West Hollywood wants to own your trash.
In a proposal set to be unveiled at Monday’s City Council meeting, the city is aiming to prohibit residents and businesses from hauling off their own solid waste, recyclables or construction debris (a practice which they call “self-hauling”), handing our “authorized franchisee” a virtual monopoly on waste management in WeHo.
As of now, only an authorized franchisee of the city (i.e. Athens) can collect solid waste, recyclables, organic waste, or construction and demolition debris in West Hollywood, as per Section 15.44.010 of the Municipal Code. However, Chapter 15.40 allows certain exemptions for specific individuals and entities, such as residential householders, gardeners, and some commercial and industrial business owners. This permits them to act as “self-haulers,” individuals or entities engaged in salvaging which they create or bring into the city.
The catch lies in Section 15.40.040, which states that anyone aiming to self-haul must first secure a self-haul permit from the city. They would then need to adhere to procedures for self-hauling defined by the City Council. However, since the introduction of this provision in 2021, no such procedures have been established by the Council. This oversight has resulted in unregulated self-hauling, the city says.
City Hall claims such unregulated activities detract from their endeavors to meet waste diversion targets and ensure proper waste separation. As a countermeasure, City Hall is recommending a complete prohibition on self-hauling, which will guarantee that waste from such properties will be managed either by the city’s franchise waste hauler or by other properly regulated methods.
The amendment, they say, would also save the costs associated with creating and enforcing regulations for self-hauling, as mentioned in Section 15.40.040, and would eliminate the need to manage the self-haul permit program. This proposed change also aligns with SB 1383, which mandates all single-family residential customers to utilize franchise waste hauling services. Residents will not bear any additional costs due to this change, as they are already obliged to pay for franchise waste services.
The city claims this proposal is a step forward in streamlining waste management practices and ensuring that West Hollywood remains efficient in its waste disposal efforts.
But of course, the real reason behind this solution in search of a problem is money.
All that garbage, debris and recyclable material we throw out is extremely valuable to the city’s franchise waste hauling service, and any that escapes their trucks is revenue lost. For residents, it’s another overreach by WeHo bureaucrats intent on regulating our lives as much as they can get away with. Unlike many in our unhoused community, WeHo residents and workers don’t need the city to tell them how to manage their waste properly.
So if a baby poops in his diaper in a car while still in West Hollywood city limits but the parent changes the diaper and discards it in Beverly Hills, will this be considered a violation of the overreaching waste of municipal effort and regulation? Seems to me like the parent better stop and discard the diaper so Athens gets the pounds and credit. Will I be allowed to leave the city limits with the Starbucks I bought in West Hollywood and discard the empty cup when i get to my office in Los Angeles? Bureaucrats.
Let’s have three trash containers. Send Buyers back to Arizona. Erickson to Oshkosh. Sepi Shine back to Iran.
When will the City propose sending code compliance officers to inspect our beds to make sure we properly executed square corners?😂😂 this goes back to boarding school and summer camp.🥲🥲
Gawd save us from those who write municipal codes! Ix there not a regular bidding process for the “hauling”? I’ve had good relations with Athens, no comp0lints, but that dies not preclude an open bidding process to gain the best services for the best price.
I believe Athens got a no bid contract with the City. I could be wrong, but I don’t think so.
So they don’t want people to have the right to sell their own recyclable items?
How would this even be enforced?
This seems like this is aimed at the people who collect saleable items from our recyclable bins; but if the City can’t prevent homeless people from shoplifting, how would they enforce this ordinance? Seems like another City Hall “solution” in search of a problem.
So true.
Homeless shoplifters are a protected class in Gascon’s LA. Unfortunately, law abiding taxpayers are not. If they can fine us for anything, they will.
Well then, let’s just not let them get away with it!
If I have trash that doesn’t go in the bins I will take care of it myself. I remodeled my place and every day the workers I hired hauled away the construction debris. Is Athens going to do that or will I have to make an appointment for their pick-up?
This is more government over-reach and we have to stop it with the small things before our lives are regulated in ways we would have never imagined.