COLUMBUS, Ind. — Columbus will be paying for services related to its recycling program.
The Columbus Board of Public Works and Safety approved a contract Tuesday with Ray’s Trash Service of Clayton, for a new cost of $12 per ton. Bryan Burton, director for the department of public works, said residents will not see any change in service and will not see any fees.
Ray’s was the only company to respond to the city’s recent request for proposals on recycling, Burton said.
The program Columbus Recycles first began in 2015, and at that time Ray’s cost was $0 per ton for disposal. It was also agreed that in exchange for the exclusive rights to the city’s recyclable material, Ray’s would pay the city a portion of the profits from the sale of the material.
This payback was calculated from a scale depending on current market value, Burton said. When the city has received payback, it’s been “very minimal,” he said.
“Payback could happen again, but the market would need to improve drastically before we can expect to see that happen,” he said.
The business’s contract with the city was previously extended in January of 2018.
“Unfortunately, the market for recycling materials is down, which has caused the contract to increase in cost from $0 to $12 a ton,” Burton said at Tuesday’s meeting.
The contract is for three years, he said, and will not exceed a cost of $12 per ton. If the market improves, that cost could be reduced. Burton also noted that the cost will increase to $20 per ton in the fourth year, which is the same year the city will look at renewing the contract. He said that this cost could also be “negotiable,” depending on the market.
The city has budgeted $75,000 for recycling in 2021. At $12 a ton, that comes out to 6,250 tons. When the amount was budgeted, the cost of the contract was still unknown. In 2020, the city collected more than 2,500 tons of recyclables.
When Ray’s Trash Service was first selected by the city, it was one of three companies to submit proposals. Ray’s was chosen over Best Way Disposal, which would have charged the city $50 per ton and given no payback, and Rumpke Waste Inc., which would have charged $29.75 per ton and paid the city back half of the profits.
Burton said that recycling operations will continue as normal. Once the city collects recyclables from city residents once every two weeks, the materials are taken to a transfer site. Ray’s collects the materials and transports them to a “state-of-the-art” sorting facility in Indianapolis where they are separated and later baled for sale.
“Ray’s is pleased to have the ability to continue the relationship with the City of Columbus,” said Calvin Davidson, general manager of Ray’s Trash Service. “… The material, to be candid, is some of the cleanest material we receive. So we appreciate the education efforts by the local folks there in the city and the county. They’re doing a great job.”
According to the city’s website, curbside recycling in Columbus is voluntary, and the recycling program has no new user fees.
“Since 2015, we have collected over 12,000 tons of recyclables, diverting that material from the landfill,” Burton said. “Currently we are at 69% participation rate and continuing to grow.”
“With all the shipping that people do now, the amount of styrofoam and plastic and cardboard that people are using has just gone up exponentially and will continue. So I think we’re going to have to revisit that whole issue about how we encourage recycling, said City Executive Director of Administration and Community Development Mary Ferdon at the board meeting.
