Claremont's sanitation plans

There was a lot of trash talking at last night's city council meeting. The first announcement was a deal made during closed session between the city and its sanitation employees. In exchange for some concessions from the employees on CalPERS benefits, the city agreed to put its sanitation cost/benefit analysis on hold for at least 5 years.

City Manager Jeff Parker then announced plans for a new 20-year contract between Claremont and San Bernardino County for trash disposal. The agreement includes even lower tipping fees than the city's current rate with an Orange County landfill. With the 20-year agreement, the city is off the hook from joining the costly Waste-By-Rail program through Los Angeles County, which would have led to skyrocketing sanitation bills for Claremont residents.

The city also came up with a 10-year agreement with Recycled Waste Products in Pomona to haul the city's green waste. All the agreements above have yet to be officially approved by the council and will appear on an upcoming city council agenda.

Still there was excitement about the announcements from both council members and those attending the meeting.

"Not only is this making the program more efficient but its also very proactive and kudos to [the city manager] for making that happen," Mayor Pro Tem Sam Pedroza said. "A 20-year contract is unheard of and that's a fantastic piece of news."