Curbside Recycling Contact Status

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.

 

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 from 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 (for example, 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 [225lbs per person] and multi-unit households [150lbs 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 it 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 laid out below.

Organized Collection (Contracted Recycling Service)
Organized collection of recycling, accomplished via a contracted service, oftentimes results in greater participation rates and greater volumes (tonnage) of material collected.  Since one hauler would be serving the entire community, there are collection efficiencies realized that often result in a lower cost per household compared to an open hauling system.  Organized collection typically means fewer trucks on residential streets (there are presently seven [7] licensed waste haulers in Ramsey, which, under an open hauling system, could result in seven [7] different recycling trucks coming down the same residential street.  That would be in addition to garbage trucks, yard waste trucks, and organics collection trucks, which, per the latest Metropolitan Solid Waste Management Plan, by the year 2030, the option for curbside collection of organics must be available in cities with a population of 5,000 or more.).  Fewer trucks on the road would mean less wear and tear on our streets, reduced truck emissions, and should improve safety (fewer potential accidents with fewer trucks).  Administration of a contracted recycling service tends to be more efficient compared to open hauling, since there is a single hauler that Staff has to work with to obtain tonnage data needed for the semi-annual reporting to Anoka County.  Similarly, education and marketing tends to be more efficient and more specific also.  This is because different haulers may have slightly different standards and/or accept more or less materials than other haulers.

On the other hand, organized collection has its cons as well.  Coordination of upsizing or downsizing recycling carts (which can be requested by a resident at any time during the year) must go through the City rather than directly through the hauler.  Also, requests for recycling carts to be delivered to a new construction home all have to come through City Staff.  Any complaints related to the recycling service come through the City to be resolved rather than directly to the hauler (complaints/concerns have generally been scarce but can consume a lot of Staff time).  Organized collection eliminates the option for residents to change haulers if they so desire, and it means that all households pay for recycling, even if they choose not to participate in the recycling program.  Residents can choose not to recycle, but the monthly fee is still applicable.

Open Hauling System
In an open hauling system, the primary benefit is that residents have the freedom and ability to change haulers any time they so choose.  A household will have a more direct relationship with their hauler as any questions and/or concerns they have would go directly to the hauler instead of to City Staff.  This type of collection system tends to be more 'business friendly' to smaller haulers and/or a start-up hauling business.

As with organized collection, an open hauling system also has its own cons.  Open hauling typically results in more collection trucks on local streets.  The potential disadvantages of this include increased street maintenance (by the city), more truck emissions, and increased traffic (which could lead to more safety concerns).  In an open hauling system, monthly costs tend to be higher per household, as there are likely greater distances between service addresses.  Promotion and education (by the city) tends to be more generalized, since different haulers may accept different materials and/or have different preparation requirements.

Although not mandatory, many communities that operate under an open hauling system, tend to offer their residents a year-round recycling center.  Presently, Ramsey does not have any such facility, nor does Ramsey have sufficient staffing for such a facility.  Additionally, if the City were to move toward an open hauling system, various code amendments would likely be needed, such as specifying that any licensed hauler must offer recycling and that haulers cannot charge a household that recycles more than a household that does not recycle (State Statute 115A.93, Subd.3.c).

Finally, should the City opt to move to an open hauling system, moving back toward an organized system would be more challenging after the statutory changes that were adopted by the legislature in 2013 (the process is outlined under IV. Solid Waste and Recycling Collection D. Procedural Requirements for Adopting Organized Collection under the second attachment to this case).



 

Funding for the City's recycling program is through the Select Committee on Recycling and the Environment (SCORE).  This funding is used to cover that portion of the Senior Planner's salary spent on recycling activities, as well as recycling promotion and education, and the city's various recycling events throughout the year.

Staff has been satisfied with the program as-is.  

Provide a recommendation on the desired collection method for recycling and specify any talking points that the board feels are important for the City Council to consider.