APWA 2016 PWX 8/29/2016

1

• The Do’s and Don’t’s of Fully Automated Garbage & Recycling Collection

City of Commerce City, CO

Maria D’Andrea, P.E.Director of Public Works

August 29, 2016

CommerceCityIsThinkingGreen!• In 2015, Commerce City rolled out new residential trash and recycling collection services, switching to a fully automated cart collection system. 

• This change:

• reduces environmental impacts

• saves the City money, and

• makes collection more efficient for everyone

APWA 2016 PWX 8/29/2016

2

AlittlebitaboutCommerceCityDenver Metro AreaSize: 4,532 mi²Population: 2.75M

Commerce CitySize: 34 mi²/61 mi²Population: 51,000

AlittlebitaboutCommerceCity

• 3rd fastest growing City in the state

• Adjacent to city of Denver and north & west sides of Denver International Airport (DIA)

• Population began to grow in the 2000’s; increased population from 20,000 to 51,000

• 45.5% of population comprised of individuals of Hispanic descent

• More than 1,500 employers

• 25 miles of trails, a championship golf course and 700 acres of open space & parks

• One of the country’s largest soccer complexes and the nation’s largest urban wildlife refuge

APWA 2016 PWX 8/29/2016

3

PreviousGarbage&RecyclingProgram

• 14,700 households served 

• One provider city‐wide

• Unlimited trash pickup – weekly

• Recycling pickup – bi‐weekly (high participation 60‐65% but low 

diversion rate < 8%)

• City pays for residential trash & recycling service through General 

Fund revenues; just over $2.1M in 2014

• No incentive to recycle or limit amount of trash generated

APWA 2016 PWX 8/29/2016

4

DO – solicitfeedbackfromyourcustomers

• Telephone town hall reached over 712 citizens

• High level of support for a modified program

• Lack of information, aesthetics and unawareness of recycling 

options identified as hurdles

• City Council feedback 

DO –EstablishGoal&Objectives

Program Goal

• To provide services that effectively collect and dispose of solid 

waste in a manner that is consistent with the applicable State, 

Federal and local laws and regulations, while maximizing the 

fullest recovery of recyclable materials possible with the least 

impact on the environment and in a cost‐effective manner so as 

to enhance the safety and aesthetics of the City. 

APWA 2016 PWX 8/29/2016

5

Programobjectives

• Minimizing the rate of waste generation through education and 

source reduction

• Encouraging and facilitating the recovery, reuse and recycling of 

material within the waste stream

• Increasing the amount and types of materials being recycled 

• Improving education to increase diversion rates and waste 

reduction

• Expanding recycling participation 

Programtargets

• Work with Waste Management to reduce missed pickups to less 

than 10 per month

• Respond to requests for service or complaints within 2 business 

days; add new residences to system within 3 days of receiving the 

certificate of occupancy

• Increase the recycling diversion rate to 15%

• Increase City employee recycling rates by 10%

• Continue to support Tri‐County Health hazardous waste collection 

events

APWA 2016 PWX 8/29/2016

6

Proposals

• Provide similar level of service to the current program but also solicit options from the industry for different service types & levels of service to increase recycling diversion rates

• Request for Proposal (RFP) included prices for base services, add alternates and a bid option

• Two proposals received both with base service costs plus five additional options

Proposals

Service Level Net Cost Difference

Base Service ($63,382)

Base Service + Weekly Recycling $306,240

Base Service & Eliminate Large Item Pickup

($89,482)

Fully Automated Collection ($606,262)

Fully Automated Collection + Weekly Recycling

($360,922)

Enhanced Fully Automated Collection $395,978

APWA 2016 PWX 8/29/2016

7

ProgramCostSavings

Previous Program Cost (2014) = $2,153,122

OR $12.05/household/month

New Program Cost (2015) = $1,546,860

OR $8.89/household/month

RevisedGarbage&RecyclingProgram

• One provider city‐wide

• Contractor supplies & delivers one 96‐gallon garbage container and one 96‐gallon recycling container to each existing and future household

