The Tulsa Forum by TulsaNow

One of their excuses is that they haven't been able to hire enough employees?
I thought we had an unemployment problem?
Perhaps unemployment pays better?

Tulsa city leaders are getting ready to decide the future of a million-dollar recycling contract with a company the city isn't happy with.

The city's trash board set to meet today to decide what to do with a $1.3 million contract they have with a company called RR Waste Solutions. The city says they've recieved about 2,000 complaints from customers saying they're recycling just isn't being picked up. RR Waste Solutions took over the city's recycling program in June. Since then the city says 2,000 customers have complained no one has picked up their recycling.

About 14,000 residents are signed up for the recycling program. RR Waste says they haven't been able to hire enough employees and have had problems with mapping. They also believe some customers are simply confused over their collection days. The city says they're done with excuses and want the problem resolved.

http://www.fox23.com/content/daybreak/story/Recycling-Program-Concerns/nPpp3H9hlka4cNfrh_oGpw.cspx

Well they changed collection days and pick up often times later in the day. I imagine a lot of those who think they aren't getting picked up just don't have it out when it's time to get picked up.

2,000 customers have complained or they've received 2,000 complaints?

I tend to be one of those guys who will complain more than once.

They come through my neighborhood and spend 5 minutes in front of each house sorting through the recyclables.  I wonder how they ever get done.  Can't they just dump it in the truck and let the mechanical system at the plant sort things out?

They could... if Tulsa had a recycling plant

The contractor had plenty of excuses and plenty of problems during June and July. It does look like they have gotten their act together in August however.

2,000 complaints were received by the city in the first ten weeks of the contract. I am sure many of them were from repeat customers. They now have gone through five complete cycles of pickup of the 14,000 customers. That means they have had 70,000 collections and 2,000 complaints.

Yes, 2,000 complaints is too many. But percentage-wise that is about a 3% complaint rate. 97% of their customers haven't complained.

If they can get the complaint rate below 1.5% this month, I think they should be continued as the contractor. 

they missed mine... again.
third time in two months they've skipped me...
i called yesterday...
it is still sitting out there...

Question. . .Is our trash going to the trash-to-energy plant?

If so, do they separate aluminum mechanically there?

Only steel.

I find that strange.  Many of their other facilities across the country recycle aluminum.  I guess the cost of the air-blade separation process exceeds the payback from the aluminum.

The magnet was broken for years so we weren't even getting the steel.

I noticed your FB post Scott..we'll see if mine gets picked up today.

Edited to add:

Picked mine up at 1:08PM as I was leaving home to go back to work from my lunch.  Had to wait cause they were blocking my driveway  Fascinating how they do it all.  The truck has side compartments.  In one, he put the plastics, in the other he put the paper, pressed a button and the side compartments hoisted up and over into the back of the truck, dumping their contents.

After some problems the first couple of pick up days, I've had not any problems since.  I did notice this month that a few folks on my street put their bin out on the wrong week - there were still on the old schedule, but this is the first month under the 2 week sytem that it was off from the old schedule.  Such issues could be a source of some of the complaints.

I suspect that's where some complaints came from as well, putting the bins out on the old schedule.

Mine is still sitting there from yesterday. Only day they've missed is they day they promise they're better now.

Tulsa's trash/recycling situation is HORRIBLE.  I don't understand why we don't have polycarts, one for trash and one for recyclables.  I fill up that little bin in a couple days.  And why should I have to pay more to recycle and generate less trash while my neighbor generates more trash (with our ridiculous two day a week pick-up) and he pays the same?  Hopefully this changes when the contracts run out next year.  It's sad when Norman has a much better system and much higher recycling participation rates.

It is really pathetic.  I remember in the early 1990s when Edmond got polycarts.  Around 18 years ago....so, here we are 18 years later in Tulsa.   I've seen garbage men driving a 4 wheeler with 4 plastic bins attached to it, I guess he's on recon. missions or something

In my neighborhood there's this modified El Camino looking vehicle that comes and picks up the garbage and a large truck, that looks about 50 years old following behind it.  So the El Camino man gets out, dumps the garbage, gets back in his truck, drives to the next house, gets out, dumps the garbage...spills garbage in the street...gets out picks it up (at least he did that) gets back in, drives another 20 feet.

Next door neighbor dumped his recycle bins in his trash can this morning before the trash guy came.  I guess he gave up.

