Dive Brief:
- Waste Management has been selected for a new collection contract in Spokane Valley, WA, beating out Waste Connections and Sunshine Disposal, as reported by The Spokesman-Review.
- Once awarded, the new 10-year contract will start in April 2018 and bring in an estimated $12 million of revenue during the first year. Waste Management will maintain exclusive rights for the collection of refuse, recyclables and organics from residential and commercial customers. The city also plans to award non-exclusive contracts to Waste Management, Waste Connections and Sunshine Recyclers to provide drop box services.
- City officials expect to see additional savings by negotiating a longer term deal and customers will also see a few differences in their service. Notable changes include embedded recycling costs, annual bulk waste pick-up service and the distribution of universal refuse and recycling carts. Carts for organic material are available upon request.
Dive Insight:
According to council documents, Waste Management has held its current contract since November 2014. Spokane Valley released a new request for proposals for longer-term service last fall and found all three submissions to be "very impressive."
Though based on the city's criteria, Waste Management was the best option with a score of 98.3, as compared to 93.9 for Waste Connections and 93.3 for Sunshine Recyclers. The fact that Waste Management offered the lowest price and operates a single-stream material recovery facility in nearby Spokane were cited as key factors in the city's decision.
Some of the roughly 15% of customers that are currently using their own carts may chafe at the idea of having to give them up, but the experiences of other municipalities have shown the move to be worthwhile. In addition to making collection more efficient, and in turn saving money, the carts have also been found to increase capture rates for recyclables. While Spokane Valley may not see as much of an increase because it already offers single-stream the move to universal carts brings it up to speed with what is quickly becoming a modern trend.
