City outlines 2026 contract transition and 2028 universal curbside recycling plan; officials stress education and risk management

John Barth, chair of the Environmental Sustainability Committee, introduced a committee briefing on the city’s solid waste procurement and the phased transition to new contractors and a universal curbside recycling program.

Director McReynolds of the Office of Sustainability reviewed a multi-year procurement and implementation timeline that puts contract transitions beginning in 2026 and a full transition to a citywide universal curbside recycling program in 2028. McReynolds said the timeline reflects long-term planning that began around 2019 and was slowed during the pandemic.

McReynolds said the city expects no change to Department of Public Works (DPW) collection districts and emphasized that the procurement seeks “maintain existing services with minimum disruptions and alterations.” She described three principal service roles identified in the procurement: Waste Management (WM) as the materials processor (MRF) for the…