Los Angeles waste services are often compared to the olden days of the Wild West. But if the City has anything to say about how waste is collected, it will soon be a party of one.
That’s because the City’s Board of Public Works has begun investigating awarding exclusive rights to haul residents’ trash. The city, which has 11 regional subdivisions for waste hauling, would award only one contract per region. It’s a move that the city hopes will give it greater control over waste and help push their zero-waste agenda.
However, some businesses and residents are concerned that by eliminating the competition by awarding only a single contract, rates could go up due to the lack of competition.
The proposed changes would only affect multi-residence buildings with four or more units and commercial properties. The city already handles the trash collection of single family homes.
From the L.A. Daily News:
Los Angeles leaders will this week begin debating a controversial plan to radically change the way trash gets collected from businesses and apartment buildings in the city.
Today, the Board of Public Works will hold the first public hearing on a proposal to move from a largely unregulated free market – one likened to the “Wild West” by critics – to a highly regulated system in which the city would select one private waste hauler to serve each of 11 geographic regions.
If approved by the City Council, the change would occur in 2016.
Read the full article here.