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Residents complain to council about pre-dawn Recology pickups, RV waste and trash burdens
Summary
Several Pacifica residents told the council that Recology of the Coast has been collecting trash at or before 4:40 a.m. at some apartment complexes and asked the city to enforce contract pickup times, adjust routes, and address oversized-vehicle sanitation and RV parking impacts along the 400 block of Esplanade.
Multiple residents and callers raised complaints during public comment at the Feb. 10 Pacifica City Council meeting about early-morning trash pickups by Recology of the Coast and ongoing sanitation issues tied to oversized vehicles and RVs in beach-adjacent blocks.
Amanda Norquist, a resident at 380 Talbot Avenue, said she started noticing early and frequent truck activity beginning the week of Jan. 13; she said drivers woke residents before 5 a.m. and that she recorded a truck departing an apartment cluster at 4:51 a.m. Norquist told the council she had repeatedly reported the issue to Recology customer service and had been told the company would alert managers and dispatchers but that the problem recurred.
Remy Tan, who spoke by phone, described similar early pickups in Pacific Manor and said Recology told him trucks sometimes start as early as 5 a.m. to avoid traffic; he said he has observed trucks operating later in the morning in other neighborhoods and recommended the city require pickups between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. or otherwise restrict pre-dawn collections for multi-unit dwellings. Tan and others also raised concerns about sanitation impacts from oversized vehicles and RVs along the 400 block of Esplanade, requesting more serviced dump sites and additional spaces for these vehicles.
Council members acknowledged the complaints and said staff will follow up with Recology about contract compliance and route timing. Mayor Beckmeyer and other council members asked staff for a concise status summary of the Recology contract provisions and enforcement options, and staff said they would pursue follow-up and report back to council.
Why it matters: Early-morning collection can disrupt sleep for residents, particularly people with health conditions (commenters described PTSD and anxiety), and repeated disturbances prompted multiple callers to request that the city enforce noise and contract pickup-time provisions. The RV and oversized-vehicle sanitation issues near public beaches raise public-health and tourist-experience concerns that callers said warrant added collection capacity and enforcement.
Next steps: Council members asked staff to follow up with Recology on compliance with contract hours and to bring a short summary of contract terms and enforcement options to a future meeting. No formal action or new contract amendment was adopted at this meeting.
