Thanks Tom. One thing I've noticed over time, many residents will be silent or aloof about many of the actions of City government, but if you want to see significant resident feedback, bring up the subject of trash collection. Just sharing my experience (which may be a aberration given all of the negative feedback I read) . Since Republic started waste collection (twice a week, @ 2x the fee of the previous Waste Management contract which was once a week). I have rarely had any problems with Republic. I put out trash, recycling, and yard waste weekly, it generally gets picked up at approximately at the same time every week. I'd hate to imagine what a pain-in-the neck it would be if my service was otherwise. If fee payers are experiencing lapses in service, I hope it gets fixed soon.
I plan to reach out to Waste Management to better understand why they declined to bid on servicing Palm Bay. If I can get more details, perhaps we can address their concerns and potentially bring them back to the table at a competitive rate.
I will also contact Waste Connections to see if they are interested in servicing Palm Bay and to determine whether they would be willing to submit a bid.
Palm Bay had a long relationship with Waste Management — roughly 30 years. The contract signed in 1996 was renewed in 2010 and ran until it expired on September 30, 2020. When the City began the new competitive procurement (RFP 03-0-2020/SB), Waste Management submitted a formal letter of no proposal, declining to participate.
At that time, the Council did not “fire” Waste Management; rather, WM chose not to renegotiate or bid. In fact, they had the chance to extend the contract without competition and publicly declined at a Council meeting.
The RFP then moved forward with proposals from Republic, Waste Pro, and Great Waste. Republic came in with the most competitive proposal, which after negotiations was reduced to $23.00/month per residential unit for twice-weekly service. The Council awarded Republic the 10-year contract in May 2020, and services began October 1, 2020.
So to answer your point directly — Waste Management walked away voluntarily. They were not pushed out, and unless their corporate position changes, it’s unlikely they’d suddenly want back in.
It definitely seems like a lot of Palm Bay residents are frustrated with Republic Services right now, especially after reading that article. Waste Management has a much stronger track record for organization and customer service in many communities.
If Palm Bay went back to Waste Management, they would likely bring more reliable pickup schedules and better communication — two areas where Republic seems to be falling short.
Thanks for sharing that information. I think we should take a closer look at the situation to see if there’s any way we can get them back on board.
Just to clarify, when you say Waste Management “fired the City,” do you mean they simply walked away from the contract? Did they formally terminate it, or was there a breach of agreement involved? Understanding exactly what happened will help us figure out the next steps.
Their representative was asked at a city council meeting if the would like to renegotiate the existing contract, which would have given them the contract without any other bids. They publicly declined.
When the bid process started they submitted a letter stating that they would not be bidding on the contract.
I, for one, would be happy if the town got rid of this garbage company (in more ways than one). Way too many missed pickups
Thanks Tom. One thing I've noticed over time, many residents will be silent or aloof about many of the actions of City government, but if you want to see significant resident feedback, bring up the subject of trash collection. Just sharing my experience (which may be a aberration given all of the negative feedback I read) . Since Republic started waste collection (twice a week, @ 2x the fee of the previous Waste Management contract which was once a week). I have rarely had any problems with Republic. I put out trash, recycling, and yard waste weekly, it generally gets picked up at approximately at the same time every week. I'd hate to imagine what a pain-in-the neck it would be if my service was otherwise. If fee payers are experiencing lapses in service, I hope it gets fixed soon.
I plan to reach out to Waste Management to better understand why they declined to bid on servicing Palm Bay. If I can get more details, perhaps we can address their concerns and potentially bring them back to the table at a competitive rate.
I will also contact Waste Connections to see if they are interested in servicing Palm Bay and to determine whether they would be willing to submit a bid.
Here’s some background that might help:
Palm Bay had a long relationship with Waste Management — roughly 30 years. The contract signed in 1996 was renewed in 2010 and ran until it expired on September 30, 2020. When the City began the new competitive procurement (RFP 03-0-2020/SB), Waste Management submitted a formal letter of no proposal, declining to participate.
At that time, the Council did not “fire” Waste Management; rather, WM chose not to renegotiate or bid. In fact, they had the chance to extend the contract without competition and publicly declined at a Council meeting.
The RFP then moved forward with proposals from Republic, Waste Pro, and Great Waste. Republic came in with the most competitive proposal, which after negotiations was reduced to $23.00/month per residential unit for twice-weekly service. The Council awarded Republic the 10-year contract in May 2020, and services began October 1, 2020.
So to answer your point directly — Waste Management walked away voluntarily. They were not pushed out, and unless their corporate position changes, it’s unlikely they’d suddenly want back in.
It definitely seems like a lot of Palm Bay residents are frustrated with Republic Services right now, especially after reading that article. Waste Management has a much stronger track record for organization and customer service in many communities.
If Palm Bay went back to Waste Management, they would likely bring more reliable pickup schedules and better communication — two areas where Republic seems to be falling short.
Waste Management basically fired the City several years ago and didn't look back.
Thomas,
Thanks for sharing that information. I think we should take a closer look at the situation to see if there’s any way we can get them back on board.
Just to clarify, when you say Waste Management “fired the City,” do you mean they simply walked away from the contract? Did they formally terminate it, or was there a breach of agreement involved? Understanding exactly what happened will help us figure out the next steps.
Best,
Tony
Their representative was asked at a city council meeting if the would like to renegotiate the existing contract, which would have given them the contract without any other bids. They publicly declined.
When the bid process started they submitted a letter stating that they would not be bidding on the contract.