Wyoming Waste has to wait

Following discussions concerning Wyoming Waste Systems' recycling and yard waste programs, Wyoming Waste presented a solution that wouldn't add extra costs but would cut down on yard waste pickups. Several Green River City Council members weren't satisfied with the proposal, and decided more discussion is needed. 

City Administrator Reed Clevenger reminded the council that the original request brought forward by Michelle Foote, the site manager for Wyoming Waste, was to raise costs by not only the company's normal base increase but also an additional fee to cover increased recycling expenses. During a workshop at the end of November, the council members and Foote discussed the possibility of adjusting and changing the recycling program itself. 

"After going through that, [Foote] came back and presented that they were not going to change that – too hard to re-educate everybody to move that forward," Clevenger explained. "We know that the community still wants to do recycling, they want to continue that in case the prices do turn around sometime." 

Instead of changing the recycling program, Wyoming Waste wanted to just focus on reducing the green waste and yard waste pickup program, according to Clevenger. Following up on comments Foote made about the yard waste program to the council during the workshop, Wyoming Waste asked to change the program to only run mid-April through Mid-November. Clevenger pointed out that Wyoming Waste would still have a pickup day in January for Christmas trees and would accept yard waste dropped off at the facility year-round. The proposed amendment to the contract would be a clerical change, Clevenger said, and changes in the program would be communicated each year depending on factors like weather. 

"There would be no change in the price other than what was already agreed to within the CPI and the contract," Clevenger specified. 

Councilmember Robert Berg was the first to comment, noting that only three of the current council members were on the council when the contract was originally negotiated, so he felt like there might be some hesitation in voting because some council members may want to understand the contract more fully. 

"I think it would be smart for us to workshop this so that we can discuss it in an open forum," Berg said. 

Councilmember Sherry Bushman added that she has reservations about the contract after looking at it. One point she mentioned was that the yard waste collection program includes sawdust, and as people do house projects year-round she wouldn't expect them to have to haul it to the station. Bushman also pointed out that since the recycling program's inception in 2018 to the proposed rates for 2024, there will have been a 30.5% increase in five years, "which is an exuberant amount." She said she believes the contract is one-sided and needs to be reviewed, and she supported the idea of a workshop. 

"As presented, I won't vote for this," Councilmember Gary Killpack said of the contract and the proposed change. 

Killpack expressed his concern over the fact that the citizens of Green River would still be paying for the cost of the yard waste program even during the months when it isn't being picked up. Even though he agreed that many people don't have yard waste during the winter months, he said it might be better to have some kind of discount for those months, rather than having prices stay the same while Wyoming Waste has savings without trucks and drivers running for that program. 

"They're saving money, but we're not saving any as citizens," Killpack added. "I personally believe that it's not a win-win situation the way it's presented right now." 

Killpack also expressed his support for the idea of having a workshop for further discussion. 

A motion to table the amendment to the contract with Wyoming Waste Systems and have a workshop discussion was approved unanimously. Agreeing that the discussion should be soon, the council discussed the hope of having a workshop the second week of January.