Man Who Has Little Garbage Trashes City Pickup Policy -- `Eco- Hero' Fights Required Fee

SAN JOSE, Calif. - Frank Schiavo hesitates to toss out the 10 days' worth of garbage - two foil wrappers off wine bottles, eight envelope windows and the packaging from a bar of Pure and Natural soap - that has collected in his kitchen.

You never know these days when a television crew or gubernatorial candidate Tom Hayden will stop by Schiavo's home in south San Jose. Schiavo, the man with virtually no garbage, is running out of material to demonstrate the fine points of composting for the cameras, and the fistful of refuse makes a nice shot.

His saga of civil disobedience, one man's tale of fighting a City Hall that insists he pay for garbage service he doesn't use, has captured the attention of television networks, prompted letters of support from San Luis Obispo children and come to this:

Hayden posing for a photo op recently next to 900 pounds of compost in Schiavo's front yard.

The state senator, an environmental-issues advocate who drives an electric car, announced legislation to exempt master recyclers such as Schiavo from garbage fees, then listened as Schiavo pointed out the "vintage" stuff in the pile.

"My environmental hero is Henry David Thoreau," Hayden said. "I always try to ask what would Thoreau think in a situation like this. I think he probably would be resisting these fees."

The San Jose City Council has refused to relieve Schiavo, who teaches environmental studies at San Jose State University, from the basic $13.95 monthly garbage and recycling fee, even though he hasn't used garbage service in 14 years. Schiavo, 54, and his wife, Linda Munn, an elementary-school teacher, produce a few scraps of garbage a week.

They take almost everything to a recycling center and toss out the little bit of garbage they create either at work or at the center.

Looking California professor-ish last week in Levi's, Birkenstocks and a tie, Schiavo took Hayden's drop-in in stride. Schiavo gave Hayden a "Compost Because a Rind is a Terrible Thing to Waste" T-shirt.

Hayden paused for a second or two when asked how much garbage he disposes of each week.

"Um, I'm not a saint; let's put it that way," he said. Then, brightening, he added, "However, I have removed my lawn and installed a garden of drought-resistant plants."

Schiavo has become what Hayden calls an "eco-hero" and a cause celebre in the past few weeks.

Canadian Radio called. He dumped the last of his green waste into the compost for CNN. He tolerated the 2:30 a.m. appearance by a crew for an interview with CBS and Paula Zahn. All of this means little to Schiavo, whose house features 3,700 pounds of water in five-gallon metal containers used to cool and heat - but no TV.

What he likes are the 96 letters from children in San Luis Obispo; he plans to visit them in June.

"If I were you, I would just stop paying. I mean, what are they going to do to you? Send you to jail for taking care of the environment?" Jessica Vande Walle, one of the students, writes.

Then there's the $14 sent by two recycling-minded school janitors in Placerville.

"I see a lot of good coming out in other people," Schiavo said.

"I think it really surprised them that someone could live here in the middle of a high-tech society without garbage."