I’ve been reporting on air-related issues Air quality is important The blog has been over 12 years and now has over 1,530 posts, and my dedication to this reason is as strong as ever!
In my nearly fifty years of living in Fresno (I moved to Raisin Capital in 1977), in the 31st state of the United States – California – I saw incredible changes. The neighborhoods I live in now are fig orchards. Now all fig orchards have disappeared, and the land where the fig trees are planted are now residential and commercially developed. And, this means that many people (local and non-local) are eager to take care of their daily activities. As the population increases, the number of driving increases. Without accompanying improvements in motor vehicle, bus and truck exhaust systems, these sources may see more available pollutant emissions. In fact, due to the current presence of these surroundings, the transportation sector causes 80% of the air pollution.
Moreover, now that the rain has been cleared and as the air temperature rises on a daily basis, the air quality in these parts is getting worse and worse. Today’s higher temperatures are expected to be around 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Additionally, the sky begins to lose its bright blue sheen. In other words, the sky turns more gray.
Not just this one. We just saw the end of winter and all I can say is, the weather we are experiencing now is far from normal at this time of year. The high temperatures in the late 1970s barely broke the 50-degree mark, and today we do this with greater regularity. In fact, until recently we had a temperature of 88 degrees. The town of Lemoore is not far away, with the 90-degree heat that day. Meanwhile, the general increase in cold temperatures is the smaller incidence of Tule Fog, and when I first moved to the area, the fog (December, January and February) seemed to be a daily activity. Now, we may be able to get 10 days in total where this fog exists, but even then, it is not usually a full-day event. There is nothing like it used to be, which also means that climate changes have also changed.
Fresno’s garbage collection and handling procedures are one thing that has not changed, at least not significantly. If anything, the service will be better.
Someone – I assumed an employee in the city – recently put decals on my Green Waste Disposal Trash bin, which is a visual guide to let citizens know what is acceptable in the Green Trash bin, and what is not. Furthermore, the restrictions allowed to enter the blue recycling container are more restrictive than the previous restrictions. Plastic bags are now prohibited and must be thrown away with regular trash, so put them in a grey trash can.
Now, add the flyer I just received to let the owners know that if their lawn is demolished no more than 1,500 square feet of each residential lawn that lives in and every commercial location at a maximum of 4,000 square feet of lawns are cleared, the affected real estate owners can replace $2.00 per square foot, and the amount of water supply that can replace the water supply range is related to the “water supply”.
This means that practices like lawn mowing become things of the past on those so-called “conversion” codes, the translation says. And if lawn-style equipment that was previously powered by internal fuel engines (now with more climate-friendly lawns), just one change could lead to an improvement in regional air quality. But more than that, the yard sees more efficient watering, which helps reduce waste by overwatering, runoff and leaks.
The city provides relevant paper flyers for affected property owners – when discarded, it can use a blue container that works for all acceptable recyclable materials (paper is one of them), which helps make guesses about the trash bin.
That being said, the City of Fresno’s solid waste collection program should indeed be praised.
Now: If only air quality here meets the current health standards of ozone and fine particulate matter! If only! It would be tempting to eat the cake as well.
Oh, and there is some “compost” now about plastic bags. For example, these can be used to store food waste or other green “compostable” waste until ready to be thrown away. Then, most importantly, in the city of Fresno, bags like this and everything can be placed in the city’s green waste bin for sound pickup and emptying. Another way to reduce the amount of solid waste doomed to landfills.
Updated: April 8, 2025, 4:00 pm PDT.
Above and corresponding, connected image of the home page feature: Ashley Felton. Perth, Western Australia, landfill
– Alan Kandel
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