[Vision2020] more trash talk

[Bill London]

I believe that Antone Holmquist’s message (below) helps summarize and advance the discussion on the future of Moscow’s trash pickup changes.  I am sending it to V2020 with his permission
BL

To the Council,
    While generally supportive of the proposed roll cart garbage system, I have some concerns and comments.  
    A major plus of any roll cart system with attached lids is the expected lessening of garbage cans and garbage rolling around the city in windy conditions!  
    I rent out a small apartment in my 120 year home near the Hospital.  With the present system I pay two base fees.  $20.30/month.  This, despite the fact that my tenant and I put out little garbage, most weeks zero.  With the new system will I be required to pay for two roll carts?  If so, even at the smallest size at the proposed rate, I would pay $35.30/month, which is an estimated $12 more per month than I pay now, even factoring in  the occasional tags I purchase.  Not fair.  It should be an option to rent one roll cart, even if the city considers your home a "duplex".  
    Here's one way to look at the proposed fees:
35 gallon cart:     $17.65  $.50/gallon
65 gallon cart:     $23.15  $.36/gallon
95 gallon cart:     $28.65  $ $.30/gallon
For each increase in size the marginal rate per gallon is $.18/gallon
     Tim Davis informed me that $10.15 of each fee is considered a "base fee", so....let's do this:
35 gallon cart:  $17.65-$10.15 (base fee)=$7.50:  $.21.4/gallon
65 gallon cart:  $23.15-$10.15 (base fee)=$13.00: $.20/gallon
95 gallon cart:  $28.65-$10.15 (base fee)=$18.50:  $.19.5/gallon
I realize there is infrastructure everyone needs to pay into.  However, the monthly fee for the largest cart works out to 10% less per gallon than the smallest.  This is the wrong way to go.  Besides the basic costs of running a sanitation department (office, accounting, insurance, etc), there are the costs of the collection, vehicle maintenance, transportation of the garbage to the Transfer Station and the Cost of exporting the garbage to the eventual landfill.   In the latter 4 categories of expense the high waste producing households add substantially more expense to the system than low waste households.  This clearly calls for increasing marginal rates, not decreasing them.  
     I would like to see options for low waste households.  At this evening's Finance  Committee Meeting it was stated quite clearly by Mr. Davis and Mr. Reidner that technology exists for such options, although each has associated costs.  I would love to learn more about these technologies.  
    Thank You for your Time and your Service,     
Antone G. Holmquist
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