From dequickert at omsoft.com  Tue May 11 22:58:18 2004
From: dequickert at omsoft.com (Dan Quickert)
Date: Tue, 11 May 2004 22:58:18 -0700
Subject: [OldNorth] Garbage
Message-ID: <01C437AB.7524D560.dequickert@omsoft.com>

I agree, this is a poor "solution" for this neighborhood - or rather, for 
most of it.  I at first wondered how they deal with it in the blocks with 
no alley - the 500 blocks of C,D,E,F - until I noticed that they have 
driveways there.

It's going to be  interesting to see how DWR picks up trash during normal 
parking hours, where there are no driveways and the cans have nowhere to be 
- or are they going to do it all before 7:30am?

I too have a problem with that container size.  It often takes 2-3 weeks 
for me to fill a 30 gallon can. Why have to deal with something that might 
take half the summer to fill?  And how about discouraging rather than 
encouraging waste - let's make the standard size smaller, and charge extra 
for multiples.

Andy said, "A note on fixed pricing:  for many situations (and probably 
this one), it can turn out to be significantly cheaper over all as the 
extra accounting/billing cost can add up quickly."

My take on that, without trying to sound stiff about it: that's their 
problem (but I doubt it would add that much with all the benefits of 
automation factored in).  They have a monopoly in this market - we can't 
very well just go to the competition and sign up with "The 30-Gallon 
Company" - so I think they can and should flex to fit the customer a bit, 
and charge according to use.

A note slightly out of context but just for the record: DWR used to provide 
compost - made from our yard waste - to Davis citizens every April, out by 
the Communty Gardens on 5th street.  This year they declined to do so, 
stating (according to my source in the City) that it is too costly.  We all 
thought for years and years that providing this compost was part of DWR's 
contract with the City, but either it once was and is no longer, or else 
that was just an Urban Legend told to me once by... a top DWR person.

Point being, you can't take anything for granted in business - and we need 
to clearly articulate what we need and push for it.

Dan Quickert