• The material Veolia picks up goes directly to the mill where some of the following is done:

• Plastics are turned into carpet, t-shirts and shoes.

• Newspaper is turned into shingles and insulation.

• They do recycle tin cans. Various materials can be made with tin – the most common being more cans.

• Recycled aluminum is also used to make siding and jewelry.

The recycling center said the possibilities are endless. Incidentally, Hope Haven is also a sheltered workshop, employing 58 developmentally disabled individuals and 16 staff members. So there’s more than one good reason to continue recycling in Kirksville!

A summary of the proposal is available from the Kirksville City website.

Before I get started, here are a few facts to keep in mind:

• Veolia’s trash contract with the city is not up for renewal until April 2010.

• Veolia presented this proposal because City Manager Mari Macomber asked for it last year. Because our street crews currently spend a month of resources every year on the annual spring cleaning instead of fixing streets, she simply asked Veolia, “What would it take to have you take over the annual spring cleaning?” My understanding is that this was a simple fact-finding operation – not the beginning of any efforts to renew Veolia’s contract.
• This is only a proposal, and only the first proposal presented.
• The council has not discussed this proposal since Veolia first presented it in February.

• The purpose of last night’s forum was for the council to get citizen input.

Here is a sort of summary of the main concerns that citizens brought up last night and Veolia’s responses:

Q: Will I have to push this 96 gallon tote down my long driveway? How will I get it out during the snow? What if I’m physically unable to get it to the curb?

A: Veolia explained that they realize the cart will not work in every circumstance and not everyone will be able to use it. In these cases, they will make special arrangements like they do now, such as porch-side pickup for elderly people. But the hope is that the tote will work fine for 95% of their customers and greatly reduce the physical strain on their employees.

Q: If this is more cost effective for Veolia, why would it cost us more?

A: Under the new proposal, with the proposed 96 gallon totes and one large item allowed each week, they would anticipate an increase in trash volume per household, thus increasing landfill space required and disposal fees. Based on their experiences with other communities, they estimate current average trash levels per household (right now about 26 lbs) would increase to 45 lbs if this proposal were implemented as presented. Veolia also wants to cover their initial capital expenses for outfitting their vehicles with the automated pickup equipment.

Q: I would never fill a 96 gallon tote, and I don’t have a place to put that big thing around my house. Could we perhaps have a smaller tote?

A: Yes, there is the possibility of a smaller tote, such as a 64 gallon container or smaller. It would need to be consistent for each household, though. They would prefer not having a system where one person has a big one and one has a small one, etc, because of complications with the automated loading machinery.

Q: Why not do fewer bulk item pickups a month? If you let people put one large item out each week, won’t it look like spring cleanup every week?

A: Probably not, because most households would not put out one large item each week. By spreading it out over time, it reduces the overall volume of trash in any given week and is more manageable. But if they do it once a month, twice a year, etc, then those days will be more likely to have a larger number of bigger items on the street because people will have to save up their big items for those days.

Q: Why can’t the city just continue to do spring cleanup itself once a year, like we always have?

A: Well, we can. But if we turn it over to someone else, we free up our road crew and resources for an extra month to do work on roads, during a month where the weather is typically ideal for it.

Q: Won’t a larger tote discourage people from recycling?

A: It may, and that’s something we need to think about as we evaluate this proposal. Veolia reports that about 25% of Kirksville households recycle, which is above average for a community like ours. It’s not their intent to discourage recycling. Their proposal includes keeping the recycling program in place as it is. We could go with a smaller tote.

Q: Why does the proposal call for a decrease in yard waste pickup services?

A: Veolia said they put together a proposal that they believe makes the most economical sense from their perspective and the city’s perspective. They also mentioned that Kirksville is one of the few communities left that actually pick up yard waste at all. Mari said the city does not plan to make any changes to its current brush pickup policies.

At the beginning of their presentation, Veolia showed a nice video about how the automated pickup system worked well for a community in the Detroit area, and how it dramatically reduces injuries and health problems for their employees, and makes their operation much more efficient. As a person with back and neck problems myself, I completely agree that the automation is a good and noble idea. If we can incorporate automation into a proposal that is environmentally responsible and does not encourage a dramatic increase in trash consumption, we may be on our way to a proposal that I believe will be acceptable to the public.

At any rate, thank you for sharing your concerns and ideas at the forum. You’ve given the council a lot to consider in our further discussions with Veolia. This is far from over, and we will continue to keep you informed and ask for your input throughout this process.

When I first heard the proposal in a city council study session last month, I was a little leery about doing away with the stickers. Now, after listening to your concerns, I agree that the contract as presented is a step backward. One person who spoke to me made a good point: we have trash limits for a reason. Buying a $1 sticker for each bag over the limit may be inconvenient, but it encourages more recycling and less trash per household. Recycling is free and unlimited, as it should be.

I understand that Veolia would like to convert their trucks for automated trash pickup – saving the backs of their workers – by standardizing the trash bins. However, I think it’s reasonable to ask for a smaller standard size. And we should keep the sticker system as-is.

I also agree with Greg Orear’s comments in the Daily Express that one large item a week is probably overkill. One or two a month should be sufficient for everybody and keep our yards from looking like dumps.

Kirksville is a progressive city. Let’s continue to be good stewards of the environment with a responsible trash contract.