Politics & Government

Council Trashes Mini-Can Rate Increase

Tiny can collection costs would have gone up 33% versus 6% for other can sizes.

Angry citizens united Monday night in their opposition to a proposed rate increase for collecting 20-gallon "mini-can" garbage containers, and were able to convince the city council to reduce the rates.

Calling the proposal an ironic betrayal of the city's movement toward zero waste, residents complained that the cost of collecting mini-cans would increase at a rate 27 percent more than cans of other sizes.

If the original proposal had been approved, rates would have risen from $15 to $20 per month—a 33 percent increase—while rates for cans of other sizes would have increased only six percent.

Find out what's happening in Palo Altowith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"I'd be willing to pay a dollar more," said resident Bob Moss, "but five dollars more is absurd, and insulting."

Within an hour, Councilmember Greg Scharff moved to strip the mini-can increase from the proposal while leaving intact rate increases for other can sizes. However, Mayor Pat Burt amended the proposal to apply the six percent rate increase to mini-cans, and the motion was unanimously adopted.

Find out what's happening in Palo Altowith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Rate increases had been proposed to help reduce a potential $6.2 million shortfall in the city's Refuse Fund.

Although new rates were adopted for a 12-month period, until October 2011, the discussion of rate increases could be reopened after release of a study on refuse costs expected to be completed by January.

The 20-gallon cans have proven that in the city's effort to reduce waste, big changes can come in small sizes.

Palo Alto has seen a 74 percent diversion rate in waste -- among the highest in the nation, according to the Department of Public Works.

 


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