Seated in the council chambers in Monte Sereno for the West Valley Waste Management Authority meeting on Feb. 2, representatives from each city voted 4-0 to negotiate a contract with West Valley Collection and Recycling. The executive director of the authority, Scott Hobson, said the group will meet on March 14 to finalize the agreement.

The board took into consideration such concerns as cost, special services, number of routes, customer services and public perception of the four companies that were being considered. The companies were Allied Waste Industries, Norcal Waste Systems Inc., West Valley Collection and Recycling and West Valley Industries.

Hobson said West Valley Industries was a new company that was being formed specifically for this contract. Because it did not get the contract, however, the company will not exist.

The West Valley cities have been contracted with Green Valley Disposal since 1997, which was bought out by Waste Management. The contract ends in March 2007.

Aaron Johnson, district manager of Waste Management of Santa Clara County and Green Valley Disposal, said it was unfortunate that the company will no longer continue to do business with the West Valley.

Green Valley Disposal is a Los Gatos-based company that has been serving Monte Sereno, Los Gatos, Saratoga and Campbell since 1918. Waste Management Inc. bought out the company almost three years ago. Waste Management is headquartered in Houston, Texas, and serves nearly 25 million homes, and two million commercial customers in North America.

Johnson said he feels the company goes above and beyond in servicing the communities. In October, Johnson said 89 percent of Los Gatos homes recycled, and the company collected 600,000 pounds of mixed recyclables. In Saratoga, 717,000 pounds were collected, with a 92 percent participation rate.

"Unfortunately, Green Valley Disposal--that division and that name--will no longer exist after the contract ends," Johnson said. Green Valley was the first company to be eliminated out of a pool of five vying for the West Valley garbage contract. Hobson said it was eliminated because its rates did not comply with what was requested, and it did not provide a detailed schedule. It was also the highest bidder, he said, and it was announced on Dec. 15 that the company would not be considered.

"It's unfortunate," Johnson said. "Some of the guys have worked here their whole career."

Johnson said that, going into the bidding process, Green Valley proposed to go from three recycling bins to one.

Monte Sereno resident Barbara Allen told the authority that she is concerned that the proposed garbage company will require residents to use three, 96-gallon recycling bins. She said she will not fill the bins, and thinks it is unnecessary. Plus, she added, it will be difficult to store and to manage.

Monte Sereno Councilman Curtis Wright echoed her sentiments.

"I don't want them on my property," he said.

General manager for the company, Paul Nelson, said West Valley Collection is hoping to transition to doing all the work automatically, and eliminate manual labor. The standardized bins will help them do that.

If approved, the initial contract will last for seven years.