Venues and Special Events (VSE)

Venues and special events are terrific opportunities for people to come together in great numbers, which also means that the opportunity for waste is also great. And, in 2005, a Venues and Special Events recycling law (AB2176) was enacted to further assist communities to reduce garbage. Part of the law requires reporting by the communities to the state on the efforts of their events to recycle. This page is designed to provide guidance on the offerings of RethinkWaste.org to assist you to reduce waste.

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Special Event Recycling Containers and Management Services

The South Bayside Waste Management Authority (SBWMA) received a grant from the State of California, Department of Conservation which paid for two trailers and 450 ClearStream ® recycling and trash containers to be used at special events within the SBWMA area (Atherton, Belmont, Burlingame, East Palo Alto, Foster City, Hillsborough, Menlo Park, Redwood City, San Carlos, Unincorporated San Mateo County, San Mateo and West Bay Sanitary District). SBWMA will provide containers and staff to help manage these Special Events, which in turn, should decrease the amount of material going to the landfill and increase recycling.

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Celebrating One Year of Business Compost Collection

The word "composting" usually brings to mind images of tranquil afternoons in the garden. But over the past year, Allied Waste and SBWMA have moved composting out of the backyard and into the kitchens of local businesses.

Operators of local commercial kitchens, such as those at restaurants and cafeterias, can now compost food scraps. The Business Composting Collection Program has been in place for about one year and already boasts nearly 200 accounts, including Whole Foods Market, IHOP Restaurant, jZcool Eatery & Catering Company, and Mills-Peninsula Hospital. These businesses reduce the amount of garbage that ends up in the landfill by separating valuable food scraps and putting them in recycling containers instead of the trash. Participating businesses have reduced their trash by as much as 75%!

The scraps are collected and composted with yard trimmings at a large-scale composting facility in the Bay Area. Types of food accepted include fruit & vegetable trimmings, meat, bones, shells, dairy products, waxed cardboard and any food-contaminated paper. The program also accepts floral and garden trimmings, so landscapers and florists can compost, too!

"We're composting for the sake of the environment," said Russ Balushian, Owner of Vic's of San Carlos. "We can compost our food waste and keep it out of the landfill because the employees care. They separate the compostables from noncompostables. It takes extra training and time — it's a lot of work — but it's worth it. They want to recycle. Otherwise I couldn't do it. It's a cooperative effort."

Do you own a business that generates compostables? If so, you may be able to save money by composting. An Allied Waste recycling coordinator can show you how.

Find out how you can participate in the Business Composting Collection Program by contacting Allied Waste at (650) 592-2411 or info@bfisanmateocounty.com

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Recycling and Garbage Services

In the waste hierarchy, you can:

• reduce the amount of garbage you create,
• reuse items yourself or donate them to an organization,
• recycle, where resources like aluminum cans can be remanufactured into new products, and finally,
• dispose of items that are broken or have no value.

Many companies provide you with opportunities to do all these things.

Below are a few resources for you to consider.

Curbside Recycling and Garbage Services

Allied Waste collects from homes and business the following materials:

• Bottle and Cans: no extra charge for garbage customers.
• Mixed Paper: no extra charge for garbage customers.
• Yard Trimmings: no extra charge for residential customers. Reduced rates may be available for commercial accounts.
• Garbage: sliding rates based on size of containers and frequency of service.

Remember that you may save money as you recycle more, by adjusting your garbage level to meet your new trash needs.

For more information on the commercial recycling and garbage services available from Allied Waste, click here.

Debris Box Services

Many companies provide debris box services to meet your needs. Many companies will recycle the materials your throw in the bins, such as concrete, bricks, and metals.

Other Services

Additional reuse and recycling services are available for various types of materials, including metals, concrete, dirt, and pallets. For details, visit the RecycleWorks database for details.

You can find a list of companies who accept used materials on RecycleWorks' Reuse Database.

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Peninsula Hotel Nonprofit Collaborative

Matching Hotels & Nonprofits to Share Reusable Items

The Peninsula Hotel Nonprofit Collaborative (PHNC) is a partnership between hotels and nonprofit organizations located on the San Francisco Peninsula serving San Mateo County. The primary focus of this group is to facilitate reuse and sharing of resources. The initial geographic focus is the San Francisco Airport (SFO) region.

Program Goals

• Take usable discards from the waste stream of hotels and share them with nonprofit organizations.
• Provide in-kind support for nonprofit agencies.
• Support state waste reduction mandates for each participating city.

Program Components

• Monthly meetings to share reusable items between hotels and nonprofits.
• "Green business" education for hotel and nonprofit managers to improve their operations and reduce costs.
• Recognition and documentation of materials exchanged.

Benefits

The benefits of the program are multi-faceted and can be described as a win-win-win. The partners can reduce their costs and increase business efficiency by learning to incorporate more reuse, recycling and sustainability practices into their everyday activities.

Saves Money

By reducing discards, hotels will save on their monthly disposal costs. And, by receiving the reusable items, nonprofits save valuable funds for other program uses.

Provides Desired Service

Hotels are looking for ways to be involved with the community while reducing discards. Nonprofits are looking for reusable items. PHNC matches these desired services.

Each month, hundreds of items are available for reuse from hotels: linens, sofas, pillows, lamps, chairs, desks, food, clock radios, bathroom amenities, lost and found items. PHNC helps find homes for these items by pairing hotels with local nonprofit organizations.

Download the PHNC's flyer (PDF, 68k). For more information on this program, contact RethinkWaste at (650) 802-3500.

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