Trash collection rate boost set at $2
BY PRU SOWERS
KONK LIFE STAFF WRITER
The city’s approximately 13,000 residential trash customers got some good news recently. The projected $37 annual increase in trash collection has been reduced to $2.
The new rate will kick in on Jan. 1st and bring the yearly cost of trash and recyclables collection, plus yard waste disposal, to $321 for residential customers. City Commissioners had earlier set a tentative annual increase at $37, but were able to bring that down by changing the new contract with Waste Management from twice a week collection to once a week.
That new 7-year, $53 million contract was approved by a close 4-3 vote by city commissioners in May. The majority said they wanted to keep Waste Management as the city’s trash vendor – a role the company has played since 1999 – but in order to do that, had to approve a more expensive option calling for twice a week collection and handing over management of the city’s transfer station management to Waste Management. During the bidding process, Utilities Department staff recommended that the other bidder, Advanced Disposal Services, be awarded the contract because it was the low bidder on three of the four rate options requested by the city.
A majority of city commissioners, however, went against the staff recommendation and awarded the contract to Waste Management, selecting the rate option that, while being lower than Advanced Disposal Services, boosted the cost of the overall contract $14 million by adding a second weekly collection and taking over the transfer station.
Two members of the city Sustainability Advisory Committee resigned in protest of the twice-weekly collection schedule, saying it would hurt efforts to increase recycling rates in the city.
However, once the contract had been signed, the four commissioners who voted for Waste Management, Billy Wardlow, Tony Yaniz, Mark Rossi and Clayton Lopez, re-thought their position, agreeing that once a week collection made more sense from a financial and environmental point of view. The city went from twice a week collection to once a week last year and the move is credited with tripling the city’s anemic seven percent recycling rate.
Waste Management agreed to the contract change for weekly collection. It will maintain the option to take over transfer station management, a change that will cost residents $300,000 a year more than the current, $550,000 annual cost the city currently incurs for management of the landfill.
In another effort to boost recycling rates in Key West, Waste Management will be offering new but smaller trash cans to residential customers beginning early next year. The new cans will hold 64 gallons, compared to the current 96-gallon blue bins. The smaller cans will be free but customers can continue to use the 96-gallon bins if they would like.
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This is so much horse hockey.
We had a twice a-week pick up before some dim bulbs started messing with a system that already worked.
Thanks to them we ended up paying the same rate for half the service, and it was added on as a lump sum to everyone’s property taxes. Then, the highest bidder gets the job, no surprise there…of course you might want to check the commissioners for recent gifts from an admiring WM executive…and we’re promised 2 pickups a week again.
Now, we’re back to one, and we only have to pay a little more to get a whole lot less.
Apparently, given the resignations, I’m not the only one who smells the rats. With my, and every other taxpayer’s packet being picked, and we’re told that we’ve got a wonderful deal, I really don’t know how to adequately express my thanks.