Maria Kacik | The Gazette
BRUNSWICK — With the refuse collection contract set to expire in the fall, the city is talking trash this summer.
But before the it accepts the lowest bid for a five-year contract — submitted by current contract holder Republic Waste — it wants to ensure residents will receive quality service, too.
The current five-year contract with Republic was set to expire Jan 31. Since then, the city extended that twice: once to June 31 and then to Oct. 31. Under the current contract, residents pay $15.05 per month.
In the meantime, the service department has received complaints that Republic was doing a sub-par job.
“At one point they were missing entire streets. They would pick up half a stop and not all the trash. They were throwing trash cans all over the place,” Service Director Sam Scaffide said. “It was just unacceptable service. Our residents pay good money for this service.”
Last year, Republic purchased Phoenix-based Allied Wastes. Dave Kidder, municipal services manager with Republic of Ohio, said Republic closed its Jennings Road location at the end of May in Cleveland — out of which Brunswick was serviced — and began serving the city out of the Elyria location that was once owned by Allied.
“It was all new drivers, all new everything,” Scaffide said.
Kidder said the new drivers needed time to adjust to Brunswick.
“We brought people in from various other divisions of the country to help service some of the communities,” he said. “There was no question that caused some service issues for the first couple of weeks.”
Kidder also said routes were reorganized and customers’ trash was picked up at different times of the day than they were used to.
On June 4, the city opened up bids for the trash hauling contract. Republic was the low bidder of the two bids received — about $1 per residence less per month than Dover-based J & J Refuse’s bid, Scaffide said.
However, at the June 22 City Council meeting, Scaffide said even though Republic was the lowest bid, it may not be the best.
He wrote Republic officials and told them what he saw as the company’s short-comings.
“I told them our relationship would end pretty quickly in my opinion” if service didn’t improve, Scaffide said.
And service has improved, he said.
“It has been another 100 percent turnaround. It’s been amazing what they’ve done in the attention they pay to the city of Brunswick,” Scaffide said. He said he receives two phone calls a day from Republic management to make sure the service is up to par.
Kidder said he now has a route manager spend 80 percent of his time in Brunswick, checking on the work of his drivers. He said the supervisor will spend less time in the city as the drivers become more familiar with the area, but he will still visit every day.
The bids for waste hauling expire Aug 3. Scaffide said he likely will recommend Council accept Republic’s bid before then.
Contact Maria Kacik at (330) 721-4049 or mkacik@ohio.net.
