Waste Management of North County

Contact: Sarah Huoh, Public Relations Manager
(714) 685-6487 / (949) 283-8486 (mobile)

Waste Management Implements Automated Collection for All Residential Customers in Solana Beach
Carts delivered to residents week of Nov. 13;
automated service starts Nov. 20

SOLANA BEACH, Nov. 3, 2006 - Coast Waste Management will begin supplying residents of Solana Beach with “carts,” or wheeled cans, for the automated collection of their trash and recyclables during the week of Nov. 13, in anticipation of the waste hauler’s implementation of an automated collection program Nov. 20.

What this means is that starting the week of Nov. 20, instead of providing their own cans for manual collection by Waste Management service providers, residents will instead utilize “carts” supplied by the company. The carts are collected by a truck equipped with a mechanical arm that lifts the trash and recycling containers from the street and empties the containers’ contents into the truck, without the driver leaving the cab.

Greenwaste collection will continue to be performed manually, so residents will receive stickers to place on their own greenwaste cans.

Residents will receive one 96 or 64 gallon gray cart for trash and one 96 or 64 gallon blue cart for all recyclables, including paper, cardboard, glass, aluminum and plastic. The carts are equipped with wheels to make it easier to put them at the curb. Carts will be delivered to residents Nov. 14-18 and residents should place these out at the curb on their service day Nov. 20-24.

For those who do not wish to keep their old trash cans or recycling crates, Waste Management will collect and recycle the containers. Residents can drop them off at the roll-off trash containers located at the Public Works Yard on Highland Avenue on the following dates:

In addition, Waste Management will collect those cans or crates left by the customers at their curbs on Saturday, Dec. 2. Residents are asked to have their old cans and crates at the curb by 6:30 a.m. – no appointments or special arrangements are necessary. Customers are reminded that for either the drop-off or pick-up opportunities, only trash cans or crates will be accepted – no other bulky item waste can be disposed.

“We look forward to providing the residents of Solana Beach with the same service they expect in a new, more efficient manner through our automated service program,” said Ken Ryan, district manager of Coast Waste Management in Carlsbad. “There are a number of benefits to automated service: flexibility and convenience for our customers because of the standard-sized carts with wheels provided by Waste Management; easier recycling because of the single, commingled recycling cart; a neater appearance in the neighborhoods because of the uniform carts; and more efficient service from the automated trucks, which means our vehicles spend less time on your roads and in your neighborhoods.”

Waste Management performed a successful pilot of this program for approximately 110 homes in the Barbara Avenue and Patty Hill Drive neighborhood.

“In keeping with the city’s desire to provide enhanced recycling opportunities for the city’s residents, experience has shown that the use of an automated collection system featuring a commingled recycling cart, as Solana Beach residents will now have, helps achieve this goal,” said Ryan.

Coast Waste Management customer service can be reached at 1-800-386-7783. For residents who wish to exchange the original carts provided for either a bigger or smaller size to better fit the volume of their trash or recycling generation, arrangements can be made through customer service for 90 days after the delivery of the carts to make an exchange. Extra carts are also available for either purchase or a monthly rental fee.

Waste Management, based in Houston, Texas, is the leading provider of comprehensive waste management services in North America. Our subsidiaries provide collection, transfer, recycling and resource recovery, and disposal services. We are also a leading developer, operator and owner of waste-to-energy and landfill gas-to-energy facilities in the United States. Our customers include residential, commercial, industrial, and municipal customers throughout North America.