Dale Martin
City Manager
Fernandina Beach
July 28, 2017 1:00 a.m.
One of the issues that the City will address over the course of the next several months is its sanitation program. The City’s existing contract with Advanced Disposal expires at the end of June, 2018. The intent is to complete the selection process for the next contractor by the end of December. When completed, the contractor will have sufficient time, if necessary, to familiarize, equip, and train personnel to service Fernandina Beach.
Advanced Disposal has served the City for many years. The relationship began in 2006 when Advanced Disposal assumed responsibility for an existing sanitation contract that had been surrendered by a previous contractor. Since that time, the City has extended the sanitation contract with Advanced Disposal twice. The City Commission believes that after two such extensions, it is necessary to competitively solicit sanitation services.
The City currently bills approximately 5,700 residential accounts and almost 500 commercial accounts. Current sanitation services include three components: solid waste, recycling, and yard waste (the monthly cost of these three services for residential units is $20.84). Solid waste is collected twice weekly throughout the City. City officials have considered reducing the collections to once weekly, but the cost savings related to the less frequent service were actually minimal, so the twice weekly collection has remained the norm. While the pocketbook savings to residents may have been minimal, the twice weekly collections do have other negative impacts: the frequency and visibility of both curbside trash and the trash hauling trucks. I anticipate that the collection frequency will be reviewed again as part of the next contract.
Another issue related to solid waste collection is the need to appropriately scale collection methods. Specifically, the larger trucks primarily used for collection may not be the best way to collect trash in more confined areas such as downtown or more tightly clustered (by design) residential developments. The use of smaller trucks in those areas will be a requirement included in the next contract.
Recycling will likely be the most significant challenge of the next contract. Recycling economics have completely been completely upended over the last few years. The cost of collecting, transporting, and processing recyclables has overtaken the aftermarket demand (revenues) for recycled product. The City’s recycling program has expanded from sorted recyclables to single-stream recycling. This change has markedly increased the amount of recycling, growing from thirty-five tons per month to 115 tons per month.
Due to the long-term of existing sanitation contracts (both here and elsewhere), trash haulers have had to contend with the changing recycling economy- in most cases absorbing the increasing costs associated with recycling. An article earlier this month in the Orlando Sentinel illustrated the challenge. Orange County indicated that, having never charged its municipalities to process recyclables, it would begin charging $42 per ton this month (Fernandina Beach’s 115 tons would cost over $4,800 monthly). To dispose of trash in the area landfill, Orange County charges $33.60 per ton: it is cheaper to dispose than recycle. I expect that the higher costs associated with recycling will be incorporated into the next City contract.
Finally, yard waste, although collected by Advanced Disposal, is placed (and managed) at the City’s mulch site located near the City Airport. The actual grinding of the debris is outsourced. The City will likely make an effort to eliminate the mulch site as part of the next agreement, having the yard waste disposed of elsewhere.
Mr. Jeremiah Glisson, the City’s Fleet and Facilities Director, oversees the City’s sanitation program. He has compiled a list of concerns that will be part of the discussions with the next sanitation contractor. Some of these concerns, in addition to the issues mentioned previously, include the continual presence of garbage totes on Centre Street, the difficulty of downtown recycling, hours of service, route changes, and illegal dumping.
At recent training and conferences, I have introduced myself and discussed the impending solicitation of vendors with several regional sanitation contractors: Advanced Disposal, Partner Disposal, Republic Services, Waste Management, and Waste Pro. An invitation to participate in a City Commission workshop scheduled for 4:30 PM, Tuesday, August 15 has been extended to all of those contractors. Mr. Glisson will provide additional insight and comments at that time and seek further direction from the City Commission and the general public regarding sanitation services in our community.
I will keep you informed as this process moves forward.