From: Amanda Grossman
To: councilmtgitems
Subject: Item 12b - Solid Waste Rate Study
Date: Monday, June 12, 2023 3:58:03 PM
Attachments: 23.04.17_RRRWasteRateStudy.docx
image001.png
Good afternoon,
Attached is a motion from the Commission on Sustainability, Environmental Justice, and the Environment regarding Item 12b – Solid Waste Rate Study. Please let me know if you need any additional information. Thank you.
Amanda Grossman (She/Her)
Sustainability Analyst
LEED Green Associate, TRUE Advisor, ENV SP
(310) 458-2201 x 2406
Sustainablesm.org
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Memo
To: City of Santa Monica City Counciland City Manager’s Office From: Dean Kubani, Chair,Commission on Sustainability, Environmental Justice and the Environment
Signature:
Date: April 18, 2023
Re: City of Santa Monica Commission on Sustainability, Environmental Justice, and the Environment Motion Regarding the Waste Rate Study
At the April 17, 2023 regular meeting, the Commission on Sustainability, Environmental Justice, and the Environment discussed and took action on the following agenda item:
Waste Rate Study
i) Yvonne Yeung (Resource Recovery and Recycling Manager) presented on the Five-Year Waste Rate Study with rate
adjustments for enhanced clean and safety services. Rate studies are typically conducted every five years in the City. Rates have not been adjusted since 2019.
ii) The rate adjustments will help the City right size waste and recyclable staff levels, right size sweeping services, further SB 1383 implementation, restore bulky item pick-up staff, and develop a volunteer community cleanup program.
iii) The proposed rate adjustments would be a 11 percent rate increase for all customers (single, multi-family, commercial).
Additional discounts are being developed for low-income households similar to water rates.
iv) The rate study will be presented to Council in June. If adopted, the new rates will go in effect in August 2023.
After discussion, the Commission on Sustainability, Environmental Justice, and the Environment made the following motion:
The Commission on Sustainability, Environmental Justice and the Environment recommends Council support the findings in the proposed Solid Waste Rate Study. Understanding the environmental, economic, social and regulatory importance of achieving zero waste, the Commission supports the proposed rate increase of 11 percent associated with the Enhanced Clean and Safe Services option.
The motion was made by Chair Kubani, and seconded by Member Sokol.
The motion was approved by the following roll call vote:
Ayes: Chair Kubani
Vice Chair Mearns
Member Lempert
Member Sokol
Noes: None
Abstain: None
Absent: Member Pettit and Member Tower
From: City of Santa Monica
To: councilmtgitems
Subject: FW: To the Manager of Recycling, Solid Waste Management, RRR Division Managers Date: Tuesday, June 13, 2023 9:30:22 AM
Attachments: image001.png
To submit a 311 request please visit 311.santamonica.gov, email [email protected], or call (866) 311-7266
City of Santa Monica
1685 Main Street
Santa Monica, CA 90401
(310) 458-8411
From: [email protected] <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, June 13, 2023 1:07 AM
To: City of Santa Monica <[email protected]>
Subject: To the Manager of Recycling, Solid Waste Management, RRR Division Managers
EXTERNAL
June 13, 2023
To Yvonne Yeung, Manager of Recycling
and all the Policy Managers of the RRR Division of Santa Monica:
The comprehensive "Rate Study for Solid Waste Review" fails to fully, fairly consider individual customer's actual production of solid waste. Over recent years, Santa Monica has engaged its residents in pro-active participation in various programmatic and educational efforts to reduce the creation of solid waste, including the new Organics Recycling Program to accelerate the City's goal to achieve "Zero waste for pounds per day per person of landfilled trash by 2030." My whole family has pro-actively accepted the challenge of Zero Waste, and most months we come very close to achieving this goal.
Between the Green Organics and the Blue Recycle bins, sometimes we have nothing to put out in the black bin, and often it goes out for collection with just one lonely paper bag in the bottom, or does not even go out to the curb for collection at all. For years I have called RRR to see if there is a tiny refuse option available that would reflect our family's actual production of solid waste, always to be rebuffed that "the 65-gallon bin" is the smallest size available." 65-gallons is obscenely large for a zero waste by 2030 goal. I would think that any serious plan to incentivize the "Zero Waste Goal" would include encouraging effortful reduction of single-family solid waste through offering the option of much smaller-capacity bins. I don't need a 65- gallon bin, and in all fairness should not be charged for making that obscene amount of solid waste.
It is indeed disappointing to see that Santa Monica's new glossy Prop 218 Notification, "Proposed Rate Increases for Solid Waste Services," does not offer or even consider incentivizing reduced capacity options accompanied by correspondingly reduced rates. Uncreatively, 65-gallons remains the smallest capacity available, which ignores the actual needs and efforts of some families, and thus the proposed plan falls short of being an inclusive project. Moreover, the frontpage, bold heading, Ways to Lower Your Bill, after stating the obvious that "the more landfill trash a customer generates, the higher the bill," then describes/offers NO rate reduction plan for customers who have worked to successfully achieve "zero waste by 2030." Nada, zippo, nothing is offered for residents like myself who have taken to heart and implemented the "zero waste by 2030" reality. So it is not quite true or fully honest to state that "the more landfill trash the higher the bill" when zero landfill trash does not equal a zero bill. In my opinion, this is a glaring omission, and admission really that Santa Monica is not serious about truly incentivizing behavioral change to achieve the goal to which it pays lip service.
Moreover, it is very disappointing to see this meager section, "Ways to Lower Your Bill," as an insincere afterthought to the real goal of jacking increased rates across the board. The little paragraph is void of any substantive ways to lower the bill by conforming to the programmatic goal the objectives of which, we as a single family have already achieved.
Although RRR services claims to "modernize and simplify the rate structure," the actual rate schedule does not rationalize or correspond to reflect the stated goal of ZERO WASTE BY 2030. With no rate or use option to fit my household's ZERO WASTE, my household (and other similarly actively participating residents in the City's collective solid waste goal) is thus effectively excluded from a fair rate and use option offered by all the RRR Services Plans, past and present, and future as now proposed.
I don't need a 65-gallon black bin, do not use it, do not want it, and do not want to be compelled to pay for it. In all fairness, Solid Waste Policy and Collection pricing options need to reflect Santa Monica residents' actual production/participation of solid waste production. Have faith that as policy and in practice, the Zero Waste by 2030 effort does actually work.
Over the years, and long before the articulated goal of "zero waste by 2030," I have called the RRR Administration many times to raise my voice and concerns, always have been told "there are no other service subscription options" for you, "you must pay for the minimum 65-gallon bin." RRR has never been helpful to "assess my disposal activities to choose the right service subscription" as stated in the Proposition 218 Notification. Finally, after all these 25 years, I would appreciate being heard, and receiving a response. Thank you.
Sincerely Yours,
Mrs. Aleta Wallach, owner of
355 25th Street
Santa Monica, Ca 90402
[email protected]
Assessor's ID # 4278004015