I only learned from a postcard from our " new" disposal firm, Cleanscapes a Seattle based firm that they would be taking over for Allied Waste, a firm that has served our needs very, very satisfactorily for over forty years.

This "new" firm is under capitalized and over extended when compared with Allied Waste and the entire transaction seems to have been shrouded in secrecy.

The fact that it's a Seattle based firm should have been a tip off to our learned council about its inadequacies. Even their web site is secret when it comes to their service rates and the fact that our garbage will be searched with or by x-rays to determine "if" there has been any recycle items inadvertently placed with the garbage that will enable them to invoke a fine (value unknown of course) against the client.

What, if any, assurances do we have that these x-ray searches are shielded from pets, children or for that matter adults who are dragging out their disposables to the curb when the "search trucks are idling in the cul- de- sacs of Des Moines.

The surprise postcard from Cleanscapes promised full disclosure about services and rates with the delivery of your "new carts!"

Well guess what, I have my own yard waste cans and a personal single 20-gallon can that has served its purpose for many years and this personal choice was perfectly acceptable to Allied Waste.

I'm sorry but it seems like our City Council has without cause, chosen to create a problem where none had existed before and it makes one wonder if there is so little for them to worry about maybe we should cut their ranks from the current seven to three.

Gary Kennedy
Des Moines