Do Pacificans Subsidize Garbage Collection South of Devil's Slide?

In a comparison of monthly rates for garbage collection, Pacifica pays as much as 141 percent more for weekly collection of a 30-gallon garbage can than residents of El Granada and Montara. Seacoast Disposal holds the contract for garbage collection in Montara, El Granada, and other communities south of Devil's Slide. Seacoast is a sister company to Coastside Scavenger, and both companies are owned by Louis Picardo. Some rate examples:

One 30-gallon can per week
Coastside Scavenger $30.19/month
Seacoast Disposal $12.50/month

One "mini" (20-gallon) can per week
CS $19.28/month
SD $8.71/month

Second 30-gallon garbage can per week
CS $30.19/month
SD $18.32/month

Senior (65 years or older), one 30-gallon can per week
CS $14.43/month
SD $8.83/month

"Bulky Goods" collection service (appliances, mattresses, etc.)
CS By mail notification in 2008, twice per year
SD Three times a year as per the contract

LIONEL EMDE
RIPTIDE CORRESPONDENT

 

Comments

[ian butler]

In related news, the rates that Coastside charges commercial businesses to dump greenwaste at their lot has gone up over 500% since the first of the year. A sign of what's to come?

[Leonard Woren]

Seacoast services more than 3000 households -- Granada Sanitary District also contracts with Seacoast. I'd guess that the total number from El Granada through Montara is close to 6,000 households. And yes, our franchise fee is a very small fraction of the franchise fee in Pacifica. On the other hand, I don't see how there is any economy of scale with having twice as many customers.

What I don't know, but would be useful information to have for this issue, is whether a truck makes more than one trip per day to the dump. If so, that would explain higher fuel costs for Pacifica customers.

[Dan Underhill]

I went to the recycling yard today to drop off some scrap metal. Coastside Scavenger employees are circulating a petition to all comers in support of the status quo. It was suggested that the other possible recycling organizations would charge a fee to drop things off. I understood that pretty much all recycling places took scrap ferrous free and paid money for non-ferrous metals. Anyway, I declined to sign, not because of any formed opinion as yet but precisely because I don't yet have an opinion. As a plumber I use the recycling yard often. If the yard charged me money to drop off a water heater I would, of course need to pass the cost on to my customers. Right now I can drop old pipes, water heaters, and any other metal debris and only charge customers for my time. I should also say that, true or false, the story that the Coastside Scavenger employee presented me with may or may not have been company policy but the petition they are circulating probably is.

[Lionel Emde]

Seacoast's franchise fee paid to local government south of the Slide is 2 percent.

How can fuel costs be lower going to and from the coastal communties down there? All the trucks operate out of the same headquarters on Palmetto Ave. Please explain the math you're using.

[louise]

Coastside services 11,000 plus households and Seacoast services less than 3,000 households. Do the math and figure the wage, diesel and dump fees. Coastside has a franchise fee with additional fees of 12.50% and Seacoast has a 1% franchise fee that was brought to the attention of the Pacifica Council by then Montara Board President Kathryn Slater-Carter.

[Dan Underhill]

The Devil's Slide Tunnel will make a difference but right now it is a great deal easier and less risky to get big trucks of garbage from Montara to the Ox Mountain Land Fill than from Pacifica. I haven't a clue about what any of it should cost but there is a good reason for some difference between what we pay and what they pay south of the slide.