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Re: [greenyes] split cart recycling and town homes with no space


Jeffrey - Thanks for your excellent suggestions.

Ann - Even if the hauler uses a fully automated system, and the City does not have the type of language in the franchise that Jeffrey mentioned, the City COULD still negotiate an additional price with the hauler for them to get out of the truck and pickup from crates, bags, or smaller carts.

In Hawthorne, I drafted the RFP and Agreement for residential service to require the hauler to do the following:
"(1) Refuse Collection...Contractor will provide a 65-gallon Cart at each Residential Premise at the Base Service Level and offer Customers the option of subscribing to smaller or larger Carts in number and capacity described on the Service Fee Schedule, for the corresponding additional (or lesser) charges set forth in the Service Fee Schedule, including the discounted "Super-Recycler Rate" for Customers that subscribe to a 35-gallon Cart for Refuse."

(5) Exceptions. Contractor need not provide Carts to Customers resident on streets impassable to Vehicles designed and capable of lifting Carts, including semi- or automated vehicles, as corroborated and approved by City Representative. In that event, Contractor will provide plastic or metal garbage cans owned by Contractor, approved by the City Representative, having a capacity approximately equal to the Carts that Contractor is obligated to provide to other Customers.

(6) Substitutions. Customers may request that Contractor provide two 35-gallon Carts in lieu of a 65-gallon Cart, three 35-gallon Carts for a 95-gallon Cart, or any allocable number of 35-gallon Carts for any other combination or increment of Carts, for the same charges set forth in the Service Fee Schedule for the 65-gallon, 95-gallon or other approximately same aggregate capacity of Carts.
Hope these ideas help.

Gary

At 09:38 PM 02/23/2004 -0800, Ann Schneider wrote:
Jeffrey, You are my hero.

That is one I forgot to think about. Not sure if Mtn. View included
language like that in Foothills contract. But perfect. i will try to
see if Cynthia Palacio will share that info with me. Mtn. View does not
make it easy for residents or local business to get copies of City
documents. boy the good days of the City of San Jose.

Thanks so much. And Gary, thanks for passing my request forward.

