TO: Mayor and Members of City Council
THRU: Adam Lindsay, Assistant City Manager
FROM: Daniel Edwards, Assistant Director of Public Services - Solid Waste
Sheila Thomas-Ambat, PE, CCM, CFM, Director of Public Services
DATE: January 24, 2022
RE:
Title
Solid Waste Bulky and Limb Collections Status Update
end
COUNCIL DISTRICT(S):
Council District(s)
All
b
Relationship To Strategic Plan:
Goal 4: Desirable Place to Live, Work and Recreate
Executive Summary:
On October 4, 2021, the City Council moved by consensus for SW to start Bulky and Limbs collections every other week. The following information will provide data and efficiencies gained since changing collections services since October 26, 2022.
Background:
On October 4, 2021, SW Division discussed with Council recommendations for Bulky and Limb collections, more directly Scheduled VS Routed collections. The goal was to ensure that Limb and Bulky collections provided predictable and consistent service expectations that Council, CMO, and the community could accept. The third part of the goal was to create a system that required a lower level of enforcement. Council approved Option three, every other week bulky and limb collections. Council directed staff to start this new initiative as soon as possible, hire two additional EOIIIs, and purchase four new knuckle boom trucks for limb and bulky collections. The total cost for the new trucks is $835,899.
After an initial one week of limbs collections targeted at the City's excessive limb setouts, SW started the soft rollout of every other week's collection of Limbs and Bulky beginning November 1, 2021. SW staff have successfully navigated the transition from scheduled to routed collections. Over the last eight weeks, SW has collected over 7K of Limbs and Bulky piles.
The chart below details the monthly weight collected for Limbs and Bulky from July through December. As demonstrated by the data there is a sharp increase in tonnage for Limbs beginning in October. From September to October there was an 84% increase in tons of limbs collected. This can be attributed to the large quantity of limbs at the curb throughout the City on the last week of October. Limb collections increased another 33% in November before leveling off in December.
Over the last two months, routed collections have proven to be more efficient than scheduled services. The chart below shows that 75% of tonnage collected over the last six months was collected during the soft rollout of routed Limb and Bulky collections every other week.
As collections increased during the soft rollout, limb complaints dropped 84% in November from July's complaints. From November to December alone they dropped another 63%, as seen in the graph below.
In mid-December, the Call Center started informing residents that compliant piles of Bulky and Limbs no longer need to be called in for collections. Residents have responded positively to the news of not having to call in for compliant loads.
Since then we have updated web based information to communicate the Bulky and Limb Every Other Week Collection. While it is still early in the new program and a full year of data an experience will be more telling, preliminary results indicate that SW has met the goal of providing predictable and consistent Limb and Bulky service expectations that are more easily enforceable.
Issues/Analysis:
Council will consider ordinance amendments in February in order to align with these practices as well as to consider other necessary ordinance updates. Also, Council will consider rate fee adjustments to pay for these and other needs in order to efficiently and effectively operate the Solid Waste Enterprise Fund. Approval to award the contract to purchase the new vehicles will also be necessary.
Budget Impact:
Council’s direction to purchase four additional KB trucks and hire two additional EOIIIs for every other week's collections of Limb and Bulky and other Solid Waste operating expenses will necessitate additional revenues via Solid Waste Fees that will take effect July 1, 2022.
Options:
1. Receive this report
2. Consider further discussion among the City Council regarding Bulky and Limb collection services
Recommended Action:
Receive the report
Attachments: