Submitted by Suanne Z. Thamm
Reporter – News Analyst
February 1, 2018 9:17 a.m.
“Jeremiah Glisson met with this reporter to discuss some of the issues and options facing the city with the new contract.”
Although often taken for granted, waste removal is one of the key components in keeping a city healthy and safe.
At a workshop on August 15, 2018, 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. [See: https://fernandinaobserver.com/uncategorized/fernandina-beach-is-talking-trash-again/]. At their January 16, 2018 Regular Meeting the FBCC authorized city staff to commence negotiations with Advanced Disposal on a new contract, following an evaluation committee recommendation on responses to RFP 17-06.
The Fernandina Beach City Commission (FBCC) will meet in workshop session at 6:00 p.m. on February 27, 2017 to discuss requirements for the new waste management contract that will become effective July 1, 2018. The workshop will both update commissioners on the process from the city staff’s side and ask for policy guidance in certain key areas: frequency of residential trash pick up, the future of recycling, and Central Business District trash removal.
Jeremiah Glisson met with this reporter to discuss some of the issues and options facing the city with the new contract.
In working with Advanced Disposal, Glisson has identified two service options for residential customers, each of which would net a small savings for customers. Currently, customers pay a monthly rate of $20.84. Option One would continue trash pick up at twice per week, but reduce recycle pick up to once every other week at a monthly cost of $18.29. This would result in an annual savings per household of $30.60. Keeping the same level of service (Option 2) with one recycle and two trash pickups per week would lower the price to $19.53 and save customers $15.72 per year. In both cases, brush removal would be limited to 3 cubic yards of material per weekly pick up. Other trash removal conditions would remain the same for residential customers.
Price reductions would come about from Advanced Disposal’s use of new trucks that would not require as many workers to remove trash. The new trucks are automated side loaders that would pick up the garbage cans with a mechanical arm.
Recycling
The state of Florida has adopted a goal of recycling 75 percent of waste by 2020 to help the environment and prolong the life of landfills. However, recycling is not without its issues. Currently recycling costs are calculated by weight. The heaviest part of the pick-up is glass, which has almost no value to recyclers, who receive one dollar per ton of glass. But after training the public to recycle glass, it would be difficult to get them to stop.
Glisson reported that Fernandina Beach is the largest municipal recycler by significant percent in the region encompassing South Georgia and Northeast Florida. But Glisson added that it costs three times as much to recycle as it does to just dump all trash into the landfill.
Other changes under the new contract
Depending on direction from the FBCC, existing trash and recycle bins could be replaced with new ones displaying the city seal. Currently, there is a mix of colors and designs among the bins, depending on when customers began service. New bins would have the same color and shape.
Advanced Disposal will be instituting a new work order tracking system to better enable them to communicate with their customers. They will be able to send out notices and provide status reports of pick up schedule changes and equipment problems. The city will also be able to monitor this system for problems. Advanced Disposal anticipates a social media presence going forward as well.
Regarding complaints that sometimes Advanced Disposal has missed yard waste pick ups, Glisson agreed. But he added that Advanced Disposal has also exceeded its contractual obligations with event clean-ups and storm clean-ups.
City mulch site
The city has only maintained a mulch site due to oversight in omitting the activity from the previous waste collection contract. Glisson said that under the new contract yard debris would be hauled away to the landfill or an offsite recycler. This will enable the city to redeploy maintenance workers to other city projects.
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The city commissioners have requested public input to consider in making policy decisions for the next waste management contract. Normally commissioners do not take public input during workshops. If you would like to provide your thoughts on frequency of service, continued recycling or downtown issues, you may reach commissioners by email or telephone:
Commissioner Phil Chapman: [email protected] – (904) 624-5590
Vice Mayor Len Kreger: [email protected] – (904) 432-8389
Mayor John Miller: [email protected] – (904) 556-3299
Commissioner Chip Ross: [email protected] – (410) 394-0220
Commissioner Roy Smith: [email protected] – (904) 556-0951
Editor’s Note: Suanne Z. Thamm is a native of Chautauqua County, NY, who moved to Fernandina Beach from Alexandria,VA, in 1994. As a long time city resident and city watcher, she provides interesting insight into the many issues that impact our city. We are grateful for Suanne’s many contributions to the Fernandina Observer.
