FAQ
Is your city talking about taking away your right to choose your own hauler?
Who are they getting their information from?
At Garbage Haulers for Citizen Choice (GHCC), we have typically found that it is all of the above, plus more.
Tell your City Council members to get all the facts before taking any action to eliminate your right to choose your own hauler! Government managed trash hauling schemes never deliver the benefits government officials promise.
Common myths are that government managed trash hauling will save streets, increase safety, lower prices, and improve benefits and service. In reality, no one wins when government decides who your hauler will be, your level of service, the price you pay, and then locking these decisions into long-term contracts.
Commonly repeated myths:
Myth: Taxes / road spending will decrease with government managed trash collection.
Reality: No city has lowered taxes or reduced their road budget by implementing government managed trash collection. Maplewood’s government managed trash collection program led to increased property taxes and a new road fee placed on natural gas bills.
(See Maplewood Spending Increases)
Myth: Everyone's rates will be lowered with government managed trash collection.
Reality: Most costs associated with trash collection are set by others. Often the tipping fee is set by government controlled dumps or burner plants. The price of trucks, now exceeding $500,000 each, is set by manufacturers. As long haul trucking companies continue to increase pay to attract drivers, the trash hauling industry is forced to keep pace as they are competing for the same pool of commercial drivers. Bottom line is that if one resident is getting a discount, another resident is paying for it.
In the City of St. Anthony, their government managed trash collection program lowered prices for many residents by forcing other residents who shared trash service, mostly senior citizens, to purchase their own individual service at full price.
In the City of Fridley, their government managed trash collection contract proposal with local haulers went down in defeat 3-2 and the process was abandoned, after numerous residents testified before the council that their one price for all proposal actually increased the prices they had negotiated with their haulers.
Myth: Government managed trash collection improves safety and the environment, increases recycling rates, and reduces road maintenance costs.
Reality: Bloomington’s public works director stated in a written report and in testimony to the city council that government managed trash collection would NOT improve safety, NOT improve the environment, NOT increase recycling rates, and would NOT reduce road maintenance costs.
(See Public Works Director Speaks)
Myth: Pavement peeling issues are due to garbage trucks.
Reality: Roseville’s public works director stated that the city’s pavement issues are termed “delamination”, which is caused by bad pavement mixes, not garbage trucks or vehicle weight. The blame rests on bad advice from MnDOT concerning pavement mix advice given to cities in the late 1990's and early 2000's as covered by an article in the Star Tribune.
(See Roseville)
(See What Experts Say about Wear and Tear on City Streets)
Myth: 1 garbage truck = 1,279 passenger vehicles.
Reality: Mankato State University and MnDOT never stated that 1 garbage truck = 1,279 passenger vehicles according to an investigation conducted by the City of New Hope’s city manager. This myth was traced to a report from a Colorado consultant, which was then copied by a Wisconsin consultant, and then falsely attributed to the University and MnDOT.
(See Fake News Claims About State Truck Weight Study)
Myth: "Recently the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) said X" (insert whatever comment any city council member or administrator can dream up).
Reality: Years ago, the MPCA published unscientific studies, or what others would call political opinion papers, advocating for government managed trash collection. Surveying employees and reaching conclusions with a handful of data points does not result in a legitimate study worth quoting. Any report referencing diesel powered trash trucks is outdated as the industry began moving to clean burning compressed natural gas trucks two decades ago. Once government posts these papers online, they live forever as Zombie Papers, never to die.
(See Zombie Papers - MPCA Study)
updated 9/11/22
Is your city talking about taking away your right to choose your own hauler?
Who are they getting their information from?
- City government lobbying organizations that strive to grow government?
- Outdated zombie papers and studies that never die on the internet?
- Administrators that wish to pad their resumes for the next pay raise?
- Administrators that want more employees on the payroll to manage?
- Citizen do-gooders or elected officials who are masking political agendas?
- Elected officials looking for anything to "fix" in order to help them get re-elected?
- Elected officials seeking to pass blame on their failure to properly maintain roads?
At Garbage Haulers for Citizen Choice (GHCC), we have typically found that it is all of the above, plus more.
Tell your City Council members to get all the facts before taking any action to eliminate your right to choose your own hauler! Government managed trash hauling schemes never deliver the benefits government officials promise.
Common myths are that government managed trash hauling will save streets, increase safety, lower prices, and improve benefits and service. In reality, no one wins when government decides who your hauler will be, your level of service, the price you pay, and then locking these decisions into long-term contracts.
Commonly repeated myths:
Myth: Taxes / road spending will decrease with government managed trash collection.
Reality: No city has lowered taxes or reduced their road budget by implementing government managed trash collection. Maplewood’s government managed trash collection program led to increased property taxes and a new road fee placed on natural gas bills.
(See Maplewood Spending Increases)
Myth: Everyone's rates will be lowered with government managed trash collection.
Reality: Most costs associated with trash collection are set by others. Often the tipping fee is set by government controlled dumps or burner plants. The price of trucks, now exceeding $500,000 each, is set by manufacturers. As long haul trucking companies continue to increase pay to attract drivers, the trash hauling industry is forced to keep pace as they are competing for the same pool of commercial drivers. Bottom line is that if one resident is getting a discount, another resident is paying for it.
In the City of St. Anthony, their government managed trash collection program lowered prices for many residents by forcing other residents who shared trash service, mostly senior citizens, to purchase their own individual service at full price.
In the City of Fridley, their government managed trash collection contract proposal with local haulers went down in defeat 3-2 and the process was abandoned, after numerous residents testified before the council that their one price for all proposal actually increased the prices they had negotiated with their haulers.
Myth: Government managed trash collection improves safety and the environment, increases recycling rates, and reduces road maintenance costs.
Reality: Bloomington’s public works director stated in a written report and in testimony to the city council that government managed trash collection would NOT improve safety, NOT improve the environment, NOT increase recycling rates, and would NOT reduce road maintenance costs.
(See Public Works Director Speaks)
Myth: Pavement peeling issues are due to garbage trucks.
Reality: Roseville’s public works director stated that the city’s pavement issues are termed “delamination”, which is caused by bad pavement mixes, not garbage trucks or vehicle weight. The blame rests on bad advice from MnDOT concerning pavement mix advice given to cities in the late 1990's and early 2000's as covered by an article in the Star Tribune.
(See Roseville)
(See What Experts Say about Wear and Tear on City Streets)
Myth: 1 garbage truck = 1,279 passenger vehicles.
Reality: Mankato State University and MnDOT never stated that 1 garbage truck = 1,279 passenger vehicles according to an investigation conducted by the City of New Hope’s city manager. This myth was traced to a report from a Colorado consultant, which was then copied by a Wisconsin consultant, and then falsely attributed to the University and MnDOT.
(See Fake News Claims About State Truck Weight Study)
Myth: "Recently the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) said X" (insert whatever comment any city council member or administrator can dream up).
Reality: Years ago, the MPCA published unscientific studies, or what others would call political opinion papers, advocating for government managed trash collection. Surveying employees and reaching conclusions with a handful of data points does not result in a legitimate study worth quoting. Any report referencing diesel powered trash trucks is outdated as the industry began moving to clean burning compressed natural gas trucks two decades ago. Once government posts these papers online, they live forever as Zombie Papers, never to die.
(See Zombie Papers - MPCA Study)
updated 9/11/22