Garbage in, garbage out

Reporter - News Analyst

February 1, 2018 9:17 a.m.

"Jeremiah Glisson met with this reporter to discuss some of the issues and options facing the city with the new contract."

Although often taken for granted, waste removal is one of the key components in keeping a city healthy and safe.

At a workshop on August 15, 2018, Fernandina Beach City Commissioners (FBCC) listened as Jeremiah Glisson, the city’s Fleet and Facilities Maintenance Director, briefed them on the history and status of waste management in the city and sought their input on challenges facing both the city and the contractor. [See: https://fernandinaobserver.com/uncategorized/fernandina-beach-is-talking-trash-again/]. At their January 16, 2018 Regular Meeting the FBCC authorized city staff to commence negotiations with Advanced Disposal on a new contract, following an evaluation committee recommendation on responses to RFP 17-06.

Jeremiah Glisson

The Fernandina Beach City Commission (FBCC) will meet in workshop session at 6:00 p.m. on February 27, 2017 to discuss requirements for the new waste management contract that will become effective July 1, 2018. The workshop will both update commissioners on the process from the city staff’s side and ask for policy guidance in certain key areas: frequency of residential trash pick up, the future of recycling, and Central Business District trash removal.

Jeremiah Glisson met with this reporter to discuss some of the issues and options facing the city with the new contract.

In working with Advanced Disposal, Glisson has identified two service options for residential customers, each of which would net a small savings for customers. Currently, customers pay a monthly rate of $20.84. Option One would continue trash pick up at twice per week, but reduce recycle pick up to once every other week at a monthly cost of $18.29. This would result in an annual savings per household of $30.60. Keeping the same level of service (Option 2) with one recycle and two trash pickups per week would lower the price to $19.53 and save customers $15.72 per year. In both cases, brush removal would be limited to 3 cubic yards of material per weekly pick up. Other trash removal conditions would remain the same for residential customers.

Price reductions would come about from Advanced Disposal’s use of new trucks that would not require as many workers to remove trash. The new trucks are automated side loaders that would pick up the garbage cans with a mechanical arm.

Recycling

The state of Florida has adopted a goal of recycling 75 percent of waste by 2020 to help the environment and prolong the life of landfills. However, recycling is not without its issues. Currently recycling costs are calculated by weight. The heaviest part of the pick-up is glass, which has almost no value to recyclers, who receive one dollar per ton of glass. But after training the public to recycle glass, it would be difficult to get them to stop.

Glisson reported that Fernandina Beach is the largest municipal recycler by significant percent in the region encompassing South Georgia and Northeast Florida. But Glisson added that it costs three times as much to recycle as it does to just dump all trash into the landfill.

Other changes under the new contract

Depending on direction from the FBCC, existing trash and recycle bins could be replaced with new ones displaying the city seal. Currently, there is a mix of colors and designs among the bins, depending on when customers began service.  New bins would have the same color and shape.

Advanced Disposal will be instituting a new work order tracking system to better enable them to communicate with their customers. They will be able to send out notices and provide status reports of pick up schedule changes and equipment problems. The city will also be able to monitor this system for problems. Advanced Disposal anticipates a social media presence going forward as well.

Regarding complaints that sometimes Advanced Disposal has missed yard waste pick ups, Glisson agreed. But he added that Advanced Disposal has also exceeded its contractual obligations with event clean-ups and storm clean-ups.

City mulch site

The city has only maintained a mulch site due to oversight in omitting the activity from the previous waste collection contract. Glisson said that under the new contract yard debris would be hauled away to the landfill or an offsite recycler. This will enable the city to redeploy maintenance workers to other city projects.

* * * * *

The city commissioners have requested public input to consider in making policy decisions for the next waste management contract. Normally commissioners do not take public input during workshops. If you would like to provide your thoughts on frequency of service, continued recycling or downtown issues, you may reach commissioners by email or telephone:

Commissioner Phil Chapman: pchapman@fbfl.org - (904)  624-5590

Vice Mayor Len Kreger: lkreger@fbfl.org - (904) 432-8389

Mayor John Miller: jmiller@fbfl.org - (904) 556-3299

Commissioner Chip Ross: cross@fbfl.org - (410) 394-0220

Commissioner Roy Smith: rsmith@fbfl.org - (904) 556-0951

Editor's Note: Suanne Z. Thamm is a native of Chautauqua County, NY, who moved to Fernandina Beach from Alexandria,VA, in 1994. As a long time city resident and city watcher, she provides interesting insight into the many issues that impact our city. We are grateful for Suanne's many contributions to the Fernandina Observer.