City staff are in the process of reviewing proposals for the City's next solid waste and collection service contract. The current contract runs through June 30,2023.
Three companies submitted proposals on Feb. 11, 2022 – Recology (current provider), Republic Services and WM.
Using a thorough evaluation process that included both qualitative and quantitative scoring, as well as community input from workshops and a survey, staff have determined that Recology has scored the highest as shown in Table 1 of this report to Council. The City will move forward with discussions towards a final contract with Recology for review and approval by City Council.
Primary reasons for the selection of Recology based on the City’s comprehensive evaluation process included:
- Ability to serve as a partner with the City towards meeting Solid Waste action items documented in Issaquah’s Climate Action Plan,
- Local call center with robust staffing levels,
- Commitment to equity and diversity in relation to internal staffing and customer service,
- Business model and philosophy that places diversion of materials from landfill and reduction of contamination as a core and founding principle, and
- Innovative education and outreach implementation strategies that include building and maintaining relationships with residential and commercial customers.
Next Steps
Staff will review and assess the results of an on-going customer survey to inform discussions with Recology in relation to potential contract alternatives not included in the base-contract.
Once discussions with Recology have been completed, staff plan to propose a recommendation to Council for approval of the next contract.
Any questions or comments related to the contract or public outreach can be emailed to Gary Schmiek, Utilities Engineering Manager.