COLUMBUS (WCMH) – The cost to continue providing recycling and yard waste pick-up to Columbus residents is increasing by millions of dollars.
Columbus City Council approved a contract with Rumpke of Ohio on Monday evening.
“We are concerned that the sole bidder, Rumpke, has left us with a steep price increase,” said city council member Elizabeth Brown.
In 2012, when the city first introduced the recycling program three companies bid for the contract. This year, only one stepped forward with a contract totaling $44.9 million dollars over 5 years.
“The cost has jumped about 50% compared to when we bid 5 years ago,” said director of the Department of Public Service Jennifer Gallagher. “We’ve had a lot of conversations with Rumpke in regards to that increase in cost and we have continued to try to work with them to bring that cost down.”
She said they are currently exploring options for other cost-saving measures.
“On the yard waste, does it make sense for us to maybe break that up into smaller contracts and get some of those smaller companies that can’t do recycling, the opportunity to go after that?” said Gallagher. “Perhaps, looking at whether we do it in-house some way. There’s a variety of things we’re looking at.”
NBC4 talked to Rumpke spokesperson Jonathan Kissell over the phone. He said the reasons for the cost jump are because of increased wages for their employees and the value of recyclables changing over the last few years.
He said Rumpke values their relationship with the city and aims to provide the best service possible to its residents.
“This is a service that the city provides for free to the taxpayers, so there will not be any increase in cost passed on to the citizens of Columbus, however we will need to find that money in other budgets in the city,” said Gallagher.
Brown said city council was faced with two choices, either extend recycling services to residents or stop them.
Council chose to continue the program, which she said has saved 42 tons of trash from going into the landfill each year.
“Increasing recycling rates versus eroding them is a very important part of making sure we do that,” said Brown.
She amended the ordinance, to include quarterly reports from the Dept. of Public Service on how they’re addressing the cost increase and working to contain recycling costs moving forward.
“We did not have more than one bidder in order to actually measure the market and to see what competition could create,” said Brown. “That’s part of what we want our Dept. of Public Service to do now is to really take a look at how we can create some competition in the market and hopefully benefit our costs.”
The current recycling and yard waste contract ends on March 31st. Gallagher said 80% of residents currently participate in the recycling program.