• Fully automated, weekly trash service ‐ LIMITED

• Fully automated, bi‐weekly single‐stream recycling

• Any additional garbage & recycling service, above the 96‐gallon limit, would be paid for by the customer; billed directly to customer

• Large item pick‐up for each household, (limited to 5 times per year)

• Trash and recycling services for all City facilities

APWA 2016 PWX 8/29/2016

8

DO – communicate(andover‐communicate)withyourcustomers

• Focus on both traditional and non‐traditional means

• All bi‐lingual materials

• Use service provider resources

• Create a “tag line”

• Assistance for the elderly

OutreachActivitiesRaisedAwareness,SparkedAction

APWA 2016 PWX 8/29/2016

9

DON’T–underestimatetheimplementationchallenges

• 29,400 carts delivered in February/March

• > 7,000 customers affected by route changes

• Responded to more than 4,000 phone calls/emails in a 5‐month 

period

• Missed pickups 

• Old garbage can & recycling tote collection

• Can size swap outs (32‐, 64‐, or 96‐gallon options)

APWA 2016 PWX 8/29/2016

10

DO – setupsystemsinadvancetoaddressconcerns

• Put someone in charge – Project Manager

• Establish weekly meetings with service provider

• Train service provider staff in advance

Issue/resolution spreadsheet – OneDrive live

Green Pages (Scope of Work)

• Bring on or identify dedicated City resources to assist

• Use service provider expertise & resources 

• Ensure good communication with subs

APWA 2016 PWX 8/29/2016

11

RecyclingRatesIncreasedSignificantly• Implementing carts and a strong outreach plan led to higher diversion rates

APWA 2016 PWX 8/29/2016

12

Bi‐LingualCommunication

Efforts

APWA 2016 PWX 8/29/2016

13

ResidentsRecycledaRangeofMaterials

• Commerce City residents recycled 2,835 tons of aluminum, cardboard, paper, scrap metals, glass and plastics #1‐#7 in 2015 

Paper,CardboardDominatedtheMix

APWA 2016 PWX 8/29/2016

14

APWA 2016 PWX 8/29/2016

15

VolumePeakedinSummerMonths

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Tons of Recycling Tons of MSW

DiverseBenefitsforCity,ResidentsBy recycling 2,835 tons, Commerce City conserved the following resources:

• 10,442,980 kWh of electricityEnough to power 870 homes for a year

• 194,300 gallons of oilEnough to heat and cool 962 homes for a year

• 44,838 gallons of gasolineEnough to drive 1,255,474 miles

• 37,705 mature treesEnough to produce 467,164,668 sheets of newspaper

• 13,077,852 gallons of waterEnough to meet the fresh water needs of 697,485 people for a year

• 9,588 cubic yards of landfill airspaceEnough to meet the disposal needs of 147,754 people

APWA 2016 PWX 8/29/2016

16

Shrinking Carbon Footprint

7,581 tons of residential recycled material 

diverted since 2012

Over 16,890 metric tons of CO₂ equivalent conserved

As calculated by the US EPA WARM Model

• Two Big Belly Solar compactors installed in public park and at the Recreation Center

• Dual units for trash and recycling. These units reduce the cost of collection with solar compaction power.

• Art contest for Commerce City youth that is attached to the front and back of each unit

SolarCompactorsSupportRecyclingEfforts

APWA 2016 PWX 8/29/2016

17

DO –BeNimble/Adapt

• Began Green Waste events to address concerns about yard waste

• Evaluating options for composting collection, a drop off site, or 

voucher program with local business

APWA 2016 PWX 8/29/2016

18

APWA 2016 PWX 8/29/2016

19

DON’T–EverStopCommunicating

• On‐going issues with garbage mixed into recycling containers

• Quarterly flyers/monthly communications in newspaper/Tweets

• Newsletter mailed every year with recycling calendar

• Created an on‐line mapping interface to identify day of service for 

both garbage & recycling pickup

DO –HaveFun!

• Team effort increased camaraderie of staff 

• Service provider/City staff cross training & lunch events

• Morning pep rallies – drawings/giveaways

• Still cited as a “success” by the City Council

APWA 2016 PWX 8/29/2016

20

QUESTIONS/DISCUSSION