Republic Services presents growth, recycling challenges as Santaquin adds homes

Republic Services representative Mark Sherwood told the Santaquin City Council during a Feb. 18 work session that the company’s South Utah County service saw large year-over-year growth and continued pressure on recycling markets.

“We did almost 400,000 carts last year,” Republic Services representative Mark Sherwood said, describing the company’s annual counts of service stops and carts handled in the Santaquin service area.

The presentation and follow-up discussion focused on three issues that affect residents: rapid housing growth, a weaker market for recyclable commodities and service constraints in narrow or steep new developments. City staff and council members asked questions about future contract timing, operational limits and options to reduce neighborhood service problems.

Why it matters: rising residential development increases pickup volume and requires more trucks and drivers; at the same time recycling revenue that once offset costs has declined, shifting costs back to municipalities or customers.

Sherwood and city staff offered specific figures and operational details. Republic reported “almost 400,000 carts” processed in the year presented and staff noted about 292 added homes reported in the data set; the mayor’s office said the city currently tracks roughly 5,000 housing units and estimated about 375,000 carts when counting all serviced containers. City staff said the number of added homes is likely to be higher in next year’s report because building permits and utility sign-ups come online at different times.

On recycling markets, Sherwood said the industry saw a large spike in commodity demand when China accepted broad shipments, then a sharp pullback when China tightened imports. “Now it’s a lot more selective on recycling,” he said, describing a sustained decline in the value of many recyclable materials. The presentation noted that contamination — nonrecyclable material placed in recycling bins — can run from about 15% in some areas to as high as 35% in other jurisdictions, and that contaminated loads cannot be processed.

Council members asked operational questions that Republic addressed. City staff and a council member noted repeated pickup challenges in steep streets and roundabouts where collection trucks can struggle; staff said trucks do use automatic chain systems in icy conditions but access remains an ongoing planning consideration for new developments. The city asked Republic about outreach materials; Sherwood said the municipality’s pickup calendar includes brief recycling guidance and offered to supply a printable do’s-and-don’ts list for newsletters and new-move-in packets.

Republic also described service innovations and industry trends: some U.S. cities (examples mentioned outside Utah) have piloted electric refuse fleets with mixed results in cold or hilly areas; Republic has retired a natural-gas fleet and operates diesel trucks in the area. The company highlighted a “polymer center” in Las Vegas that processes certain plastics into flakes for remanufacture, and said larger-brand partners help underwrite circularity projects.

Council finance discussion: City staff said the current contract was signed in early 2021 and noted that a formal contract renewal or review is expected around 2026. Several council members expressed interest in issuing a request for proposals (RFP) when the renewal window opens to test market alternatives and potential savings, while others cautioned about trade-offs between local contractors and larger firms.

No formal action was taken at the work session on the refuse contract. Council and staff agreed to include the contract renewal on a future agenda when the formal timeline approaches.

Details reported in the session: - Republic: “almost 400,000 carts” handled in the presented year (reported by Mark Sherwood). - City staff: about 292 added homes tracked in the reporting period; staff said building-permit timing makes that number approximate. - Contamination: presenters cited typical contamination ranges of roughly 15% up to about 35% in some areas. - Volume changes: city staff said volumes increased about 5% this year and about 10% the prior year.

What happens next: staff said a formal contract-renewal discussion will come to the council in the next contract cycle (staff estimated 2026). The council indicated openness to exploring an RFP before renewal to evaluate cost and service alternatives.