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County reports outreach, timeline for new garbage, recycling and organics franchises; low-income rate outreach coordinated with SSA
Summary
County staff gave a transition update for the new garbage, recycling and organics franchise agreements, including outreach plans, vendor readiness and a targeted effort with Social Services Agency to identify and notify low-income households eligible for a discounted rate.
The Board received an April update on the county's transition to new garbage, recycling and organics franchise agreements and the outreach plan for customers in three service districts.
What staff reported: SIPA (Consumer and Environmental Protection) staff summarized outreach timelines by hauler and district, materials to be provided to customers (welcome letters, customer guides, call-center scripts) and multilingual translation plans (Spanish and Vietnamese for key documents, additional language support through hauler call centers). GreenWaste (District South) and GreenWays (District East) are the primary haulers referenced; staff said no new taxes were involved and described that GreenWays will send a program announcement in mid-June while Recology will send an interim postcard by June 1 to customers in affected areas.
Low-income-rate coordination: staff described a targeted data match with the county Social Services Agency (SSA) to identify current benefit recipients who live in unincorporated areas and may qualify for a reduced garbage rate (county staff reported 312 customers identified so far in the initial analysis). Staff said customers who qualify for PG&E's CARE (low-income) program typically provide the documentation haulers use to apply the discount; SIPA and SSA agreed to coordinate targeted materials and outreach to boost enrollment.
Operational readiness: staff said vehicle and equipment timelines remained on track, and Green Waste reported driver-route adjustments for District West that affected about 460 customers; Green Team said advanced notices (phone, email, texts) resolved the small number of follow-up questions.
Action: the board received the transition update and directed staff to report again on May 20 with additional updates.
Ending: supervisors thanked staff and the haulers for the preparatory work and asked for continued targeted outreach to low-income households and those likely to see a service-day change.
