1. City of Falls Church Tips for Managing Recycling Program Contracts and Operations Kathy Allan Environmental Programs Specialist

2. City of Falls Church 2.2 square miles, 6 miles from DC Population = 11,200 3,100 SFH and TH (municipal service) 730 condos, 1440 apartments (private service) Median family income = $97,000 Tax rate of $1.07 per $100 of assessed value (median home value of $607,000) General Gov’t operating budget = 33 million

3. Recycling Budget $309,000 in FY09 Contracts = 75% Salary & benefits Education and outreach Supplies

4. Environmental Programs Specialist Limited staff (me) Recycling and solid waste education Solid waste policy and planning Recycling program implementation & operation Watershed education Support provided by Operations and Engineering and Construction Divisions of DES

5. Recycling Program Background Weekly Curbside Recycling Collection: Single-stream collection - 18 gallon bins (contracted) Yard waste collection - brown Kraft bags and bundled brush (municipal) White goods collection - $25 per appliance

6. Recycling Program Background Seasonal Curbside Recycling Collection: Leaf Collection – mid-Oct to mid-Dec (municipal)

7. Other Recycling Opportunities Recycling Center – Drop-off mixed paper & cardboard, co-mingled containers, newspaper, scrap metal, clothing. Pick-up leaf mulch and wood chips Recycling Extravaganza – Twice yearly collection of electronics, textiles, bikes and more Drop Boxes – Rechargeable batteries, cell phones, eye glasses etc.

8. Performance Measures 90% set out rate for curbside program Curbside diversion rate of 61% in 2008 VDEQ recycling rate of 53% in 2008

9. Cost per Household for Service

10. Contracts Curbside collection (hauling) Marketing curbside materials Recycling center (hauling and marketing) Scrap metal container (hauling and marketing) Electronics collection

11. Contract Advice 1)Share the profits and the pain 2)Reduce liability 3)Keep it simple 4)Do your homework 5)Share information

12. Share the Profits and the Pain Market-based approach: Market rate for a single commodity minus fixed processing fee per ton Market rate for multiple commodities (based on a waste sort) minus fixed processing fee per ton Flat fee approach: May work to your advantage if hauling and marketing are under one contract Put both options in your contract

13. Reduce Liability 1)Contract floor 2)Secondary marketer 3)Contract termination 4)Maximum escalation (fuel & or CPI) 5)Yearly renewal terms 6)Proper management of materials

14. Keep it Simple 1)Keep the rebate/payment formulas simple 2)Ask for copies of the commodity pricing sheets as part of contract 3)Combine contracts

15. Do Your Homework 1)Know your contractor pool 2)Ask for sample contracts 3)Follow markets (calculate options) 4)Know your limitations 5)Ask questions 6)Visit potential contractors 7)Visit clients of potential contractors DON’T WAIT UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE!

16. Share Information 1)Work closely with neighboring jurisdictions/counties 2)Use regional bodies or SWPUs to share information 3)Use VRA list serve, conferences and other networking opportunities 4)Help each other!

17. Contract Management 1)Make frequent calls and visits – develop relationships 2)Use your calendar to mark obligations - report due dates, contract renewals etc. 3)Check reports – tonnage information, haul dates etc. 4)Use simple software (excel) or web-based product (Retrac) to help track data, rebates and diversion rates

18. Kathy Allan Environmental Programs Specialist City of Falls Church kallan@fallschurchva.gov 703-248-5176