Submitted By
John P. Wielebnicki, Public Works Director
Reviewed By
LKS
Agenda Item Title
Title
A Motion to Concur with Staff’s Recommendation to Issue a Request for Proposals for the Village’s Municipal Solid Waste Collection Contract Upon the Expiration of the Current Contract on April 1, 2022
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Overview
Overview
The current Municipal Solid Waste Collection contract will be expiring on March 31, 2022. Village staff is in the process of drafting a Request for Proposals for these services. The Request for Proposals will be for soliciting pricing for these services. Staff met with the Environment and Energy Commission to seek feedback on the proposed pricing requests. The Commission concurred with staff’s recommendations. Staff is now requesting Village Board concurrence on the recommendation.
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Recommendation
Recommendation
Approve the Motion.
Fiscal Impact
Municipal Solid Waste Collection is funded through the Environmental Services Fund. The fund is supported through fees collected which cover the cost of both collection and disposal.
Background
The Village is currently in the final year of a five-year contract for solid waste collection services. The current contract expires on March 31, 2022. Village Ordinance regulating solid waste collection services is for residential buildings of five (5) or less dwelling units. The Ordinance does not include residential buildings of six (6) dwelling units or more and commercial properties in the Village’s collection services program.
Solid waste collection services include collection of garbage and refuse, recyclable materials, food scraps (compostable materials), landscape waste, fall leaf collection and household hazardous waste/electronics.
Staff prepared the attached document titled “Village of Oak Park Solid Waste Collection Program”. The attachment includes a comprehensive overview of the Village’s current services and provides waste hauling options for consideration. Below is a brief summary of staff recommendations of the options. Highlighted in the attachment are staff recommendations.
1. Refuse Cart Color: Option A, maintain the current color-coding refuse cart system. (ie. Recycling - blue, Garbage and Refuse - green, Food Scrap/Yardwaste - grey).
2. Cart Size: Option A, maintain the current cart sizing option (ie. Recycling 64-gallon, Garbage and Refuse 64 or 96-gallon, Food Scrap/Yardwaste 96-gallon)
3a. Food Scrap/Yardwaste Base Program: Option A, no change to the current compost program. Residents can contact the Village to participate. Residents have the option to share a Food Scrap/Yardwaste cart with one neighbor.
3b. Alternate Food Scrap/Yardwaste Program: Seek Pricing as an alternate to Option A: An all-inclusive Food Scrap/Yardwaste cart participation. All residents would receive a refuse, recycling, and a 35-gallon Food Scrap/Yardwaste cart. Residents would have the option to have the Food Scrap/Yardwaste cart removed, however the fee for the cart would be included in the base refuse rate (Similar to the cost for recycling being included in the base rate).
Note: Additional Yardwaste would need to be placed in Kraft paper bags requiring a green sticker.
Note: Additional food scrap drop-off locations could be created to provide options for residents not currently in the Villages waste hauling program. Staff is proposing three but could consider additional sites based on demand. Currently, a food scrap drop-off location is located at 102 N. Lombard Ave. which has two 96-gallon carts that are picked up three times a week.
4a. Fall Leaf Collection Base Program: Option A: No change to the current six-week leaf collection program. Program begins the first full week of November. A price is requested to add two additional weeks to make it an eight-week program, similar to years prior to 2020, should the Village wish to do so.
4b. Alternate Fall Leaf Collection Program: Seek Pricing as an alternate to Option A: Modify fall leaf collection to a bagged leaf program. Residents would be responsible for bagging leaves rather than raking leaves into the street. Most communities in the Chicagoland area utilize the bagged leaf program. Bags would be collected at resident’s regular trash collection area. An unlimited number of bags would be collected during the six-week collection period without the need for green refuse stickers.
5. Household Hazardous Waste and Electronics collection Program: Only option, to ensure that household hazardous waste and electronics are disposed of responsibly, the Village intends on making the program a requirement as part of the request for proposal.
Should the Village Board concur with these recommendations staff will finalize the Request for Proposals to include requests for pricing on these options.
Alternatives
The Board can delay action to gain additional information.
Previous Board Action
The Village’s current solid waste collection hauler has been servicing the Village since 1994. The last renewal was a five-year contract approved by the Village Board on September 16, 2016.
Citizen Advisory Commission Action
Village staff met with the Environment and Energy Commission on April 29, 2021 to present the staff recommendations. The Commission concurred with staff recommendations.
Anticipated Future Actions/Commitments
If the Village Board concurs with staff recommendations staff will issue the Request for Proposals in June/July 2021. After review of the proposals and presentation to the Environment and Energy Commission staff anticipates bringing a recommendation of the preferred waste collection hauler’s pricing for consideration of approving a five-year contract for these services in October/November 2021. Implementation and education of the new program would take place between January and the end of March 2022.
Intergovernmental Cooperation Opportunities
The current contract for solid waste collection provides pricing and services to many Oak Park governmental agencies (schools, library and parks), religious institutions and other non-profit facilities. The Request for Proposals will also include these services in the next contract.