Recycling contract negotiations underway; one bid received from incumbent, C&D recycling and compost pilot discussed
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Summary
Meeting participants said the recycling processing contract has expired, was re-bid this year and received a single bid from the incumbent; council members also discussed council-passed requirements for C&D recycling and a compost pilot grant that would continue service for 750 households if awarded.
City staff told the Infrastructure Committee that the city’s recycling processing contract has expired and is under negotiation after a single bid was received this summer.
Matt Purvis, described in the meeting as the council liaison for National Waste Services, said the contract scope was delivered to finance in November 2024, the city bid processing in June and closed the solicitation in July, and it received one bid — from the Waste Management Recycling Center in Donaldson. "The contract is currently expired today," Purvis said, and staff issued an intent to award in September and are mid-negotiations to finalize terms.
A committee member asked whether the contract covered hauling, processing and marketing of materials; Purvis said the current item discussed is the contract with the recycling center that accepts the city’s material (processing/disposal) rather than a bundled hauling or materials-marketing contract.
Construction and demolition recycling: The chair noted that council legislation now requires demolition projects to prepare plans showing how they would maximize recycling and said the Zero Waste Master Plan recommends moving from plan creation to implementation. The chair highlighted two local projects that are recycling large portions of C&D waste and said the Titans project has committed to a 95% recycling target.
Compost pilot grant: Committee members discussed a grant application that would allow the city to continue a compost pickup pilot at no cost to participating households. The chair said the grant under consideration would serve 750 households and suggested the grant award amount is about $275,000; Matt Purvis said that if the city receives the grant it would require a $275,000 match but did not fully specify the total grant amount in the meeting transcript. Staff said they expect future budget conversations about expanding the pilot if the grant is awarded.
Next steps: Staff said negotiations on the recycling processing contract are ongoing; the committee was advised that the compost pilot grant would be voted on in the larger committee later in the afternoon. The transcript recorded no final contract award or grant approval in this session.
