressed tripping concerns the carts present while moving the cart with the lid left open. He said although it says to close the lid before moving the cart, STR is publicizing more information around that.

In the winter, STR crews will take the carts off road edges to avoid conflicts with snowplows and snowblowers.

The carts are made of 35% recycled content and the informational pamphlets out of 40% recycled stock, he informed to quell criticism of the carts not being made out of recycled materials.

The city’s Sustainability Coordinator, Sara Letton, reminded everyone of the bigger picture. “The point of it is to increase diversion rates, right? Diversion from the landfill and into the composting and recycling streams, right?”

She said although this is a transition into a new system, rules regarding recycling are still the same. “We were always supposed to be washing our recycling, right? Pizza boxes have never been okay to put in a recycling bag. So those rules are not new, but a lot of people are now learning what needs to go in those streams,” she expressed, “and that’s an excellent thing.”

For more information on the three-cart system, visit southtahoerefuse.com.