Agenda - Council Work Session - 03/11/2025

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CC Work Session Meeting Date: Primary Strategic Plan Initiative: Title: Curbside Recycling Contract 03/11/2025 Identify and implement operational efficiencies, cost savings and additional funding sources. Information 2. 1. Purpose/Background: The City of Ramsey is currently in the fifth and final year of a 5-year residential curbside recycling contract with ACE Solid Waste. The current contract runs through December 31, 2025. The purpose of this case is to initiate discussion on policy direction in advance of the expiration of the current recycling contract. Please note, this case and discussion focuses solely on recycling service and does not contemplate garbage service. Ultimately, there are essentially three (3) potential options to be considered: • Enter into negotiations with the current recycling service provider to extend or renew the curbside recycling contract. • Prepare a Request for Proposals (RFP) to solicit bids for a curbside recycling service. • Migrate to an open hauling system (similar to what we currently have for garbage service), which would not necessarily include management and oversight of the curbside program by the City, but would still involve licensing of haulers, semiannual reporting to Anoka County (both financial and tonnage reports), and education and marketing efforts. Time Frame/Observations/Alternatives: Background and Historical Overview 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. In fact, it appears that the City's first contract for curbside recycling service was executed in 1990 (recycling service at that time was $1.15 per household), and since then, the City has continued to utilize a contracted service to ensure residents have an opportunity to recycle. The current contract specifically addresses all townhomes and 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 meaning they need to secure recycling service through their trash hauler directly. In addition to the statutory requirement that residents have an opportunity to recycle, the City also enters into a Recycling Agreement annually with Anoka County in order to receive funding to operate the recycling program (funding is provided by the State of Minnesota via the Select Committee on Recycling and the Environment or SCORE). Among other things, this annual agreement specifies the tonnage goal for each municipality. The 2025 tonnage goal for Ramsey, which is set by Anoka County, is 3,124 tons. The annual tonnage goal is based on population and type of housing split between single-family households at 2251bs per person and multi -unit households at 1501bs per person. These tonnage goals tend to increase each year in an attempt to meet the State of Minnesota's goal of recycling 75% of solid waste by 2030. The City of Ramsey has continuously achieved its annual tonnage goal since 2006 when Ramsey moved to a single sort system (rather than having to separate various materials and bagging them before putting them in the 18-gallon bin and setting them out at the curb). The City of Ramsey can comply with Chapter 115A of State Statutes by either providing recycling service via a contract or by migrating to an open hauling system. Both options have their pros and cons, which are generally