The impending removal of two Greenwaste yard-waste recycling containers from Erba Lane in Scotts Valley has caused some city residents to protest the loss of the popular convenience.
The two 40-cubic-yard containers that were installed on Erba Lane across from the Scotts Valley Fire Protection District in 1999 are scheduled to be removed June 17.
Recently, someone placed a sign on the containers, asking to “save the containers.”
“It’s been so successful and popular with residents that we’ve kept it,” said Scott Hamby, wastewater and recycling manager.
The containers have been the place where city residents who don’t have green curbside recycling bins can dump their yard waste.
They are used by residents and landscapers, among others, Hamby said.
Due to budget cuts, however, the City Council has decided to remove the containers as a cost-savings measure.
“We were looking at ways to save money and impact the residents as little as possible,” Mayor Dene Bustichi said.
Hamby said the city spent nearly $54,000 last year to empty both containers at least twice a week. It costs $150 to empty the first container and $125 to empty the second, both at the Ben Lomond Transfer Station, Hamby said. That translates to more than $4,400 each month.
Removing the containers will pass the cost of yard-waste recycling onto the residents of Scotts Valley.
Residents in single-family homes who pay Greenwaste for trash and recycling carts receive a free green curbside recycling cart. Commercial properties, however, must pay an extra $8 each month to have a green cart. That includes not only businesses, but also any multifamily residential unit whose property owner pays for a garbage Dumpster.
Bustichi noted that many commercial properties, including apartments and condos, have landscapers, who are not supposed to use the green recycling carts for yard waste.
“We have a lot of contractors who use the Dumpsters free of charge,” Bustichi said.
The containers were paid for with property tax money paid back by the county of Santa Cruz specifically for cleanup-type activities such as street sweeping and recycling, Hamby said. However, that money has shrunk, as property taxes remain the same and costs have increased.
Hamby noted that residents will still be able to drop off Christmas trees in January on Erba Lane.
Once the containers are gone, yard-waste loads can be taken to the Ben Lomond Transfer Station, 9835 Newell Creek Road, in Ben Lomond, 454-2430.
For information: Scotts Valley Water Treatment plant, 438-0732.
