Title
Contract for Processing of Yard Trash Debris (B)
This item involves a request for the City Commission to authorize the City Manager to renew the contract with County Line Landfill, Inc. for the processing of Yard Trash generated by the City’s Curbside Collection program and various City departments.
Explanation
In May of 2009, the County’s Purchasing Office put out an Invitation To Bid (10-57) for the processing of clean, uncontaminated Yard Trash generated by the City of Gainesville and Alachua County and their respective Curbside Collection programs. This step was taken in conjunction with the goal of the City and County to retain ownership of the collected material and maintain greater control over its final disposition. The Yard Trash Processing Contract was for a seven (7) year term ending September 30, 2016 with one option to renew, and required the contractor to recycle and reuse the Yard Trash by methods subject to City/County approval.
Wood Resource Recovery, LLC and County Line Landfill, Inc. dba Watsons C&D Inc. were the only two bidders at $13.75 per ton and $16.00 per ton respectively. The City wishes to renew the contract with Watson’s County Line Landfill one year early in order to lock in the current $16.00 rate for five more years. Staff would also like to direct the vast majority of the City’s Yard Trash to be processed at Watson’s facility in order to provide sufficient clean, bulking material to sustain a food waste composting program. This will enable large generators like grocery stores and restaurants to recycle their food waste rather than landfilling it. While our current practice of sending our yard trash to Wood Resource Recovery and Watson’s to be processed into mulch and boiler fuel has enabled us to recycle all our yard trash; it does not provide any alternative to landfilling our food waste. In order for the City to achieve its stated goal of a 75% diversion rate by 2020 a significant amount of the organics generated by the community will have to be recovered. Having a local food waste composting facility will enable the cost-effective recovery of this material. The city, county, University of Florida, WCA and Watson’s have been working together for several months on a pilot program to establish the ability to recycle food waste locally, thereby reducing the disposal cost for this material from $48/ton to $16/ton. Shifting the vast majority of our yard trash processing over to Watson’s composting facility is an essential component of this effort.
At current yard trash generation levels (12,000 tons/yr.) processing all of the City’s yard trash through Watson’s facility costs approximately $18,900 more annually than the usual practice of using both Wood Resource Recovery and Watson.
Fiscal Note
Processing costs for Yard Trash will be fully funded through the Solid Waste Enterprise Fund and will not impact the monthly residential Refuse Rate.
Recommendation
The City Commission authorize the City Manager to execute the contract, subject to approval by the City Attorney as to form and legality.