The City of Reno made good on its promise to fine small business owner Mark McKinnon for not using Waste Management for his recycling service.
McKinnon posted today on Facebook a copy of his $100 fine issued by the city’s Senior Code Enforcement Officer, Joe Henry.
The assessment comes after McKinnon posted the original threat, along with a cease-and-desist letter from Waste Management, for using an alternate company. McKinnon uses Waste Management competitor Green Solutions for recycling.
He said he is appealing the fine.
“I think I’m ready for national news to take notice of this when I am arrested for recycling my trash,” he explained. “I am still fighting this and will continue to do so until our local government realizes that Waste Management extorted them into this unfair and illegal franchise agreement.”
McKinnon has an appeal hearing scheduled for Feb. 20, 2018.
“I want it to be clear that I am not acting out of defiance, but out of a sense of social justice,” he added.
Waste Management’s exclusivity as the city’s waste hauler is being more strictly enforced after an outside legal review determined that smaller waste haulers cannot charge for containers and collecting excluded recyclable materials.
Others insist that review was flawed because information presented to the Reno City Council, which approved in 2012 the franchise agreement with Waste Management, is not what is occurring today.
Former councilmember Sharon Zadra said in a sworn affidavit:
“The City made it clear from the outset … it would not and did not want to award Waste Management an exclusive monopoly for commercial solid waste, trash or recycling for the entire City of Reno, which is why the City explicitly entered into multiple agreements.”
