Fernandina Beach is talking trash again.

Submitted by Suanne Z. Thamm
Reporter – News Analyst
August 18, 2017 – 3:10 p.m.

 

While chances of winning that half billion $$$ from PowerBall are slim, if you bet that Fernandina Beach sanitation rates will rise next year with a new contract, you have a much better chance of winning. The city will soon issue an RFP for sanitation services—i.e., trash hauling, recycling and yard waste removal – that will go into effect some time in 2018 upon the expiration of the current contract with Advanced Disposal.

Currently, the city bills for 5,770 residential and 490 business customers of Advanced Disposal. Ninety percent of the revenue collected goes to Advanced Disposal for services performed, and the city keeps ten percent for administrative charges relating to billing and contract management. The city manages the mulch site – maintenance, grinding, hauling – using 550 man-hours annually. This activity was inadvertently omitted from the previous waste-hauling contract. The city also incurs costs for the annual recycle event and various neighborhoods clean up projects.

Jeremiah Glisson

At a workshop on August 15, 2017, Fernandina Beach City Commissioners (FBCC) listened as Jeremiah Glisson, the city’s Fleet and Facilities Maintenance Director, briefed them on the history and status of waste management in the city and sought their input on challenges facing both the city and the contractor.

To date, seven vendors, including Advanced Disposal, have expressed interest in submitting bids for the next contract. Glisson said that there is considerable interest in securing a 5-year, multi-million dollar contract to service a relatively compact area with an exclusive franchise agreement. But there are also negatives to be considered, such as the need to transport waste more than 40 miles to the nearest landfill along with the increasing costs for recycling.

Glisson noted that prices have increased very little over the life of the current agreement. While the city is looking at a variety of options to limit major cost increases, the likelihood is that consumer prices for services will need to rise, the level of service will need to change, or both.

The city’s timetable calls for advertising and issuing the RFP on September 1, 2017 with a closing date for receipt of bids as well as bid evaluation in October. The FBCC will be asked to select a contractor at their November 7 Regular Meeting to be followed by a formal approval of a contract at the December 27 FBCC Regular Meeting. The contract start date will be July 1, 2018.

Glisson identified ten major challenges facing waste management in the city today.

The FBCC endorsed the city’s recommendations for many solutions suggested by staff, including:

  • Requiring roll out/roll back service for downtown commercial customers along with night time service;
  • Requiring the contractor to provide compact, single-axle trucks to service downtown and Amelia Park areas to avoid damaging curbs and right-of-ways (ROWs);
  • Increase hours of operation from 7a-7p to 3a-7p, stipulate that commercial pickups in the downtown area and along South Fletcher be serviced after 6am ONLY;
  • Require in RFP contractor charge for pickup of piles larger than 1 cubic yard AND require all mixed debris piles in the ROW must be removed by implementing a weekly route schedule;
  • Require contractor to provide and maintain a communication platform via social media where deviations in route schedule or other important information can be conveyed immediately;
  • Contracting out the handling of the city’s mulch site.

The FBCC rejected one solution completely: bringing in a roll off trash compactor for use downtown.

Solutions to other issues were considered as a series of options.

The issues generating the most discussion involved the future of recycling and the frequency of residential pick up. These issues are interrelated.

Currently, recycling is not mandatory. However residential participation has been high, meaning that normal refuse pick up is not required as frequently. While this would seem to be a good thing for the community, it has proved to be a mixed blessing when costs are factored in.

The cost for handling recycled materials has been constantly rising. Markets have changed for recycled materials since the city began recycling. There is no market today for recycled glass, for example. Some residential customers generate more recycle waste than standard trash, however.

If the city were to eliminate recycling, it would result in more routine trash needing to be picked up, meaning that any thought of cutting back residential pick up to once per week would not be feasible. If the city continues to recycle—and the volume continues to grow—rates will need adjustment upwards to cover the hauler’s cost.

Commissioners asked that the RFP be structured in such a way that various options can be considered in awarding the contract. For example: fewer scheduled pick up and continued recycling; no recycling; larger refuse containers.

The city could require that those residential customers who wish to recycle (the current system is voluntary) pay an additional fee, while those who choose not to do so would not pay that fee.

Over the next 2 weeks city staff will receive feedback from potential vendors, many of whom attended the workshop and listened to the city’s concerns. Glisson indicated that the city hopes to build flexibility into the RFP so that respondents can provide information on costs and charges to meet a variety of scenarios.

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John Goshco
John Goshco (@guest_49265)
6 years ago

The rest of the county seems to survive with one pickup per week. What’s the problem in Fernandina? If a few households have extra heavy trash loads, then why not provide an additional trash container? (at extra cost?)

Certainly it would be cheaper to pick up two containers at the same time instead of driving the entire route on two different days.

Robert J. Riegler
Robert J. Riegler (@guest_49268)
6 years ago

We pay $3 per 13-gallon bag in Vermont. With the size of the FB trash containers 1x every other week would be fine but we see this going as the rest of this country, increased costs for fewer services. If recycling costs more and there is zero market for it(we are told one “improper” item and all that recycling bin gets dumped into garbage anyway) what is the point other than to “feel good”?

Dave Lott
Dave Lott(@dave-l)
6 years ago

There are two primary issues with once a week pickup in Fernandina Beach. First is the concentration of rental properties along Fletcher, Ocean and First Avenues. Rental properties generate more trash than the average household due to higher number of guests/unit, clean-out at the end of the week, etc. There is also the unsightly issue with bags not fitting in the bin being opened by stray animals and strewn about as well as the odor issue during the summer months. The second issue is the great distance the trucks must travel (40+ miles each way) to the landfill to empty their loads. No matter how many pickups there are, households are going to generate the same amount of trash. If there is only once a week pickup, the trucks are going to fill up faster. If they fill up before their route is finished you are looking at a minimum 3 hour turnaround time – high inefficient.
I think this second issue is the primary reason why when the City looked at this in 2012 the rate for 1X pickup was only about $3/month less and the vast majority said for that minimal amount they wanted to keep it twice a week.
Robert, recycling has a couple of benefits primarily the extended life of the landfill. Advanced uses a single stream recycling process where recycle items don’t have to be separated as in other programs (clear glass, colored glass, paper, cardboard, etc.). All the recyclables are dumped on a conveyor and workers sort out the items. Of course, if the load is contaminated with the inclusion of a prohibited item that can’t be easily removed (i.e. spilled paint), it does have to placed into the garbage.

Robert J. Riegler
Robert J. Riegler (@guest_49275)
6 years ago

A few rentals will dictate the entire City of FB pickup? Stupid. These are rentals~~~income producing properties NOT residential. Let the owners shoulder the cost above 1x per week pick up. I am sure they will not allow garbage to pile up and be unsightly thus jeopardizing their rental income stream. $$ out of pocket actually does motivate one to cut down on what “goes in the can”. At some point, the government needs to stop “going back to the well” ie taxpayers right rear pockets to always find a solution.

Chris Hadden
Chris Hadden (@guest_49278)
6 years ago

I don’t personally feel we really need 2x a week trash pickup, but I suppose we are still generating the same amount of garbage so I do understand how there would not be much cost savings in cutting down to once a week. Perhaps the rental properties could be given another can. I think recycling for the sake of recycling is senseless. I do not do much of it. The biggest trash problem on the island has to do with people dumping stuff on vacant properties. I wish we could catch those people and put an end to it. The other issue is the amazing amount of litter strewn on the side of the road. Again if we could just catch some of these folks tossing beer cans, fast food bags etc. out at stop signs that would make my day.