Waste Management contract extended despite concerns about performance.
Published December 04, 2003
D.C. government officials have extended an agreement with a private company to haul the city's recyclables for another two months, while they determine whether the Department of Public Works is capable of taking over some of the operations.
The agreement comes a week before the current contract with Waste Management is to expire Tuesday. Several D.C. Council members have expressed concerns with the company's performance.
During the 60-day extension, the city will seek new contractors for the so-called "inner ring" of residences, where high density and narrow alleys make collections difficult. For the outer ring of homes, the city's public works agency has long sought to take over collections and officials are considering how soon the agency can do so.
"Certainly, it's always been our intention to bring the recycling for the outer ring in-house," agency spokeswoman Mary Myers said.
The plan comes after council members blocked a proposed five-year agreement with Waste Management to continue collecting cans, bottles and newspapers. Waste Management has collected recyclables for five years, but council members and public works officials have said that the company often misses houses or comes on the wrong day.
Council member Carol Schwartz (R-At Large), chairman of the council's Committee on Public Works and the Environment, said in a statement that the new agreement "will in the short term both continue the collection of recyclable materials and improve the performance of the contractor, while allowing us to reach the point that a significant portion of the recycling program is brought in-house."
Waste Management was the only company to bid on the new contract. Company officials have defended their performance but declined to comment about the council members' concerns.
In order to solicit more bidders when the inner-ring contract is issued, the city will divide the inner-ring into smaller areas in hopes that smaller firms will be able to compete. This practice is used in other jurisdictions, including Montgomery County.
The District's recycling program was canceled twice -- in 1995 and 1997 -- because of budget problems, and the city lags behind neighbors in participation. In Montgomery County, about 37 percent of all waste is recycled, as is about 34 percent in Fairfax County. In the District, the figure is about 14 percent, officials said. - Washington Post
