Update on Recycling Program

The purpose of this case is to provide an update to City Council on the City's curbside recycling program and SCORE (Select Committee On Recycling and the Environment) funding, based on comments made at the September 26, 2023, City Council meeting.  As the City Council knows, the City is in the midst of a five (5) year contract with ACE Solid Waste for curbside recycling.  The current contract runs through December 31, 2025.  The contract does include a termination clause based on breach of contract, which has not occurred.  Per the current contract, the City is charged $3.98 per household for the curbside recycling service.  However, this is a 'pass-through' charge, as the City ultimately bills each household $3.98 per month, or $11.94 quarterly, through the City's utility billing.  Recycling is collected on an every other week schedule (Mondays), alternating between the east and west sides of the city.  If there is a missed pickup, the City's curbside recycling contract specifies that as long as the resident contacts the city prior to 12pm the day after the scheduled pickup, the hauler is obligated to return and service that address (this does happen from time to time, and ACE has always been very good about responding and sending a truck back out to an address, sometimes even when a resident waits multiple days before contacting the city). 

The City's recycling contract also requires ACE Solid Waste to provide staff and equipment for collection of certain materials (curbside recyclables and scrap metal) at the City's spring and fall recycling events.  These two recycling events provide residents with an opportunity to properly dispose of a number of different materials that are generally not accepted through the curbside recycling program.  Materials collected at the traditional recycling events include appliances, electronics, mattresses, box springs, batteries, fluorescent bulbs, used oil, oil filters, antifreeze, bicycles, tires, scrap metal, standard curbside recyclables (e.g. cardboard, newspaper, cans, food and beverage glass containers, etc.), tires, and document destruction (paper shredding).  At any given recycling event, attendance has ranged from about 200 to 500 vehicles.

In an attempt to provide more opportunities for residents to recycle, in 2023, the City offered a curbside recycling event.  The concept is similar to the traditional recycling events, except that, rather than having residents haul their materials to a central location, they can place them at the curb for pickup, for a fee.  There were ninety-five (95) households that took advantage of this opportunity last year.  The vendor handled all phone calls and payments and then invoiced the city for the trip charge to each house ($25).  This was a successful 'event' and Staff plans to offer this opportunity again this summer.
 
Funding for Ramsey's recycling program is provided via Anoka County, which distributes SCORE funding to each municipality.  Base funding is $10,000, plus an additional $5 per household.  There are also additional funding categories, such as funding for the operation of a permanent recycling center (up to $15,000), general program enhancements (up to $9,925), and organics recycling (up to $9,925). In 2024, Ramsey's total base funding allocation was $59,625.00 (based on 9,925 households).   There is also an opportunity for up to an additional $20,000 in supplemental funding, through a competitive grant application process.  In 2024, Ramsey had the opportunity to request up to $94,475 of SCORE funding (excluding the supplemental funding of up to $20,000).  But, Ramsey has never pursued the full allotment of potential SCORE funding, as only about ten percent of the Senior Planner's time is spent on recycling.

Ramsey's total program funding for 2024 is $69,350.  This funding covers the portion of the Senior Planner's salary for the time spent on recycling related duties, costs associated with the traditional spring and fall recycling events, costs associated with the curbside recycling event (there is a $25 trip charge for each household that participates, which the City has covered with SCORE funds), marketing and educational materials (covers a portion of the cost of producing the Ramsey Resident newsletter, assuming there's information about recycling, and the cost of the Ramsey Recycler newsletter), and providing program information to new residents (on a monthly basis).  This funding also funds the recycling pickups in all the city parks and time spent by the Planning Administrative Assistant when sending out information to new Ramsey residents.

The City of Ramsey has operated its curbside recycling program via a contract with a single hauler since the mid- to late 1990s.  Utilizing a single hauler (organized collection of recycling) helps limit the number of trucks traveling up and down residential streets (there is a separate truck for garbage, recycling, yard waste, and potentially organics, so it is possible that four separate trucks could drive down a residential street to provide service to a single home) and typically results in a lesser monthly cost for each household than an open hauling system (a hauler can offer a better rate knowing that they will be providing service to all households rather than just scattered houses across the city).  Fewer trucks on the streets means greater safety (due to less traffic), less wear and tear on our streets (especially along the street edge, where pavement tends to be a bit weaker, which is also where these trucks primarily operate), and reduced noise.  Program administration tends to be more efficient also.  This is not only true on the reporting side (Staff generally only works with a single hauler to obtain monthly tonnage reports, which are required to complete biennial reporting to Anoka County), but also from an educational perspective as well (different haulers may accept different materials and/or require different means of material preparation). 

Any hauler collecting mixed municipal solid waste (trash) is required by State Statute (115A.93 Subdivision 1) to be licensed by the jurisdiction where the material is collected.  The Ramsey City Code does require a license for any entity collecting recyclables within the city as well.  Should the City Council wish to transition to an open hauling system, the City would likely need to complete some updates to the City Code and/or the licensing application to ensure that haulers agree to provide all necessary tonnage information to the City so that Staff can accurately complete the biennial reporting due to Anoka County.  It is worth noting that State Statute 115A.93 Subdivision 3 specifies that a licensing authority (i.e., the city) shall require licensees to provide volume-based garbage rates (i.e., the larger the garbage cart, the greater the cost) and shall prohibit haulers from imposing a greater charge on residents who recycle than on residents who do not recycle.  So, just because someone opts not to recycle, per state law, they cannot be charged less than residents that do recycle.

All costs associated with the recycling program are covered through the SCORE funding.

Senior Planner

No direction is being sought at this time, this case is intended to provide a general update on the City's recycling program.