Building a Recycling Program Through Innovation and

Creativity instead of Big Budgets

Financial Sustainability – Recycling in the City

Program Goal

To provide an environmentally responsible and cost-effective system for managing municipal

solid waste generated within Fort Worth

Objectives Environmentally Friendly

Unbeatable Customer Service Financially Responsible

Enhanced Public Education

Strategic Considerations

• Public attitude• State law encourages 40% diversion goal• Contract expiration dates • Political will• Equipment needs• Landfill remaining life; long-term outlet for

the City’s residential waste

Financial Stability

PAYT is an effective tool for communities struggling to cope with soaring municipal solid waste management expenses. Well-designed programs generate the revenues communities need to cover their solid waste costs, including the costs of such complementary programs as recycling and composting. Residents benefit, too, because they have the opportunity to take control of their trash bills.

Current Residential Rates

Cart Size Fee32 gallon $12.7564 gallon $17.7596 gallon $22.75

Sanitation rates are based upon the size of cart used for garbage collection.

City Provided vs. Contracted Services

City Provided Services

More Control High Equipment

Cost More Exposure for

Municipal Employees

Benefits and associated long term liability

Contracted Services Less Control No Equipment

Expense No Exposure for

City Employees Competitive

Proposals or Bids

City of Fort Worth Solid Waste Contracts

1. Curbside Collection2. Recycle Processing3. MSW Disposal and Landfill Operations 4. C & D Disposal and Yard Waste Processing5. Cart Purchase, Delivery & Maintenance6. Drop Off Station Container Transport7. Bulk Collections (not regular program waste)8. In-House Recycling for City facilities

Partnering

Recycle Processing

Average over 4,000 Tons per month Recycle rebate has averaged over

$1,000,000 annually back to the Solid Waste Fund– After processing costs and additional disposal

expense for contamination– Used to keep sanitation fees down

Net Curbside Recycling Revenue Historical Performance

$(100,000)

$(50,000)

$-

$50,000

$100,000

$150,000

$200,000

$250,000

$300,000

$350,000

Mar-03

Jul-03

No

v-03

Mar-04

Jul-04

No

v-04

Mar-05

Jul-05

No

v-05

Mar-06

Jul-06

No

v-06

Mar-07

Jul-07

No

v-07

Mar-08

Jul-08

No

v-08

Mar-09

Jul-09

Non-Program Materials

Approximately 30% of material collected in the blue recycle carts is non-program materials.

Opportunities for contractors to partner with City to limit the contamination

Education

Education payments to the City from contractors are key especially with the current budget constraints– The collection contract requires an annual

payment of $3.56 for every household collected– The recycle processing contractor pays the City

of Fort Worth $1.18 per ton of acceptable material

Contaminated Carts

Contaminated Loads

Cart Audits

Creative Residents

BRUSH AND YARD WASTE

Diversion

Last year over 30,000 tons of brush and yard waste that was collected was diverted from the landfill– Over 3,000 tons from the Drop Off Stations– Over 27,000 tons collected curbside

Innovation and Creativity instead of Big Budgets

Ability to defer start up expense due to length of contracts

Utilizing requests for proposals instead of bids

Sharing the burden of education with the contractors

PAYT program Promoting contracts with several companies

encouraged competitive pricing

Questions?