Adopt Resolution #17-07-165 Approving a Curbside Recycling Contract with ACE Solid Waste

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 the last year of its current 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 Environmental Policy Board (EPB) contemplated various options in June and July of 2016 with regard to recycling, including negotiating with the current hauler on a contract extension, preparing an RFP, or migrating to an open hauling system.  As part of those discussions, the EPB formulated goals for the City's recycling program.  Ultimately, the EPB recommended continuing with a contracted service for recycling  and to negotiate a contract extension with ACE Solid Waste.

The City Council discussed this topic in a work session in September of 2016 and supported the EPB's recommendation and directed Staff to initiate discussions with ACE Solid Waste on a contract extension.

The City has had a contract with ACE Solid Waste since approximately 1998. ACE Solid Waste calls Ramsey home and has provided good service over the course of almost twenty (20) years. The City and ACE continue to have a good working relationship and ACE continues to be actively engaged in the community. However, it should be noted that ACE Solid Waste is no longer locally owned; Waste Connections Inc., headquartered in Texas, purchased ACE late in 2013. But, ACE continues to provide great service. There were some initial customer complaints submitted to City Staff during the transition in ownership and conversion to a new software system (mostly due to long wait times on the phone and lack of returned calls), but it appears that these issues have been resolved.

The proposed curbside recycling contract is similar to the current contract in terms of structure and content.  Recycling would continue to be picked up on an every other week basis through a single sort system (acceptable materials can be placed directly in the recycling cart without any need for sorting or separating).  The recycling fee would remain constant at $2.95 per month per household for the full term of the contract.

Continuing with a contracted service for recycling helps achieve a goal of the EPB of limiting and/or reducing the number of vehicle trips on residential roads by trucks (for safety purposes, reducing wear and tear on roads, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, etc.).  Additionally, the following have been included in the contract aimed at achieving the recycling goals identified by the EPB:

• Contractor shall assist with preparation of educational information for inclusion in the Ramsey Resident and Ramsey Recycler newsletters with a focus on seasonal problem materials and/or seasonal increases in various recyclable materials to help improve tonnage and participation rates will reducing contamination.
• Contractor shall work with the City to develop and implement new programs and pilot projects that can aid in improving tonnage and participation rates and also potentially diverting new materials from the waste stream to the recycling stream (e.g. organics).

The City's recycling program is funded through the Select Committee on Recycling and the Environment (SCORE).  Each community in Anoka County receives a base of $10,000.00 plus another $5.00 per household and has the ability to apply for additional enhancement funds to make improvements to their recycling program. Ramsey's allocation for 2017 is $59,450.00. Additionally, the Anoka County Board of Commissioners also sets a tonnage goal for each community (based on 205 pounds per person per year per single family home and 160 pounds per person per year for multifamily buildings of five [5] units or more) and Ramsey's current goal is set at 2,555 tons. Ramsey has now achieved its recycling goal for thirteen (13) consecutive years.
 
The City Attorney has reviewed the proposed contract for curbside recycling service and found it to be acceptable with regard to legal form.

Funding for the administration of the City's curbside recycling program is provided through the State of Minnesota's Select Committee on Recycling and the Environment (SCORE). With the proposed three (3) year contract, the City would pay the hauler a monthly fee of $2.95 per household and then collect that charge on a quarterly basis through the City's utility billing ($8.85 per quarter).

Staff recommends approving the three (3) year curbside recycling contract with ACE Solid Waste (would cover years 2018-2020).

Motion to adopt Resolution #17-07-165 approving a three (3) year curbside recycling contract with ACE Solid Waste.