Agenda - Council Work Session - 09/27/2016

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CC Work Session 2. 1. Meeting Date: 09/27/2016 Information Title: Review Status of the City's Curbside Recycling Contract Purpose/Background: State Statute (Chapter 115A Waste Management) requires that residents, including both single family and multifamily residences, have the opportunity to recycle. The City has historically satisfied this requirement with a contract for curbside collection of residentially generated recyclables. The current contract specifically addresses all town homes as well as single family residential homes. Note that apartment complexes and the manufactured home park are treated as commercial accounts and are not part of the current contract. The City is currently in year four (4) of a five (5) year contract with ACE Solid Waste for curbside collection of recyclable materials. The current contract will expire on December 31, 2017. Please note that the current discussion focuses on the City's organized curbside recycling contract. The current discussion does not contemplate extending the organized collection into solid waste disposal. The purpose of this case is to begin discussions on policy direction once the current contract expires. There are three (3) options to be considered by the City: 1. Enter into negotiations with the current service provider on a new curbside contract. 2. Prepare a Request for Proposals (RFP) for competitive bids for curbside collection of recyclables. 3. Migrate to an open hauling system where any licensed hauler could provide recycling service to a customer. Staff would note that there are several advantages to operating with a contracted service including: • Participation rates are typically higher than in an open hauling system (currently, Ramsey's participation rate is at 90%). • Generally decreases the number of trucks that would be on a street on collection day (depending on what services a hauler offers, there could be up to four [4] trucks to service one address: garbage, recycling, yard waste, and organics), reducing both traffic volumes and wear and tear on residential streets. • More efficient from an administrative and reporting perspective (generally only one hauler submitting tonnage reports, exceptions are for the couple apartment complexes). • More efficient from a promotion and marketing perspective (oftentimes, haulers have slightly different standards for acceptable materials and thus, in an open hauling system, promotion and marketing is more generalized). • Opportunity for the City to implement various standards/requirements such as providing labor and equipment for recycling events and assistance with program promotion and education Historically, communities that provide recycling service through a contract generally have higher participation rates and greater quantities of materials recycled compared to communities that operate in an open hauling system. Two exceptions to this, at least within the County, are Andover and Coon Rapids. However, it is worth noting that both of those communities have a drop off recycling center available for their residents throughout the year (and in the case of Coon Rapids, 1.5 FTE positions dedicated entirely to their recycling program). Participation rates and tonnage are key factors in this discussion considering that the State's current Solid Waste Management Policy Plan calls for a goal of 54-60% of the total municipal solid waste get recycled (for reference, in 2010, 40% of the municipal solid waste was recycled) and up to 75% by 2030. Should the City move to an open hauling system, this would provide more flexibility for property owners to select their own recycling service provider. This would, however, require ordinance amendments related specifically to the licensing requirements. Most notably, City Code would need to be amended to specify licensed haulers offering