Agenda - Council Work Session - 05/12/2020

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CC Work Session 2. 2. Meeting Date: 05/12/2020 Title: Provide Direction on Curbside Recycling Program Information Purpose/Background: The City is currently in the final year of a three (3) year contract with ACE Solid Waste for curbside collection of recyclable materials. The current contract will expire on December 31, 2020. Please note that this case and discussion focuses on the City's current organized curbside recycling contract. The current discussion does not contemplate extending the organized collection into solid waste disposal (garbage). The purpose of this case is to begin discussions on policy direction before the current contract expires. There are essentially three (3) options that could be considered by the City: 1. Enter into negotiations with the current service provider to extend or renew the contract. 2. Prepare a Request for Proposals (RFP) for competitive bids for curbside collection of recyclables. 3. Migrate to an open hauling system that would not include management and oversight by the City, but would still involve licensing of haulers, reporting to Anoka County, and education efforts. 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. There are several advantages to operating with a contracted service: • 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 servicing 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, with the exception of the apartment complexes). • More efficient from a promotion and marketing perspective (oftentimes, haulers have slightly different standards for accepted materials and thus, in an open hauling system, promotion and marketing is more generalized). This is even more critical now with the current downward trend of commodity values and the need to ensure clean recycling. • 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. One exception to this may be when a community has a year-round recycling center available for residents, such as those facilities operated by the cities of Andover and Coon Rapids. One drawback to providing recycling service through a contract that has come up occasionally is that every household is billed for recycling (presently, $2.85 per month), whether they participate in the program or not. It is considered a utility, much like the priority street light charge and stormwater management charge, all three of these are charged to every household in the city.