Oaklanders Furious Over Unexpected Jumps in Garbage Collection Costs

San Francisco Chronicle

When Oakland City Council members approved a contract with a garbage hauler last year to reduce landfill waste by ambitiously composting and recycling, they celebrated it as a major environmental achievement. Now, it’s clear they didn’t read the fine print.

The first bills reflecting the contract arrived this month in homes and businesses across the city, and no one, it seems, was prepared for the new fees.

Stuart Proffitt’s monthly bill for a 10-unit apartment building in the Temescal neighborhood jumped from $300 to $1,300.

Gail Lillian’s bill, for her Liba Falafel restaurant in the city’s uptown district, shot up from $345 to $625.

Carmen Madden’s went from $757 to $1,360 for her 30-unit apartment building in East Oakland.

People are furious, and their anger is spilling into City Hall.

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