At
Midland City Council's April 13, 2009 meeting, Council members approved
restructuring the City of Midland's curbside recycling program from twice a
month collection to once per month.
Why Changes Needed: Independent contractor Republic Services, Inc.,
had proposed increasing
its annual fee to collect curbside recyclables twice a month on behalf of the City of Midland.
The cost would have nearly doubled - from $243,567 per year
to $405,000. Republic cited a recent downturn in pricing and
slow movement of recyclable materials as the reasons for the sharp increase. As an
alternative, Republic indicated that reducing the service to a monthly pickup would
translate into an
annual cost of $299,700 - closer to the yearly rate paid by the
City over its seven-year contract with Republic (which ends in June 2010).
With this information in hand, City staff brought the issue to Council,
recommending that the contract with Republic be suspended until the
recyclables market rebounded, at which time the City could renegotiate its
contract with Republic or seek bids from other vendors for the service. Staff suggested that during the suspension period,
residents could take their recyclables directly to the Midland Volunteers
for Recycling Center, at the entrance to the City landfill.
Before making
any decisions on the issue, Council sought citizen input on the proposed
changes. Citizens spoke up during two public hearings on the
issue. In addition, over a three-week period, nearly 100 Midland residents
voiced their views by way of e-mails to the City, with the majority of citizens indicating they
would accept a once-a-month collection schedule*.
