Residents of Dayton and Bellevue will have a new trash and recycling pickup service starting July 1. Pickup days will remain unchanged throughout the summer, allowing residents time to adjust to the changes.
Both cities voted separately Tuesday to enter into a five-year joint contract with Rumpke Waste & Recycling. The contract replaces a longtime agreement for trash collection with Republic Services. The two cities deliberated the issue over the past few council meetings, weighing several options offered by Rumpke.
In the end, they decided on full-service, which includes both trash and recycling pickup, with receptacles (also known as toters) provided by Rumpke.
The decision
Rumpke offered several different options, including the bare minimum — trash pickup only, with residents providing their own receptacles. In that option, residents wanting recycling would need to subscribe directly with Rumpke. The full service option, the one the cities chose, includes both trash and recycling pickup with Rumpke-provided toters.
In early discussions, council members in both cities were split, with some favoring the least expensive option, leaving the choice of toter and recycling up to the residents. Others preferred to have uniform toters with secure lids to keep trash under control. Some said they wanted to encourage more recycling by including it in the plan.
Both cities agreed to pause their decisions for several days to allow more time for research and to gather feedback from residents on what they wanted.
After hearing from their residents, both city councils voted for the full-service trash and recycling option.
The service
The cost to the cities for the full option is $270 per household per year. This includes the trash and recycling pickup (with toters provided) for $258. The extra $12 is for a dozen 40-yard roll-off dumpsters, 12 portable toilets and 50 cardboard trash boxes per city for community events.
The biggest change, besides providing recycling, is the change in trash pickup days. Although the new contract starts July 1, trash and recycling pickup will remain as they have been under the old contract until the end of September. This gives residents time over the summer to adjust. On Oct. 1, the service will switch to just one day a week for both trash and recycling pickup.
Over the summer, Rumpke will deliver new trash and recycling toters. At the meetings this week, councils learned that Republic Services will not take back their toters. This means residents with Republic toters can keep or dispose of them.
Robin Klaber, municipal public sector representative for Rumpke, was on hand at both meetings on Tuesday to field questions. She said the decision by Republic was a surprise. Rumpke will empty trash in the old toter. If residents want to keep them and add them to the Rumpke toters they receive, they can do so. If they do not want the old toters, they can put them out with the trash and a note to Rumpke to dispose of them, she said.
Klaber noted that for larger items or multiple toters, it is always helpful for residents to call the company so they can prepare.
At the Dayton council meeting Tuesday, member Tarris Horton asked what the plan will be to share the news with residents. He noted the new services are a big change, and so he wanted council to be clear and have a plan to lay out all the information to residents.
City Administrator Jay Fossett agreed. He opened a brief discussion about how to disseminate all the information to residents. Klaber said she can provide a press release from Rumpke for use in the cities’ social media accounts. Postcards and emails were among several other options discussed.
Residents can expect to hear more soon in a variety of communications from both cities.