The Columbus Board of Public Works voted to approve a one-year contract extension with Rumpke to use its transfer station for the Columbus Recycles Program.
In late January, the board approved a three month contract with the company for the same reason after the city’s contract with the previous vendor, Waste Management, was set to expire on Feb. 1.
The city had an agreement with Ray’s Trash Service since curbside recycling began in 2015. After Ray’s was purchased by Waste Management in 2022, the price of their services increased significantly, Director of Public Works Bryan Burton said. This was partly because Waste Management is no longer using the site they previously used as a transfer station, so public works sought another vendor.
The department had initially wanted the term of the contract with Rumpke to be for one year, but due to the substantial cost they opted for a three month contract instead, according to city officials.
When public works went through the budgeting process in mid-to-late 2023, Burton had informed city council members that an appropriation was probably going to be requested. On April 2, city council approved the second reading of an ordinance to appropriate $100,000 from the city’s general fund to the public works budget to pay for the extension.
Burton said Monday the terms of the contract are essentially the same as the three month contract— the hauling fee is still $825 per load of recyclables, but the difference is the loading fee is $160 per load rather than $15 per ton. Burton said he thought the flat fee would result in a cost savings.
The scale fee is $90 per truck if a load is under 4.5 tons and anything over that weight would be paid by Rumpke.
“We’re pushing to get four-and-a-half tons plus on our trucks every time we take them out there,” Burton told the board.
The contract will run until May 31, 2025, according to the contract addendum.
