Trees must be cut up and put in green plant debris carts or taken whole to the city’s transfer station.
Recycling
Posted inCity
Confused about recycling in Berkeley? We answer your top 10 questions
Consumers should reduce and reuse — before recycling. Also, avoid “wish-cycling” low-quality items in hopes they’ll be processed abroad.
Posted inCity
Berkeley fine-tunes its plans for a ‘jewel’ of a waste facility
The city is shaping a vision for a new waste management facility at its current site at Second and Gilman streets. There are currently three proposals on the table.
Posted inCity
Berkeley will pick up your Christmas tree — but wants it inside your compost cart
Recycling entire trees can damage the city’s collection trucks, and the new policy requiring they be cut up and put in the compost bin is an attempt to avoid sidelining the broken trucks for weeks.
Posted inCity
Berkeley looks to overhaul its waste facility with future needs in mind
Berkeley is holding two public meetings this week to get input on creating a new transfer station for recycling, trash, compost and other salvageable materials.
Posted inCommunity
Video: At the Repair Café, neighbors squeeze more life out of stuff
At a community event in Berkeley, volunteer fixers revive the practice of repairing rather than discarding — and share a little know-how along the way.
Posted inCity, Crime & Safety
Gov. Brown pardons Berkeley Ecology Center employee at risk of deportation
“There are many opportunities that have opened up for me,” said Daniel Maher, who lost his legal status when he was convicted of crimes in the 1990s.
Posted inBusiness
Owners of Berkeley institution Urban Ore consider its future
Daniel Knapp and Mary Lou Van Deventer are getting ready to retire but hope that their employees can buy the business.
Posted inArts, City
‘Wasted’: A novel set in Berkeley’s recycling world
John Byrne Barry has a thing for trash. Barry lived in Berkeley for 30 years, served on the board of the Ecology Center, and wrote about recycling issues for local publications, including the East Bay Express. But he found the world of recycling so intriguing that he couldn’t get it out of his mind. The […]
Posted inCity
Berkeley is struggling to reach zero waste goal by 2020
A recent audit of several City of Berkeley departments has revealed that the city is in jeopardy of not meeting its zero waste goal by 2020. The resolution to divert all waste from landfills was adopted by Berkeley City Council in 2005. According to the city auditor report, the city met the requirement by Alameda County to divert […]
Posted inCity
Berkeley to increase garbage collection fees by 25%
Faced with a projected shortfall of nearly $3 million for waste pick-up services, Berkeley officials voted unanimously late Tuesday night to increase residential pick-up fees by almost 25% beginning in July. Customers will also see a new description on their tax bills, as “Zero Waste Services” will replace the category previously described as “Refuse.” The city […]
Posted inCity
Residential garbage fees could rise 25% in Berkeley
Berkeley residents could see a 25% hike in their garbage pick-up fees as the city struggles to find a way to bridge the gap between the cost of pick-up services and the income they generate. In a special session Tuesday night, staff explained that the Refuse Fund, used to cover pick-up fees, is slated to […]