Rubbish Collection Orange County

If there were ever any doubts about who has held sway over the city's trash industry, they were buried along with Cosmo (Dick) Taormina. On that spring day in 1984, top city officials crowded Anaheim's First Christian Church to pay their respects to the gregarious man some called the "garbologist." After the church service, a convoy of polished trash trucks--some from competing firms--met the long, slow funeral procession at the cemetery gates.

Residents will start paying 31 cents more a month for trash collection services on July 1. The City Council this week approved the increase in residential trash rates, from $13.88 to $14.19. The rates were raised because of increased costs in the contract between the city and the garbage collection company, Brea Disposal Inc. Also, the amount of trash collected last year increased from 427.25 tons to 440.89 tons per month.

A trash-hauling firm in Anaheim that triggered a garbage crisis for Orange County last year when it took its business out of the county's landfills is threatening to pull out once again. The development came in a letter received Monday by Board of Supervisors Chairman Roger R. Stanton from Vincent Taormina, the chief executive officer of Anaheim Disposal Inc. And the news did not sit well with some officials.

A proposal to shorten the amount of time that trash barrels can be left on the street was defeated last week on a split vote of the City Council. A city ordinance allows residents to put their trash on the street 24 hours before pickup. The barrels must be retrieved within 24 hours after they are emptied. The proposed changes would have reduced to 32 hours the time trash barrels could have been left on the street.

It doesn't matter whether it's Laguna Beach or Lake Forest--the trash company still comes once a week and takes away what's sitting on the curb. Residents of both cities get separate bins to handle their recyclables, and what's left of the garbage heads to the county landfills. In fact, just about the only difference that homeowners and apartment dwellers of those two small cities are likely to notice is the bill.

Residents will start paying 31 cents more a month for trash collection services on July 1. The City Council this week approved the increase in residential trash rates, from $13.88 to $14.19. The rates were raised because of increased costs in the contract between the city and the garbage collection company, Brea Disposal Inc. Also, the amount of trash collected last year increased from 427.25 tons to 440.89 tons per month.

Although bankruptcy has forced Orange County to cancel its tree recycling program this year, the loss will be offset because almost all cities in the county are offering similar services. Cities that require residents to drop off their trees include: * Buena Park, at 7171 Thomas St., through Jan. 26 * Mission Viejo through Jan. 11 at Home Depot store, 27952 Hillcrest, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily, until 9 p.m. weekdays * Santa Ana, at Alona Park, 1817 W. 21st St., and Memorial Park, 2101 Flower St.

A proposal to shorten the amount of time that trash barrels can be left on the street was defeated last week on a split vote of the City Council. A city ordinance allows residents to put their trash on the street 24 hours before pickup. The barrels must be retrieved within 24 hours after they are emptied. The proposed changes would have reduced to 32 hours the time trash barrels could have been left on the street.

For retail stores, the day after Christmas is the biggest day of the year for merchandise returns. For waste collectors, it's one of the busiest days of the year for picking up trash caused by the mass celebration. In San Clemente, city officials want residents to think about recycling before bottles, decorations and wrapping paper are tossed in the trash. From Christmas trees to gift boxes, the city has a way for residents to safely dispose of holiday refuse.

Taormina Industries, a trash hauling company, will collect and recycle Christmas trees in the seven cities the company serves between Dec. 26 and Jan. 7. Residents of Anaheim, Brea, Placentia, Yorba Linda, Villa Park and the Garden Grove Sanitary District may leave their Christmas trees for curbside collection. All types and sizes will be accepted, including flocked trees. Tree stands, decorations and tinsel must be removed. Trees that are more than six feet tall must be cut in half.

If one of the biggest costs for getting rid of our garbage goes down by nearly 40%, it stands to reason that the garbage bills of the county's 750,000 households and businesses should follow suit. Right? Not exactly. Even though the county's landfill dumping fees--hiked dramatically to help offset 1994 bankruptcy losses--are dropping to the lowest levels in six years, residents in some cities probably won't ever see their garbage bills return to pre-bankruptcy levels.

City officials could be excused for feeling, well, dumped on. In the past seven weeks, the city has been hit with trash collection controversies ranging from a jilted refuse company employee giving the City Council a Nazi salute, to an angry citizen dumping his trash on the desk of a City Hall secretary. "Trash is a dirty business," says Mayor Joseph D. Lowe. "There's so much at stake, things get a little intense."

Until recently, cities all but dismissed the swiping of newspapers, cans and bottles from household recycling bins as the work of homeless people in search of pocket change. But with the value of recycled materials skyrocketing, the scavenging game has become organized and increasingly pervasive, infuriating residents and costing Orange County cities and waste-disposal firms more than $1 million annually.

Residents will soon be getting a mandatory third trash can for yard waste from the city, but some residents complain the additional can is not needed. By the end of the month, a brown-colored container for yard waste will be added to the two trash cans already provided for household garbage and recyclable materials. The third can is needed to comply with the California Integrated Waste Management Act of 1989, said John Fraser, the city's environmental coordinator.

When Tyrone and Tina Fuimono of La Habra visit the beach, they are usually dressed for a swim, armed with a book or two and excited about a day enjoying the sun. But Saturday morning just north of the Huntington Beach pier, the couple were outfitted for work, carrying trash bags and thankful the sky was overcast. The pair were part of an estimated 5,200 volunteers to participate in the annual California Coastal Cleanup Day.

A valuable collection of fossils thousands of years old, including newly identified species of sea lions and dolphins plus ancient horses and bison, was thrown out with the trash at a Newport Beach school, officials revealed Tuesday. The fossils had been collected during the excavation of a reservoir in the east part of Costa Mesa and had been stored temporarily at the closed Lindbergh Elementary School, said Karl Kemp, general manager of the Mesa Consolidated Water District. On Aug.

Christmas trees may be left for curbside pickup or taken to any of several city disposal areas or one of two countywide mulching centers, shown at right. County centers will provide bags for taking mulch home; you must provide your own bag at a city center. Please remove stands, decorations and nails from trees. The addresses by city given below are for residents of multifamily housing or anyone wanting mulch.

Starting next month, Briggeman Disposal will pick up trash in 35-gallon containers under a pay-less-for-less-trash program that is expected to encourage residents to recycle more. Residents will pay $9.95 monthly under the plan approved by the City Council after a public hearing this week, according to Assistant City Manager Gerard Goedhart.

Cleaning out your garage? It could cost you twice as much to leave that tattered sofa at the dump. Run a gardening business? Expect to pay 50% more to dispose of lawn clippings. Own a home? Prepare for a bigger trash bill. Fee hikes are never popular, but these are especially controversial; they come as bankrupt Orange County tries to raise money by enticing out-of-county trash haulers with cut-rate prices, some almost 50% below what local haulers pay.

The Orange County Integrated Waste Management Commission is backing a trash importation plan that could raise up to $22 million a year to help the county through its economic problems. Opponents complain bitterly that the plan forces county businesses to subsidize outside trash haulers. But officials said the plan provides the only source of new revenue for the bankrupt county and is a key component of the financial recovery plan.