PLACER COUNTY, Nev. – Placer County is reevaluating its green waste recycling services in response to increasing community feedback, launching a summer-long initiative aimed at modernizing options in Franchise Area 3—which spans Donner Summit to North Lake Tahoe.

The county has introduced a public survey through its Engage Placer platform, encouraging residents to weigh in on potential service upgrades, including curbside collection alternatives that would complement existing drop-off and chipping programs.

“We’ve been hearing a lot from the public that our existing programs aren’t quite meeting their needs,” Corie Heisler, Environmental Resources Specialist for Placer County, said. “Historically, I think we’ve had a lot more people who have the ability, who maybe have the vehicle to do drop-off… but I think our demographics are changing.”

Currently, green waste services in the region rely primarily on self-haul drop-off sites and seasonal chipping programs. However, residents—particularly older individuals or those without proper vehicles—have increasingly voiced a need for more convenient, accessible solutions.

“We’re hearing a lot of requests for pickup,” Heisler said. “A lot of people really love that the Town of Truckee has green waste carts that get picked up every other week… but there’s other options available too.”

Among the alternatives under consideration is a grapple truck system, similar to the Measure T program. The grapple truck uses a large mechanical claw to collect yard debris from the roadside, reducing the burden on residents.

The county’s Engage Placer project page offers a side-by-side look at current and proposed services, helping residents make informed decisions before participating in the survey. Cost is also a key consideration—proposed enhancements could impact waste management fees, depending on the scale and design of future programs.

Heisler noted that the timing of the survey—open throughout the summer—is deliberate. “We want to make sure that we’re hearing from everyone this summer that will be using these services in the future,” she said, citing that most homeowners are in town clearing vegetation and preparing defensible space during wildfire season.

In addition to gathering input, Heisler hopes to raise awareness about what happens to green waste after it’s collected. “Most of it gets sent to a biomass facility to create energy or heat, and some of it is sold back as wood chips,” she said. However, pine needles present a challenge: “They don’t compost very well, and the biomass doesn’t like them either. But we would much prefer them to be picked up and come to us than to stay and be a fire hazard.”

Heisler encourages all residents to participate in the survey—whether or not someone else in their household has already completed it. “The survey is really our way of trying to get the opinions of everyone in the community,” she said. “This is about building a system that truly reflects what our community needs now.”

Residents can review service options and complete the survey at:
https://engage.placer.ca.gov/tahoe-green-waste-disposal