Mayor’s Council readies $1.5M recycling program; MOU signed with Guam EPA, procurement next

The Mayor’s Council of Guam confirmed on Jan. 22 that a $1.5 million recycling revolving fund appropriation remains in the council’s FY budget and that the council has signed a memorandum of understanding with Guam EPA to implement an islandwide recycling and bulky-waste pickup program.

Georgie, the council’s executive director, said the council has received a list of permitted vendors from Guam EPA and that the next step is a procurement process to select vendors and issue purchase orders. She told members the council must follow EPA-approved expenditure plans and submit receipts and EPA forms promptly or risk payment delays.

Why it matters: Council members said the program funds islandwide pickups of items such as white goods, electronics and vehicles, and they questioned why the council’s allocation is capped at $1.5 million when potential fee collections from vehicle registrations could be larger. Members asked the finance committee to examine longer-term revenue options.

Details from the meeting The MOU has been signed on the council’s side and the dollar amount work request was submitted to the Mayor’s Council. Georgie said Guam EPA provided the permitted-vendor list the day before the meeting. Once procurement is complete, the council will execute purchase orders and vendors will begin service.

Members cautioned that vendor paperwork, vendor unwillingness to serve particular villages, or vendors’ internal delays in preparing invoices could stall payments to villages even though EPA funding to the council is in place. The council emphasized that payment delays at the village level are typically due to internal invoice submission issues or vendor follow-through rather than EPA withholding funds to the council.

Discussion topics and options Several mayors urged the council’s budget committee to explore increasing the fund or pursuing statutory avenues to collect more revenue (one member pointed to a $40 abandoned-vehicle fee tied to vehicle registration as a potential source). Members discussed expanding eligible activities beyond vehicle and metal removal to green waste, tires and containers and suggested the council could request new authority in its FY2026 budget language.

What’s next The executive director will work with procurement staff to choose vendors from the permitted list and finalize purchase orders. Mayors were told to ensure timely submission of invoices and EPA forms to the council central office so payments can be processed.