Ann Schneider

On Mon, 23 Feb 2004 11:07:30 -0800 "Jeffrey Smedberg"
<dpw179@no.address> writes:
> Ann,
> We dealt with the variety of housing types and configurations by
> including certain provisions in our hauler's contract. Franchisee
> has to offer and service a variety of recycling containers, at the
> customer's option, including the new split carts and the formerly
> used stacking crates. Most people switched because of the
> convenience; a small number still use crates. (Our collection is
> not fully automated, which makes it not such a big deal for the
> driver.)
>
> We encouraged a lot of condo complexes to set up central recycling
> locations to reduce the total number of carts required. Sounds like
> you don't have room for this option.
>
> My suggestion is to insist that the system accommodate current users
> who have difficulty changing. Yes, the truck can certainly carry
> along a cart in which the driver can dump crates by hand. You can
> have City staff approve such exceptions to the norm, and it will
> only be needed for a few hundred customers in the whole city.
> __________________________________________________________
> Jeffrey Smedberg, Recycling Programs Coordinator
> County of Santa Cruz Public Works Department, California
> 831/454-2373 Fax:831/454-2385 E-mail:recycle@no.address
> __________________________________________________________
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Gary Liss [mailto:gary@no.address]
> > Sent: Friday, February 20, 2004 6:15 PM
> > To: gary@no.address
> > Subject: Fwd: [greenyes] split cart recycling and town homes with
> no
> > space
> >
> >
> > If you can suggest alternatives for Ann, please email her
> > directly, and cc:
> > me. Thanks!
> >
> > Gary
> >
> > >To: greenyes@no.address
> > >Date: Fri, 20 Feb 2004 16:44:54 -0800
> > >From: Ann Schneider <schneiderann@no.address>
> > >Subject: [greenyes] split cart recycling and town homes with no
> space
> > >
> > >I live in a 73 unit town home complex in Mtn View,
> > California. The City
> > >and it's hauler are converting our curbside recycling program
> from
> > >stackable recycling crates to split cart automated collection.
> Our
> > >homeowners get and pay for single family dwelling service, not
> > >multi-family shared garbage/recycling service. Most of the units
> are
> > >single car garage and very narrow. They provide just enough
> > room to open
> > >a car door 1/2 to 2/3rds open. Even the 21 units with two
> > car garages
> > >can barely fit a car and the "gosh dare I say it old
> > fashioned stackable
> > >recycling crates". My garage can fit our new 20 gallon hiding in
> the
> > >body of a 32 gallon garbage cart, just, and still be able to
> > get the car
> > >in the garage. No unit has a side yard. The ends of units are
> common
> > >area and in most cases include guest parking spaces. And parking
> is
> > >always overfilled andlack of parking is our number one cause
> > of neighbor
> > >disputes.
> > >
> > >When I contacted the City, staff said that they were aware of
> our
> > >problem. (For years I have been complaining that my town
> > home complex
> > >can't use the yard waste recycling program because none of
> > us can fit the
> > >96 gallon carts or even the smallest, the 64 gallon carts in
> > our garages.
> > > And staff admitted that they knew of the cart size problem
> > as I've been
> > >bringing this to their attention over the years and yet they
> > have offered
> > >no solution but to not participate in greenwaste recycling.
> > But now the
> > >problem is compounded by requiring the use of 64 gallon
> > split recycling
> > >carts. Four to seven other complexes in the City apparently have
> the
> > >same problem. And the new collection goes City wide on
> > March 1, 2004.
> > >
> > >Now to the problem. Mtn. View Staff have suggested the
> following
> > >remedies to the container/automated collection system problem:
> > >
> > >1. Try to fit the 64 gallon split carts in our garages.
> > >
> > >2. Leave them out in front of the homes (which means either
> > in front of
> > >the garage door and have to move them each time a car goes
> > in and out of
> > >a garage - or -
> > > put the cart in the only space left, directly next to each
> homes
> > >front door. The City will give us a waiver allowing this
> > 'trashing' of
> > >the front of our homes. The rest of the City would have to
> > maintain the
> > >no exposed containers w/n 24 of collection day. Ooohhh, lucky
> us.
> > >
> > >3. Give up 2-4 parking spaces and have homeowners walk their
> > recyclables
> > >to a group recycling spot - for some homeowners that will
> > mean a walk of
> > >.1 to .2 miles.
> > >
> > >4. And either use MFD recycling carts or mixed recycling
> dumpsters
> > >(bins).
> > >
> > >Our complex in a well maintained, middle, upper middle class
> > >neighborhood. Keeping garbage carts.... ok split recycling
> carts,
> > >exposed on a daily bases is unacceptable. We simple can't
> > lose anymore
> > >parking. We'd have neighbors shooting each other. And after
> just
> > >completing a 73 unit construction defect project we have no money
> to
> > >built attractive enclosures to house recycling carts of
> > dumpsters. Nor
> > >do we have the space to build such enclosures. So what are we to
> do?
> > >
> > >The City says we absolutely can not continue to use stackable
> crates.
> > >The new trucks will not allow their use! (Not sure I
> > believe this but I
> > >will accept being educated on this.) I sorta think the
> > solution is to
> > >require the trucks to carry a split cart and the drivers will
> have to
> > >pour/dump our residents crated recyclables into the cart
> > which can then
> > >be lifted to the split truck. The drivers certainly won't
> > like this, for
> > >sure it will lengthen their day. But the City and the Hauler
> > should have
> > >thought of that before they create a program that our new
> > "smart growth
> > >high density housing" dictates.
> > >
> > >Now I have over 18 years in the recycling field and I truly
> > understand
> > >the need to reduce injuries caused by recycling drivers picking
> up
> > >garbage and recycling. And I understand the need to create
> recycling
> > >programs that operate as efficiently (cheaply) as possible (speed
> of
> > >collection). But while 100% of my neighbors participate in
> curbside
> > >recycling, this new program discourages recycling and will
> > reduce both
> > >tonnage and participation. So I'd like to know if any of you
> local
> > >government recycling coordinators have had to deal with this
> > problem. If
> > >you have any create win-win solutions.
> > >
> > >And finally, Recycling Coordinators, when you design new
> > programs, are
> > >you talking to people who live in all the housing types in your
> > >communities so you identify problems ahead of time and
> incorporate
> > >programs that don't treat some residents so badly.
> > >
> > >Sincerely,
> > >
> > >Ann Schneider
> > >Boardmember, Oaktree Commons HOA
> > >Mtn. View CA
> > >SchneiderAnn@no.address
> > >
> >
> >---------------------------------------------------------------------
> > >To unsubscribe, e-mail: greenyes-unsubscribe@no.address
> > >For additional commands, e-mail: greenyes-help@no.address
> >
> > Gary Liss
> > 916-652-7850
> > Fax: 916-652-0485
> >
> >
>
>

Gary Liss
916-652-7850
Fax: 916-652-0485

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