> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.smdp.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Not-so dirty decision City Council considers partnership to collect refuse and recyclables - URL: https://www.smdp.com/not-so-dirty-decision-city-council-considers-partnership-to-collect-refuse-and-recyclables/ - Published: 2007-11-01T15:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-24T03:45:10.000Z - Author: Kevin Herrera - Tags: Government & Politics, Santa Monica, #archive-import *FROM TRASH PAGE 3 Confused Council mulls trash plans* CITY HALL In what could be the start of a beautiful friendship, the City Council ear-lier this week voted in favor of exploring a public-private partnership that would be responsible for collecting all of Santa Monica’s garbage, sorting out the recy-clables and then shipping the refuse off to landfills for disposal. Following a lengthy discussion that involved a 30-page PowerPoint presentation, plenty of confusion and a lot of unanswered questions, the council decided to move cautiously, ordering the City Manager’s Office to begin talks with Athens Services, Allan Co. and Southern California Disposal (SCD) to see which company could offer the best rates and services to customers while possibly working in partnership with the city’s Solid Waste Management Division (SWMD), which currently collects all residential refuse and recyclables while operating the city-owned transfer station, where garbage is sorted and shipped. The decision shortened the lists of companies in the running for a potentially lucrative contract that could affect rates charged to residents and business owners for the next 15 to 30 years. The council is in the middle of a in-depth review of its solid waste operations. The goal is to stabilize rates and provide the best possible service to customers while creating efficiencies. In voting for the public-private partnership, the council expressed its desire to work with a company that has a clean environmental record, is known for treating employees fairly and is committed to increasing the number of tons of garbage that are diverted from the landfill. “This has been going on for years and the one thing we’ve learned from this whole process is that it all boiled down to the city (SWMD), SCD and Athens,” said Allan Co., one of the largest recyclers in the Western U.S., is interested only in running the recycling portion of the operation and not transfer and disposal. Allan currently runs the Santa Monica Recycling Center. It wasn’t an easy decision for many of the council members to make, given the complexity of the issue and their lack of familiarity with the garbage business. “I have to say that I found this very difficult to understand and I’ve spent a good part of my career doing numbers. I found (the report) to be almost opaque,” said Councilman Bobby Shriver, who did not cast a vote for the public-private partnership because he did not feel he had enough information to make an intelligent decision. “There should be a much simpler version of this.” What made it even more difficult was the lack of accurate information provided by city staff. There seemed to be holes in the report that needed to be filled and clarifications made. Members of the council said they were disappointed with the information they received and asked staff to come back with answers to their questions in the next 45 days. Under two scenarios that will be considered, SWMD would build and operate a new, fully covered transfer station at the City Yards and Allan Co. would continue to run the recycling, just as it is done today. The facility would be covered, a dramatic improvement over the current transfer station, which is an open-air facility, exposing waste to the sun, wind and rain, causing City Hall to come under fire from environmentalists, and state and county officials who have demanded the station be covered. Under another option, Allen Co. would continue to handle recyclables while SWMD would be in charge of receiving and sorting materials, while a third party, SCD or Athens, would provide transfer services to the landfill. > “The numbers aren’t set, but that will be part of the negotiations. Then we’ll have a clearer picture of what the best option is.” > “This is where the rubber meets the road.” — Mayor Pro Tem Herb Katz. said Mike Matosian, vice president of SCD > “We feel very confident that we will be able to sit down in good faith and see whose ship floats and whose ship sinks,” The council could ultimately decide to let SWMD, Athens or SCD run the entire operation. Representatives with SCD, which operates its own transfer station adjacent to that of the city’s, said they were pleased with the council’s decision and hope to make their case during negotiations. They believe they are the best company in the bidding war, citing their clean environmental record, their dedication to their employees and their ability to continue operations without interruption while they build a new facility that would be certified sustainable. Matosian was concerned heading into Tuesday’s council meeting because the staff report left out pertinent information about SCD’s proposal, he said. One issue that wasn’t explored in more detail is the potential for a land swap between SCD and the city, Matosian said. SCD owns about an acre next to Bergamot Station, a possible site for light rail. SCD proposed swapping that piece of land for land adjacent to the city’s and SCD’s transfer stations so that one, integrated station could be built. Councilman Ken Genser expressed support for consolidation given that SCD operates independently of City Hall and will continue to process trash brought in by other cities if Santa Monica does not use some of its capacity. “That means more trash being imported into our city with smaller trucks, only to get exported in small trucks,” Genser said. “That isn’t good for our environment. Why are we importing trash to export it to a landfill?” Matosian believes SCD can outperform SWMD and is in a better position to offer more secure rates. A committee charged with evaluating proposals felt SWMD would be the best choice give its price and commitment to environmental stewardship. Representatives from Athens did not return phone calls seeking comment. A representative with the Municipal Employees Association called on the council to keep operations “in house” to ensure no positions are lost. It is still undecided on which direction to take in the commercial sector. The council failed to move forward with a recommendation on how to best handle the more than 2,000 businesses that currently contract with SWMD and over 40 other companies. Some were leaning in favor of awarding commercial collection to SWMD since workers there already collect garbage, green waste and recyclables from residents around town. “I think the city has provided fine collection service and they certainly will continue to do that. They know the city better than anyone,” said Councilman Bob Holbrook. “I think that this would be a step in the right direction to reduce the number of trucks rolling through Santa Monica’s commercial areas.” Holbrook made a motion to begin negotiations with SWMD, but the motion failed with a 3-3 vote. City staff will return with more information on the commercial collection proposals for council to consider. *Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on November 1, 2007.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/110107.pdf?ref=smdp.com)