Is San Luis Obispo waste agency managing its own trash?

April 12, 2025

OPINION by JULIE TACKER

The City of San Luis Obispo’s waste and recycling managers have their eyes on the SLO County Integrated Waste Manager Authority for its own waste handling.

On my nightly commute from work, using the Highway 101 Broad Street off ramp, for over a year now, I have noticed a small homeless encampment along the fence line between the highway and the office complex located adjacent to the newly installed Chorro underpass public art project.

This part of town has businesses and homes that back up to the meandering creek. The vegetation is lush, there’s the newly built North Broad Street Community Park and garden nearby; it’s a lovely part of the city.

Late last year, the Integrated Waste Management Authority (IWMA) purchased one of the suites in the office complex that sits between Chorro and Broad streets. The staff moved from their office on Osos Street knowing there was an unhoused presence, as indicated by the proliferation of trash strewn around the property and along the highway’s fence line.

The irony is the county’s authority on solid waste now sits among an out of control ever-presence of garbage and debris.

Last week, as I exited the off ramp, I noticed the office complex’s trash enclosure was open and saw waste piled high with clean cardboard mixed with trash and green waste.  The majority of it looked to be office related waste, i.e. an old electric fan; broken down banker boxes, and an empty hand soap dispenser.

A few weeks ago, in a letter to the IWMA board, I mentioned that there was often trash on the property and that their own small remodeling project, a discarded interior door, was lying on the ground, leaning against the building for over a month was an invitation for ‘trash breeding more trash.’

Clearly, the IWMA, whether the waste is theirs or not, should seize the “teaching moment” and do what they do, educate.

Educate their neighbors on how to sort their waste to the benefit of the environment.  Make it easy for homeless to dispose of their waste too. The goal of the agency is to reduce waste from entering the landfill. Recycling that cardboard is a small step towards the success.

With these overflowing receptacles, I have not seen any progress by the IWMA to get out in front of the trash on their own property.

So I levied a complaint to the City of SLO’s Solid Waste and Recycling division, which according to their website, “manages the safe collection, recycling, and disposal of unwanted materials generated within city limits. The program also oversees the city’s compliance efforts with federal, state, and local laws and regulations.”

I shared some photos of the mess and asked that they look into it.

Swift action was taken by the program coordinator and I was assured the photos will be “forwarded to the garbage company so they can work with the customer on clearing the enclosure and provide outreach on proper waste management and separating solutions.”

Now the garbage company gets to teach the teacher.