There is no rent control in Glendale and nothing in the City Ordinance that prevents a landlord from increasing rent.  The terms of the City Ordinance are that tenants are eligible for relocation assistance when a tenant elects to vacate a unit in response to a rent increase that increases the rent by more than 7% of the rent that was in place at any time during the 12-month period preceding the effective date of the rent increase.

 
Under AB1482, annual rent increases are capped at 5% plus the change in CPI, or no more than 10%, which is State law and nothing the City of Glendale has control over, much like SB 1383 and mandatory commercial recycling and organics collection.

• The City ceased charging the refuse collection fee (rubbish fee) to any commercial account (business or multi-family dwelling of 5 units or more) serviced by a private hauler franchisee effective November 30, 2021.

Your hauler is responsible for providing bin labels, signage, and other informational materials.  Contact your hauler directly for this important information.

• Properties can receive up to 4 free bulky item pickup appointments per calendar year. Additional pickups may be scheduled for a fee.
  • Note that 4 pickups are allotted per property, not per building. A property that has several buildings on it is only entitled to 4 free pickups total.
• Account holders (i.e. property managers) must contact their hauler directly to schedule a bulky item pickup. Each bulky item pick-up appointment is limited to 4 bulky items OR  10 bundles of green waste.   
• Property managers are responsible for educating tenants about property bulky item disposal practices.

Leaving bulky items on the curb, street, or on the premises without arranging for proper disposal with Property Management is considered illegal dumping and subject to fines.

To help address this concern, food scraps should be placed in your organics recycling container using CLEAR plastic (petroleum or bioplastic “compostable”) bags. The bag content must be clearly visible. Although we “accept” these bags, they will be ripped open to free the contents, and the bags will not be recycled or composted. Bioplastic “compostable” bags will not be composted no matter the material type or certification. Other bio-plastic products (such as food-ware) are not accepted in the organics container. Non-coated food-soiled paper and paper bags are accepted in organics, but must be placed inside clear plastic bags. 

UNACCEPTABLE Organics Recycling Bags: Black bags, paper bags, or any petroleum plastic or bioplastic that are not clear should not be used, as they don’t allow contents to be visible.

• Starting Dec 1, 2021 waste collection services for businesses and commercial properties of five (5) units or more will be provided by four private haulers selected by the City (Waste Resources, Athens Waste Management, Southland Disposal, NASA Waste Management) for the solid waste franchise implementation.
• Customers currently serviced by haulers other than the City, or the four previously mentioned franchisees, will transition to one of the four franchisees on February 1, 2022.
• Compliance with State requirements for recycling and organics collection services.
• Haulers selected have specialized capabilities to effectively process organic waste.
• New system to improve consistency of service across the City, reduce waste in landfills, and reduce congestion on city streets.
• All commercial properties should have received a Notice by mail from their new hauler.
• To find out who your hauler is, go to the “Who is My Hauler?” page on the City of Glendale Public Works website.

Exemptions allowed under SB 1383 regulations include:

• Lack of space (photos to include both interior and exterior images of all waste enclosure/areas on the property. Please also submit the documentation done by City staff, your hauler, a licensed architect or engineer)
• A minimal amount of recyclable or organic material are generated                       
• Business self-hauls material to a recycling center.                      

• Edible Food Generators (considered Tier 1-large and Tier 2-medium) must recover edible food that would otherwise be disposed of and are required to participate in a City-coordinated food recovery program.
• To learn more, google “food recovery Glendale” or contact the City at franchise@glendaleca.gov.

The changes currently underway are a result of years of planning and community engagement by Glendale’s Department of Public Works. Below is a comprehensive timeline of City public processes and outreach, beginning in 2013 when the City formally notified private solid waste haulers of its intent to implement a franchise system, and including recent actions concerning changes to waste collection, recycling and disposal.

As the timeline illustrates, the City of Glendale has made sure over the past 8 years that the public, the business community, and waste haulers have been involved in every step of our careful planning process for the transition to a new way to manage wastes that ensure efficiency, convenience and compliance with State environmental goals and mandates.

