At yesterday’s Open Business Meeting, we approved the final contract with Allied Waste for trash hauling and recycling services for unincorporated Ada County. Because we put out an RFP – a Request for Proposals – soliciting proposals from interested trash hauling companies, ratepayers will save about $110,000 a year over the rates that Allied brought to the Board last January.
The new contract covers only the unincorporated portions of Ada County because the cities have their own trash hauling contracts. With the county’s new contract will come large-container single-stream recycling, a concept for which we heard a lot of support over the past several months.
With single-stream recycling, customers will be able to throw all recyclables into one large container rather than having to sort and bag them separately. Recycling technology has evolved to the point where the different materials can be separated out through mechanized processing at a centralized plant. In addition to the improved recycling service, all trash customers will now have a large trash container provided by Allied Waste.
For both trash and recycling, customers will be able to choose between 65 and 95 gallon containers. Trash will continue to be collected weekly and recycling will be collected every other week. Notification of the recycling schedule will go out within the next few weeks.
The collection system for both trash and recyclables will be fully automated; however, we are still providing unlimited residential collection service. In other words, with a few notable exceptions, if you have it, can’t recycle it, and don’t want it anymore, set it out with your trash and Allied will take it away. Exceptions include appliances, television sets, computer monitors, etc. For a full list please check online here.
Ada County will continue to provide billing services for trash collection. With the economy in the state it is, I am happy to report that at the present time it will not be necessary to raise rates despite the improved recycling service. In fact, people who have been paying an additional fee for cart rental will see a decrease in rates. The flat rate for standard trash with recycling service will continue to be $13 per month or $11 per month for seniors age 65 and over. There will be an additional fee charged for added services or containers.
Don’t get too excited about the stable trash rates, though, because the county will be whittling down a balance that has built up within the trash service account. Within the next few years a small rate increase will likely be necessary to keep up with all of the costs associated with the provision of trash hauling and recycling service.
You should make the smaller cans standard and the larger optional. Boise screwed up on this one. Very few generate 90 gallons of trash each week. The oversized cans are hard to stow away and are unsightly.
Lucas ~ Thank you for the suggestion. Allied customers in unincorporated Ada County are able to specify container size preferences (95 gallon, 65 gallon, or even smaller for families that generate very little trash) by going to http://roar.alliedwasteidaho.com/site/ or calling 208.327.8015.
Allied just told us that our rates will more than double to $29 per month. They say this is because we live on a private road. Our other option is to put them out on nearest public road.
My Issues
1) We only fill one can per month (the 65-gallon one at that). Is there anyway to get a reduced rate?
2) We were forced to get these huge cans, now we have to cart them 1/2 mile to the end of the road? How is that supposed to happen?
3) The nearest public road is BlackCat. There is no shoulder. Where are we supposed to put the cans?
4) Is Allied charging ALL residents on private roads the new rate? There are quite a few subdivisions with private streets in them. If so, this is a HUGE rate increase. But if not all private roads are being surcharged, then that does not seem exactly fair either….
5) Allied will not pick up our garbage from in front of the house unless I sign very broad liability release. I don't know how we got along for the last 20 years without one of those! Why do I need to sign a liability release to get basic county services? I don't need one for FedEx or the meter-reader.
6) The strange thing is that I don't own the private road, the home-owners association does. Furthermore, Allied does not enter my property to pick up the trash. The trash is set out on the private road property. So I am not sure why a liability release from me is even applicable.
Thanks for listening.
Another thing that irks me a little is the we have a private road on orders of Ada County. Ada County collected their full impact fees, made us build our own road, and now is charging more than double for trash service because of it! I think Ada County should take some ownership of our trash situation….
Thanks again for listening 🙂
It is likely that at least one family on each private street will pay the extra amount to have their trash picked up in front of the house, which means that means the trucks will be driving on the same private streets as they do today. But if you do not (or cannot) pay the extra amount, then you have to drag your can 1/2 mile out to a public road, even though the truck drives right past your house to get the neighbor's trash.