One of Placer County’s most reliable resources since 1978, the Western Placer Waste Management Authority (WPWMA), is firmly focused on the future. The agency continues to evolve to better serve nearly a half-million residents and businesses from Roseville up to Foresthill in the western county.
The WPWMA welcomes Scott Scholz as its first general manager, bringing in-house executive leadership to the agency, which was previously administered through the county’s public works department. Scholz now oversees some of the WPWMA’s most exciting developments and growth.
“We can quickly adapt to shifting recycling markets and ultimately divert more material from landfills with absolutely no changes or mandates for customers” — Scott Scholz, General Manager
Committed to creating solutions and transforming waste into a resource for a sustainable environment and prosperous economy, the WPWMA leverages its unique approach to gathering and sorting recyclable materials. “We have a ‘you toss, we sort’ method that stands apart from almost every other community statewide and nationwide,” says Scholz.
With one bin for all waste material rather than three like in other communities, Western Placer residents benefit from convenience and peace of mind, knowing that the agency’s mixed waste processing facility will sort their recyclable and compostable materials. “Our sorting technology and procedures outperform even the most conscientious customers’ abilities to sort recyclables, separating better and being able to recover more categories of recyclables. Also, one bin per customer eliminates the additional truck fleet emissions and road use that other communities have,” says Scholz.
The WPWMA is California’s largest and North America’s sixth-largest recycling facility based on recyclables volume. The agency recovers not only traditional recyclables such as aluminum cans and glass bottles, but also other marketable items including textiles, DVDs, sink faucets and much more. Scholz notes, “We can quickly adapt to shifting recycling markets and ultimately divert more material from landfills with absolutely no changes or mandates for customers.”
The new WPWMA materials recovery facilities currently under construction will improve methods even further, using automation, robotics and AI to sort recyclables and organics including food waste, with human sorters serving only for quality control. “We’re helping to usher Placer County into the most sustainable future possible,” concludes Scholz.
