Manteca will soon be delivering free compost to farmers and other large users.

And city solid waste customers will cover the $50 per ton cost  to buy and deliver the compost.

If that sounds out of whack, it isn’t.

The state is requiring all cities to purchase a minimum of 93 pounds of compost annually for every resident.

That 93 pounds of compost will be created from the direct result of the state mandated diversion of 75 percent of its organic waste — food and yard clippings — from being buried by the year 2025.

The bottom line is Manteca needs to buy 4,000 tons of compost from private concerns that take the city’s organic waste and turn it into compost.

The new rate structure factors in $50 per ton cost to purchase and deliver the compost.

The city will keep some of it but clearly can’t use that much compost

What the city doesn’t utilize, they must give away.

Consultants determined it clearly was impossible to dispose of upwards of 40 tons of compost a year by dumping it in a community parking lot and then  asking people to come pick it up.

That is where the decision to give it away to large volume users such as farmers comes into play.

Cal Recycle based the minimum 160 pounds per resident in terms of per capita organic waste generation.

Given composting reduces the volume  to 58 percent, or 93 pounds per person, the city is required to buy back 4,000 tons or 10,000 cubic yards of compost a year.

The 4,000 tons is based on a November 2021 population of 87,319 residents.

The cost comes out to about 60 cents per household. Manteca currently has 24,500 households.

The new rate also includes wear and tear to city streets that the solid waste trucks cause. Week in and week out, the trucks are the heaviest vehicles that consistently go down neighborhood streets that are not built for truck traffic.

Given the city will soon be making three weekly trips down streets to collect each of the carts instead of the current two trips (recycling and yard waste are now on alternating weeks), the wear and tear will increase.

There is a 50 cent per month charge built into the new rates to cover street repairs.

That will generate $150,000 a year for street maintenance for issues that can be attributed to soldi waste trucks.

Most cities that have moved to them can justify higher charges. In Lakespur, for example, they are weighing a $4 per $5 month charge on solid waste bills to cover street impacts.

Another $200,000 a year is built into the garbage rates to hire tree trimming services.

Low hanging tree branches damage both the trees and trucks when the trucks come into contract with them.

The new rates expected to go into effect as early as July 16 coincides with all residential customers will go to 96  gallon carts. That will take the current $34.33 charge for a 96 gallon cart up $13.08 to $47.41 a month.

Then in the next four years:
*On Jan. 1, 2024, the rate will go up $3.51 to $50.92.

*On Jan. 1, 2025, the rate will go up $3.76 to $54.68.

*On Jan. 1, 2026, the rate will go up $4.04 to $58.72.

*On Jan. 1, 2036, the rate will go up $4.35 to $63.07.

The rate for the basic roll off box pull for commercial accounts is now $656.44 a month.

It will go to $762.69 a month on Jan. 1, 2024, $845.82 a month on Jan. 1, 2025, $938.01 a month on Jan. 1, 2026, $1,040,26. a month on Jan. 1, 2026, and $1,153.65 a month of Jan. 1, 2027.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com