Arlington County has taken on a second waste contractor to help account for missed organics collections this spring.
The county hired Rockville, Md.-based Compost Crew to assist Bates Trucking and Trash Removal with collections starting on April 20. The cost is $9,920 per week, Katie O’Brien, spokesperson for Arlington’s Department of Environmental Services, told ARLnow.
“We have been experiencing a high number of missed organics collections and wanted to proactively prepare for the busy spring season,” O’Brien said.
Under the county’s one-year agreement with Bates, the contractor transports all collected organics to Convertus Balls Ford Road Compost Facility in Manassas. The facility bills tipping and processing fees directly to the county.
The base cost per household per month for organics collection is $4.70.
Complaints about Bates either picking waste up late or missing collections entirely have hounded the trash contractor since the county signed on with them last year, dropping previous contractor American Disposal Services on Aug. 1 after 10 years. Residents described full trash bins sitting on the curb for days — leading the county’s Solid Waste Bureau to inspect routes and service missed collections shortly after Bates took over.
The county can deduct $100 from its invoices to Bates for every day that the contractor misses a pickup at any given location, according to its contract. Between August and January, the county withheld more than $855,000 from its invoices (although Bates has the right to dispute these deductions).
Just in the past week, one tipster emailed ARLnow about a skipped organics collection in the Glencarlyn neighborhood, and another said recycling hadn’t been picked up in part of the Buckingham area for two straight weeks.
Arlington’s waste contractor services about 6,600 customers each day — mostly single-family homes, as multifamily properties are served by private waste haulers. The contractor receives around $8.7 million from the county each year, which is paid for by residents receiving collection services via solid waste fees.
Bates’ contract term ends on July 31.
“The County is in the process of issuing a competitive solicitation to procure waste collection services beyond that date,” O’Brien told ARLnow last month. “While we understand customers’ frustration, the County must follow its procurement process consistent with state code, which takes time.”
