COVINGTON, Ky. - Tucked within the 19-page trash collection and recycling contract set for approval Tuesday night is an array of provisions that City of Covington officials say will not only reduce costs but also lead to cleaner neighborhoods and a more environmentally friendly community.
“It’s a game-changer,” said Sheila Fields, the City’s Solid Waste & Recycling Coordinator. “This takes to the next level a lot of the things we’ve been working on over the last five years to create a cleaner and greener Covington.”
Some of those details became clear this past Tuesday, when the Board of Commissioners first publicly discussed both the proposed 10-year agreement with
Rumpke Waste & Recycling (who is also the City’s current provider) and a related proposal to sell Rumpke the City’s transfer station and surrounding property.
Here’s more about what residents should expect, according to the contract and its supporting documents:
- A baseline cost savings for Covington taxpayers of $236,247 a year.
- Re-use of existing carts and the maintaining of current collection schedules and bulk-item set-out rules.
- Lower rates for commercial users (regardless of whether they contract with Rumpke for wheeled trash carts or large front-load or rear-load containers) in all but a few scenarios.
- Four residential community bulk-item drop-off events a year.
- Enhanced post-Christmas curbside collections.
- Cost relief for certain mixed-use properties - such as a building in which a second-floor tenant has an office on the ground floor - which can be designated as “residential” for the purpose of curbside solid waste and recycling services.
- The ability to shop around when securing a dumpster or roll-off container for short-term rental during, for example, a rehab project or the cleaning out of a building.
- $50,000 a year for marketing and promotion by the City’s Solid Waste & Recycling Division.
- Community outreach and education at schools, the library and events.
- And an enhanced customer service portal at Rumpke in 2021.
The rate for individual residential customers is set annually in the fall for the coming year, Covington Neighborhood Services Director Ken Smith said.
In his PowerPoint presentation to the City Commission, Smith posted a chart showing that Covington’s annual residential rate of $152.52 for solid waste and recycling services ranked near the bottom third for local communities in the region. The information was gathered by the Northern Kentucky Municipal Clerks Association.
Rumpke has been Covington’s waste hauler for the past five years. Its bid was judged the best of two received by the City earlier this year, and the proposed 10-year contract, effective July 1, also allows City leaders to renew the contract for up to five one-year periods.
The Commission put the contract on its consent agenda for this coming Tuesday.
Transfer station
The Commission will also vote on whether to negotiate with Rumpke a sale of the property at 4397 Boron Drive that is currently home to its garbage transfer station and the City’s Public Works offices, garage, outbuildings, and road salt dome.
According to the sale terms described by Smith, Rumpke would:
- Pay the City $8 million.
- Take over operation of the transfer station July 1.
- Demolish that aging and deteriorated facility and replace it with a new, 16,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility.
- Remodel the building that currently houses the Public Works offices and transform it into Rumpke’s Northern Kentucky headquarters, bringing at least 50 full-time equivalent jobs to Covington.
- Upon completion of the new transfer station, pay the City $1 a ton for solid waste collected outside Covington and processed at the station, estimated at $150,000 to $200,000 a year.
- Give Covington residents a 35 percent discount on fees for dropping off solid waste and bulk items.
- Design the site with opportunities for special drop-offs of yard waste, tires, and other waste items.
- And honor the terms of the current lease for a portion of the property that’s being used as a fire training center.
In anticipation of the transfer, Covington leaders are searching for a new location for its Public Works offices and garages.
Partners
Fields, who arrived at the City in 2013 and is known for her high-energy approach to recycling and reducing Covington’s waste stream, said the new contract reflected the City’s and Rumpke’s collaborative work over the last five years to turn transformative goals into clear policy and procedures.
“The contract and the new transfer station open up all kinds of possibilities when it comes to things like composting yard waste and properly getting disposing of things like tires and electronics,” Fields said. “I’m excited by the future, because we have a really great partner in Rumpke and they share our mission and vision of a clean-and-green Covington.”
Rumpke officials delivered a similar message.
“Rumpke is very excited to continue our partnership with the City of Covington, with retaining the hauling contract and ensuring residents and business will continue to receive reliable trash and recycling collection,” said Corporate Communications Manager Molly Yeager Broadwater.
“We are also thankful for the opportunity to collaborate with the City to make the transfer station into an asset for Covington by improving convenience and lowering costs for residents while also creating approximately 50 local jobs. We are very excited to get started on this project.”
Both proposals received favorable reviews from the five members of the Board of Commissioners.
“Just in terms of quality of services and cost-effectiveness, this is a significant improvement,” Mayor Joe Meyer said.
He encouraged residents to look at the contract, which can be seen
HERE, and weigh in with emails to the Commission, whose contact information can be seen
HERE.