County Prepares Altadena for New Garbage Collector

Starting September 1, Athens Services will be the sole garbage collector in Altadena.

This week and next, representatives from the county and Industry-based garbage collector are hosting presentations so that residents will know what to expect when the switch comes this fall.

Next month, the company will begin delivering new trash bins, and in October, residents can request smaller bins if they prefer them.

The company has posted schedules, maps and notices about the change on its website, and we have posted the PDFs to the right.

Patch on most of the basic details of the contract:

• Customers will be charged $18.06 per month on a quarterly basis for weekly trash collection and recycling services.
• Each customer will receive one 96 gallon refuse container, up to two 96 gallon green waste containers, up to two 96 gallon recyclable containers, and a 64 gallon manure container.
• The second containers and the manure containers are available only by request, but don't raise the price of service.
• Discounts are available for seniors (and we've attached a PDF of the form to fill out if you qualify).

At a recent Town Council meeting, Paul Alva, who oversees trash collection in unincorporated areas for the county, teamed up with Thor Schmidt of Athens Services to give its first presentation on the switch.

Fewer Trucks

Alva said that switching from an open-market system to a sole franchise will ensure that there are fewer trucks on the road, and it allows the county to negotiate lower monthly rates.

In response to residents concerned about being locked into massive rate increases in the 7-year contract, Alva said that there were protective measures and rate caps in the contract that would keep rates in check. He said that similar contracts in other areas of the county saw rate increases of no more than 20 or 30 cents annually.

Schmidt said that the company was working to identify hard-to-service areas of town that their trucks cannot access. The company will contact those residents, and they may have to pay an extra fee.

Councilman Okorie Ezieme and other residents in the audience requested that Athens Services make an attempt to provide jobs to locals from Altadena and report back on how many local residents were employed by the company.

There will be two more opportunities for residents to ask representatives questions about the new trash system. The next meeting will be on Saturday, July 23 at 10 a.m. at the . The last meeting will be Friday, July 29th at 7PM at High Point Academy.

For more information about the switch, visit Athens Services' site for Altadena or call (888) 336-6100.