A few years ago Argus reporter Ellis wrote an extensive article about having a municipal garbage service. And before everyone cries ‘Socialism’ I want to say it wouldn’t work like a municipal ambulance service (which would be maintained by the SFFD). More then likely the city would contract with probably 3-4 haulers. The benefits would be;
Likely be cheaper because the contractor would NOT be paying tipping fees
NO MORE fly by night operations
Recycling would be monitored more closely and be more accurate
No delays in service (if one provider was down, another could come in)
It would likely be quicker because the city would be put in sections and depending on what section you are in there would be a specific day they would pickup. In other words a truck could park and pickup several houses at one time instead of bouncing around from client to client, which would also save fuel costs, labor, time, etc.
Service fees could be tied into your water bill saving billing hassles.
I think the system now is complicated and the haulers all have different rules and fees which is not good. It would also help the landfill manage the system better because they would know exactly when trucks would be delivering and when.
Like I said, this wouldn’t create some new socialist system, it would simply streamline what we have now and eliminate the confusion. It would probably help the major providers because they would pickup more clients and be able to provide more jobs. It would also benefit the recyclers in town with mandated recycling amounts.
It’s time the city council explores this.