The City Council will be ready to approve a new contract in January for solid waste disposal for all residences and businesses in town.
The council in July accepted Athens Services over two other proposals, preferring a pay-as-you-throw system in which residents will pay for the amount of garbage they discard. After negotiating with Athens over several points since July, the city was able to lower residential fees.
In return for those lowering fees, the proposed Athens’ trash contract has been extended one year to eight years, and Athens current street sweeping contract, which was scheduled to expire next year, will continue for the duration of its proposed trash contract through 2021, with a 5 percent reduction in fees, officials said.
Mayor Pro Tem Kit Bobko and Council member Peter Tucker along with city staff negotiated more favorable terms for senior citizens and the green waste program among other items. Athens, which will open an office in the city, will mail literature to residents and provide public outreach with community workshops if the contract is approved. The new waste hauler is expected to take over from Consolidated when the current trash contract expires in March.
Under the new “cart” system, residents would be charged by the size of the container they use for refuse. Currently, residents pay a flat $11.57 fee for unlimited trash collection. Beginning next year, residents would have the option of using a 35-gallon cart for $6.69, a 64-gallon cart for $10.69 or a 95-gallon cart for $14.69. Residents, who enjoy one of the lowest trash rates in L.A. County, could use an unlimited number of recycling carts and opt into a green waste program. Commercial fees and at least some residential fees will increase under the new trash contract.
Athens’ total annual trash rate increase has been capped at no more than 5 percent per year. Community Development director Ken Robertson said the negotiated contract reflects a 4.1 percent overall rate increase for the initial year, but only a 2.3 percent increase over the 8-year trash contract.
Although the City Council originally approved a pay-as-you-throw system for both residences and businesses, the negotiated contract allows commercial businesses to mix trash and recyclables. Athens will separate the recycleables at a sorting facility. Downtown businesses will pay for trash compactors through increased fees, according to the contract.
Two residents spoke against the change in the commercial portion of the contract. Dency Nelson and Lisa Ryder of the former Grades of Green task force said the negotiated contract took into account most of the organization’s recommendations, particularly the residential portion that charges people by the amount of waste they dispose, encouraging recycling.
They were critical of the change that eliminates free commercial recycling and would allow businesses to mix recyclables and trash. The change means Athens would be composting paper products and not recycling them.
“We’re really taking a step backward,” Ryder said. “The paper, the cardboard is going to be too contaminated to recycle… This is a huge win for Athens because it is a huge cost-savings to them. This is going to eliminate one truck off the streets.”
Robertson said more commercial recyclables will be processed through the “single stream” method that will cost Athens more to process than the original proposal to separate trash and recyclables.
