Last Friday, I read an article in the Gilroy Dispatch
entitled

A new county trash hauler?

and became very apprehensive. The article stated that Santa
Clara County would soon decide whether to continue with South
Valley Disposal and Recycling, which has provided our garbage
service for the last 50 years, or to go with a new company,
GreenWaste Recovery, which will cost more but offer more services,
including collecting yard waste in 96-gallon carts and picking up
recyclables every week.
Last Friday, I read an article in the Gilroy Dispatch entitled “A new county trash hauler?” and became very apprehensive. The article stated that Santa Clara County would soon decide whether to continue with South Valley Disposal and Recycling, which has provided our garbage service for the last 50 years, or to go with a new company, GreenWaste Recovery, which will cost more but offer more services, including collecting yard waste in 96-gallon carts and picking up recyclables every week.

What upset me was that SVRD already picks up my yard waste in a 96-gallon cart, and picks up my recyclables every week. I went outside to my driveway in the rain to check, and sure enough, the green yard waste cart says 96 gallons right on it. So it sounded as though I, as a Gilroy resident, and hence as a resident of Santa Clara County, was going to have to be paying more money for the same services. So Wednesday, I called SVRD, and before I could type “for publication Friday, March 6, 2009,” I was connected to general manager Phil Couchee. Great service. Mr. Couchee explained that SVRD’s contract was ending September 30th of this year. The county had therefore issued an RFP, a Request For Proposals.

The two top contenders were SVRD and GreenWaste Recovery. The differences in proposals are as follows:

– GreenWaste will be collecting yard waste in 96 gallon carts. SVRD issues 12 vouchers per year to county residents who can then make a free dump run to San Martin Transfer station with their yard waste. Point of interest, San Martin Transfer Station will soon be closing. Thereafter, the vouchers will be good for a free dump run to Kirby Canyon Landfill up U.S. 101 opposite Coyote Creek Golf Course.

n GreenWaste will collect recycling every week, whereas SVRD only collects every other week.

n GreenWaste will be charging more. I was by now feeling very confused, so I explained to Mr. Couchee that I, a Gilroy resident, and therefore, by virtue of the fact that Gilroy was a city within the confines of Santa Clara County, a county resident, already had those very services. And Mr. Couchee finally managed to make it plain to even me that “county” in this case refers to those areas in Santa Clara County that are outside of any city jurisdiction: specifically San Martin and some little pockets in the unincorporated areas.

“County” does not mean, as I assumed, every place within the boundaries of Santa Clara County. So I was relieved that at least my garbage bill and services will continue as before. But I was still not satisfied with the recommendation from county staff to accept GreenWaste’s proposal.

First, if county staff wants a particular level of uniform services, they should ask for them in the original RFP, and not force bidders to deduce what exactly they want from mere psychic emanations.

Secondly, in these economic times, it seems very cavalier of county staff to go with the more costly of two proposals. I thought the whole purpose of competitive bidding was to provide government services at the lowest price to the taxpayers.

Lastly, I question how many residents in these unincorporated pockets even need a uniform service of a 96-gallon cart for yard waste. Perhaps San Martin residents could use it. But my sister-in-law and brother-in-law-in-law, who live a mile and a half down a sunny dirt road east of Uvas Reservoir, certainly do not. They own 20 acres of oak and grass and bay laurel and toyon. They have no yard waste. Some of what falls over and dies on their property fuels their wood stove. The rest quietly decomposes in situ, re-enriching the soil, creating humus, making homes for tiger salamanders and foxes.

SCC Director of Agriculture and Environmental Management Greg Van Wassenhove says that because of state mandated diversion rates, the county is required to divert 50 percent of its waste to recycling and green waste. But the truth is, it would be environmentally harmful for my sister-in-law to send 96 gallons of her yard waste to the land fill each week by diesel truck just to fulfill a stupid state mandate.

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