Like The City's cable cars, San Francisco garbage trucks also climb halfway to the stars. But where they take trash is up in the air. (Julie Gibson/Flickr)
We all know bodies haven’t been buried in San Francisco for like a hundred years. Hence Colma, the happeningest place to go when you die.
But what happens to your trash, another huge space-suck? Like many things in The City, garbage is a process full of politics and intrigue. And it stinks.
SFGate reports San Francisco in November revoked its new 10-year, $112 million contract with Recology, the same company that currently hauls The City’s trash out to the Altamont Landfill.
In just a few short years, The City will need a new landfill to store its waste. San Francisco had lined up a new deal with Recology, but the contract was revoked after three lawsuits were filed against the company.
Two of the lawsuits allege The City bypassed a required environmental review when they originally granted the new contract to Recology.
A third lawsuit was filed by a rival trash company, which complained of unfair bidding practices. Waste Management supports this position, and says they will continue with their lawsuit even after the city set aside the contract and promised to make good on the environmental review.
Waste Management is calling for the city to open the contract for rebidding, contending that simply performing the environmental review does not address the issues of unfair bidding practices seen by granting the contract to Recology.
The City hopes temporarily revoking the contract will allow them to please all sides of the debate without sinking too much money into legal battles.
The Board of Supervisors originally approved the agreement allowing Recology to skip the environmental review. According to SFGate, this should have saved ratepayers money in the short term, and in the long term there shouldn’t be any trash to haul by 2020 anyway, as The City moves toward zero waste.
Last modified January 4, 2013 5:39 am
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