Marborg Industries Replaces Waste Management for Waste Curbside Collection Service
Customers will see Marborg delivery trucks this month as the company begins curbside pick-up of trash, recyclables and green waste on July 1.
Last summer the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors awarded a ten-year contract for trash, recycle and green waste curbside collection to the Santa Barbara- based company MarBorg Industries to serve Orcutt and the unincorporated areas of the Santa Maria, Lompoc and Santa Ynez valleys. This month Orcutt customers can expect waste containers provided by the previous provider, Waste Management (WM), to be exchanged for containers from MarBorg Industries.
Mackenzie Forgey, Program Specialist for Santa Barbara County’s Resource Recovery and Waste Management Division, expects the transfer of containers to go smoothly. “Waste Management will continue hauling waste until July 1, but the waste container exchange is occurring now with the hopes that customers will have their new MarBorg containers by July.”
Residents will receive new MarBorg waste containers the day before their regular service day. The size and number of containers will be the same as WM had provided. Customers should place all their WM waste containers, full or empty, on the curb on their regular service day and leave them there. All containers will be emptied as usual by WM, and the WM containers will be removed within two business days. Once the WM containers have been removed and the MarBorg containers delivered, residents should use the Marborg containers as usual.
“If customers have trash and organics collection on the week that they receive their new MarBorg containers, they should only put out the WM containers for those services. WM recycling containers, which are serviced bi-weekly, would be swapped the following week.”
Last spring, four companies responded to a request for proposal (RFP) with the hopes of obtaining the County’s ten- year contract for waste management. Of those, MarBorg came in first by offering a 5.3 percent rate reduction. WM finished in third place with a 2.4 percent rate reduction.
The Santa Maria Regional Landfill recently increased its rates which will affect the MarBorg rate reduction.
At the Supervisor hearing last spring, about twenty Waste Management employees pleaded with the Board to renew the WM contract and protect their jobs. In response, MarBorg president Brian Borgatello responded, “I give you my word, we’ve got your back; we will not leave you guys hanging dry, and I believe we have a very good compensation package that will match what you have now, and we look forward to meeting you in the future.”
“The County confirmed with MarBorg, and they have extended employment to all Waste Management employees who applied,” stated Forgey.
As to where the waste ends up, MarBorg will occupy the existing WM Facilities at 1850 West Betteravia Road. The trash will go to the Santa Maria Regional Landfill while organic (green) waste and food
scraps will continue to go to Engel & Gray Regional Compost Facility on West Betteravia Road. Owner Bob Engel says the relationship between Engel and Gray and MarBorg will remain the same as it was with WM. “Organic wastes will continue to come to us for food scrap recycling and composting, relieving the Santa Maria landfill of significant amounts of wastes.”
Forgey says that informational letters and a customer resource guide were sent to all Orcutt residents a few weeks ago. Further info will be presented to customers when the new MarBorg containers are delivered.
Steve Southwick reporting