CONTRACT BIDDERS REVIEWED CITY STAFF PREFERS BURRTEC.

Byline: Heather MacDonald Staff Writer

SANTA CLARITA - The City Council should award the contracts for residential and commercial trash pickup and recycling services to Fontana-based Burrtec Waste Industries, city staff members have concluded.

The independent company was the only one of three finalists to guarantee the construction of a materials recovery facility, which officials said Monday would boost the city's lagging diversion rate, and to promise to raise rates only three times during the seven-year term of the residential contract.

``Burrtec provides the city with the best overall value for the city,'' said City Manager Ken Pulskamp. ``Burrtec will provide cheaper, better service that will keep more trash out of landfills.''

Burrtec's proposal lowers the monthly trash pickup and recycling fee for Santa Clarita homeowners from $22.13, which is among the highest rates in Los Angeles County, to $16.46 starting in 2006. In the last year of the deal, residents would pay $17.78 after three cost-of-living increases.

The residential deal and the commercial contract, which begins in August, would be worth $102.4 million to Burrtec, if its offer is accepted by the Santa Clarita City Council.

In addition to the services required by city officials, Burrtec offered to allow residents to recycle food scraps along with their lawn clippings while vowing to increase commercial recycling by at least 25 percent through a mixed-waste processing program.

``Our offer emphasizes innovative recycling programs, because (it is what) we believed the city was looking for,'' said Burrtec Vice President Eric D. Herbert. ``We're very progressive when it comes to recycling.''

Burrtec officials hope to build the material-recovery facility in Santa Clarita within a year. At the end of the contract's term, Burrtec would sell the facility to Santa Clarita, according to company officials.

``This is a big deal,'' Pulskamp said. ``This puts the city in a strong position to deal with our solid waste over the long term.''

The staff's recommendation surprised many civic leaders, many of whom have publicly supported current hauler Blue Barrel Disposal Co., which is almost as well-known for its contributions to local nonprofit groups and sponsorships of charity events as for its blue trash trucks and bins.

``We listened to what people wanted and that's what we put in our proposal,'' Blue Barrel Site Manager Chris Fall.

Blue Barrel offered to charge residents $16.25 a month for trash pickup and recycling service. However, residents would pay $18.47 in the last year of the deal after five cost-of-living increases.

Waste Management-owned Blue Barrel also offered to build a materials recovery facility but would not agree to make it part of its formal contract or promise to sell the facility to Santa Clarita, Pulskamp said.

``The costs in the two proposals were very close,'' Pulskamp said. ``That gives us confidence that rates are as low as possible.''

Burrtec provides the best opportunity for the city to meet a state law that requires cities to recycle 50 percent of their trash and make progress toward its self-imposed goal of recycling 75 percent of its waste, Pulskamp said.

The city recycled just 42 percent of its waste in 2000, and initial data from state officials show Santa Clarita diverted just 39 percent from landfills in 2001.

Reporting errors by Blue Barrel have been blamed, in part, for the city's low recycling rate, though company officials have said those mistakes were corrected and will not happen again.

The recommendation from the city staff also criticized Blue Barrel for claiming two years ago that it could not charge less than the $22.13 rate and meet its costs, while now offering enhanced services at a much-reduced rate.

The third finalist, Consolidated Disposal Service, would charge $18.29 a month for trash pickup and recycling service. By the last year of the deal, residents would pay $20.27 after four cost-of-living increases.

The Santa Clarita City Council will discuss the contract offers at a special meeting at 6 p.m. Thursday in the council chambers at City Hall, 23970 Valencia Blvd.

Heather MacDonald, [phone]

heather.macdonald(at)dailynews.com

TRASH FEES

Highlights of final offers:

Blue Barrel Disposal Co.

Monthly single-family home rate: $16.25

Disposal: Antelope Valley Landfill and Lancaster Landfill and Recycling Center

Materials Recovery Facility: Yes, but not guaranteed in contract

Burrtec Waste Industries Inc.

Monthly single-family home rate: $16.46

Disposal: Orange County landfills

Materials Recovery Facility: Yes, obligated to build one before 2006

Consolidated Disposal Service

Monthly single-family home rate: $18.29

Disposal: Chiquita Canyon Landfill in Val Verde 

Materials Recovery Facility: No

Source: City of Santa Clarita

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TRASH FEES (see text)