City extends Rumpke contract

by Dan Holland

Broadview Heights City Council has agreed to move forward with a two-year contract extension with Rumpke for household waste removal and disposal in the city.

The original five-year contract commenced in August 2016, included the option of renewing for two additional extension years. The extension will commence Aug. 1.

“They are a very conscientious company, and they’re located right here in Broadview Heights,” Service Director David Schroedel said of Rumpke. “The trash hauling industry as a whole has a lot of employee issues; they’re having a hard time finding people. You need a CDL – commercial driver’s license – to drive those garbage trucks. From what I hear in talking with other cities, Rumpke is probably the best of the haulers.”

The total cost of waste disposal in the city has gradually risen over the years, from $928,183 in 2016 to a projected cost of $1.13 million in 2022. The current extension year includes a cost of $9 per month per household and $48.90 per ton of waste disposal; up from original costs of $7.55 and $43.85 respectively in 2016.

Schroedel said the city will have to consider a number of different haulers and options when going out for bids next year, which could include automated collection.

“We may end up going to automated pick up with a bulk option; there will always be a bulk option to pick up larger items,” Schroedel continued. “As you drive around Northeast Ohio, more and more cities are going to the [automated] cart program. I don’t know this as a fact, but I think we may very well be forced to go to a cart program, if not with [next year’s] bid, then certainly with the following one.”

The city purchased 7,000 64-gallon recycling carts that were distributed to all homes last year. The purchase was funded largely by two grants from the Ohio EPA and The Recycling Partnership. The purchase is expected to save on costs if the city ever goes to fully-automated collection, as the contractor would only need to provide a trash cart, Schroedel said.

“With the last bid, we bid [automation] as an option, and it was much more expensive – around another million dollars,” Schroedel explained. “Most of that is due to the fact that they billed in the cost of the carts; that’s where having the recycling carts is going to save us money. There are no grants for regular trash [carts], but we already have half the carts we need if we go that route.”

Schroedel said the city works hand-in-hand with the Cuyahoga County Solid Waste District on bids, as the group provides vital up-to-date information regarding the waste hauling industry. He added that joining in on a group bid with other area cities could be a possibility as long as contract dates are in alignment. ∞