Recology turns Morgan Hill waste into compost
- Morgan Hill households already participate in Recology’s organics program that collects food scraps and yard trimmings. - Compost is made locally and used on nearby farms to conserve water and replace synthetic fertilizers. - Officials encourage residents to fill green carts to reduce landfill use and support local agriculture (morganhilltimes.com).
Morgan Hill’s food scraps and yard trimmings are being turned into compost in South Valley instead of being buried in a landfill. (morganhilltimes.com) Recology processes organics from Morgan Hill at a 16-acre site on Pacheco Pass Highway in southeast Gilroy, where the company turns household green-cart waste into compost used by farmers in the region. (morganhilltimes.com) Morgan Hill residents already have the carts for it: the city says each home gets a 96-gallon green organics cart, and composting food scraps and yard waste has been required in California since January 1, 2022. (morganhill.ca.gov, morganhill.ca.gov) The local rules are specific about what belongs there. The city tells residents to put yard waste, food scraps and food-soiled paper towels and napkins in the green cart, not in plastic bags. (morganhill.ca.gov) That separation changes what happens next. Material in the green cart is composted into a soil amendment, while garbage dropped at the San Martin Transfer Station is hauled on to a landfill. (recology.com, morganhill.ca.gov) City and Recology materials tie the program to climate and water use as much as trash service. Morgan Hill says composting organics cuts greenhouse-gas emissions, and Recology says the finished compost helps soil hold water and store carbon. (morganhill.ca.gov, recology.com) Collection is built into weekly service in Morgan Hill. Recology says residential and commercial compost pickup runs every week, while residential recycling is collected every other week. (recology.com) The city also gives residents two under-the-sink containers to collect food waste before they empty it into the outdoor cart. That detail matters because kitchen scraps are the part of composting most likely to stay indoors unless a system is easy to use. (morganhill.ca.gov) The pitch from local officials is simple: fill the green cart. In Morgan Hill, that means orange peels, dinner scraps, grass clippings and other organics can come back as compost on nearby farmland instead of adding to landfill waste. (morganhilltimes.com, morganhill.ca.gov)
