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Third can will be delivered soon but use after Jan. 1
City Connection

Beginning Jan. 1, 2022, city of Ceres garbage customers will see new changes to their disposal pick-up services. Residential customers will now have three different colored carts to separate their waste. 

• Blue cart – for recyclables such as aluminum and plastic beverage containers, plastic jugs, and unsoiled paper such as newspaper, junk mail and copy paper.

• Green cart – for organics such as food waste, grass clippings, yard waste, and food soiled paper.

• Black/grey cart – for all other garbage that is not considered hazardous waste.  

Delivery of the new collection carts to residential customers will begin the last week of this month. However, residents should not start separating materials into the newly assigned collection carts until Jan. 1. Collection for organics material in the green carts will not begin until that time. Residents should continue to only utilize the waste and recycling carts that are currently assigned for collection until the end of Dec. 31.


COMMON QUESTIONS REGARDING THE NEW COLLECTION PROGRAM

1. Will the garbage and recycling collection schedule remain the same? How often will the new organics cart be collected?

The black waste cart will continue to be collected on a weekly basis as it is currently.

The new green organics cart will be collected weekly at the same time as the black waste wart.

The blue recycling cart will continue to remain on an every-other-week basis as it is currently. 


2. When will we receive the new organics cart?

The new carts are scheduled to be delivered starting the last week of November 2021 with the new disposal collection system officially in place on Jan. 1, 2022.  If you currently utilize a green cart for garbage disposal, you will receive a black cart instead of another green cart.  It is important to remember to begin disposing of regular waste in the black cart and utilize the green cart for organics disposal beginning Jan. 1, 2022.

3. What if I can’t remember what goes in each colored cart?  

Along with the information that is available on the city’s website, as well as the printed material that will be provided to you when the new organics cart is delivered, each colored bin is stamped with information on the material that is to be collected in that specific cart. City of Ceres customers will also receive a notice in their November utilities bill.


4. Can we put the recyclable items that belong in the blue cart in a garbage bag before placing it in the cart?

No. Although garbage bags are plastic, they are not considered a recyclable material. Further, garbage bags prevent the ability to determine whether there are contaminants inside the bags and interfere with the machinery used to process sorting of the mixed materials before they are taken to the recycling facility.

If you have further questions regarding the new waste collection program or would like more information, please call the Ceres Public Works Department at (209) 538-5732 or visit the city’s website at ci.ceres.ca.us.


(The city of Ceres and the Ceres Courier have partnered to provide readers with current events and important information from the City of Ceres Public Works Department in this regular feature, City Connection.)

Ceres garbage three can
This graphic supplied by the city of Ceres shows how residents will be asked to sort their garbage by can color effective with the introduction of the third can beginning on Jan. 1, 2022.