Fairfax Approves New Marin Sanitary Contract

After months of debate, the town of Fairfax and Marin Sanitary Service reached an agreement at last week's Fairfax Town Council meeting where the council approved a 10-year contract.

The contract, as reported in the Marin Indepedent Journal and by , includes new programs and services aimed at getting the town to zero-waste.

"100% [zero-waste] is not potentially achievable by 2020, but this contract does get us to 94% by 2020," said Councilmember Pam Hartwell-Herrero at the town's October council meeting, when the contract was initially discussed.

Patty Garbarino, president of Marin Sanitary, outlined the ways the waste hauler plans to get the town to 94% waste diversion: apartment recycling pilot programs, drywall composting, residential food waste composting, enhanced commerical and multi-family unit recycling, commercial food waste programs, and new construction and demolition recycling efforts.

You can see the full contract at right.

Rock said that the previous contract was written in 1993 under the previous hauler and was taken over by Marin Sanitary.

Garbarino has said previously that MSS has lost over $350,000 on providing service to Fairfax. , but, as the contract negotiations were still ongoing, the council approved just a 10% rate increase. Another 14% rate increase is expected under the contract, but rates will be reviewed.

Councilmember David Weinsoff asked in October if that would be it for rate increases for the year and could Fairfax residents then expect regular rates.

"It's because there haven't been any rate increase in the previous nine years, except last year and this year," said Rock in October. "We had the unfortunate task of catching up."

Moving forward, there wil be an annual third-party rate review process with small, cost-of-living increases expected.