UPDATE: Waste Management will continue to operate in Jupiter, FL after winning the disputed five-year contract over Advanced Disposal, as reported by the Palm Beach Post.

Following a bid protest from Advanced, the town council approved awarding the contract to Waste Management on first reading at a Jan. 17 meeting. The issue was addressed at a second meeting on Feb. 7. No residents spoke up to support or oppose the plan and the council voted to finalize its decision.

Waste Management is expected to collect an estimated $4.4 million per year for serving 29,000 residential customers in the area.

Dive Brief:

• The town council of Jupiter, FL voted 4-1 at a Dec. 14 meeting to deny Advanced Disposal's bid protest regarding a new collections contract. The council had previously voted to award the $25 million five-year contract to Waste Management, as reported by the Palm Beach Post.
• While Advanced offered a bid that it says would save about $1 million per year, the town decided to stick with Waste Management because it believes the hauler can offer better service.
• Jupiter now has to schedule two public hearings in order to pass an ordinance that would award the contract to Waste Management. Advanced has said it plans to appeal the decision to the Palm Beach Circuit Court.

Dive Insight:

The council originally voted to award Advanced the contract on Nov. 1 but later changed its vote at a Nov. 15 meeting. During this period, Waste Management launched an online petition and door-to-door campaign, and also handed out Starbucks gift cards and T-shirts to some residents. Advanced has said these actions, as well as alleged calls to local officials, violated lobbying rules and filed its protest on Nov. 18.

At this most recent meeting the debate seemed to revolve less around the details of serving Jupiter's 29,000 residents and more about technicalities. An attorney for Waste Management said that Advanced didn't fill out its paperwork correctly and argued that only 10 gift cards were distributed so they couldn't have had that much of an effect. In turn, Advanced said the paperwork issues were minor.

Despite Advanced Disposal's recent growth and foothold in the region, it still faces the formidable task of succeeding against the industry's largest company. Waste Management has also been working in Jupiter for decades. While recent events have shown that it is possible for smaller companies to prevail over the industry giants, Advanced still faces an uphill battle in this case.