The Sanitation Department employees, a.k.a. Garbage Collectors, so often ignored, are among the most important folks in any society. Historically, Garbage Collection is a relatively new profession, but every day Garbage Collectors save civilisation from the plague, wholesale destruction by sickness caused by unsanitary condition, from rats rummaging through trash; lice on rats carrying a deadly desease, almost destroyed Middle Age Europe because that so “civilized” area had no garbage collectors.
So, next time you see a garbage truck rumbling past you, give the folks on that truck a friendly wave; they are saving civilization as we know it – and not only in Fernandina
I have more re-cycle than garbage. Why not cut garbage pick-up to once a week and keep re-cycle at once a week?
Nora, when the City looked at this about 4 years ago when the Advanced contract was being renegotiated, the savings to the individual was minimal – less than $3/month. Same amount of garbage has to be collected and trucks fill up quicker making Advanced either get more trucks to handle the schedule or extend operating hours and making more runs to the landfill (at 40 miles each way). There was also the issue of garbage smell and capacity for the rental properties along Fletcher, Tarpon and 1st Avenue during the warmer months. So the Commission decided to stay with the twice a week. My understanding is that the reduced pickup was considered, but not included in the RFP for the same reasons as before.
Great that you recycle but as the article notes, the recycling business has turned upside down with it cheaper to dump it in the landfill rather than process through a recycling center.
Family of 5 & we only put garbage & recycle out once a week. Would much rather have recycle two times and garbage once. Recycle only every two weeks and we’ll be drowning in cans & cardboard!
Sorry to learn that glass is not worth recycling, but good to know. Seems I can do a bit by buying my beer in cans rather than in bottles, and my wine in boxes.
Nothing wrong with ‘Card Bordeaux’
I am an avid recycler. However, some of my neighbors fill up both cans with garbage. Does their failure to recycle contaminate the entire truckload? Perhaps better education about benefits of recycling is needed. I moved here from up north where everyone recycles. Maybe there should be an extra charge for those who choose not to recycle. Or, just don’t empty their cans for a few weeks… they’ll get the hint. As for garbage pickup twice a week…..why? If the rentals along Fletcher need pickup twice a week, let them pay extra. It should be a cost of doing business like downtown.
For those of us who recycle for the health of the environment, glass is an excellent product—because of its endless recyclability. Now that we’re in Jacksonville, we have recycling every two weeks, garbage once a week, but the recycling bins are huge. Advance Disposal and other refuse companies are basically garbage collectors, not recyclers. They collect recycling only because residents want it, and I hope they continue. Our experience with Advance Disposal was always great, so I’m happy that FB is continuing with them. We still have a house in Fernandina, so this topic matters to us.
I agree that we must recycle more, garbage less. In our family of three, we have barely a full bag of garbage for each pickup day, so we ‘gift’ it to a neighbour’s can. If more folks home composted – or if there was a municipal compost – there would be less garbage and less smell.
We can do this!
I am also interested in hearing how the city is going to deal with the damage the trucks cause in the various neighborhoods. Here in Amelia Park they have damaged driveways, plants, grass and just about anything that boarders the streets and ally’s. And when you contact Advance Disposal they always say it’s never their trucks.
While price and number of pick ups is important I would also like to see a company that is accountable for the damage their trucks do as well as finding solutions for neighborhoods that can’t accommodate the larger trucks.
Rick, as noted in their RFP, Advanced is going to use single axle vehicles in Amelia Park, downtown and other neighborhoods where streets are narrower than normal. Trucks will be equipped with dash cameras which won’t capture a 360 degree view of the truck including the rear axle, but it provides some accountability.