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Painesville council rejects Republic extension, approves Major Waste contract for city trash service
Summary
After receiving months of resident input and a presentation from Republic Services, Painesville City Council voted 6‑0 to approve a Major Waste agreement and voted down a proposed extension with Browning‑Ferris/Republic Services. Council cited competing bids and resident feedback in its decision.
Painesville City Council voted unanimously on May 18 to approve an agreement with Major Waste for the city’s municipal trash service after rejecting a separate extension proposed by Browning‑Ferris/Republic Services.
Assistant City Manager Tony Zampedro told Council the material terms of the Republic extension were unchanged from prior discussions and that staff provided a side‑by‑side comparison of the two proposals. Dan Given of Republic Services addressed Council during public comment, highlighting what he described as the company’s strengths: “consistent service, no removal issues, free municipal containers, no fuel surcharges, handicapped services, and community event support,” and asked Council to weigh those factors when deciding on a contract.
Council moved to suspend the rules for consideration of both proposals. When members voted on the Republic extension, every member answered “No,” and the motion failed 0‑6. The Council then approved, by a 6‑0 roll‑call vote, a resolution to enter into an agreement for service with Major Waste using a cooperative arrangement with the City of Willoughby Hills (recorded in the minutes as RESOLUTION 31‑26).
The record attached to the minutes also includes roughly 70 resident emails that were distributed to Council in advance. The correspondence—submitted by homeowners across the city—offered mixed views: some writers praised Republic for reliable pickup and customer service and urged the city to retain the incumbent; others reported missed pickups, damaged cans, yard‑waste delays and billing problems and supported awarding the contract to Major Waste. Common resident requests included weekly recycling and weekly yard‑waste pickup, and several correspondents asked for clearer pricing and details about any container‑collection fee that would apply if the city changed vendors.
City staff indicated the Major Waste agreement would be implemented under a cooperative arrangement with Willoughby Hills; Councilmember Christine Shoop noted the advantage of working with a local provider and the need for clear transition logistics. The administration said details such as billing conversion and container collection logistics would be handled as part of the contract implementation process.
Council gave no timetable in the meeting minutes for when the new provider would begin service; the resolution adopted directs the City Manager to enter into the agreement and to proceed with the administrative steps necessary to implement it.
Next steps: Council’s approval authorizes the City Manager to finalize the agreement with Major Waste; staff will return with implementation details and timing as they are finalized.
