FORUM | Consolidated trash collection in Saint Paul
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Unlike Minneapolis, which has government-managed trash collection resulting in a single collection option though the city, Saint Paul residents are permitted to shop around and choose any of more than a dozen licensed trash haulers to collect and remove their household rubbish.
With no action from the Saint Paul City Council, residents who grew tired of having four or five different haulers drive down their block or alley each week were left with no choice but to band together with neighbors to attempt block by block consolidation. Now, after years of frustration for some, the City Council has begun to look into the issue to decide whether a government-managed trash collection system, similar to the Minneapolis system, would work on this side of the river, or whether the current process should be left alone.
The Study:
At the August 12th, 2009 City Council Meeting, Council members Dave Thune, Lee Helgen and Russ Stark offered a resolution asking for a report to be prepared, which would outline steps and recommend possible options for implementing an organized solid waste collection system in the City of Saint Paul. The study was to be returned within 45 days; however, the report resulted in new questions and was referred back to City Council research for further review.
The Case for Trash Hauler Consolidation:
Mary Hamel, who lives in the Saint Anthony Park Neighborhood of Saint Paul, organized her block to consolidate their trash collection. For Hamel and her neighbors, consolidation meant going from five different trash haulers driving down their alley each week to only one.
"We ended up going with Allied Waste," said Hamel, "because 70% of the block was already using them, so fewer people would have to make a change. We also checked pricing-wise and they were willing to give us a discount as a block, so everyone was able to save money."
"I live on a block with a large number of rental properties making it very difficult for residents to organize a single hauler - especially with the apartment buildings," said Jennifer Anderson, a resident in the Union Park neighborhood of Saint Paul. "Without action by the city, there is very little we can do." According to Anderson, six different companies service the 11 homes and three apartment buildings on her block.
"Every day there is a garbage truck in either the alley or on the street," said Anderson. "It takes a huge toll on the road and the environment, and strikes me an inefficient business model."
The Case Against Government Managed Trash Collection:
It's important to have individuals make their own decision on who hauls their waste," said Doug Carnival with the National Solid Waste Management Association. "This has been a tradition in Saint Paul for many years and it's been a system that has operated very successfully in the vast majority of communities throughout the state of Minnesota."
In fact, according to the NSWMA website, "in the last 10 years, 21 Minnesota cities and counties have studied government managed collection. In all cases, consumer choice has been preserved and the open competitive market built on innovation and quality service continues to provide the best value to citizens."
"If you were to decide that one hauler had the entire city, you would prevent small halers from bidding on an entire city contract. And if one hauler got that contract, you'd end up with many small haulers who would lose their customers through no fault of their own," said Carnival.
Question: What do you think?
Daily Planet readers are invited to tell your own stories and add your thoughts by clicking on "Comment" below. Have you chosen a single trash hauler with your neighbors? Would you prefer to see city-wide action, allocating different areas for different haulers? Or do you like the current system of choosing your own trash hauler?
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David E. Kaplan (daviderickaplan@gmail.com) is a freelance writer focusing on media issues, open access to government, politics, and St. Paul issues as well as in-depth investigative stories.
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Comments
Our family had used Ken
Our family had used Ken Berquist and Son's since the early 1950,s, except for the short period when the City of Saint Paul dabbled in waste collection with horrible results. Why the City Council would seek to drive the small hauler who contributes to the local economy out of business totally mystifies me. The little guys, who provide the quality service, are constantly going up against the big national haulers like BFI and Waste Management.
We have no sympathy for people who get bent out of shape because 3 or 4 waste hauler's trucks drive up their alley or street once a week. Get real, there are far more important issues to be concerned about. Our sympathy goes to the small local haulers who are providing quality service at reasonable rates in the face of competition from the big haulers with deep pockets. Put these local companies out of business and see how lng it takes for the rates to skyrocket. This is another area where government has no business issuing mandates. If this goes forward my family will be watching how Pat Harris votes and it will infulence how we vote.
Incentives
What I particularly don't like about the current system is the lack of significant incentives for minimizing trash volume. And I wonder how a city-wide system could accomplish that. And whether there is any incentive for creating an incentive structure!
It's not either-or
The idea that there is a dichotomy here -- less traffic and waste while putting small haulers out of business OR tolerate the traffic and wear and tear on the alleys and roads and support small business is a false one. IT these days can handle a district-level approach. The city could put together a method where districts choose their haulers. Or, why would a city-wide approach automatically mean one hauler? We could put ordinances in place that favor small haulers, or automatically exclude haulers based out of state (my personal favorite), and the city could hire more than one hauler if they think that one small one couldn't handle the entire city. In fact, this would be the best approach, because we wouldn't want one small hauler to get the contract one year and then not get it the next year - that would be a good way to put them out of business. Let's think out of the box and get creative, instead of just pitting ourselves one against the other.
Cost
Have any studies been done to show the total cost to the average St. Paul resident versus the total cost of trash collection for the average Minneapolis resident? That would show which system is more efficient.
Look at the picture!
Government is providing the recycling service in this case. Note the junk container for recycling. If you let private haulers provide recycling, the service would be better and more who get recycled!
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