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Willows council moves to refine mandatory refuse and recycling ordinance; seeks Waste Management input and exemptions
Summary
Council gave direction to staff to revise a first-reading ordinance that would require mandatory refuse and recycling service for all improved properties, asking for clearer problem statements, exemptions for businesses that already provide service elsewhere and coordination with the city's franchise agreement holder.
The Willows City Council on Sept. 9 considered a first reading of an ordinance that would require mandatory refuse and recycling collections for all improved properties in the city, and directed staff to refine the proposed language and coordinate the measure with the city's franchise agreement and Waste Management.
City staff introduced the ordinance as a public-health and code-enforcement measure intended to reduce on-site waste accumulation, rodent and fire hazards, and illegal dumping. Staff said the draft ordinance borrows from the City of Orland’s approach and would be implemented through the city’s franchise agreement with Waste Management.
Council members raised questions about scope, timing and fairness. Councilmember Pride said she was surprised the item appeared as a first reading without prior council discussion and asked for a clearer problem statement and data showing the ordinance’s expected effect. Staff replied that code-enforcement records show roughly 11 issues since January 2024 but that some refuse problems go unreported.
Members discussed multiple technical and equity points: whether residents who generate very little waste should be required to subscribe; whether property owners who already pay for commercial dumpster service at another location should be exempt; how multifamily housing is billed; whether recycling collection should be mandated separately; and whether green/organic waste services should remain optional. Staff advised that California law (AB 341) already mandates some commercial recycling requirements and that, under the proposed rules, residential recycling is currently included with trash service and green waste is optional.
Council asked staff to prepare specific exemptions (for example, documented commercial service in lieu of residential service and de minimis generation exceptions), to clarify container-size language (the draft uses a 96-gallon residential maximum), and to set out an enforcement and billing approach. Staff recommended obtaining subscription reports from Waste Management and cross-checking them against the city’s dwelling lists, then sending a notice and a 10-day dispute window before any enforcement steps. Potential enforcement approaches discussed included placing unpaid service charges on the property tax roll as a lien, similar to weed-abatement or other special assessments; staff cautioned that franchise-agreement language must be coordinated so Waste Management and its counsel accept reporting and submission requirements.
Council reached general agreement that the concept should move forward, but asked staff to revise the ordinance text and work with Prentice Long (the firm handling a broader municipal-code overhaul) and Waste Management so the measure is consistent with other code chapters and practicable to implement. Council did not vote to adopt the ordinance and left no final reading date on the record.
Why it matters: mandatory collection ordinances aim to reduce public-health risks and neighborhood blight; they also impose recurring service costs and administrative burden, and therefore typically include exemptions and dispute processes.
Next steps: staff will draft revised ordinance language incorporating exemptions, a reporting cadence with Waste Management, and proposed enforcement and hearing steps; staff will present the revisions as part of the broader code-update work overseen by Prentice Long.
