From:
To: Jill McLewis; Stephen Zollman; City Council; Mary Gourley; Sandra Maurer; Neysa Hinton; Phill Carter Subject: Support for Retaining Recology Sonoma Marin as Sebastopol’s Trash Service Provider Date: Monday, January 6, 2025 5:12:51 AM
From:
Date: Monday, January 6, 2025 at 4:42 AM
To:
Subject: Recology
Dear Members of the Sebastopol City Council,
I have copied below a message you will receive from others. Personally, I am loathe to pay more for garbage services for no reason. I live on a fixed income, create very little trash, and see no reason to pay more to someone else. My street sweeper goes out of his way to give the best service possible and is warm and friendly. The trash pick-up guys are always pleasant and helpful. Please do not switch to another provider.
I am writing to express my strong support for retaining Recology Sonoma Marin as Sebastopol’s trash service provider. Choosing SCRR instead of Recology is not in the best interest of our community, as it will negatively impact both residents and businesses.
SCRR’s proposed rates are significantly higher, especially for commercial and multi-family customers. For example, we would face a staggering 30 - 40% cost increase under SCRR compared to Recology. This is largely due to drastically higher costs for recycling and composting. Such rate hikes discourage participation in environmentally crucial programs like recycling and composting.
Additionally, SCRR does not have a local recycling facility, transporting materials out of the county to facilities with lower processing capacity. This will undermine Sebastopol’s recycling rate, increase greenhouse gas emissions, and contradict our city’s sustainability values.
In contrast, Recology is an employee-owned company with a state-of-the-art facility that properly recycles 85% of collected materials. They actively support our community by providing exceptional service, transparency, and resources for local events. Recology’s proposed rates are also more affordable for the majority of residential customers, including a $4 per month savings on the widely used 32-gallon garbage cart.
It is important to acknowledge that residents and businesses in Sebastopol are already grappling with rising costs from PG&E rate increases and water rate hikes. Small businesses, in particular, are finding it increasingly difficult to survive, as reflected in the growing number of closures within our community over the past year. The City Council must do everything possible to keep costs manageable for both residents and small businesses, who are the backbone of our local economy and community.
Sebastopol prides itself on being environmentally conscious and community focused. SCRR’s poor track record in Windsor—marked by customer complaints, lack of transparency, and rising costs—further demonstrates they are not aligned with these values.
I urge you to prioritize the interests of Sebastopol’s residents and businesses by maintaining our partnership with Recology Sonoma Marin. Their commitment to affordability, sustainability, and community support makes them the clear choice for our city.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Gretchen Chertov