• On July 11, 2013, the City issued a formal notification letter to all private solid waste haulers operating in Glendale, informing them of the City’s intention to implement a franchise system for the collection and removal of solid waste from commercial establishments and multi-family residential properties. 
• On October 20, 2015, Glendale City Council held a “Work Boot Tuesday” policy development session that discussed the Scholl Canyon Landfill, and the City’s intent to franchise to address compliance.
• Initial public outreach and education on the commercial franchise program began in the summer of 2017, and included a series of meetings with the general public, merchants and business owners and solid waste haulers:
  • Building Owners/Managers Association Meeting – 7/19 at Noon
  • Montrose Shopping Park Association – Thursday, 8/3 at 8 a.m.
  • General Public Evening Forum – 8/23 at 6 p.m.
  • Existing Solid Waste Hauler Update – 8/24 at 10 a.m.
• At these meetings, City staff asked for stakeholder input relative to these issues.  A survey was distributed at each of these meetings and was made available on the City’s Public Works Department webpage.  All integrated comments received from the forums and the website were incorporated in an update to the City Council.
• On September 26, 2017, the City Council held a special meeting, solely to focus on an overview of commercial solid waste collection services and discussion of franchise alternatives.  
• On August 12, 2019, the City released a Request for Proposals (RFP) to provide Commercial and Multi-Family Solid Waste Collection Services with submitted proposals due back to the City on October 23, 2019.  The City received nine proposals, which were reviewed and rated as part of a competitive process by a selection committee.  
• At its January 28, 2020, meeting, City Council reviewed the recommendations of the selection committee, and directed City staff to meet with the eight proposers for a more in-depth discussion of the proposals and to seek clarification and additional information, including checking on references for the competing haulers.
• On July 7, 2020, City Council authorized City staff to meet and negotiate the terms of the engagement, including costs, as well as perform site visits with the recommended four top ranked firms.  
• On April 20, 2021, City Council authorized the City Manager to negotiate the final contracts for Solid Waste Franchise Collection Services for Commercial and Multi-Family Residential of five units or greater with four haulers for each of the assigned four (4) exclusive collection zones established for the City.  
• On July 13 and July 20, 2021, respectively, City Council introduced and adopted a City Ordinance authorizing a Commercial and Multifamily Franchise Hauling System be established in the City of Glendale.
• On July 27, 2021, City Council established the four franchise zones and authorized the City Manager to execute agreements for franchises for Solid Waste Collection Services for Commercial and Multi-Family Residential of five units or greater to Southland Disposal Company, Athens Services, Waste Resource Technologies, Inc., and NASA Services, Inc.
• In November 2021, the four hauling companies contacted commercial customers and provided welcome packets that contained information about the new services and rates.

Organics collection services are mandatory for all commercial and multi-family residences of five (5) or more units. To avoid being out of compliance and subject to fines and fees, call your waste hauler if you haven’t already done so, and sign up for organics services for your property by April 1, 2022. 
Property managers must provide a separate organics container to their residents in addition to your trash and recycling containers. This will allow residents to properly dispose of organic materials, apart from trash and recyclables. Visit here to learn about alternative organic services and space requirements.

• Due to new State mandates under Senate Bill 1383, all residential and commercial customers across the City must have three separate bins for trash, recycling, and organics by April 1, 2022.
• Organics include landscaping and yard waste, food scraps, food-soiled paper products, and clean, untreated wood waste (no paint, no stain, etc.).

In cases of limited space, or small quantities being generated, exemptions can be requested by contacting the City at: franchise@glendaleca.gov. The City will investigate the request for exemption based on State guidelines.

• State law mandates to reduce disposal to landfills by 75%.
• State law requires all businesses and all multi-family properties with five or more units to arrange for recycling services.
• In Glendale, recycling rates are lower than trash rates, so account holders can save money on their bill by recycling more and generating less trash.
• In cases of limited space, or small quantities being generated, exemptions can be requested by contacting the City at: franchise@glendaleca.gov.

• Rates were last set by City Council in 2010 and have not been adjusted since.
• Commercial and multifamily properties with 5 or more units now billed for collection services from their new hauler. 
• New hauler contracts allow the City to meet increased costs due and set to maximum rates that a hauler can charge for the next 10 years to:
  • Comply with state laws for recycling (2014), commercial organics (2016), residential organics (2022)
  • Manage to sharp increase in bulky items collection services
  • Reduce the City’s long-term costs for providing the services

• Customer can reduce service cost by recycling and participating in organics (food scraps and landscaping waste) service. Set up a site visit with hauler recycling specialist for assistance in revising services to reduce size of garbage and increase recycling and organics services.
• Glendale’s rates still below average compared to rates throughout L.A. County.

