Marlboro County hears recommendation to award five‑year residential waste contract to Waste Connections

Marlboro County Council on Feb. 10 heard a presentation recommending that the county award its residential solid‑waste contract to Waste Connections after a competitive RFP and committee evaluation.

The county’s procurement committee rated Waste Connections highest (89.9) compared with a Meridian Waste score of 80.29, staff member Steve told the council. The proposal staff called the recommended option is a five‑year fixed contract; staff presented annual figures that would raise the regular residential charge from the current $212.52 per year (about $17.71 per month) toward a five‑year fixed proposal of approximately $244.44 annually for regular accounts and about $192.36 annually for homestead accounts. Steve emphasized the trade‑off: a fixed five‑year price provides budget certainty, while a one‑year contract with annual CPI adjustments would fluctuate with inflation.

Steve and a company operations representative outlined operational commitments included in the RFP: GPS‑enabled route software and onboard cameras to verify service at each stop, named district and site managers, a 24‑hour maximum response time for certain complaints, a call center with target answer times and weekly/monthly reporting, and 100 additional rollout carts to supplement existing containers. "We have assurance of 24 hour maximum response time," the presenter said, and described real‑time dashboards and complaint‑logging tools the company would use.

Councilmembers and other speakers pressed staff and the presenter on recent service disruptions in the Wallace area. One councilmember described an extended outage: "My trash can was overflowing, and he told me, he said, put bags on the ground. He said, we'll pick them up," and said some residents experienced as many as 14 days without pickup during winter weather. The council asked staff to seek contract language and operational commitments to avoid leaving particular neighborhoods repeatedly without service and to examine contingency options such as temporary roll‑offs at convenience centers for emergency collection.

A county representative of Waste Connections noted recent technology improvements—"every single cart starting recently, there's a camera with a GPS enabled location with the address associated"—and said the cameras and GPS allow the company to verify stops and generate video evidence for missed‑service claims.

Councilmembers asked about community forums to explain service changes and provide residents with input while negotiations continue. Staff said an initial draft contract exists but that negotiations remain open and that the county has time to finish the contract process: the current contract expires June 30, 2026. Staff committed to return to the council with negotiated contract terms, proposed community engagement dates, and options to address emergency service interruptions before final approval.

What happens next: staff will continue negotiations with Waste Connections, respond to the council’s questions about homestead differentials, camera placement and cart replacement policies, and present a finalized contract for council consideration at a future meeting.