LA Approves Franchise Zones to Drive Zero Waste Plan

As part of its zero waste plan, the city of Los Angeles has approved a $3.5 billion waste hauling contract that will divide the California city into 11 commercial waste franchise zones served by seven haulers, Waste360 reports.

The companies that will collect waste are: Athens Services (three zones), Republic Services (two zones), Waste Management (two zones), Universal Waste Systems (one zone), NASA Services (one zone), CalMet Services (one zone) and Ware Disposal (one zone). The 10-year franchise rights will take effect in July 2017.

Los Angeles first adopted its zero waste plan, which included establishing a franchise waste and recycling collection system, in April 2014. Under this system a single trash hauler will collect waste from all commercial, industrial and multi-family customers in each zone.

Under their contracts, franchise haulers will be required to submit monthly tonnage reports, by waste stream. The sanitation department will certify waste facilities used, and these facilities will also be required to submit monthly reports.

The city says its current open-market system makes it impossible to push its waste diversion targets or set labor standards. LA currently diverts 76.4 percent of its waste from landfills; under the franchise waste hauling system it has set a goal to divert 90 percent.

Other goals of the program include: reducing landfill disposal by 1 million tons annually by 2025, setting transparent and predictable solid waste and recycling service rates, investing more than $200 million into waste and recycling infrastructure and putting more clean-fuel waste hauling trucks on the road.

Other cities including Seattle and San Jose have moved to implement franchise waste zones in recent years and New York City is currently working with businesses to develop a similar system.

A New York City study released in August said that these waste collection zones reduce truck traffic and greenhouse gas emissions associated with waste collection.