Recycling Evaluation and Improvements

Background

Foth has provided strategic consulting and various engineering services for the City of Peoria Public Works Department since fall 2016. Foth has served as an extension to the City’s staff through several important projects to help the City manage its solid waste, recycling, and storm water. Our team has worked with the City to improve efficiencies, reduce costs, and find ways to reduce or reuse waste in its solid waste and recycling programs.

Approach

The City was interested in evaluating their contracted solid waste collection services for residents to increase recycling services from monthly to every-other-week, and to standardize service schedules. Foth assisted the City with a seven-year Request for Proposal (RFP) for services, RFP evaluation, and contract negotiations.

Foth then assisted the City to roll out the collection schedule, develop a community engagement strategy and materials, and to perform a trash cart audit with a cart vendor. Other work for the City has included:

• Developed the program website that com­bined information from 50+ unique web­pages into one comprehensive website, PeoriaPicksUp.com
• Developed a Book of Operations that provides contract summary and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for each area of contracted services
• Developed and maintain the City service database that incorporated five datasets into one
• Provide ongoing technical support, ser­vice equity guidance, and indepartmental facilitation
• Developed a 10-year communications plan and assist with implementation, including the development of social media campaigns, advertisments, and public engagement
• Assist with annual solid waste services billing and evaluated over 500 customer billing disputes
• Provide City with recycling commodity and national recycling best practices information

Results

Foth assisted the City with issuing an RFP for services and negotiate contract services for the City of Peoria’s solid waste collection services for residential units (single-family residents through quadplex homes).

The recycling participation rose from 27% in 2018 to 44% in 2020 due to increased communications and program changes Foth assisted with developing.

Foth provides weekly operational and implementation assistance to the City staff.