Leesburg awards seven-year residential trash contract to Patriot Disposal; first-year cost above budget

The Leesburg Town Council voted 7-0 on May 27 to award a seven-year residential solid-waste collection contract to Patriot Disposal, Inc., accepting a first-year contract price of $4,515,345.

Council and staff said much of the budget gap stems from a Loudoun County decision to raise landfill tip fees from $55 to $75 per ton during negotiations, which staff estimated will add about $318,600 to the town's FY26 solid-waste costs.

Staff presentation and rationale

Renee, a town staff member responsible for the procurement presentation, told the council the town issued a request for proposals that prioritized qualifications in addition to price. Four proposals were received, two firms were shortlisted, and Patriot emerged as the highest-ranked bidder after interviews and a best-and-final offer. "We negotiated with them and then requested best and final pricing," Renee said during the meeting.

Renee described the services included in the contract: weekly residential trash collection by zone, weekly recycling on the same schedule, downtown commercial collection six days per week, April–November yard waste collection, and scheduled bulk pickup. She said the FY26 budgeted amount was $4,209,000; the negotiated first-year contract price is $4,515,345, a difference of $306,345.

Council questions and cost drivers

Councilmembers pressed staff on several cost drivers. Councilmember Krakowski asked about the county tip-fee increase. "Other than they were way below industry standard," Renee said, "they're standardizing to what everybody in the region is doing." Staff noted Fairfax County tip fees are generally higher and that Loudoun’s increase brought local rates more in line with the region.

Councilmember Steinberg and others asked about recycling and the weight of glass in single-stream recycling. Staff said the town and county continue to discuss options for separate glass collection and potential county-provided drop-off sites; the county has not agreed to a purple-bin program for the town yet. "Discussion has been that the county would do that," Renee said, and added conversations were ongoing but had not produced a final plan.

Staff also confirmed contract language separates operational costs from tip fees and includes CPI-based escalation for operational costs and a fuel surcharge tied to national indices. That structure gives the town the ability to reopen talks with the contractor if tonnage or the composition of the waste stream shifts significantly.

Budget next steps

Because the negotiated first-year price exceeds the FY26 budget by $306,345, staff requested a supplemental appropriation to cover the gap. Council approved the contract award 7-0 and directed staff to bring forward the budget adjustment as part of the FY26 appropriations process.

Why it matters

The contract governs residential trash, recycling and yard-waste service for the next seven years and sets the town's costs for a service that affects every household. The county tip-fee change and the region's recycling market dynamics are the immediate reasons for the higher-than-budgeted first-year cost. Council members said ongoing monitoring of tonnage and contamination rates will be important to managing costs over the contract term.

What the council decided

Council approved the award to Patriot Disposal, Inc., by resolution; staff will present the needed FY26 supplemental appropriation and implement quarterly audits and reporting requirements in the contract.

Ending note

Councilmembers asked staff to continue work with Loudoun County on glass drop-off and other recycling improvements that could reduce tip-fee exposure and to schedule follow-up briefings on recycling-contamination audits and yard-waste options.