It is beyond pathetic.  When are the contracts up, next year or 2012?  Tulsa needs to enter the 21st Century and have polycarts and once a week, mechanized service.  I should be paying less for generating less trash and recycling more. 

My recycle bin was empty when I got home at 5pm last night, first time that's happened.  They have not missed me yet, but it's been picked up after 6pm a few times.

Wonderful, now how do we pay for it?  That's a lot of polycarts to purchase and in this little banana republic, you will never pay less for being responsible.

The TARE board does have a surplus. You can also structure a contract to have the successful bidder buy the carts.

three days later and three phone calls they finally came and got it...

im convinced its my large recycling polycart that throws them off...
it looks too much like a trash can...

putting a liner in it is annoying but a hell of a lot better than the 8 small buckets i used to haul down to the curb

(http://static.www.odcdn.com/pictures/us/od/sk/lg/111695_sk_lg.jpg)

Or you could drink less Marshall's.  No, wait, pretend I never said that.

That is what we need right there, plus a green one for trash.  ONCE A WEEK PICK UP.  You pay a non-refundable deposit for both up front.  I believe that is how most cities do it. 

Non-refundable deposit.... is that mealy mouth words for "buy it"?

Yes.   ;)

You do the same thing when you get your electric/gas/cable activated, why not your trash as well? 

Not technically...I paid a $300 deposit in 1993 to start up my electric after I got divorced and was still living in Houston (to HL&P also currently known as Reliant Energy).  When I moved back I had not missed a payment or made a late payment, I received a $300 check from them within 3 months.

YMMV.

My deposit for electricity at the airport was returned in several credits about a year (as I remember, it's been a while) of paying on time.

The expense of the cart is offset by the saving in labor and vehicles.

When I lived in Fayetteville, they switched to polycarts for trash. The city bought the carts. Same with Springdale when they switched a couple of months back, except in that case Waste Management paid for them, since Springdale uses a contractor.

I'd be OK with a refundable deposit, but having to buy the cart is weak sauce.

I'm not having as much a problem with the pick up as with the fact that in a 2-hour window my recycling was picked up and my bin disappeared! ...this was in the first week of the new schedule/company.  They used to pick up at 6am and the first time the new service picked up between 2 and 4.  I called CoT and asked for a new bin, they said they would put in for it.  nothing.  I left a letter for the recycling crew.  nothing.  I'm really irritated that they can't seem to get me a bin.

Mine was empty when I got home from work last Thursday, I think they are getting the message.

So far I have never had them miss a pickup...just that first day they didn't get there until just after 6:15 pm.  Since then they average between 1pm and 4pm

The city sent out nice informative letters about the pick up problem, which has always been taken (if I remember to put it out). The letter included a card with my pickup dates for the rest of the year, nice.  The recycling went out Tuesday night for pick up Wednesday....still there on Thursday!  Put a call in to CoT number so kindly printed on the letter, also inquired about the bin that was never delivered.....apparently it's been 'pending' for the last 4 months.  They said that never happens, well it did, just like my recycling was never picked up.  They should pay me to put up with them. 

I'm for once a week trash pick up and once a week recycling (mandatory), can someone please pass that into legislation?  The two would balance each other out...why are we always last to do the right thing?

You need to say that to your city councilor.

No more problems with my service, I got the letter and card as well. Curious though, how much the city had to spend on that little clarification.

The contractor has quit now. Instead of putting it out to bid the city is handing it over to the previous contractor, who I didn't like that much either.

Just another Charlie Foxtrot brought to you by the COT.

Not sure how this is the city's fault if the contractor thought it was too difficult.  Trust me, I'm no advocate for the current city goverment status, but at least the city put their foot down about the number of complaints.

I wonder if the new/old contractor will pick up recycling in the alleys? My alley is technically a street (Carthage Ave) not an alley but the old/new contractor asked the city to change the routes.

I tend to lump the contractors (read: Becco, RR waste solutions) in with the city.  I keep lowering my expectations on a daily basis.

According to RRW, the city was somewhat to blame because of incomplete or incorrect route maps.

No. It is much more complicated than that.

The TARE board asked the contractor if they would be interested in assigning the contract. The distractions and complaints were getting in the way of discussions of new ideas.

The contractor they've had since June was "holding up new ideas"

Hasn't trash collection been basically the same for decades?