Politics & Government

New Waste Contract Will Save City $200,000

But residents need to get used to "dramatic changes" to city's waste collection policies.

Along with new 65-gallon trash and recycling carts that will be distributed to all 28,000 residences in Cranston, the new contract with Waste Management will save the city about $200,000 in the short term, according to a report by Ken Mason, director of public works.

It is also expected to boost the city's recycling rate, provide a cleaner city and reduce the rodent population by providing high strength containers that make it harder for rats to get inside and munch away.

But for the new program to be successful, it will require a "complete change in the mindset of the citizens to be successful," Mason said in his report to the City Council.

"Gone will be the days when any and all waste deposited curbside will be picked up by the city at no cost to the homeowner," Mason said. 

Instead, bulky items will have to be picked up separately, by appointment. And each bulky item will cost $18 to take away, $25 for mattresses. This is because the new bins are picked up by automated trucks with grabber arms and things like mattresses and furniture can't be picked up by those trucks.

Mason suspects some residents will get around the policy by chopping furniture into small pieces or worse, dumping mattresses in vacant lots and elsewhere in the city.

That means Mason is recommending the city hire a full time recycling coordinator with a salary of $70,000 in addition to a $100,000 contingency fund to clean up illegally discarded items.

"Hopefully this kind of action can be minimized," Mason said.

The coordinator would "provide policing activities on a daily basis by issuing verbal and written warnings to residences not in compliance with the new disposal policies," Mason wrote.

In the end, the new contract will cost the city $4.16 million — less than the $4.3 million budgeted for the current fiscal year. Though the base fee is $59,000 more, the city is paying one-third the fuel charge ($60,000 instead of $182,000) and the $226,328 mattress disposal fee is gone (residents will pay $25 per mattress now).

The base fee will increase by 3.3 percent over the life of the contract and the fuel surcharge will change based on CNG costs determined by the Dept. of Energy.

Mason said he hopes the recycling rate will increase from the current 23 percent to the state mandated 35 percent with the new bins, which hold significantly more waste than the smaller bins being used now.

The distribution of bins is expected to begin in June and automated pickup will begin in July.

The City Council is due to vote on the new contract Monday night.

Mark Schieldrop can be reached at mark.schieldrop@patch.com. Follow me on Twitter: @MarkSchieldrop




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