Preview: Trash Talk Heads to Courthouse

Disgruntled apartment owners and home owners’ association members vented their frustration about L.A.’s new trash collection system during a meeting earlier this month at the Apartment Owners Association headquarters in Van Nuys. The biggest concern for the participants was the increase in prices, with some calculating a 500 percent uptick compared to what they have historically paid. Others complained of reduced customer service and lack of communication by the city regarding the change. The apartment association is the lead plaintiff in a class action suit against Los Angeles. The lawsuit seeks an injunction on the new franchise trash system. The group is also lobbying local politicians and may sponsor a ballot measure on the issue. Under the Zero Waste L.A. Exclusive Franchise System implemented in July, trash collection for the city’s commercial businesses is serviced by seven companies. The program divides the city into 11 zones, and designates each zone to be exclusively serviced by a single trash hauler. Previously, garbage collection was an open market, with more than 100 companies competing to take away garbage from businesses including apartments, strip malls and condominiums with a shared dumpster. Read the full story in the Sept. 18 issue of the San Fernando Valley Business Journal.