BURBANK : Rates for Automated Trash Pickup OKd

A second trash can for residents on Burbank’s automated garbage collection routes will cost an extra $7 to $9.50 per month, plus a one-time non-refundable charge, according a fee schedule adopted by the City Council.

The rate schedule, which city officials have been developing for a few months, will go into effect Sept. 3. The change now affects only the one-third of residents on the city’s automated garbage collection routes.

“I don’t think we’ve gone far enough to establish a fair and equitable system,” Councilman Bob Bowne said. Bowne said that he did not think the city had done enough to determine what the actual cost is for the extra garbage pickup before setting the new rates.

Public Works Director Ora Lampman said it would take several months of study before the city would know what that cost would be.

The fees were adopted by the City Council on Tuesday by a 4-1 vote, with Bowne dissenting. Other council members, however, echoed the suggestion that the fees be changed once the city can determine the exact cost per household for the extra cans.

Residents on the automated route are now paying $7 a month if they have a 35-gallon can, $12.77 for a 64-gallon can and $20.20 for a 101-gallon can. Under the new plan, they would pay another $7 if they wanted a second 35-gallon can, $8.50 for another 64-gallon can, and $9.50 for an extra 101-gallon can.

The new rate structure was considered an improvement over an earlier proposal, rejected by the council, to simply charge double.

“One of the basic premises we’re looking for is to encourage people to recycle,” Lampman said, explaining that there is no charge for containers for recyclables and green waste such as lawn trimmings.

For the second container, the city will also charge a one-time, non-refundable fee of $34.32 for a 35-gallon can, $37.29 for a 64-gallon can and $46.49 for a 101-gallon can.