Municipal crews will start the long process of replacing 32- and 64-gallon blue recycling and brown garbage carts on Thursday.

Given the sheer volume, city residents are asked to keep the smaller carts out on their collection days until 5 p.m.

They are asked to continue doing that on a weekly basis until such time they receive the large 96-galon carts

It is expected to take three to four months to replace all of the carts citywide with 96-gallon versions.

Peni Basalusalu, the deputy director of public works that oversees the solid waste division, is asking residents to place the smaller carts out every collection day even if that is not their normal practice.

Many people only place their blue carts out when they are full.

That’s because crews are following collection solid waste truck on collection days to replace the emptied 32 and 64 gallon carts with 96 gallon versions.

There are multiple collection routes every day that service almost 28,000 households every week.

At the same time, whiLE a truck can tip trash from between 600 to 800 homes day, the change out will take significantly longer given crews also need to enter information on the address a cart is dropped off at as part of a new tracking system regarding contamination.

Residents encouraged to

switch to new recycling rules

Basalusalu and other municipal staff members have been spreading the word that Manteca has gone back to its previous rules for what can go into blue carts before buyers overseas stopped buying recyclables from the United States due to high contamination.

That means blue carts can again take newspaper, other paper products such as magazine and writing paper, all cardboard including the non-corrugated, aluminum  and tin cans, glass bottles, and such.

There are items that are not recyclable including Styrofoam and small electric appliance.

FooD waste can also now be placed in the green carts that will basically be an organic waste cart instead of simply a yard waste cart

The weekly instead of every-two-week collection of recycling and organic/yard waste in the blue and green carts that are factored into new rates going won’t start being implemented until around mid-2024.

That is because the city needs to collect funds to help pay for additional collection trucks being ordered as well as hire more staff.

When the stepped up service goes into effect, it will be first with recycling in the blue carts and then fully implemented with yard/organic waste in the green carts.

 The two smaller sizes are being eliminated  — with an asterisk — as the city switches to a universal 96-cart system for garbage, recyclables, and  green waste.

The asterisk is for those households on a case-by-case basis that may be allowed to keep smaller carts due to physical limitations such as gate widths.

Those exceptions, when they are made, will not result in a break from the new rates.

The only ones receiving breaks will be qualifying low-income senior households.

New rates go into

effect on Thursday

The current monthly charge for 96 gallon carts is $34.33.

It will go to $50.92 on Nov. 16, 2023 through Dec. 31. 2024. That is a monthly hike of $16.59 or just under 50 percent.

Then, during the next three years, annual rate hikes of 7 percents means:

*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, 2027, the rate will go up $4.35 to $63.07.

The new $50.92 garbage charge will appear on December utility bills mailed by the city.

The last rate increase was in 2016.

The rate hikes reflect ongoing labor, equipment replacement cost, as well as landfill tipping fees that are going up by more than 200 percent per ton.

It also includes implementing state mandated food waste diversions program to reduce organic waste that is being buried plus other changes that will require the city to expand its existing workforce and truck fleet by at least a third in order to implement.

The regional average for 96-gallon service is currently $58.27 compared to Manteca’s initial rate hike of $50.92  this week and $63.07 when the four-step rate hike is fully implemented in 2027.

Cities that already have higher rates than Manteca are Stockton, $50.70; Sacramento, $74.19; Tracy, $74.19; and Lodi, $100.37.

Ripon is currently lower at $36.

Once Manteca’s new rate schedule goes into effect, Modesto at $45.85 and Lathrop at $43.02 will be lower.

None of the other cities, however, have established rates to reflect an increase in recycling mandated by the state. That means all of the other cities mentioned will see rate increases in the coming year or so to cover the cost of state mandates.

Lathrop and Ripon are in the process of working toward meeting the new state standards.

Manteca, unlike surrounding cities, has its own solid waste collection service. The other cities hire private contractors.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com