Council approves RFI to seek solid waste and recycling options

Council approved a Request for Information (RFI) to seek solid waste and recycling service providers and gather options that could be included in a competitive solicitation later this year. The RFI is intended to attract more bidders and to understand operational constraints, including whether fully robotic collection would be feasible in New Cumberland’s older neighborhoods.

Council member Robert and others said the RFI will ask local and regional haulers about capacity, pickup timing and contract features that make a municipal contract attractive. "Some of the legacy, historical haulers like Republic Services and Waste Management have made corporate decisions to move in the direction of fully robotic collection services, and that does not work for communities, old established communities like New Cumberland," one councilor said. The motion to publish the RFI passed on a voice vote; staff will post the document to the bid platform and accept responses ahead of the formal bid process this summer.