Saratoga News
News
Green valley may be out, but for a few months, it will still be in
West Valley Collection will take over in March
By Jason Sweeney
Green Valley Disposal has been around for a long time. The garbage company has been picking up trash from West Valley communities since 1918, when it was founded by Los Gatos pig farmer Joseph Zanardi.
But because its contract was not renewed, Green Valley Disposal will virtually disappear early next year.
"Green Valley only existed to handle West Valley cities," district manager Aaron Johnson said. "You take their only business away and there won't be a company anymore."
The Zanardi family sold Green Valley Disposal in 1999 to Waste Management Inc., a large nationwide garbage company. However, as a subsidiary of its parent company, Green Valley Disposal continued to serve West Valley cities, its trucks still bearing the Green Valley logo.
"Currently, we have 70 trucks," Johnson said. "We'll go down to five or six."
Johnson said those few remaining trucks would no longer operate in Los Gatos, Saratoga, Campbell or Monte Sereno, but in parts of San Jose and in Burbank. West Valley Collection and Recycling was awarded a seven-year contract to serve West Valley cities last March. It was selected over Green Valley Disposal, Allied Waste Industries, Norcal Waste Systems Inc. and West Valley Industries. Green Valley Disposal was the first company eliminated from the bidding because it did not complete required paperwork on time.
West Valley Collection and Recycling will take over in March 2007.
Green Valley Disposal's looming dissolution resulted in a loss of employees. Complaints about missed pickups began to mount. Those complaints were addressed at a meeting with the West Valley Solid Waste Joint Powers Authority on June 19.
"With the end of the contract approaching, some of its employees have been leaving for work elsewhere," said Scott Hobson, executive director of the JPA. "They are working to reduce missed pickups. They are adding more phone lines and offering incentives to remaining employees to stay through the end of the contract.
"They indicated to us that they are committed to picking up the garbage and fulfilling the obligations of the contract. They are fined for missed pickups so they have a financial incentive to do it right."
