The city of Fort Collins will seek bids from haulers in pursuit of a citywide contract for trash and recycling pickup at single-family homes and small multifamily complexes. Fort Collins City Council voted 4-2 on Tuesday to issue a request for proposals, the first step in creating the trash contract. The vote also directed city staff to develop a residential waste program where a single hauler will handle trash, recycling and seasonal yard-trimmings pickup for thousands of homes in city limits. The city could issue the RFP as soon as August and select a hauler as soon as November, with program rollout expected in 2023 or 2024.
Council’s vote doesn’t obligate the city to enter a contract, though, so if the city isn’t satisfied with any of the bids from haulers it could table the issue. With guidance from staff, council is planning to exempt homeowners’ associations with existing trash contracts from the new program. Multifamily complexes with nine units or more, businesses and construction sites will still be able to choose their own hauler. Those groups make up about 80% of the local hauling market by revenue, staff estimated.
Residents whose homes are included in the contract will need to pay an opt-out fee if they want to use a different hauler than the one involved in the contract. The monthly fee will be based on the price of service for the smallest trash cart, currently in the $10-$20 range. It could be lower if the city negotiates a lower rate. Food scraps pickup won’t be included in the contract. Council members said they’d like to revisit that once a regional facility exists for large-scale food scrap composting.