The city of Port Coquitlam is looking to sign a long-term agreement for processing its kitchen and garden waste.
Currently, the city works on a month-to-month disposal arrangement with Fraser Richmond Soil and Fibre. But engineering director Andrew Wood said that with PoCo's maturing green waste collection program a five-year contract could be more appropriate, so the city is putting a request for proposals out to the industry.
"Staff would like to see a longer term agreement," he said during a special council meeting Monday night.
With the certainty of a long-term contract, Wood said service providers are able to make investments and improvements to their operations to better handle the approximately 6,000 tonnes of green waste collected annually in the city.
Staff will evaluate the proposals based on cost of disposal, schedule assurance and how well the company is able to respond to complaints from the public. Mitigation of odours and impacts to neighbours will also be considered, along with proximity to the community.
In a report, Wood wrote that other municipalities have expressed an interest in participating in a contract with the successful proponent. The city could then explore economies of scale, he wrote, which could lead to reduced costs.
A long-term green waste disposal agreement would also have to come with a certain degree of flexibility, said Coun. Mike Forrest. The industry is changing, he said, and municipalities need to be able to adopt best practices as they become available, even if it is before the end of a contract.
"Things happen so fast in this industry that five years seems like a long time," he said. "I want us to be able to stay on the cusp."
The ability for residents to bring their organic waste directly to the facility is also something council said it would look for in a proposal.
One company that will be responding to the municipality's request is Cascade Renewable Carbon Corp., a bio-organic waste processing plant proposed to open in PoCo. Jerry Salberg, chair and CEO of the company, said that if PoCo chose Cascade at the end of the RFP, the city would save money on trucking costs.
"That is a key cost driver," he said. "This is a strategic location. It is a significant advantage for the haulers."
The company has already done an audit of PoCo's collected green waste and Salberg said there is a high level of source separation, which reduces contaminants. Fewer contaminants, he added, means a higher quality of soil at the end of the process.
Steve Aujla, executive vice-president of Fraser Richmond Soil and Fibre, the company that currently handles Port Coquitlam's organic waste, said it would likely be submitting a proposal to the city as well.
"We have been working with Port Coquitlam and we have been good partners," he said. "We would be looking at any options that would solidify that partnership on a longer term basis."
