Trash collectors offer customers new services
By Kyle Jorrey kjorrey@theacorn.com

Two new services offered by the city's trash collection providers should "pick up" the spirits of residents who can't always fit all their refuse into their allotted containers or who occasionally make the mistake of forgetting to take out their garbage on the appropriate day.

During their recent performance reviews, G.I. Industries and Anderson Rubbish Disposal told the City Council they would be offering customers extra bag pickup as well as extra collection on nonscheduled pickup days, two services not available before this year.

At a cost of $3 for one extra bag and $5 for two or more bags, residents who call at least a day ahead of their regular collection day can have their trash collector pick up bags that don't fit in the three containers provided. In the past, those bags would simply be left behind for pickup the following week.

The additional bags must be able to fit into the regular 71gallon blue trash container.

Those residents who have extra trash, recyclables or yard waste to dispose and choose not to wait for their regular trash day (or who missed trash day altogether) can now request a special "offschedule" pickup of all three containers in addition to their weekly pickup. The cost is $25.

"This gives the customer the opportunity not to have their waste lingering at their homes, especially if they've had a gathering of some sort and trash day was the day before," said Jan Orsini, deputy director of compliance for the city. "Now a customer doesn't have to wait for a week to go by for that trash pickup to come."

These new services come along with the required annual adjustment of pickup fees. This year, the regular residential trash pickup rate in Simi will increase by 66 cents from $20.52 per month to $21.18. Rates for seniors (age 62 and above) will increase 59 cents from $16.45 per month to $17.04.

The commercial/multifamily rate for a 3-cubic-yard bin collected once a week was increased by $2.59 per month, from $119.39 to $121.98.

All adjustments are based on 2007 adjustment factors, said Orsini, including the 1.9 percent Consumer Price Index increase and a landfill fee increase.

The new agreement also includes a $5 fee for customers who pay their bill by phone using a credit card. There is no extra charge for any other payment option, including paying online with a credit card.

According to Orsini, both G.I. and Anderson are in very good standing with the city, in large part due to their success in diverting solid waste from the landfill.

"As a result, that's brought (Simi) into a 55 percent diversion rate, and the state requires all cities and counties to divert at least 50 percent of solid waste that goes into the landfill," Orsini said. "That means 55 percent of the trash picked up in the city is going to be recycled and not going to the landfill. Both haulers have done an excellent job."