Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Solid Waste Recycling topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Quincy recycling sites report rising volumes and improved commodity mix after 2023 switch
Summary
City staff reported rising recycling volumes after transitioning from curbside pickup to three collection sites; officials said separating paper and cardboard and reducing single-stream loads improved revenue and reduced net loss.
City staff told the council that Quincy's 2023 switch from curbside pickup to three community recycling collection sites has produced rising volumes and improved commodity revenues.
Jeff Mays, who presented the update, said the city moved to collection sites because expenses were rising, revenues were falling and recycling markets had changed. He said the first site opened in March 2023 and that recent monthly figures show a steep increase in collected pounds, projecting the city on pace to double the volume recorded in 2023.
Mays highlighted changes in material streams: the city reduced single-stream loads and separated paper from cardboard, which increased cardboard revenue. He said "by 2024, we had only one load of single stream," and that plastics and cardboard have been strong revenue contributors.
Financial and operational context
Mays and staff said the capital investments for the shift included bins, ramps and heating pads (estimated roughly $360,000) and auxiliary items such as signage, lighting, fencing and cameras (roughly $110,000). Staff reported that operating costs now are mainly the number of hauls; the vendor currently charges $2.50 per haul and that per-haul costs could rise as volume increases.
Council follow-up
Alderman Bergman asked for a cost-versus-revenue analysis showing startup capital, ongoing operating costs and realized revenue; staff agreed to provide a profit-and-loss style breakdown by next Monday. Staff credited vendor performance and monthly site-by-site reporting by Julie Reese and Kendall Bowen for monitoring the program.
What it means: The city says collection sites have reduced net losses compared with prior curbside single-stream collection and have been embraced by residents; staff will return with detailed cost/revenue figures for further fiscal review.
