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Sahuarita staff touts quick rollout of new solid waste program, flags policy follow-ups
Summary
Deputy Public Works Director Daniel Logan reported on the town's transition to a single-source solid waste provider, describing cart deliveries and removals, outreach, a remaining "no-contact" list of approximately 1,600 homes and follow-up policy work on recycling, glass and household hazardous waste.
Deputy Public Works Director Daniel Logan updated the Town of Sahuarita council Nov. 1 on the rollout of the town's single-provider solid waste program. Logan described delivery of town-issued carts, removal of legacy carts, outreach efforts and outstanding issues staff will bring back to council for policy decisions.
Logan said staff identified 15,716 town parcels and 12,392 occupied residential homes, and that about 24,782 town-issued carts were in place at the time of his report. He described an operational buffer that resulted in roughly 26,000 total carts ordered and said teams completed the primary delivery work in three weeks instead of the several months such an effort typically requires. "We were able to complete this in 3 weeks," Logan said.
Logan described removal of legacy provider carts and said Waste Connections dedicated multiple new trucks to Sahuarita. He said the town's contracted fleet age is under one year on average because Waste Connections added new trucks for the town. Logan also described a "no contact" list of approximately 1,600 homes for which staff has not yet confirmed accounts; he said staff will do door-hanger outreach on service days, knock on doors where appropriate, and pursue tailored solutions for seasonal or vacant properties.
On recycling and diversion, Logan said the town's goal is to keep material out of the landfill to extend landfill life and control long-term costs. He said staff expects monthly tonnage and contamination reports from the provider and will forward them to council when available. Regarding glass, Logan said he received confirmation from Waste Management that the La Cañada transfer station will accept glass collection, while cautioning that mixed-stream glass collection raises handling and market-cost issues.
Logan acknowledged resident concerns raised during public comment and earlier in the meeting, including challenges for residents in small or 55+ units to store the new recycle cart and for remote or large-lot residents who use private dumpsters. He told council he is preparing policy options on shared carts, reduced cart sizes, glass collection and household hazardous waste collection; any formal policy changes would be brought back to council for consideration.
Council members and staff emphasized the goal of compliance rather than punishment when enforcement or policy adjustments are discussed. Logan asked council to forward specific resident issues to staff for inclusion in upcoming policy proposals. He also said solid-waste service days and a GIS live map showing service days are available to residents.
