Claremore approves 5-year contract to outsource commercial trash collection to Waste Management

The Claremore City Council approved a five‑year contract, with an option to renew another five years, to outsource commercial and industrial solid‑waste collection to Waste Management of Oklahoma Inc., city staff and a hired consultant said. The contract starts July 1, 2025.

George Wheatley, the city’s solid‑waste consultant, summarized the procurement process: the city issued an RFP in December 2024, held a pre‑bid meeting attended by six firms, received four formal proposals, and weighed written-submittal quality (65%) against price (35%). Wheatley said the scoring combined judges’ written-evaluation scores and a pricing comparison; Waste Management had the highest combined score and the lowest price on the pricing tab.

Why it matters: The outsourcing will end city-operated commercial collection while the city retains residential service. Staff said the change is intended to reduce operating costs, lower work‑comp and maintenance exposure, and provide uniform, new containers for commercial customers. City facilities will continue to receive collection under the contract, and the contractor will remit 10% of gross revenues annually to the city for contract management, staff said.

Key contract terms and details reported at the meeting: the contractor will deliver new polycarts and front‑ or rear‑load containers at no charge to commercial customers; current customer‑owned dumpsters may be removed by the contractor for a one‑time fee of $150 paid by the customer; there will be only one annual rate adjustment capped at 5% and tied to the Bureau of Labor Statistics garbage and trash index; the contract covers roughly 552 three‑yard customer‑owned containers, more than 395 95‑gallon carts and 21 city facilities currently serviced by the city.

Council action: After staff recommended Waste Management and the consultant explained the scoring, a motion to approve the contract passed on a roll call with recorded ‘yes’ votes from Michael, Cata, Feldman, Long, Olney and Erwin. The council discussion noted transitional communications to commercial customers and that Waste Management would contact each business as part of implementation.

Next steps and customer impact: Staff said Waste Management will begin direct outreach to commercial customers immediately after award, with the implementation and equipment exchanges occurring around the July 1 start date. The consultant and staff recommended customers who want to retain existing dumpsters will need to arrange removal or pay a one‑time removal fee; replacement container delivery is included under the contract.