OAK PARK : Trash Collection Bills to Increase

Oak Park residents will soon see their monthly garbage collection bills rise from $12.50 to $17.59, a spokeswoman for the county’s solid waste management department said.

The increase mainly reflects the costs of county recycling efforts, the spokeswoman, Victoria Hand, said at Thursday’s meeting of the Oak Park Municipal Advisory Council.

The price rise will help pay for the bins that will be distributed to Oak Park homeowners for collecting recyclable materials. The rate increase will also cover the costs to Hillside Rubbish Co., which collects most of Oak Park’s garbage, of picking up the recyclables.

Ventura County recently awarded a franchise agreement to Hillside to continue servicing Oak Park, which is unincorporated, Hand said. The county found that Hillside had not raised its rates in Oak Park for years and that its profit margin there had fallen below the level enjoyed by other garbage haulers around the county, Hand said.