Browse archives: 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001 | 2000 | 1999 | 1998 | 1997 | 1996 | 1995

Published on 08/14/1995 All articles from this issue

Yard waste from neighboring cities getting dumped in LAH dumpsters

printer friendly version

By Clyde Noel / Town Crier Staff Writer

There is a growing concern the yard waste center in Los Altos Hills is being abused by non-residents, council members discussed last week.

Mayor Bill Siegel told the council that according to a Los Altos Garbage Company (LAGCO) report, the yard waste tonnage picked up at the yard waste center has reached the level of the entire garbage tonnage picked up from all the houses in Los Altos Hills.

The council directed Jeff Peterson, Los Altos Hills city manager, to work with LAGCO and try to come up with rules that can be enforced.

The yard waste drop-off site on Purissima Road near the Town's Little League fields is open Thursday through Sunday for disposal of yard waste by residents or gardeners who work for Los Altos Hills residents.

Some gardeners, however, are dumping waste from several areas at the Los Altos Hills site."

"Yeah, some from Menlo Park, some from Palo Alto and some from Los Altos," said one driver who refused to give his name.

At the present time, yard waste from homes in Los Altos Hills is picked up by gardeners and taken to the yard waste center and disposed by showing a letter from a Los Altos Hills homeowner. Several gardeners at the yard admit they pick up yard waste from many homes in different cities and then when the truck is loaded they take the yard waste to the center and show the letter from their Los Altos Hills customer.

In many instances the letter is not surrendered to the yard employees and can be used over and over again.

The ordinance that created the yard waste programalso limits the size of the unloading truck to three-quarters of a ton. But numerous trucks larger than one ton can be seen using the site.

At the council meeting, residents told council members they refuse to use the service because of the hassle from attendants.

Council member Bob Johnson said, "I know there are a lot of outraged citizens over this yard waste. And we know gardeners are bringing in yard waste from Palo Alto and Los Altos, but we have no hard facts to act on."

The council was receptive to an idea expressed by a resident who suggested the use of coupons. The coupons, the resident said, could be used in different forms, but would have to be surrendered to the gate keeper for each load of yard waste.