West Sacramento residents are bracing for higher trash bills no matter what happens next, as the city moves toward replacing its longtime waste hauler with a company whose proposed rates run notably higher than the incumbent’s. The city’s 10-year waste collection contract is expiring, and officials say current rates have been kept artificially low for years — a cushion that’s about to disappear regardless of which company wins the new deal.
The West Sacramento Environment and Utilities Commission is set to seek public comment today on a proposal to switch trash haulers from USA Waste of California, better known as Waste Management, to GreenWaste Recovery, according to KCRA. City staff began a competitive procurement process and evaluated three providers — Waste Management, Atlas Disposal, and GreenWaste Recovery — before an evaluation panel concluded that GreenWaste demonstrated the best overall ability to meet the city’s needs, the station reports.
That recommendation comes with a real cost difference. Public notice comparisons reviewed by the West Sacramento Unbiased Community Discussion Board on Facebook show GreenWaste’s proposed monthly bundled residential rate at $52.30, compared with $40.10 proposed by incumbent Waste Management. Per the KCRA report, residential container pickup rates would rise 22.29% to 40.53% under GreenWaste, versus a 7.82% to 29.14% increase if the city renews with its current provider.
Why Rates Are Rising Either Way
City officials have been direct about the underlying math: the city-manager’s office set solid waste rates below the increases the current provider had sought, but the outlet notes that waste collection rates will increase regardless of which provider the city ultimately chooses. That’s partly a function of the expiring contract locking in prices that no longer reflect the cost of running a modern hauling operation…