INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — Two upcoming meetings on March 17 and 18 will determine how household trash and recyclables are collected and processed throughout unincorporated Indian River County, and which company or companies will do the job.
The Indian River County Solid Waste Disposal District for the first time ever this winter put the county’s waste and recyclables hauling contract out for bid. The current franchises with Republic Services/Treasure Coast Refuse and Waste Management expire on Sept. 30, 2015.
Currently, the unincorporated county offers free curbside recyclables pickup with voluntary garbage pickup billed directly to the customer by the hauler. In the new contract year beginning Oct. 1, many different options are on the table, including mandatory trash pickup within the county’s Urban Service Area.
Mandatory trash pickup would likely also mean closure of some or all of the county’s five convenience centers, which cost $1.25 million per year to operate.
Commissioners recently voted to close one of those centers in Winter Beach, but then reversed their decision when angry residents packed the commission chambers pleading to keep the facility. The savings to taxpayers would have been $250,000 per year, but that management contract with Republic Services was extended based upon the reversal.
The county would also be looking at the most efficient way to bill for trash service, so billing on property tax assessments is a measure being considered.
On the recycling end, the county is up against mandated recycling goals, with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to recycle 75 percent of the county’s waste by 2020. Solid waste staffers have been promoting this effort using the “75 in 5” slogan, but officials admit it’s unlikely the county will meet that goal strictly by increasing participation in the current recycling program.
To that end, the county is also looking at converting to a single-stream recycling system, either with bins or large toters. Single-stream recycling makes it easier to recycle more waste because all recyclables go into one container without sorting. The sorting could be done on-site at the landfill with a specialized sorting plant, which would mean some up-front capital costs to build the facility. Or it could be shipped out of the county at a potentially greater recurring cost for transportation of the materials.
The hope is that, in addition to meeting federal and state mandates, upping the recycling to the required 75 percent would also help the county postpone the opening of a new hill at the landfill — a very costly endeavor.
On March 17 as part of their regular Board of County Commission meeting, which starts at 9 a.m., commissioners and the public will hear a summary of the bids submitted and be presented with a recommendation by Utilities Director Vincent Burke and his solid waste managers and consultants. Burke said he hopes to hear from stakeholders at that meeting, as well as going over the costs and benefits of the various options included in the bid responses.
Then in a special call meeting at 9 a.m. March 18, commissioners are set to vote on the various options for trash pickup, recycling and billing, and to award a contract or contracts to qualified, responsive bidders.
Commissioner Bob Solari questioned the quick turnaround, saying, “I’m just wondering if that’s time enough for the public. We’re discussing it for the 1st time and it’s complicated,” but the March 17 and 18 schedule of informational hearings and voting was approved 5-0, with the staff agreeing to get the word out about the meetings.
The entire county could be awarded to one company, or the Board could decide to split up the service areas and award half the business to one hauler and the other half to a different hauler.
To reduce costs, the county may opt for large trash toters so haulers can use trucks with automated arms to lift the trash, reducing payroll expenses because fewer people have to staff each truck.
Also up for consideration is commercial refuse services and the right to sell or rent commercial dumpsters and provide commercial recycling containers and pickup service for those containers.
The bids are currently sealed as they have been since the bid-opening date of Feb. 20, from which Burke said, “We have 30 days with which to have the bids looked at and analyzed, after which the bids will be subject to the Sunshine Law.”
During the bidding period, county staff and commissioners have been governed by a “cone of silence” during which companies bidding on the hauling contracts are prohibited from lobbying county officials about their proposals.
Commissioners on Tuesday said they will be reaching out to their constituents — especially those who live in the more rural areas of the county and who opt to use the convenience centers instead of paying for trash pickup — to make sure adequate public input is heard before the decisions are made.
The county’s municipalities were invited to piggy-back on the county’s hauling contracts to achieve an economy of scale, but at this time only Fellsmere has signed on to do so. Sebastian is on a different timetable with its hauling contract. Indian River Shores currently negotiates its own deal with Republic Services. Vero Beach does its trash pickup in-house with city workers and city-owned vehicles headquartered at its solid waste department off 43rd Avenue.
Both meetings will be held in commission chambers at the County Administration Complex and will be televised on Channel 27 and live-streamed on the internet.