By comparison, the City of Glendale’s new rates are still slightly below average when compared to rates throughout L.A. County.   

• The maximum rates that the City established and (locked in for the next 10 years) for the franchise are among the lowest in the County. Glendale’s rates rank 34^th lowest (or the bottom 50%) when compared to rates throughout the County’s 88 cities.

The roots of change in solid waste management in the City of Glendale go back to 2016, when Senate Bill 1383 was signed into law.

• Trash collection is changing rapidly in the City of Glendale. The introduction of new programs for recycling organic waste has prompted the City’s transition to a franchise-based system for hauling commercial and multifamily waste and, for many customers, will raise the costs for waste disposal services.
• The City of Glendale’s leaders recognize that changes of this extent can be uncomfortable for many residents and business owners, who are adapting to new schedules, new waste sorting requirements and new costs. We hope residents can be patient as we address the impact of these transitions, which are occurring citywide.
• The driving force for these changes has been a series of laws California enacted in recent years to protect the environment, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, reduce local air pollution emissions, reduce dependence on landfills or increase recycling rates.
• City of Glendale has been preparing for these changes for the past eight years, with particular focus on Senate Bill 1383, the Reducing Short-Lived Climate Pollutants in California Act that Governor Brown signed in 2016.
• Senate Bill 1383 was the most significant legislative update to California’s recycling laws in 30 years. Although it has been implemented in phases, and many Glendale businesses have been recycling organic waste since 2018 to comply with Assembly Bill 1826, the law’s most impactful changes take effect on January 1, 2022. SB 1383’s January 1, 2022, deadline is significant because it represents the first time California residents will be required to recycle organic waste.
• SB 1383 requires all jurisdictions in the State to reduce organic waste (food waste, green waste, paper products, etc.) disposal by 75% by 2025. It also requires that 20% of currently disposed edible food be recovered for donation to food banks.
• Food waste is the largest portion of the waste stream that can be recycled. “Organics” like food scraps, yard trimmings, paper, and cardboard make up half of what Californians send to landfills, some 24 million tons.
• Organic waste is a valuable resource that can be transformed into compost and bioenergy, while some food waste can be diverted to food banks to address widespread food insecurity.
• The City of Glendale is proud of our team in the Public Works Department for their work to prepare our City, its residents, and its business for this upcoming period of significant change in how trash and recycling are managed in our City. It is a work in progress, but we will get through it together, and will be able to share in the knowledge that we have pulled together on behalf of a healthier Glendale and a healthier planet.

A franchised hauler system provided a cost-effective solution to addressing costly State mandates, and it is a system that most cities in L.A. County are transitioning to (or have transitioned to already). 

• The City of Glendale is one of 80 cities (91%) in Los Angeles County (out of 88) that have enacted a commercial franchise system in response to Senate Bill 1383.
• Franchises give the City greater control over waste disposal and recycling within the City of Glendale, helping to ensure that the City will comply with stricter State regulations, reduce the City’s long-term costs for providing hauling services and set limits on rate increases that haulers can charge over the next 10 years.
• Prior to the City of Glendale’s conversion to a franchise system for commercial waste pickup and disposal, we permitted waste haulers to negotiate contracts with customers without restriction. But now we are moving to a more efficient, centrally-controlled system, which will allow the City to partner with its haulers on regulatory compliance and achieving the State’s environmental goals.
• The franchise system will reduce the number of waste collection trucks on City streets and the pollution they cause by allowing haulers to plan more efficient routes, and to transition from diesel to clean-fuel vehicles. We are also better able to mandate and oversee safe conditions for workers involved in collection and processing of wastes.

The City would be subject to fines and penalties from the State if it failed to implement these changes by January 1, 2022.

• Glendale considered a wide range of options before deciding on its franchise system. However, SB 1383 does not give the City the legal option of doing nothing or continuing with the status quo.
• About 95% of the other 88 cities in L.A. County are going through a similar transition of adopting additional requirements or moving away from hauler permit systems.
• Under SB 1383, the State now has strict standards for compliance that must be achieved by every jurisdiction, or else they eventually will face civil penalties.