Logo courtesy of the City of West Sacramento

WEST SACRAMENTO, CA (MPG) – The City Council voted 4-1 at their Sept. 9 meeting to authorize the city manager and staff to enter into a 10-year contract with GreenWaste Recovery, LLC for solid waste collection in the city.

Councilwoman Norma Alcala was the no vote on the contract. Alcala, who represents District 1 in northern West Sacramento, said she has received calls and been approached by constituents at church, local stores and elsewhere about the proposal.

“My constituents are not happy with GreenWaste and the proposal they’ve made, and they didn’t like the approach the city used,” Alcala said. “I heard my constituents.”

“As a disadvantaged community area, District 1 is most impacted,” Mayor Martha Guerrero said in urging her fellow members to speak up during council discussion.

Council also approved one of three options presented by GreenWaste to phase in new solid waste collection rates over the first five years rather than two other options that would have phased in rates over three years. The five-year phase-in has the lowest starting point of the three at $29.48 a month for a 64-gallon single family residential waste cart, rising to $36.90 at the midpoint in 2029 and ending with the highest rate of $46.18 at the beginning of 2031.

The first option would provide lower rates at the beginning of the period, starting at $30.50 before rising to $40.76 in 2029 and ending at $44.94 in 2031. A second option would have provided lower rates over the life of the contract, starting at $32.38, rising to $40.25 in 2029 and ending at $44.38 in 2031.

Rates for multifamily housing also increase in a similar fashion under the 5-year option but will be for a 4-cubic yard bin. The annual cost of living adjustment for both single- and multifamily rates would be capped at 5%.

After 2031, the city and GreenWaste would evaluate the rates at the time. The contract, which would run through June 30, 2037, also provides for two 5-year extensions.

The contract includes low-income and senior discounts of 20% for qualified applicants. It also extends a pledge to offer employment to qualified displaced employees of the current waste hauler, Waste Management (WM) and has signed a Letter of Intent with Operating Engineers 3 union to keep their negotiated employment package in place.

“Simply put, our future employees will not be going backwards in benefits and compensation,” GreenWaste Chief Operating Officers Kevin DiVincenzo said.

The San Jose-based company’s contract with West Sacramento begins July 1, 2027 — after a rate increase public comment process required by Proposition 218 takes place, with a public hearing on the increase slated for Feb. 17, 2027. Part of that process requires rate increase notices to be mailed to all city ratepayers at least 45 days prior to the hearing.

Ratepayers impacted by the proposal may submit written protests up to the hearing. If 50% of ratepayers object, which City Attorney Jeff Mitchell said in West Sacramento’s case would be 7,501 letters, the city would re-enter negotiations with GreenWaste on rates.

“It’s essentially a consumer protection law for local utility rates,” Katelyn Scholz, senior managing consultant with R3 Consulting Group, said of the 218 process. R3, based in Roseville, was hired by the city to assist with the solid waste proposal process.

Four companies responded to the city’s request for proposal (RFP) for solid waste services issued in November 2025. One was disqualified for an incomplete proposal with the remaining three — Atlas Disposal, GreenWaste and WM — evaluated by an “Evaluation Panel” comprised of representatives from the city’s Sustainability Division, Finance Department and a neighboring jurisdiction’s solid waste manager.

Proposals were scored on quality of service, experience and references; proposed operational services; customer service, reporting and outreach; sustainability and service rates and value. GreenWaste scored highest of the three with an 86.4 and was the highest in all categories save one — service rates and value where Atlas and WM both scored higher.

According to the staff presentation, GreenWaste was selected because of its overall scores along with “enthusiastic references,” inclusion of the 20% low income and senior discount, detailed transition plan, high diversion and sustainability practices and its compliance with state Senate Bill 1383 organics legislation. Passed in 2016, SB1383 requires all jurisdictions to provide organic waste collection services, which can then be transformed into marketable products such as compost, paper, renewable natural gas and electricity.

“There’s a lot that comes with that,” West Sacramento Sustainability Manager Ryan Burnett said. “That’s a big part of what attracted us to GreenWaste is their ability to help us meet our 1383 obligations.”

In remarks later in the meeting, Guerrero also listed GreenWaste’s sustainability practices noting she was able to tour their facility and came away impressed.

“For me, sustainability is a big deal,” she said. “Less to the landfill and more to reversing methane gas and things that are going to be happening.”

Once GreenWaste was selected, city staff entered into rate negotiations. The proposed contract also went before the city’s Environment and Utilities Commission for a presentation, with the members providing additional input including a request for more public comments, according to the staff report.

It also went through a public comment process, including an Aug. 19 workshop where 50 residents spoke against the proposal. At the Sept.9 meeting, another 14 voiced displeasure through recurring themes the city does not engage residents in discussion and when they do fails to listen to concerns.

Resident Kathy Bailey told council public input isn’t just about the opportunity to speak.

“It must also mean listening when the same concerns are raised repeatedly and thru different channels,” she said.

Representatives from Atlas and WM also addressed council with complaints they had not been given the same opportunity afforded GreenWaste to fine tune their rate proposals and asked the city negotiate rates and terms with all three.

“We remain confident that if we were afforded the same negotiation opportunities, we would have presented the best rates and service for your community,” Atlas General Manager Terrance McNamara said.

WM representative Erik Lynch said the company would agree to an extension of its existing contract in order to make the RFP process “more transparent.”

“If you need an extra six months, great,” Lynch said. “12? 18? Whatever it takes to do the process right.”

Alcala made a motion later in the meeting to authorize city staff to enter into rate and term negotiations with all three companies, a motion that failed for lack of a second. City Manager Aaron Laurel said such a move or a similar one proposed during public comments to redo the entire RFP process would delay the city’s need to address the solid waste rate issue.

West Sacramento has not increased its rates at the same pace as WM primarily to help residents and businesses deal with recovery from the Covid pandemic and its aftermath. Rates have been kept “artificially low” which has created a shortfall utilities funds since 2021.

City staff and council members agreed that regardless of which hauler is selected, solid waste rates in West Sacramento will need to increase to deal with the shortfall.