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Thousands in fees taken from unsuspecting citizens, yes YOU!

Original post made by Opt out of Garbage fee ripoff, Another Pleasanton neighborhood, on Jan 30, 2014

We've been had! Somehow yet another "Board" has managed to dip into your wallet and take money from all of us. And unless you do something, they'll take more every year.

"Government" agencies out of control?

We just got an unwanted mailer with a cutsy spinner wheel from a group calling itself "Stopwaste."
The spinner shows how they rate various cities and different types of business in use of their garbage cans. Note the information is better shown on their website, also created at your expense.

You Must Pay:
On their website at;
Web Link
it says:
"Do I have to pay this fee?
You must pay the fee the first year. If you don't want to pay the Benchmark Service fee in future years, you have until March 31, 2014, to "opt out." If you do that, you will not have to pay the fee beginning July 1, 2014. You can opt out by completing this online form."

You are paying from $1.81 to $21.72 added to your bill, depending on how much garbage you use.
And that is just the "initial fee".
Q. Editor: Can you please see if you can find out how this happened, and what we can do about it, besides each person paying, then opting out? Thanks

Comments (8)

Posted by Fee is Mandatory-Opt out of Ripoff
a resident of Another Pleasanton neighborhood
on Jan 30, 2014 at 1:24 pm

The site also says:
"What happens if I don't pay the fee?
Payment of the fee for the first year is REQUIRED.
If not paid, the fee would be subject to the normal delinquency process of your waste hauler."

The on line form asks for your e-mail address, but you do NOT have to give that to them.
Just makes it easier for them to send you more unwanted communication!
To opt out for next year, you will need info about your garbage acct, number which is on the spinner near the address, or on your bill.

GIGO-
Garbage In, Garbage Out:
The spinner says it is "recyclable", so I guess it doesn't go into the garbage?


Posted by Right
a resident of Another Pleasanton neighborhood
on Jan 30, 2014 at 8:38 pm

Thanks for the heads up...I never received any notice of this 'program'. I just opted out, using their website. What a scam...


Posted by Dark Corners of Town
a resident of Country Fair
on Jan 31, 2014 at 5:29 pm

They use the fee to create a hardstock cardboard mailer sent to every garbage collection account. What percentage of these reports will go into the garbage instead of the recyclable container? The irony is laughable. I've opted out.


Posted by Stop Insanity !
a resident of Another Pleasanton neighborhood
on Feb 1, 2014 at 12:01 am

STOP the insanity !!! Let's hope it's not too late. The last thing we need is another Bureaucracy full of zealot activists turned bureaucrats, next they're entitled to stipends, perdiem, etc. then it's salary, then it's retirements. NO! NO! NO! All if we give them the right to snoop in our garbage cans.
I'll happily do my own sorting IF, they would just give us a list, (maybe every January)on practical explanations like hard bottle caps??? with no markings altho bottle has the triangle....just wondering?. And on potted
mums, for example that after 2 months don't look so great, foil paper, dirt, greenery go in 3 different containers. How to separate pieces of items...the breakdown. So if this gestapo team finds something don't cart us away if we don't know particular details, which are not included on the short 'general' classifications. One bite out of a jar with metal screw lid...am I expected to dump the food and wash the jar, or just throw in garbage??
We don't need snoopers, and we certainly do NOT need police enforcers, and sure as XXXX don't need to EVER in the future need to create more payroll positions !!!! I saw that 'payment' info on the card....funny, out of the several possibilities where they might 'USE' the money, reduction of our subscriber fees was NOT one of the options. STOP the insanity.!!!!


Posted by Stop Misson Creep
a resident of Another Pleasanton neighborhood
on Feb 2, 2014 at 12:47 pm

Not saying these bureaucrats are creeps - just that they are yet another unneeded bureaucracy, adding unneeded expenses to your bills and to the cost basic services:

In May of 2013 the Livermore Council declined to join Stopwaste, saying:
From:
Web Link

"COUNTY ENERGY COMMITTEE
The council joined other Valley cities in declining to join the Stopwaste.org energy committee.
Laureen Turner noted that concerns include "mission creep," with Stopwaste expanding its areas of focus, and weighted voting that could result in loss of local control. Three cities and the county would have enough votes to approve any requested action."


Posted by Stop the Mission Creep
a resident of Another Pleasanton neighborhood
on Feb 2, 2014 at 12:55 pm

Apparently Stopwaste has so much of your money and so little to do that they are offering to give it away.

An article in the 1/31/14 PW says:
Web Link

They are looking to give away money they are taking from your Garbage bills.
"Grants typically range between $25,000 and $65,000."

I don't want to pay for their "Benchmark Service", much less for grants to expand their bureaucracy.
And I sure do not want them trying to pass more restrictive laws and policies, much less pay them to do that.

IF you haven't already, go up to the earlier posts, read and opt out! The money you save is your own!


Posted by Stop Insanity !
a resident of Another Pleasanton neighborhood
on Feb 6, 2014 at 4:04 pm

Thank you for those web links...it seems to be pretty much unanimous. Reducing our rates would be a grand idea. However, that was not an option.
Opt out. Spread the word to Opt Out. Tell them don't try again with this plan. I fear we in the tri-valley may just get spit on anyway. Thinking is different on government in your life, and worst of all forming groups of government workers who know zero about life on the outside...out in the real world. No, No, No more. stop the insanity. enough is enough, actually way too much..


Posted by Stop Insanity !
a resident of Another Pleasanton neighborhood
on Feb 6, 2014 at 4:04 pm

Thank you for those web links...it seems to be pretty much unanimous. Reducing our rates would be a grand idea. However, that was not an option.
Opt out. Spread the word to Opt Out. Tell them don't try again with this plan. I fear we in the tri-valley may just get spit on anyway. Thinking is different on government in your life, and worst of all forming groups of government workers who know zero about life on the outside...out in the real world. No, No, No more. stop the insanity. enough is enough, actually way too much..


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