Board of Supervisors Approves Introduction of Costly, Ineffective Ordinance

The potential impacts and what we can do

During the October 28 Board of Supervisors meeting, Supervisors Larry Micari (District 1), Pete Vander Poel (District 2), and Dennis Townsend  (District 5) voted to override the clear recommendation of our District 4 supervisor Eddie Valero and the voices of the Three Rivers community.

In a 3-2 vote, the Board of Supervisors approved the introduction of a solid waste ordinance that, if adopted, could increase our residential rates 30% and our commercial rates 10% without solving the community’s trash issue.

As clearly communicated by the community in its emails and the public comments at the meeting, the ordinance would not solve the trash problem. The ordinance would Mid Valley Disposal to use any garbage cart that it chooses to call “bear resistant,” it mandates continued use of the metal bins that account for 47% of our garbage incidents, and it ignores recycling and green waste carts, which make up more than 25% of our garbage incidents.

In light of the many challenges we are facing, including rising food, electricity, insurance, and healthcare costs, along with reduced benefits, it is more important now than ever to look out for our friends and neighbors. The Three Rivers community is strong and resilient. We will stand together as a community, share our resources and our time, and find creative solutions together.

Despite the Board’s decision, the Bear Smart team’s resolve to solve the trash crisis is stronger than ever. We remain committed to working toward solutions that protect both people and bears.

Impact on the community

Although the proposed ordinance, if adopted, is not expected to decrease the number of garbage incidents, it is expected to have a harmful financial and physical impact on the community, and it is expected to have a disproportionate adverse impact on seniors.

• Partial bear resistance is the same as no bear resistance. Most of the short term rental (STR) garbage would remain accessible to bears. We would continue to have garbage incidents, and we would expect an increase in home entry and property damage.
• A significant portion of our residents would not be able to use the mandated bins. Our median age is 56, and 33% of us are 65 or older. 20% of us are disabled. The carts Mid Valley Disposal plans to provide weigh 52.4 pounds when empty and require two hands to open and the ability to pinch.
• A significant portion of our residents would not be able to afford trash service. Many of our seniors are on a fixed income. The employment rate in Three Rivers was only 49.5% in 2023, 25% of our households had an income below $50,000, and almost 10% of us are living on household incomes of less than $15,000. Not only would the proposed ordinance mandate a 30% increase in our residential rates, it would make us responsible for repair, maintenance, and full replacement costs if the containers are damaged by Mid Valley Disposal or our bears.

What can we do now?

The Bear Smart team is actively seeking professional advice and conferring with other Bear Smart communities. Meanwhile, there is a lot we all can all do to decrease the negative impact this ordinance could have on our community:

• Report all toppled carts and bins, all strewn garbage, all property damage, and all bear sightings to bears@3rtogether.org, and send photos if it is safe to do so. Please provide the day and time of the incident, as well as the location for our heat map. Bear Smart team members plan to attend every Board of Supervisors meeting and read them the prior week’s statistics. Note that to protect your privacy, we do not share any names or addresses.
• If you have complaints about the service Mid Valley Disposal is providing, have damaged carts or bins, or want the hauler to pick up toppled metal bins or collect dispersed trash, contact them directly at  support@midvalleydisposal.com or submit a request through their website at https://www.midvalleydisposal.com/form-submit-issue/.
• Attend the upcoming community meeting. We are hoping to schedule it in November.
• Attend the Board of Supervisors meetings and speak out during the public comment period.
• Support the Bear Smart team. Join the team and/or help cover 1) the professional fees, 2) the education and outreach materials we are developing to mitigate the negative impact of the ordinance, and 3) the electric mats and other deterrents we are purchasing to lend out to community members. Visit https://www.bearsmart3r.org/get-involved/.
• Check in on your friends and neighbors. 

If adopted, this ordinance would negatively affect all of us, regardless of our wealth and our age. It would negatively impact us, whether we are residents or remote STR owners. We remain committed to working toward real solutions that protect both people and bears. This vote may be a step backward, but our community’s resolve is stronger than ever.

[Images: 1- Photo credit: L. Di Silvestro. This plastic cart is authorized by the ordinance, and it is the same model as the one Mid Valley Disposal displayed to the Board of Supervisors during the meeting. The manufacturer states that these carts are not bear resistant, and two Three Rivers bears figured out how to open them within two weeks. 2- Photo credit: Autumn Davidson DVM, Three Rivers resident. The metal bins mandated by the ordinance, which accounted for 47% of reported garbage incidents this year, are involved in the community’s most serious incidents and caused at least one vehicle accident this year. 3- Photo credit: L. Di Silvestro. Short-term rental recycling bins are not addressed by the ordinance. They account for a quarter of the garbage incidents in Three Rivers.]