Scotts Valley garbage headed out of county

To save residents money on trash pickup, Scotts Valley will haul its garbage nearly 40 miles to Marina, instead of taking it to the county-run landfill in Watsonville.
The City Council unanimously agreed at the Dec. 16 meeting to sign a 30-year deal with Monterey Regional Waste Management District to dispose of Scotts Valley’s rubbish.
The Monterey Regional Waste Management District runs a landfill in Marina that charges $28 per ton for disposals taken to the dump, which is $40 less than the county-run Watsonville landfill price of $68 per ton.
“Staff is always looking for ways to save the city money,” Mayor Jim Reed said. “We’re glad we found a superior deal.”
The move comes because the county’s trash fees have increased steadily in recent years, often to more than the Consumer Price Index, according to a report by city staff.
For example, in 2006, county’s disposal fee increased from $60 a ton to $66, Reed said.
The contract with Monterey Regional Waste Management District promises disposal fees won’t climb higher than the Consumer Price Index each year.
“It gives us the certainty that we won’t have increases higher than the inflation rate,” Reed said. “It’s a certainty we didn’t have before.”
Scotts Valley generates less than 10,000 tons of trash a year, according to the staff report.
The decrease in disposal fees will be offset by extra transportation costs to haul trash a greater distance. However, Reed said the main benefit of the deal is saving ratepayers from future unpredictable rate hikes.
“It’s my understanding that the city will still come out ahead,” Reed said. “Because of this change we made, ratepayers will not be affected by tipping fee increases.”