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Duluth selects Republic Services for residential solid-waste collection starting May 2024
Summary
The council approved awarding the city's residential solid-waste contract to Republic Services, with the city paying residential service and commercial accounts billed directly; the contract start date is May 1, 2024 and the residential household count will be finalized before service begins.
The Duluth Mayor and Council on April 10 approved awarding the city's residential solid-waste contract to Republic Services and authorized the Mayor or City Manager to execute a city-attorney-approved contract. Staff recommended Republic Services as the most responsive proposer following review of three bids presented at the March 27 work session.
City Manager James Riker told council the "purple bag" program will no longer be supported by haulers due to automated collection services and that the city will pay the residential provider directly; commercial and industrial accounts remain the responsibility of each business. The RFP estimated roughly 8,000 residential households; staff said that figure will be finalized (trued up) before the May 1, 2024 contract start date.
Councilmember Harkness questioned the funding method, saying residents should understand the value of a city-paid service and raised concerns about the difficulty of withdrawing a benefit later if budget constraints arise. Riker responded that single-family taxpayers represent a large segment of the revenue base and justified the equity of providing residential service.
Councilmember Thomas moved and Councilmember Whitlock seconded the motion to approve Republic Services as recommended; the motion carried unanimously.
Next steps: City staff will finalize household counts for billing and complete contract execution with the city attorney prior to the May 1, 2024 service start.
