From the City of Green River
The Green River City Council recently voted to enter into a contract with a private firm, Wyoming Waste Systems, to collect residential and commercial trash within the city, and to operate the city’s newly constructed Transfer Station. Since the city’s garbage has historically been collected by city crews, many residents and businesses are wondering what impact this change will have on their garbage service. Wyoming Waste Systems hosted a town hall meeting on Dec. 11, following a letter they sent to all residents. Based on that meeting and other questions the city has received, we have assembled this list of questions and answers to help our customers navigate this change.
Q: Who will be picking up the garbage from now on?
A: The city has contracted with Wyoming Waste Systems (WWS) to operate the solid waste collection system in the City, and to operate the newly constructed Transfer Station. WWS currently operates in Rock Springs and several other communities throughout the state, and is part of Waste Connections, Inc., one of the largest providers of solid waste collection services in the country.
Q: Who will be billing the customers for waste pickup under the WWS agreement?
A: Wyoming Waste will bill the customer directly. The proposed residential rate is $31.50 per month, which is the same as the current city rate. WWS likes to bill residential customers quarterly, so that will be a change. Commercial customers will still be billed monthly.
Q: When will I get my last bill from the City? My first bill from Wyoming Waste?
A: Your January city utility bill will include charges for solid waste collection services performed in December. Wyoming Waste will send a bill in the first part of February for solid waste collection services for the first quarter of the year (January, February, and March).
Q: Will my residential services stay the same? Will Wyoming Waste provide me with a new container or will I keep my old one?
A: Residential customers will keep their same 95 gallon cart. Over the next several months, WWS will also be delivering new carts for curbside recycling and curbside green waste pickup.
WWS recently sent a letter to all residents describing the new recycling services that will be available.
Q: Wyoming Waste will provide three containers: trash, recycling and green waste. What if I don’t want recycling and green waste?
A: You can opt out of recycling and green waste, but there is not a break on the price.
Q: Will the recycling center at Public Works still be available?
A: The recycling drop-off center at the Public Works facility on East Teton will stay open for up to a year to allow customers to continue to drop off recyclables during the transition. Once all residents have access to curbside recycling pickup, we are expecting the utilization of the drop-off site to decrease. Eventually drop-off recycling opportunities will be relocated to the transfer station and potentially other sites.
Q: Can I have a second trash can? How much will that cost?
A: Second trash cans are available at a cost of $21.50 per month.
Q: Will my pick up day change or stay the same?
A: Your pick up day will stay the same to start. Over time, WWS may adjust the routes to improve their operational efficiencies, but any changes will be communicated to customers in advance.
Q: What about holiday schedules?
A: WWS will communicate holiday schedule changes in advance.
Q: Can I suspend service if I go on vacation?
A: Yes. Just call the WWS office and make a request.
Q: Will my commercial services stay the same?
A: Commercial customers will start out with the same services, but over the next several months WWS will begin offering larger containers for commercial customers than the city had. This will represent a positive change for some of the larger volume commercial customers since larger volume businesses should find the rates for larger containers through WWS to be lower than city rates.
Q: How long is the agreement signed with WWS?
A: The city’s agreement with WWS is for 10 years.
Q: How long will the city and/or WWS hold the advertised monthly price of $31.50?
A: The agreement provides for annual rate revision, with the size of any increases tied to a nationally recognized cost of living inflation factor.
Q: Will residents have a future voice in selection of a future Transfer Station operator, i.e. council meetings, surveys, etc.?
A: Resident feedback on the performance of a service provider is always welcome. When the time comes for renewal of contracts, all feedback will be considered, and will be used to inform future Council actions.
Q: When will the Transfer Station open?
A: Wyoming Waste Systems will begin operation of the Transfer Station on Tuesday, Jan. 2.
Q: How much will the Transfer Station cost to use?
A: Green River residential customers of WWS will be able to bring 1,800 pounds of waste to the transfer station for free each year. After that, a minimum tipping fee of $15 will allow up to 500 pounds per load to be deposited. Larger loads will be charged at $69 a ton. Commercial and out-of-town customers will be charged at these rates as well. Materials brought in for recycling will not be charged.
Q: How will the 1,800 pounds at the Transfer Station be tracked?
A: Green River residential customers of WWS will receive a punch card with their first bill in February. Before that, staff at the Transfer Station will keep track of the weights customers bring in. The punch cards will include 12 punches worth 150 pounds each. More than one punch can be used on a given visit.
Q: Will I have to use a punch to drop off yard waste or scrap metal?
A: No. There will be separate disposal bins for yard waste and scrap metal. As long as these materials are separated for diversion from the landfill, customers will not be charged for bringing these materials to the Transfer Station.
Q: What items will be excluded from the Transfer Station?
A: Transfer Station acceptance policies will be established by Wyoming Waste Systems and the landfill that will ultimately be accepting the waste. Most items that have been accepted at the landfill will be accepted at the transfer station with the exception of dirt, concrete, asphalt, large animals, and asbestos. More specific acceptance lists will be available from WWS.
Additional charges may apply to special wastes such as tires and hazardous waste, as they have in the past.
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