To: Board of Supervisors
From: John Kopchik, Director, Conservation and Development
Report Title: Solid Waste and Recycling Collection Services in the Unincorporated Areas Served by Crockett Sanitary Service, Inc. (Republic)
☒Recommendation of the County Administrator ☐ Recommendation of Board Committee
RECOMMENDATIONS:
1. APPROVE and AUTHORIZE the Chair of the Board of Supervisors to execute a Franchise Agreement with Crockett Sanitary Service, Inc., a subsidiary of Republic Services, for solid waste, recycling, and organic waste collection services in Crockett, Port Costa and Tormey during the period from June 30, 2026, through June 30, 2045.
2. DETERMINE that it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that granting a franchise for these purposes under the Franchise Agreement may have a significant effect on the environment, and, therefore, this activity is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Section 15061 (b)(3) of the CEQA Guidelines.
3. DIRECT the Department of Conservation and Development (DCD) Director, or designee, to file a CEQA Notice of Exemption with the County Clerk and the State Clearinghouse.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The franchise fee paid by Crockett Sanitary Service, Inc. is calculated to recover the County’s costs for staff time spent and other expenses to administer the Franchise Agreement, including any required consulting services, during the term of the Franchise Agreement.
BACKGROUND:
Crockett Sanitary Service, Inc., a subsidiary of Republic Services provides solid waste, recycling, and organic waste collection services within the following three (3) unincorporated areas of District V, as more particularly shown on Exhibit A to the Franchise Agreement (“Franchise Area”) attached to this staff report:
1. Crockett
2. Tormey
3. Port Costa
In November 1996, the County entered into a Franchise Agreement with Walter Botta, the sole proprietor of the Crockett Garbage Company, to provide collection and recycling services for the unincorporated communities of Crockett, Port Costa and Tormey. Walter Botta immediately assigned his rights and obligations under the Agreement to Crockett Garbage Service, Inc. (name was subsequently changed to Crockett Sanitary Service, Inc.), which is a subsidiary of Richmond Sanitary Service, Inc. (owned by Republic Services). The Agreement was amended eight times and said amendments were approved by both Parties on November 1, 2016, December 20, 2016, March 1, 2017, July 22, 2025, September 30, 2025, December 9, 2025, March 1, 2026, and May 19, 2026.
The Franchise Agreement grants Crockett Sanitary Service, Inc., a subsidiary of Republic Services, the exclusive privilege and duty to collect solid waste, recyclables and organics routinely generated by residential and commercial customers within the Franchise Area.
Since May 2025, staff have been negotiating with Crockett Sanitary Service, Inc. over terms of a new Franchise Agreement to replace the existing agreement. In July 2025, the Board authorized the current Franchise Agreement with Crockett Sanitary Service, Inc. be extended through September 30, 2025. The Board authorized extending the term of the current Agreement four additional times extending the term through June 30, 2026, to allow negotiations between staff and Crockett Sanitary Service, Inc. to continue without a break in solid waste and recycling collection within the Franchise Area.
Staff have concluded negotiations with Crockett Sanitary Service, Inc. The new Franchise Agreement, attached as Exhibit A to this staff report, is based on the previous Agreement as well as the County’s 2025 Franchise Agreement with Richmond Sanitary Service, Inc. The most notable modifications to the existing Agreement include:
4. A new 19-year term from June 30, 2026, through June 30, 2045
5. Additional Community Clean-up boxes
6. New multi-family on-call bulky item collection service
7. Increased single-family residential bulky item collection
8. New provision for residential scheduled clean-up day
9. Revised rates (with the same rate-setting methodology for any future rate adjustments)
This new Franchise Agreement ensures that solid waste and recycling collection services provided to the County in the Crockett Franchise Area meet current regulatory, legal, and performance standards. Residential and commercial solid waste customers are provided with solid waste collection services, including separate containers for trash, recyclables, and organics. This ensures customers are provided the means for proper disposal and recycling of solid waste materials at rates that recover the cost of collection services provided by Crockett Sanitary Service, Inc.
Rates are increasing substantially, primarily due to increased disposal costs, labor increases resulting from recently approved collective bargaining agreements, and to a lesser degree the new service enhancements. Below are two tables showing the new residential collection rates to take effect July 1, 2026. The new commercial collection rates are shown in Exhibit B to the Franchise Agreement.
Table 1 - Residential Rates for Curbside Collection
Table 2 - Residential Rates for Backyard Collection
The majority of residential customers in this Franchise Area subscribe to curbside collection service using the 35-gallon trash cart.
The Franchise Agreement authorizes annual increases in the rates (on January 1 of each year), not to exceed 4.5%, to account for changes in the consumer price index for water, sewer, and trash collection services. In years 1, 7, and 13 of the Agreement, the rates will be reviewed to determine whether a further adjustment is required to properly account for the actual cost of service.
In order to meet SB 1383 container contamination minimization requirements, this Agreement authorizes Crockett Sanitary Service, Inc. to charge a contamination fee. Prior to imposition of the fee, notification and an educational grace period will be provided to customers informing them of the proper procedures for sorting recyclable and organic materials.
This Franchise Agreement only includes minor changes to existing collection services. Department of Conservation and Development staff have determined that it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity in question may have a significant effect on the environment and, therefore, this activity is exempt under CEQA Guidelines section 15061(b)(3).
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
After June 30, 2026, Crockett Sanitary Service, Inc. would no longer provide solid waste, recycling, and organics collection services pursuant to a County Franchise Agreement as required by County Code Chapter 418-7. Staff would either need to continue to negotiate with Crockett Sanitary Service, Inc. or consider other alternatives for providing these critical public services.