Garbage rates for residents of unincorporated South County will
inch upward under the latest plan to keep rates in step with
inflation.
Gilroy – Garbage rates for residents of unincorporated South County will inch upward under the latest plan to keep rates in step with inflation.
Annual “cost of living adjustments” proposed to begin October would raise monthly garbage collection costs from $20.72 to $21.90 for homes with a single 32-gallon trash can, according to an announcement from Santa Clara County’s Integrated Waste Management Division. The nearly 6 percent increase also applies to the higher monthly costs for homes with two and three trash cans each.
The first bills reflecting the new rates will arrive at homes in November if county supervisors approve the increase Aug. 28. First, however, residents have an opportunity to voice their opinion on the proposal during a public hearing.
In addition to the so-called COLA increase, the rate adjustment includes fee hikes to pay for county administrative costs and a garbage franchise fee.
Residents in unincorporated South County, meanwhile, will have to wait another two years before they catch up with other county residents in terms of garbage collection practices.
As of July 1, unincorporated areas north of San Jose will switch to single-stream recycling – a method that frees residents from sorting their trash and recyclables. South Valley Disposal & Recycling, the company that serves residents in unincorporated South County, is also moving forward with plans to start the service in Gilroy by January 2008.
To finance new trucks needed for the service, the average homeowner in Gilroy can expect to see 67 cents tacked on to the current monthly garbage bill of $23.20.
Residents in unincorporated areas of South County will not get single-stream recycling until 2009, when South Valley’s current contract expires and the county goes out to bid again. Preparation for the roughly one-year bidding process has already started, said Zachary DeVine, spokesman for the county’s Integrated Waste Management Division.
“We’ll have single stream recycling, containerized garbage and yard waste, and battery and motor oil recycling,” DeVine said. “(The last two) will be new services to the unincorporated folks.”
The public hearing on the proposed rate increases takes place prior to the supervisor’s vote on Aug. 28. The meeting takes place 2pm in the supervisor’s chambers at the County Administration Building, 70 W. Hedding St., in San Jose.
