Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Waste Management topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Athens Services Says SB 1383 Compliance Has Mixed Cost Impacts for Paramount Businesses
Summary
Athens Services told the City Council that implementation of SB 1383 organics rules led to varied bill changes for commercial accounts: some saw large increases when they did not right-size service, others saw decreases after following recommendations. Athens reported outreach, auto-enrollments and 132 exemption requests.
Athens Services gave a detailed update to the Paramount City Council on Dec. 17 about the rollout of state-mandated organics recycling rules (SB 1383) and the program's effects on commercial accounts.
Randon Lane of Athens said the company contacted more than 700 commercial accounts and auto-enrolled roughly 618 accounts to ensure city compliance; about one-third of auto-enrolled accounts later contacted customer service. Athens reported 132 waiver requests under the state rules; the city approved 24 and rejected eight under the SB 1383 criteria.
Lane presented four rate examples showing varied outcomes. "Pre SB 1383, they were paying $216; post SB 1383 they started paying $356," he said as one example of a 64.8% increase when customers did not right-size services. He also showed a large account that decreased after following recommendations and a more typical example where adjustments kept increases to about 7'8%.
Athens emphasized education and repeated site visits, including more than 400 calls and 464 on-site visits, and said staff provided trainings and outreach at community events. The company said some increases result from converting single trash-only service into separate trash, recycling and organics streams as required by the law.
Why it matters: SB 1383 is a statewide mandate for food and organic-waste diversion; implementation can raise costs or reduce them depending on how businesses adjust service levels and participate in training and right-sizing.
Next steps: Athens and city staff will continue outreach, provide trainings, and work with businesses and mobile-home parks to reduce contamination and right-size services. Council members indicated interest in pursuing state-level clarifications where rules are operationally difficult.
Sources: Presentation and Q&A by Randon Lane (Athens Services) as recorded in the Dec. 17 council meeting.
