Nice job by our Mayor, City Council and staff, as opposed to those who constantly allege all of them of being corrupt and unscrupulous (see Matt Sullivan).

Thank you.

Sounds like contract negotiations done right! I do wish we didn't have to wait for free bulk-pickup. Seems like most if not all surrounding cities have been offered this service for years.

So it appears the current company cant handle recyclables, not sure what that means. Were recyclables ever reprocessed by this company. And how much will the new company that can process them cost to the citizens of Pleasanton, is it Free? lol. And is a 13% reduction the proper amount?

So, wouldnt it behoove the City of Pleasanton to determine the total cost of removing garbage including Recyclables, put out a contract for that and not just a portion of garbage collection. I realize the current company has served Pleasanton for a long time I've been 47 yrs. However, its all about the bottome line

Hope nobody will be caught off guard when the new contract gets signed and PGS raises our rates shortly thereafter. Wondering why we pay PGS for the privilege of us homeowners sorting our own reclyclebles then they pick it up, sort it out, bundle it up then resell to wholesalers who ship it overseas at a tidy profit??? Is the city saying that when they bring in a new party to run the recycled material it won’t be charged back to us? Hmmm I think I see another bill coming in the mailbox every 2 to 3 months.

The Pleasanton garbage company has always been extremely easy to deal with. Anyone complaining should try dealing with WM in Oakland. We have a very good situation in Pleasanton. Plus the guy singing country music in the booth always makes me smile during my weekend trash hauls.

As a green/ garden centric city we should definitely add compost giveaways twice a year.

All surrounding cities have had it for a decade plus as their way of giving back for green bin pickups or have had drive to the facility anytime and get your free compost pickup for years.

So, are us residents going to see a reduction in fees?
Will anything change with the 3-can pickup system we now have?
Is PGS EVER going to create a website that allows us to pay bills online? As a residential utility, they are in the dark ages on this point.

Ndna Jnz:
I pay my PGS bill online, using my bank's bill pay service. For me it works well.

Jtjh: Thanks for your comment; I do the same. I should have clarified that I meant there is no way to check your account balance/amount due or receive an electronic bill through your bank so that it gets paid automatically. It is hard to argue that PGS is behind most public utility services in this respect.

Amazingly, the City of Pleasanton seemed okay (or at least very lenient) with the Water Department taking almost three years to get a website in place - and then they shut it down because it was such an abomination. When they finally re-launched it nearly a year later, I was astonished to see that it still looked like it was designed in the 90's. But, at least now, we are able to see our balance and history, albeit quite convoluted.

Cheers and happy new year,
Jeff

Hrrmm - Not sure how my name changed to Jtjh. That was weird!

Sorry, Jtjh, I swear I am not trying to impersonate you. I don't know how that happened but, the previous message/reply to you was obviously from me.

Cheers,
Ndna Jnz
aka, Jeff

In the 20 years I've lived in Pleasanton, I've never understood why I'm charged for green waste at the transfer station, but if I haul a load of cardboard, cans, bottles, or another recyclable, there is no charge.

Curious of Del Prado:
PGS would likely argue that we are paying for the convenience - which may be a valid argument; however, I think the City should pay for that. Also, because we are allowed to place cardboard and other limited recyclables in with the green clippings, it requires a person to separate those, and someone has to pay for that. Combining these is clearly not a perfect solution, but it's certainly better than adding a fourth can to my side yard.

And speaking of Holiday time, wouldn't it be great if we had an extra pickup right after the holidays, just for all of those big boxes that the toys came in, rather than overstuffing our cans and then having to pickup all of the trash that falls out when the garbage truck picks up? Yes, that would be nice.