Municipal Garbage History: Los Angeles Department of Sanitation Founded 1957

When our city did the garbage, we had year round yard waste, every week bulk collection and you could just call for no holds barred extra pick ups and they would come out at the end of the day and do extra pick ups no questions or hassle or anything, we basically had unlimited service and no litter in the street. Also we had bi weekly street sweeping and leaf collection was on a daily schedule in the fall.

Contrast that to now, we have 95 gallon automated garbage cans and 65 gallon recycling cans. Sometimes they get emptied all the way and sometimes they don't and always tons of trash and litter in the street, I spend every garbage day picking up after the garbage truck. We have an extremely stupid yard waste season that starts a little to late and ends way to early it ends right in the middle of leaf season which then forces you to dump yard waste in the leaf pile, or hard your yard waste garbage lots of people do that.

Then we only have 1 bulk waste day a month and the problem with that is Republic doesn't send enough crews in and because people are forced to hoard garabge all month when we do have bulk day the tree lawns are stuffed to the gills and Republic doesn't send enough equipment or people and naturally there trucks break down and there routes get over shot and they can't pick it all up. Then stuff sits out on the curb for another day and maybe they come back to get it the next day and maybe they don't, usually it's way later in the day and this week we Republic missed a pick up and one neighbor called the police on another neighbor who's pick up was missed what stupidity.

As far as yard waste same deal, sometimes they can cram it all in sometimes they can't same thing they don't send enough people or equipment and if we have a nice weekend like this weekend the yard waste route will get over shot and over run and they won't be able to pick it all up. Republic tries to do the city in one day and they this year have been failing. The problem is the only thing they want to do is the auto cans the other stuff they really don't want to do, it's just that it comes with the territory, but there really not interested in it.

Photo Curtsy of Rob Jamison

Legend has it the old school "Grass Recycling Truck" never missed a pick up. Old 1980s Ford era Ford L8000 with 1980s era Leach 2R2 packer. No DEF Fluid, no emissions controls, probably manual transmission, not over burdened with software and sensors that break, probably wasn't specked with the biggest engine ever, but then again this truck spent more time in the city then on the road and spent more time running then driving. The miles on this truck probably were not that much, but the engine hours were probably very high. Because all that packing the truck does is all powered off of the trucks diesel motor.

 

What did they say about recruitment back in the day? That was back when the company and the union were both probably a lot stronger then they are today?

 

I don't know the admin must not have liked that I was using a link and didn't have any caption or anything oh well.

 

I told the city I’m in they bring it back in house, I’ll apply and work my way up to refuse department director and then maybe Service Department Forman.

I know a couple of the city councilors and they know who I am. I don’t think the mayor knows me but we have met before.

The woman who is the councilor for ward 4 I like her I think she’s a real leader. She thinks it’s refuse over haul time as well.

Right now the price per house is bid so outrageously low they can’t say no they just can’t say no, but that’s not now until forever, the price skyrockets $200,000 a year In 2022 which will be just enough money to totally negate any savings they have had.

What happens is Republic and all of them bait and switch. They give a stupid low price for a few years and the politicians get hooked on it like cocain and then after the city has long forgetten they used to do the garbage them selves and all the old timers have gone away and the city has sold there bought and paid for assets off for pennies on the dollar, the companies sky rocket the price.


Then the city says oh F you will rebid and then the other companies all bid way high and the city has 3 bids none of which are acceptable and after public outrage they choose the cheapest of the high bidders. In some midnight sweet heart deal. Meanwhile, there’s some one at city hall looking at the numbers going, F we signed a 5 year contract for 1.5 million a year. In 3 of those years we could have bought our own equipment and by year #4 had it paid off and and bought a new truck 2 new trucks again in that same 5 year span. I bet our city if they really wanted to could probably match $800,000 a year maybe a bit more, but I bet they could do that price and the difference is Republics price will only go up where the cities price kind of flattens out after a while. That’s what I was told by the council lady. Plus there’s an aspect of hiring local people who live and work in the community. As it stands now you hire local people the money stays here.
You hire Republic it goes out of state and poof it’s gone. And they send in a bunch of gun for hire truck CDL B and some A drivers Who are all chasing a pay check or squabbling for an Automator, Roll Off or Front Load commercial job.