By admin 
The city of West Sacramento will have a new company providing trash collection services for the first time since incorporating as a city.
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In July, the city will switch from WM to GreenWaste, a San Jose-based company that works with more than 20 public-sector clients and serves more than 300,000 residential customers.
The West Sacramento City Council approved the change Wednesday in a 4-1 vote. The decision came amid widespread opposition over a selection process with little community input that drew criticism from city residents, commissioners and council members.
Rates for city residents will increase under the new contract. West Sacramento has for years paid more for trash collection than it has charged residents. This year, the city expects to pay nearly $2 million more than it charges residents.
The council weighed three options for phasing in the new rates. All three cost the same over the 10-year contract, but they differ in how quickly rates increase. The council selected a five-year phase-in plan suggested last month by Councilmember Dawnté Early. Under the plan, rates will increase gradually from about $29 per month for most residential customers next year to about $46 in 2031.
The city has worked with WM since 1987. Its current contract ends in June, so the city initiated a competitive bidding process last year. City staff determined that GreenWaste’s proposal was stronger than proposals from WM and Atlas Disposal, another competing hauler.
A negotiated contract was reviewed by the city’s Environment and Utilities Commission last month. Residents who attended the meeting criticized the contract’s terms and the city’s selection process, which they said did not give residents enough of a voice. Commissioners determined they could not recommend the contract to the City Council without more community input.
GreenWaste made several changes to the proposed contract after the commission meeting and before the City Council first discussed it at its Aug. 19 meeting. The changes included increasing the number of bulky waste pickups included in residential contracts, increasing the number of yard waste bins included in a standard bundle and assisting people with mobility issues by wheeling cans to the street and back on pickup days. Even so, the council raised similar concerns about the process and decided to conduct further outreach.
The council had little time to make its decision.
The proposals were set to expire Sept. 27, at which point the city could be forced to start a new competitive bidding process. The city spent $214,000 on a consultant to help evaluate the bids and also committed significant staff time over more than a year.
“Delaying can be costly,” Mayor Martha Guerrero said.
In the weeks between the council’s first discussion of the contract and its passage, the city held multiple outreach events and an open house at City Hall, which roughly 50 residents attended, according to a staff report.
Nearly all public comments made ahead of Wednesday’s vote or sent to the council by email opposed the contract.
“The public has spoken and the answer is no to GreenWaste.” West Sacramento resident and City Council candidate Kathy Bailey said during public comment. She said the council should fight for better rates and include more community input in the decision, comparing the city’s process to the search for a new hauler getting underway in Davis, which includes more public outreach ahead of a request for proposals.
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Some residents cited higher costs; others objected to the process.
“I do not agree with the higher costs homeowners may incur,” Kathryn Solorzano wrote to the council.
Councilmember Norma Alcala said she had heard a lot from the public on the issue. She introduced a motion to restart negotiations with all three companies.
“We have residents who are very upset about this,” Alcala said.
“I think about the future costs,” Guerrero replied. She opposed negotiating with all three companies, but said she too had concerns about the selection process. “I really do wish that we didn’t do it this way.”
No one seconded Alcala’s motion.
GreenWaste’s proposal was the strongest on most metrics the city considered, and the company is best-positioned to help the city meet its sustainability goals, Guerrero said.
“I’ve heard my constituents,” Alcala said casting the sole vote against the contract. “No.”
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What residents should expect
Starting July 1, 2027, GreenWaste will be responsible for trash, recycling and compost pickup for West Sacramento residents. The city agreed to a 10-year contract that includes two optional five-year extensions. GreenWaste will retain all qualified employees and keep them on their current routes.
West Sacramento’s waste and compost will continue going to the Yolo Central Landfill. The city’s recycling will be taken to a processing facility in Galt instead of the Sacramento facility where it is currently processed.
The contract includes additional community benefits such as a scholarship and internship program for students, support for the Center for Land-Based Learning’s Community Food Program and a 20% discount for seniors and low-income residents.
Most residential customers will pay about $29 per month next year. The rate is expected to increase annually, reaching about $36 in 2029 and about $46 in 2031. The contract includes a nine-month grace period for contamination and overage penalties. Most customer service will be managed by the company’s Sacramento-based call center.
The city will send notices ahead of a Prop. 218 hearing scheduled for Jan. 20. It will partner with GreenWaste on a public outreach campaign to ensure residents know what to expect. GreenWaste will place an employee at City Hall to help with the transition.
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