The LA County Board of Supervisors will receive a recommendation to approve Athens Services as Altadena's sole trash hauler next month.
According to Elizabeth Morris, the supervisor for the franchise project at the LA County Dept. of Public Works, if the supervisors approve the contract with Athens, as seems likely, the county will push for a July 1 start for the new trash service to start in Altadena. The contract will be for seven years, with three one-year options to renew.
Morris said that the basic service for each residence will be three 96 gallon rolling containers: one each for refuse, green waste, and recyclables. There is also an option for an additional green waste and recyclable container for no extra charge. Smaller containers will be available as well.
There will also be a 25% senior discount if certain criteria are met. The basic fee will be revealed when the contract is approved, Morris said.
There will be other services provided as part of the package: an annual "community beautification" curbside cleanup; twice yearly drop-off events for electronics and clothing (which will be donated to a charity); and a bulky item collection in unlimited amounts, twice a year.
Athens will also have a program in place to collect sharps: lancets, hypodermic needles, and similar medical waste. The hauler will provide a safe container to those who request it for their sharps, which can be picked up or mailed away.
Another problem: after you get the rolling containers, what do you with your existing trash cans? Morris said that residents would get "take me" stickers to attach to old containers for the hauler to pick up on trash collection days.
Once the contract has been approved, Morris said that residents will receive a letter informing them of the details of the new program. There will also be at least one public meeting to address concerns residents may have before the July 1 roll-out.
The supervisors will be approving up to seven trash hauling contracts in February, Morris said, adding to the 15 programs already in place in the unincorporated county.
