NK Kicks Old Recycling Service to the Curb
North Kingstown is switching its curbside recycling service.
Say sayonara to your green and blue recycling bins: North Kingstown is switching its curbside recycling services. The new service will convert from a weekly pickup to biweekly and will also eliminate the separate blue and green bins. Instead, North Kingstowners will have one, 96-gallon bin to throw in all their recycling needs.
The North Kingstown Town Council awarded the services bid to Waste Haulers over current providers, Coastal Recycling, opting for an automated service over Coastal’s manual service.
North Kingstown pays about $400,000 annually for its current curbside service from Coastal. In the town’s request for bids, Coastal’s bid for its current services jumped to $499,000 – just $3,000 less than Waste Haulers bid which offered an automated service.
The five-year contract will see the rates climb each year to offset the contractor’s purchase of roughly 10,000 new recycling bins, then dropping down to $431,000 in the sixth year. Similar services from Coastal started at $748,000 in the first year.
The move to a new recycling system was due in part to Rhode Island Resource Recovery’s push toward a one-bin, automated system, according to Department of Public Works Director Phil Bergeron. He also adds that the new system will save the town money “in the long run.”
Another factor in the service switch is the performance of Coastal Recycling, which Town Manager Michael Embury described as “terrible.”
“I’ve seen people in my own neighborhood sweeping up glass [after recycling pickup],” said Council President Elizabeth Dolan, who noted she’s received complaints regarding the service from third graders to parents. “My own bins are broken.”
Coastal Recycling President Anthony Davidson spoke before the council, saying he was unaware of the complaints and that he “never received any calls.” According to Embury, his statement was “absolutely incorrect.”
“People in this town have stopped recycling because they’re sick of the service,” Embury said.
According to Bergeron, residents’ usage of recycling has been in decline the past few years and the town hopes the new setup may curtail the trend.
“There is probably a number of people frustrated by the late pickups and missed pickups and have stopped recycling,” said Bergeron.
The contract with Waste Haulers will begin July 1, but the new system won’t be implemented until at least September as the town transitions to the biweekly pickups.
Karen
9:08 am on Wednesday, May 23, 2012
What constitutes "automated" service versus "manual?" And I agree that Coastal is much worse than Waste Management, the previous provider, which was excellent.
Samantha Turner
9:17 am on Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Karen,
Automated means the collection truck actually has a mechanism on it to pick up the bins - versus someone hanging off the back of a truck who throws the recyclable items into the truck, which is manual.
Seth Steinman
9:42 am on Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Awesome story Samantha! Are they just going to drop the new bins off at our houses?
Samantha Turner
9:53 am on Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Hey Seth!
I'm not sure how they're going to distribute the bins, but expect an informational/awareness campaign by the town to spread the word.
COL
9:57 am on Wednesday, May 23, 2012
The contract is for 5 years, but it seems the drop in price occurs at the 6th year. I understand based on the costs of the new bins; however, is that price in year 6 "guaranteed" as a lot can change in 5 years and are these bins "standard" so any potential new contractor in year 6 would be able to provide service without another requirement for new bins?
Mary Lenore Keszler
10:10 am on Wednesday, May 23, 2012
I do hope that they will start to recycle more items other than just #1; in many areas of the country, all #'s ( 1,2,3,4,5, 6 and 7 ) are being collected for recycling. This includes yogurt and cottage cheese containters, even cardboard ice cream containers after they have been washed out. I would love to see a system similar recycling program to that in Montgomery County, Maryland, where an e mail is generated monthly to inform the public of all new events, times of days switching for holiday pick ups, etc. Rhode Island is still behind in the times. Maryland had curbside pickup of appliances, metals, and large items ( rugs, sofas, mattresses) if one would just call a hotline # ( 311) and just request this. Weekly, yard debris would be picked up in large paper containers. In addition,all contractors need to comply in Maryland and not discard metals, cardboard and other recyclable materials. They do get fined. I would love to see more public involvement in being on a Recycling board here in Rhode Island.
Plus, in Maryland, we did not have to pay for our recycling bins; one merely e mailed a request or made a phone call, and the very next week, a bin was deposited by your driveway - one for the paper ( large 64 gal size) with a swing lid for automatic pickup and 2 smaller - each 40 gal bins for the recycles.....all were blue so as to indicate " recycle me" ; even the worn out bins would be picked up by the service and recycled .
NK Parent
10:25 am on Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Agreed. I hope they start accepting ALL recycling numbers.
We used to buy some of the pre-made meals at Dave's once or twice a week but actually stopped the practice because we couldn't stand throwing out all the #5 containers they use for packaging.
Derrick
1:27 pm on Thursday, May 24, 2012
I know it's kind of a pain, but you can bring your #5 containers to any of the Whole Foods in the state. They all have bins by the exit to collect #5s, and also plastic bags.
Sid Davidson
11:19 am on Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Maybe the state should consider a deposit program.
chucklesinri
11:43 am on Wednesday, May 23, 2012
"Beginning in June 2012, the state will be switching to a “single stream” method of recycling. A new scanning system will be in effect and will allow residents to put all recyclables in one bin with no separation of paper and plastics. Currently, the only plastics that are recyclable are from categories one and two.
When the new scanning system goes into affect, plastics from one through seven will be accepted."
source: http://www.ricentral.com/content/nk-scores-big-profits-recycling-program
Scott Madison
4:39 pm on Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Recycling sucks....and it is a burden on town budgets and citizens with little to no payoff. Even the greenie tree-huggers realize the only thing "green" about recycling is the money big business makes off towns across the US.
Americans must start thinking outside the box with these type of cash burners on taxpayers......burdening the taxpayers to recycle their cans, bottles, cardboard, plastic and glass in a separate container from "trash" and paying private companies to pick it up is insane. If garbage and recyclables are so valuable have companies submit bid contracts to sort though all consumables at a central trash facility and let them make profit on the back end. Companies should be paying towns and citizens, not the other way around.
Dave
7:53 pm on Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Let's think about this. We are moving to recycling bi-weekly which should save a substantial amount of money. Instead we are spenidng 100 grand more on this contract? This TC has done nothing to save money, I wonder who is making money off this deal? This should have been a money saving action, the only cutting the TC has done is to the schools. It's incredible, and no one on the TC asks questions or scrutinizes their budget and contracts carefully.
Scott Madison
9:53 pm on Wednesday, May 23, 2012
"Stupid is as stupid does" - Forrest Gump (1994)
Dave
6:49 am on Thursday, May 24, 2012
Where are the savings from this move, why on earth is this costing more!!?? Also why is no one asking any questions about this highly questionable contract?
Bob
7:20 am on Thursday, May 24, 2012
Be ready to have your cable and phone wires ripped off your house, in Warwick these automated trucks that they use have specific locations that you must put your bin or the arm on the truck will tear down the wires going to your house, they have about 5-6 incidents a week over there....where are the savings going to this company?