Peoria council approves new three‑year solid waste and recycling contract with GFL; rates start at $16.25 per month

The Peoria City Council on Tuesday approved a three-year agreement with GFL Environmental Inc. for residential solid waste, recycling and landscape waste collection, with two optional two‑year extensions and service metrics tied to renewal.

City staff said the contract continues weekly trash collection, biweekly recycling, 36 weeks of landscape-waste pickup, bulky item collection, and city building recycling and trash pickup. The contract includes unlimited weekly trash for one- to four-unit residences and provides collection of neighborhood waste receptacles and a set number of cleanup boxes.

The contract sets a starting household rate of $16.25 per month in year one and increases of $0.60 per household per month each of the next two years; the two extension periods would increase at $0.65 per household per month. Estimated annual collection costs were roughly $7.4 million in the first year and $8.0 million in the third year, according to the council communication.

Staff said the city will retain ownership and management responsibility for residential carts; GFL is responsible for dumpsters and commercial containers. The city added a position in public works to manage carts and will continue a citizen survey of customer satisfaction conducted by the city’s landfill and hauling consultant.

Council members and staff discussed service details including storm-debris collection, pickup in alleys, tire-dropoff capacity at the public works location, and procedures for removal of small dead animals (requiring a ticket for service). The agreement includes performance metrics the city will evaluate before exercising renewal options: a contractor minority workforce of 30% or more, recycling carts for at least 75% of residential units, a 90% customer‑satisfaction rating in a city-led survey, and fewer than 4,000 missed pickups in the evaluation period.

The manager said the garbage fund has an annualized deficit of about $4.5 million; the contract includes measures that would put roughly $650,000 a year toward shrinking that deficit. GFL representatives attended the meeting.

Council Member Riggenbach, who served on the landfill committee, called the contract a hard-won compromise that keeps the same landfill operator and preserves bulky-item and landscape-waste services residents value. The motion to approve the contract passed unanimously.