CalWaste reports higher diversion, explains organics mandate and modest rate rise

CalWaste representative Rudy Vaccareza told the Galt City Council on March 2025 that state law and contract changes have increased service levels and reporting requirements and produced a modest rate increase for most customers.

The change stems from Senate Bill 1383, Vaccareza said, which required mandatory residential and commercial organics collection and additional reporting to CalRecycle. That shift required weekly organics collection, three additional routes and three new trucks for CalWaste’s Galt operation, he said. “We had to purchase 3 new trucks, it’s 3 additional routes,” Vaccareza said.

Vaccareza told council the program increased CalWaste’s residential service volume by roughly 25% and drove a jump in the city’s diversion rate from about 38% in 2022 to roughly 44% in 2023; 2024 showed a small dip from 2023, which Vaccareza attributed to weather (more rain in 2023 increases tonnage). He also said the company conducted cart audits on roughly 12% of households (the state requires about 10%) and that approximately 25–30% of audited carts received educational tags indicating contamination or opportunities to improve separation.

The company also described the annual contract rate-adjustment mechanism. For the standard 64-gallon residential service, the monthly charge moved from $48.02 to $49.52 — an increase of roughly $1.50, or about 3.1% for that service tier. Vaccareza said other commercial and miscellaneous rates were adjusted by a 5% cap contained in the contract, even though the Consumer Price Index was slightly higher this year. He said the cap prevents increases above 5% for those rates.

Vaccareza outlined additional services covered by the franchise: a handy-hauler (about 3.5 cubic yards) and a bulky-waste pickup program, which the company said served about 4,500 customers in 2024 (roughly half of homes). He said roughly 60% of curbside carts were properly sorted in the recent audits and estimated that about 60–70% of bulky waste is diverted for recycling when crews pick up appliances, scrap metal and other recyclables.

Council members asked specific operational questions: whether “biodegradable” produce bags belong in the organics cart (Vaccareza: “The answer is no.”), how many audit tags were issued (Vaccareza: roughly 25–30% of audited carts got a tag), and whether multifamily properties are covered by the mandate (Vaccareza: multifamily is part of the residential mandate but may qualify for a space waiver where enclosures cannot physically accommodate carts). Vaccareza also said the company has roughly 205 employees at the Galt operation and that about 40% live in Galt.

Vaccareza encouraged residents to use CalWaste’s app for collection reminders and recycling guidance and said the company operates a materials recovery facility that processes curbside materials; he also invited council to tour the facility.

Council members thanked Vaccareza for the presentation and for CalWaste’s community support and donations. No formal council action was required or taken on the presentation.