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Borough staff lays out $3.5 million plan to study bringing trash collection in‑house
Summary
Public works staff outlined a conservative plan to bring residential solid waste collection in‑house by Jan. 2028, estimating about $3.5 million in startup costs, hiring 12 employees, buying five vehicles and proposing a resolution of intent for council consideration next week.
Public Works Director Richard Duda told borough council on Dec. 3 that changes in the global recycling market have turned curbside recycling from a revenue stream into a cost for vendors, and presented a conservative plan to study and implement an in‑house residential collection program with a target start in January 2028.
Duda summarized market shifts since 2018, noting stricter processing requirements overseas that altered the economics of recycling. He said a consultant recommended the borough consider bringing collection in‑house and that a council subcommittee performed a further borough‑specific analysis.
The draft operational plan presented includes an estimated $3.5 million initial investment for vehicles, a facility and containers; hiring roughly 12 additional staff (including several redundancies for coverage); acquisition of five rear‑loader vehicles; and distributing new 35‑gallon totes to participating customers. Duda said staff built conservative assumptions and expects to refine operational details over two years prior to a 2028 start.
Staff presented a two‑to‑three‑year implementation timeline: begin detailed program design in January 2026, procure containers in January 2027, and finalize staffing, vehicle staging and ordinance changes through late 2027 for a January 2028 launch. The presentation flagged possible 18‑month lead times for vehicle orders and noted a separate staff action to pursue grant funding for two trucks.
Duda said the study used resident outreach to inform service design: 5,500 surveys were sent and roughly 1,000 responses were received (a 17.9% response rate). Survey feedback showed general satisfaction with the current service but strong concern about rising costs and interest in tiered service options.
Council members asked how multiunit properties, Dickinson and the law school, and other commercial dumpster users would be handled. Duda said properties with four or more units and commercial properties currently obtain private service; exceptions may petition the borough engineer to participate and could be issued 52 tags per year under a petition arrangement.
If council wishes to proceed, staff said it will bring a resolution of intent next week to authorize detailed planning work; staff also committed to quarterly updates to council during the two‑year design period.
