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Residents press council over 'Save As You Throw' program, disputed fines and survey
Summary
Resident Yuri Bronzberg told the council the Save As You Throw program relies on an "unscientific" survey, misstates subscriber costs, and warned the city plans to fine noncompliance $30 per incident while residents already pay multiple program-related charges.
Yuri Bronzberg of Middlefield Street criticized the Save As You Throw sanitation program and the presentation that accompanied it, saying the program's survey results were "not scientific" and that the contractor misrepresented costs to the council.
"They're now going to fine us all $30 every time we are non compliant with the program," Bronzberg said, warning that residents face multiple charges: mandatory fees, service charges and the cost of program bags. He described total resident costs as layered—citing a $150 mandatory fee, program service costs he estimated around $280, plus bag costs and grant-related expenses—arguing that the model amounts to multiple payments by the same taxpayers.
Bronzberg challenged figures used by the program contractor and said the presentation used a 95-gallon cart to calculate differentials instead of the smaller 65-gallon cart that more residents use. He also disputed reported compliance rates and said his own informal checks showed lower compliance in some neighborhoods.
During his remarks he requested that the city consider more rigorous, scientific evaluation of participation and that his name be advanced for the sanitary disposal district committee vacancy so he may present evidence and participate in committee deliberations. There was no committee response recorded in the public-comment period during this meeting.
