With the city of Sugar Land's current waste and recycling contract with Republic Services set to end in March 2023, City Manager Mike Goodrum organized the Solid Waste Task Force to identify areas where the city’s next contract could be improved.
The task force has identified four things to be prioritized when going into the next contract. These points are to ensure customer satisfaction, encourage recycling through educational outreach, promote environmental stewardship and make sure the new contract provides the best possible service at the lowest price for the community, according to officials at the meeting.
The task force recommended waste collection schedules be altered. Currently, trash is collected twice a week; recycling and green waste is collected once a week; and bulk-waste is collected once a month. Based on the task force’s own preferences, an online poll of town hall’s preferences and a survey, a majority of people would prefer recycling and green waste collection remain the same, occurring once a week. Trash and bulky-waste collection should remain the same, according to the survey.
The task force recommends that clear trash bags be used for green waste, as it makes identifying sources of cross contamination easier. Additionally, Federal Emergency Management Agency reimbursements during natural disasters require cities to use clear plastic bags for debris collection, so the change would make receiving government assistance easier.
One issue expressed was the lack of transparency between Republic and the residents of Sugar Land.
“We’re basically being asked to contribute blind,” resident Lawrence Brown said when responding to a customer satisfaction survey.
As he can not see exactly what Republic’s services entail and has no source of price-to-service comparison with another company, Brown said he does not feel he can accurately speak to any level of satisfaction.
A large source of dissatisfaction with Republic among citizens expressed during the public comments was the use of side-loading trucks. They note how, although more time-efficient, they can not pick up anything outside the can, loose trash or cans that are not easily accessible from the road.
“They picked up everything,” said Deborah Sullivan, referring to the old trash service that used rear-loading trucks. “No matter what was out there, there were guys that pickled it up and threw it in the back of the trash truck. It was great. It was convenient. They took the bulky waste and the green waste too. I’m just saying, it was nicer to have a rear-loading truck with three people on the truck to help get rid of everything.”
Others feel there is poor communication between Republic and residents, leaving them feeling ignored and neglected.
“Republic does not care about Sugar Land. Republic is a huge national company, and we are a fly in what they do,” resident Jonathan Willman said.
Five to 10 companies are expected to bid for the waste collection contract with Sugar Land in 2023.
