A note from town councilor Alice Wessen:
Dear Neighbors:
A few town council folks will be meeting with the county and DPW next week
regarding upcoming trash contracts, to ask about what is possible, what is
being offered and how the county can help. We want to start this discussion
prior to Dept of Public Works doing a presentation to town council.
I'd like to be sure our needs are being heard and understood. While I
represent northwest Altadena, on this issue I welcome comments from all over
Altadena.
If folks have specific concerns they wish to share, please let me know
offline. Your names will not be used. I will only use the street name to
give a sense of the issues related to a neighborhood.
I can be reached at awessen@yahoo.com
A few town council folks will be meeting with the county and DPW next week
regarding upcoming trash contracts, to ask about what is possible, what is
being offered and how the county can help. We want to start this discussion
prior to Dept of Public Works doing a presentation to town council.
I'd like to be sure our needs are being heard and understood. While I
represent northwest Altadena, on this issue I welcome comments from all over
Altadena.
If folks have specific concerns they wish to share, please let me know
offline. Your names will not be used. I will only use the street name to
give a sense of the issues related to a neighborhood.
I can be reached at awessen@yahoo.com
Some concerns previously shared:
SPECIAL PICKUPS
. (Loma Alta) Wants more than 2 bulky item pickups per year
. (Jaxine) Allied trash collectors last week failed to pick up
properly tied green waste and just left them stacked against our wall.
Usually, those bundles are picked up with no problem at all, but recently
we've begun having problems with stuff getting left behind.
PRICING
. (Loma Alta) Senior discounts?
. For the regular service Athens is the same rate as Allied who
currently picks up our trash on Leilani (for the base rate).
. (Alzada Road) I support an exclusive franchise, so we can get a good
rate with some accountability. We have two trash haulers now competing in a
free-for-all situation - our costs are high and service is terrible.
. (Jaxine) I am in favor of the County requiring Allied or Athens to
offer us decent services on a contract basis. With a contract, the County
can hold our trash collectors' feet to the fire and be sure we are all
charged fairly. Right now, Allied seems to be under no obligation to be
consistent in what it charges each household nor do they guarantee a fair
rate for their services. There's no oversight with clout from the County or
any other agency, is there?
. (Fair Oaks) Don't know who to call to help with issues when my own
trash company won't help
. (Chaney Trail) I support one contract
. (Jaxine, multiple neighbors) Allied Waste Services has us all on
different rate charges and different levels of service (how many bundles
will be picked up, for example).
. (Jaxine) Allied has become inconsistent in what they pick up and
what they charge, house to house and street to street. Two houses next to
each other, yet charged different rates (155 and 153 Jaxine)
.
RECYCLING ISSUES
. (Alzada/Leilani)No co-mingling
. (Leilani) Concern that *most* of the recycling be actually recycled,
and not just CRV items
. (Alzada) If the garbage companies are required to separate at their
site, why not have a single truck pick up on garbage day and be done with
it?
. (Leilani) Allied had no answer to why our separated recyclables and
green waste get thrown in the same bin with junk trash.
. (Multiple neighbors on Jaxine)We notice that separated green waste
and recyclables get collected separately from trash at residences down the
hill, while our recyclables and green waste get thrown into the same bin
with regular garbage on the small trucks they send up Jaxine Drive. This has
been noticed by other neighbors, as well. Allied claims that the various
types of waste get separated by the company later.
TRUCK SIZE/NUMBER OF TRUCKS
. (Alzada) Truck size, a big issue with roads in the Chaney Trail area
(big trucks tear up the roads). For emergency access, the issue of the
roads breaking up is serious!
. (Risinghill Rd) Likes Athens because they have only one truck coming
up our narrow road rather than three
. (Leilani) Does not like Athens because they want to charge 100%
higher rate to drive the little truck up Leilani Way
. (Alzada) We have 2 or 3 haulers coming on different days!
. (Alzada) Multiple trucks being used causing noise, pollution and
street wear
. (Alzada) Echoes the concern about the size of the trucks that are
being used. They are totally huge, causing damage to our road and our trees,
in addition to being a hazard to car traffic.
OTHER
. (Alzada) Bear resistant trash cans?
=================
Keep the comments coming!
All the best
Alice Wessen
www.alicewessen.com
