City selects Waste Management for three‑year garbage and recycling contract

The council approved a three‑year contract with Waste Management for residential garbage, recycling and seasonal yard waste services.

Staff presented a memo outlining proposals from four companies and recommended Waste Management. Waste Management representatives described a quarterly billing model, a seasonal approach to yard waste collection and commitments to community events and cleanup (including provision of roll‑offs for the city cleanup). Dan Vanke, Waste Management senior district manager for Central Minnesota, told the council: "Service times are gonna probably be relatively the same. We're gonna try to figure out which areas are being serviced first throughout the day because people are creatures of habit."

Councilors asked about transition issues experienced in past provider changes; Waste Management said it would assign direct contact numbers and work with city staff to hold monthly calls during the transition. The council moved and approved the recommendation to contract with Waste Management; recorded vote was 5–0.

The contract includes operational details for can replacement, event support and yard waste subscription handling; staff will coordinate the two‑week swapover period before service start and handle resident communications.