Trash and recycling collection topic of Council workshop

posted on 1/26/2024

The City Council will hold a workshop on Wednesday, Jan. 31, on solid waste collection in the city.

At the workshop, Peter Engel, senior consultant of Kessler Consulting Inc., will provide an overview of the feasibility study the firm conducted over the past year on curbside solid waste and single-stream recycling collection and disposal. Last year, the City Council awarded the bid for the feasibility study to Kessler Consulting to identify future options for the city to consider regarding curbside trash collection and recycling.

Click here for the complete agenda and the feasibility study.

In its report that is available with the workshop agenda materials, the consultant reviewed current and predicted industry trends to help forecast future collection costs. Through that lens, the consultant provided analysis and cost estimates for the city to implement its own collection process or continue to contract the service out, as it does currently. The study also reviewed cost estimates and the feasibility of converting from the current bag collection to a toter collection that would reduce the labor needed for solid waste collection. The cost estimates also include procuring trucks, equipment, and sufficient personnel.

The current contract with Waste Management for curbside solid waste and recycling collection runs through June 30, 2025.

The workshop begins at 7 p.m. in City Hall's Council Chambers, and is open to the public. The workshop will be televised on Channel 22 and online at https://dovernh.viebit.com, where it will also be available for on-demand viewing.