City's Trash Collection Rate May Increase For Some

The potential to pay more for having trash collected in Hermosa Beach is on the City Council agenda for Tuesday night.

As it is, residents who can collect their waste in 65- or 32-gallon containers instead of a 95-gallon cart will not experience a rate increase when Athens Services assumes the contract for city services.

City Council approved the new pay-as-you-throw design last July, going with Athens over current contractor Consolidated Disposal Service, which collects HB residential waste for a flat fee of $11.57 for unlimited trash collection.

The new Athens collection program, set to launch later this year and orignally hoped to launch the beginning of January, will charge residents $6.69 per month for a 35-gallon cart, $10.69 for a 64-gallon cart or $14.69 for a 64-gallon cart.  

Laith Ezzet of HF&H Consultants, which has advised the city on the new Hermosa trash contract, told the Easy Reader that based on what he has seen in cities with similar pay-as-you-throw programs, most Hermosa Beach residents will probably experience a rate decrease under the contract with Athens.

At the City Council meeting Tuesday, the agenda item about the new waste collection contract is a public hearing at which people can voice their thoughts about the new trash contract.

Property owners can also voice their protest in writing to the city clerk no later than the conclusion of the public hearing Tuesday night. The written protest must include the address or county assessor's parcel number, name and signature, and a clear statement protesting the fee. Electronic communications will not be accepted as protest materials.

The staff report prepared for the Tuesday meeting reads, "Residents in multi-family units who share containers (use bins or roll off boxes) may see a rate increase or decrease for refuse and recycling (should they choose to have separate recycling containers) depending on the circumstances. Commercial rates will also increase or decrease depending on the type and number of containers selected."

The full city staff report can be viewed here.