© 2024 Public Radio Tulsa
800 South Tucker Drive
Tulsa, OK 74104
(918) 631-2577

A listener-supported service of The University of Tulsa
classical 88.7 | public radio 89.5
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Task Force Finalizes Green Waste Recommendations

Matt Trotter
/
KWGS

Tulsa City Council's Trash Operations Task Force has finalized its green waste program recommendations for the Tulsa Authority for the Recovery of Energy.

The biggest change from how the program currently works is recommending a separate green waste collection system that people opt into for a fee.

"You can opt in, have a user fee — a monthly fee to have your green waste picked up, or you can throw your green waste away in your gray cart," said Councilor Karen Gilbert, who chairs the task force. "I think it's a great compromise of both programs."

In all, the task force will send four recommendations to TARE in time for its committee meeting Jan. 21.  

  • Continue to have a green waste collection system separate from the solid waste 
    collection system: The Task Force recommends a user fee–based green waste collection 
    system.
  • The Task Force recommends that TARE should determine the collection frequency based 
    on cost-savings and citizen input.
  • Users provide their own rigid containers. 
  • Make a real commitment to education.

The TARE board will discuss the recommendations at its meeting Jan. 28.
Gilbert said after six meetings, the recommendations form a solid foundation for a separate green waste stream in Tulsa, which a survey indicated more than 60 percent of residents want.

"We're highly encouraging [the TARE board] to include our recommendations in their RFP process, hoping to make it a long-term fix, rather than a short-term," Gilbert said.

Under the task force recommendations, residents could still put green waste into their gray trash carts. The current restriction that the cart lid must close would still be in place.

The task force recommends TARE consider less-frequent collection or collection on a variable schedule, depending on the cost and how citizens respond.

Green waste system users would provide their own rigid containers for collection. The containers could be up to 33 gallons in size and can't weigh more than 40 pounds when full.

Any containers would have to be clearly marked as being for green waste collection, and the recommendation is customers be limited to three per collection day.

The task force's recommendation on education includes letting residents know all their options under the green waste system, which would include opting into curbside collection, hauling their own waste to the city's green waste site and backyard composting. Any education initiatives would be delayed until the system is fully in place.

A direct recommendation on composting was avoided, but the task force is encouraging the trash board to consider it. That could let people use biodegradable paper bags in the future, either in place of or in addition to their own containers.

Though no recommendation about composting was made, the task force looked at the potential costs of establishing and operating a composting site. According to an initial estimate, the cost of developing a composting site and buying equipment for it would be $1.9 million.

Those costs could be 50 percent higher, but the city already has around $1 million worth of equipment for its mulching site that would also be needed for a composting site.

The $1.9 million could be paid all at once, or the city could finance it at an annual cost of $211,500. That would be added to the annual operating and maintenance costs for a composting site, estimated to be $747,900.

Matt Trotter joined KWGS as a reporter in 2013. Before coming to Public Radio Tulsa, he was the investigative producer at KJRH. His freelance work has appeared in the Los Angeles Times and on MSNBC and CNN.