In a move that could save the city as much as $400,000, Westlake City Council approved a deal with Cincinnati-based Rumpke Waste & Recycling Services.
The deal is approved for five years, said Westlake Director of Public Services Paul Quinn after Thursday's council meeting at City Hall.
Mayor Dennis Clough said that, while BFI/Allied Waste has provided good service to the city, the savings plus the positive references for Rumpke put Rumpke over the top.
"We're confident (Rumpke) will have no problem meeting the city's expectations," Clough told members of council.
Rumpke has been in business for 80 years, and has been established in the greater Cleveland area the past 2 1/2 years, said Rich Chandler, public sector representative for Rumpke. The company handles trash for 13 area communities, more than 300 in Ohio, he added.
"I think our record of customer service and being a leader in recycling helped sell us," Chandler said, adding that the company handles 1.2 million pounds of recyclables each day at its Columbus facility.
The first year, Westlake will pay $1,571,132 for trash hauling, Quinn said, with increases of about 2.5 percent each year afterwards.
"Even the increases were lower than other companies," Quinn said.
The city will be harged extra for Rumpke dealing with debris collected from street sweeping. Quinn said that should average about $12,000 per year.
Things could change in two years. That is when the city will have to make a decision about whether or not to go with automated trash pick-up, where standardized trash and recycling cans are issued and trucks have mechanical attachments to pick up the cans and empty them into the trucks.
The city can go with automated pick-up then, Quinn said, or end the existing contract with Rumpke and re-bid.
A lot depends on Westlake citizens, Quinn said. He's been hearing strong opinions both for and against automation of trash pick-up.
helen murphy
11:10 am on Friday, July 6, 2012
Westlake is way behind the times in their trash removal. We should already have automated trash pickup. People really recycle alot more with automated trash pickup. Why do we have to wait two years for this? Someone is dropping the ball.
Melissa Hebert
11:12 am on Friday, July 6, 2012
Thanks for the input, Helen! A lot of neighboring communities have automated trash pick-up. Has anyone here lived where there is automated pick-up or seen it in action? Share your experiences and impressions.
Kim Null
1:12 pm on Friday, July 6, 2012
I think we need to automated pick-up as well... everyone surrounding us seems to have it...makes Westlake look frumpy, for lack of a better word. I would really love to have the larger recycle bins that those communities have...a little plastic tub is just not enough and the majority are in poor condition.
Jan Schmitt
8:54 am on Saturday, July 7, 2012
Are they going to send our recyclables to Columbus?, How far do they have to haul our trash away? BFI is close, in Lorain County. What is the environmental impact to save $400,000?
Beth
2:35 pm on Saturday, July 7, 2012
Is there a cost to the resident if they need more than one of the trash or recycling containers? Anyone know? We typically have 3 trash cans of rubbish and two to three bins of recycling now.
Rich Morris
10:50 pm on Saturday, July 7, 2012
I lived in North Ridgeville for a couple years and had them.. There's good and bads of it ofcourse but I loved having them!!
The Goods -
I recycled more than I have ever recycled in my entire life! They also have a really cool program when you signup at RecycleBank.com. When the truck picks up the recyclables container it actually weighs it and gives you points based on the weight and they have an online shopping mall that you can redeem your points for.. They have some cool prizes and LOTS of coupons that you can purchase with your points and it's all free.
If you happen to be single or an older person on your own or just don't have a lot of trash you can request smaller trash containers.
The Bads -
You only get 2 containers. 1 for regular trash and 1 for recyclables.
With the exception of ONE specific trash day per month you can only put extra trash out meaning that you can only put out what will fit in the 2 trash containers. However if you have larger items and can't wait for the 1 set week where you can throw extra trash out you can call and have it picked up seperately.
Not sure if it was just in Ridgeville but the trash cans must be kept in the garage and not on the side of the house or anything.. Not sure how they would make you do that if you didn't have a garage?