City of Derby

Trash & Curbside Recycling Initiatives

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On July 28, the Derby City Council approved a contract for curbside recycling and enhanced trash pick-up services beginning December 1, 2009.

Trash and recycling services will still be provided by the private sector. What will change is that the City will follow the lead of most cities in the U.S. and issue a franchise to a private provider to ensure prices are fair and consistent and that quality standards are maintained.

More Service, Less Cost

• Lower rates for MOST residents

• More service for ALL residents

Highlights of the Waste Connections contract

• $44.25/quarter for 95-gallon cart, with up to 10 extra bags free

• $38.25/quarter for 65-gallon cart, plus $1 per extra bag

• Biweekly recyclables pickup + reward points through RecycleBank Program (more information below)
- Recyclables include cardboard, chipboard, plastics #1-7, steel & aluminum cans, clean aluminum foil, glass, newspaper, magazines, junk mail, phone books, and other light-colored paper (no sorting)
- RecycleBank points are earned for every pound recycled. Use points to shop for rewards like groceries or gift cards at local businesses and on the internet.

• Free roll-out service for disabled and elderly

• Two free coupons for one bulky item pickup per year and one pickup truck load taken to Waste Connections Transfer Station

• Discounted rates for small businesses, community parades, festivals, and park events

• Free service for city-owned facilities

Background
As the governing authority over solid waste, the Board of Sedgwick County Commissioners decided in 2008 that all the cities in the County should issue a trash franchise and offer curbside recycling. The trash franchise should include an option for at least two sizes of trash carts, with the smaller one offered at a lower cost.

Such a “volume-based” or “pay-as-you-throw” system is used in many communities across the country to ensure that those who produce the most garbage, pay the most. Conversely, those who produce little – either because they have fewer people in their household or they recycle more or they just don’t produce much garbage – pay less.

The Derby City Council appointed six community volunteers to a Recycling/Trash Advisory Board, and the board met numerous times since August 2008 to discuss the particulars of how such a new system would work. A Request for Proposals was issued on January 26, 2009. Proposals from three area trash companies were received March 17.

After one proposal was withdrawn from the competition, two companies were interviewed by the Board on April 6 and 9. On April 14, the Board met to discuss the two proposals and decided to recommend to the City Council the selection of Waste Connections to provide curbside collection of trash service and recyclables. At its April 28 meeting, the City Council approved the recommendation (7-1). Staff negotiated contract details, and on July 28, the Council approved the contract.

Curbside Recycling
The County also has a dismally low rate of recycling, which can be greatly improved by offering curbside pickup at no extra cost.

The decision to put recyclables out at the curb every other week is a decision to be made by each household. Derby does not mandate recycling. We provide a system that encourages recycling by making it easy and affordable.

Recycling is not a feel-good activity. It saves space in the landfill and conserves precious resources. Administered correctly, it’s good public policy and it’s good business.

Residents can sign up to recycle by calling Waste Connections at 838-4920 to receive a recycling cart. Recyclables are collected bi-weekly. Residents receive 2.5 RecycleBank Points per pound of recycled material. These points can be used for discounts and coupons at local and nationwide retailers. Here's how it works:

Trash Franchise
Currently, trash bills paid by Derby homeowners vary widely because the industry is unregulated. Some people pay $65-$82 per quarter (3 months), even though many homeowner associations have struck deals with trash companies for rates more around the $45-$50 range.

Such variation in rates is testament to the efficiency to be gained from authorizing only one truck to serve any given street on only one day of the week. The driver picks up more trash per hour than in the current system of driving all over town to serve only certain households, skipping those served by other companies.

Obviously, such reduced truck traffic will also be good for street maintenance, noise and air pollution, and general tidiness of neighborhoods (all trash carts at the curb on one day rather than some on each of several days of the week). See the Effect on Pavement Information.

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