Manassas Park hears solid-waste briefing as officials weigh recycling performance and a food‑waste pilot

Calvin Odell, Manassas Park’s director of community development, gave the governing body a detailed briefing on the city’s solid‑waste program, describing a hybrid model in which a private hauler performs curbside collections while staff oversee regulatory requirements, supplemental services and resident complaints.

“We are a partnership with the collection and hauling contractor for our residential collections,” Odell said, adding that staff handle oversight tasks such as container replacement, missed collections and enforcement. He told council the curbside program covers about 4,000 homes and that the mix of trash, recycling, bulky and yard waste creates many service touchpoints each week.

Odell outlined recycling‑market constraints and contamination challenges that affect the city’s ability to divert materials. “Our most recent rate reported for calendar year 2024 was 30%,” he said. During council questions, staff provided recent hauler tonnage for 2025, reporting Patriot collected about 7,900 tons and that 951 tons were recorded as recycled, “meaning 12%,” a figure Odell and council discussed as a driver for outreach and contract design.

Officials emphasized two operational tradeoffs: side‑load trucks improve efficiency and reduce cost but can create blown‑debris complaints on windy days, while rear‑load trucks serve tightly parked neighborhoods at higher labor cost. Odell said the city intends to issue an RFP for the next multi‑year residential hauling contract and asked for council direction on desired service levels and affordability constraints.

Odell described the city’s supplemental programs: yard‑waste collection (April 1–Dec. 21) that routes most material to a Prince William County composting facility; three household hazardous‑waste events per year to provide low‑cost disposal options; and supplemental drop‑off containers for glass and large cardboard boxes at Signal Hill and Costello parks to reduce illegal dumping.

The presentation covered Dominion Transfer Station — which opened May 14, 2021 — as a local option for bulky loads and a host‑fee revenue source. During Q&A council were told the city received a little over $102,000 in host fees in 2025; Odell said that revenue goes directly into the solid‑waste enterprise fund.

Council members asked about customer communication and incentives to reduce contamination. Odell said staff plan to distribute an infographic, send a customer survey in the next billing statement and explore apps that let residents photograph an item to check recyclability. He also proposed pilot projects: brief “mini” waste audits to reward compliant households and a food‑waste collection pilot at city hall aimed at enrolling local restaurants. “That would be a pilot program here at city hall… and if all said and done, we’ll have three restaurants operating out of these dumpsters,” Odell said, noting collection frequency and rodent control would need careful design.

Council discussion also covered illegal dumping and donation‑bin misuse. Odell and other staff said enforcement is often limited by evidence and staffing; trail cameras and zoning changes for donation sites are among options under review.

Next steps: staff will prepare the hauling‑contract RFP and continue public outreach; the governing body requested additional cost estimates and options to include service‑level accountability in future solicitations.