Updated at 7:48 p.m.
Local waste haulers are speaking out ahead of Burlington City Council’s upcoming vote on whether the city’s waste-collection system should become a city government operation.
At a press conference Wednesday, leaders behind some of the city’s largest waste management companies expressed concern that two proposals before the City Council would hurt their businesses.
One option would increase city oversight of waste management, while the other would bring it entirely under the city’s control. The council could also maintain the status quo of private services.
“We’re here today to remind the City Council that we are not your enemy just because we’re in business,” Michael Casella told reporters. His father began Casella Waste 46 years ago in Rutland.
“Instead, we are your local industry experts,” Casella said. “We take great care of servicing the community. We’re speaking here today because we feel that we’ve been left out of the decision-making process.”
Waste collection in Burlington is handled mainly by private companies. City officials have debated for years about whether the municipal government should take over waste collection. Proponents of the change say it would save residents money, be more sustainable and allow for better-paying union jobs.
But business owners argue that a municipal transition would put them out of business. They’re asking residents to attend the council meeting Sept. 13 to speak against the proposals.
City Council President Max Tracy, P-Ward 2, told VTDigger Wednesday the council is still trying to determine if it will vote on consolidating waste Sept. 13 or 27.
“This will take away business and jobs from our local companies,” Jane Gauthier said at the press conference. Her family owns Gauthier Trucking, a garbage and recycling removal company.
“We can work together to address the concerns and solve them together,” she said. “Please let us be part of the solution rather than label us as the problem.”
In 2018, the City Council passed a resolution asking that the city government study taking over waste collection for residential buildings with up to four units.
The study found that Burlington could save between $710,000 and $2.9 million a year if it made the switch. It also found that 75% of residents surveyed were served by three main haulers with considerable overlap in their routes. It estimated that these route miles could be reduced by two-thirds if waste systems were optimized by the city.
But in a letter to councilors, Burlington’s waste haulers criticized some of the claims in the study.
The study estimates it would cost the city $6 million upfront to develop its own municipal waste removal system, but that number is “grossly underestimated,” according to the haulers, who say the industry is experiencing “record inflation rates for trucks, parts, fuel and wages.”
The full-municipal model was endorsed by the council’s Transportation, Energy and Utilities Committee on a 2-1 vote. Both Progressive members — Jack Hanson and Jane Stromberg — voted in favor. Under this system, the city would provide all waste removal and oversee customer service, scheduling and billing.
The hybrid municipal-and-franchise model was endorsed by the Department of Public Works Commission on a 5-1 vote. It would have the city oversee the direction of trash and compost collection, working through private haulers, who would bid to service specific parts of the city.
When asked at Wednesday’s press conference if haulers viewed the hybrid model as a compromise, Ryan Meyers from Meyers Container Service said he thinks that the system would still hurt small waste removers.
“You’re still talking about a large capital investment,” he said, to service large areas of the city. “Some of the smaller haulers that don’t have the financing, they may not be able to actually make that investment to bid on those areas.”
Chapin Spencer, director of the Department of Public Works, told VTDigger after the press conference that the city would prioritize smaller haulers if it entered into a bidding process with private companies.
“There are also abilities to limit the number of districts any one hauler can win,” Spencer said. “We do not want a monopoly situation.”
He said the public works department is still collecting residents’ opinions on how they would reimagine the city’s waste system through an online survey. Chapin said he hopes the council adopts the hybrid municipal-and-franchise model, which he thinks will improve Burlington’s waste removal system.
“I think if this is rolled out well, we can provide a robust role for our local businesses and reduce truck traffic and save the environment through reduced emissions,” Spencer said. “And most importantly, save money for our residents by not continuing inefficient ways of collecting trash.”
