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Recology Sonoma Marin highlights lower landfill tons, new local recycling facility and community programs
Summary
Recology staff told the Cotati council the company cut landfill tonnage by 17% since 2018, opened a new $35 million materials recovery facility and is running local education, reuse and audit programs to boost diversion.
Representatives from Recology Sonoma Marin presented service and program updates to the Cotati City Council, reporting lower landfill tonnage, a new materials recovery facility and several community-focused diversion initiatives.
Celia Ferber, Recology’s community relations and sustainability manager, told the council Recology has served Cotati since late 2017 and serves roughly 2,200 customers in the city. She said landfill tonnage for Cotati fell from 5,101 tons in 2018 to 4,245 tons in 2024 — a 17% reduction — while recyclable and composted tons rose from about 2,800 tons in 2018 to over 3,600 tons in 2024 (a roughly 29% increase).
Ferber said 54% of Cotati customers use 20- or 32-gallon garbage carts, a sign she said of customer embrace of waste reduction. She also noted that 98% of Cotati multifamily and commercial customers comply with SB 1383 (organics collection) and 100% comply with AB 341 (recycling service).
Logan Harvey, Recology Sonoma Marin’s senior general manager, described operational investments and service improvements: a new driver safety and yard-training program that extended hands-on training to about eight weeks, additional customer-service staffing, plans to add residential-facing cameras for service verification, and next-phase analysis at the company’s Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) using AI-enabled cameras and possible robotic sorting to reduce residuals.
Recology opened a new local MRF in late 2023 that company presenters described as a $35,000,000 facility with seven optical sorters, a processing capacity of about 400 tons per day and an average recovery rate of about 85 percent. Ferber said the MRF lets Recology process recyclables locally rather than outsource sorting to distant facilities and that Recology estimates the facility avoids over 3,000,000 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions annually compared with prior hauling and outsourcing arrangements.
Presenters also described community programs: a school contract at Thomas Page Elementary, public tours of the MRF (more than 1,200 people had toured at the time of the presentation), event support in La Plaza Park, a reuse bazaar and an artist-in-residence trash-art program. Recology representatives said those programs are intended to increase correct sorting, reduce wish-cycling and divert usable goods from landfill.
Councilmembers thanked Recology for the presentation and for tours; councilmembers asked about event tote/bin options, green-waste bin sizes and the company’s ability to provide seasonal or temporary green-waste service. Recology staff said the company can supply different cart sizes, can provide event stands for bag replacement, and noted that seasonal delivery-and-pickup of green bins would add labor and administrative complexity.
No formal council action was taken on the presentation; the item was presented for information and council comment only.
