FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) — On Tuesday, Fort Wayne City Council approved a contract between the City of Fort Wayne and GFL, securing the city’s newest trash and recycling hauler.
The city’s Board of Public Works has already approved the contract to welcome GFL in the place of current trash hauler Red River, which has held the contract since 2018.
The $11.1 million contract with GFL would run July 1, 2022, through June 30, 2030, and includes an option to extend for an additional two years.
Under the contract, GFL will collect 96 gallon and 48 gallon carts plus an additional three plastic trash bags or yard waste bags “using some form of automation” and not by hand. Residents must have carts at the curb by 6 a.m., and GFL will collect between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m., according to the contract.
The contract also calls for fines of $100 per miss should GFL miss collections, like the city was riddled with under Red River.
Here’s what customers can expect when GFL service begins on July 1:
- No changes to collection dates or A&B recycling weeks.
- Residents will continue to use their City-provided bins.
- Residents will continue to report misses to 311.
- Materials in the City-provided cart will continue to be collected, along with 3 additional bags.
- Residents who regularly have three or more bags can sign up for an additional cart for $2 per month.
The only question that remains with the contract signed is bulk pickup.
Consumers had unlimited bulk pickup under Red River, however, the new contract with GFL does not discuss bulk items at all.
As the city tries to find a bulk system that works, they have quickly realized that defining bulk may be hard. On trying to define what exactly a bulk item is, the city’s corporation counsel, Timmothy Haffner said, “I’m quickly learning bulk is in the eye of the beholder.”
Haffner says that with no bulk provision in the contract the city council has a “blank slate.” He later added, “I would expect some element of the bidding process for alternative providers, including GFL to pick up the bulk, and I think council needs to give us some direction on exactly what they want the scope of that service to be.”
With or without an additional bulk contract, GFL is ready to start serving Fort Wayne.
Sam Caramagno, GFL’s director of Municipal affairs was pleased with the unanimous decision from council saying, “We did well today. We got the nine votes to approve the contract with GFL for the next eight years for the city of Fort Wayne, we’re very pleased with that. We’re looking forward to the opportunity to change the path you have been on and provide good, consistent, solid waste service.”
Additional information regarding solid waste pickup will be answered by Public Works and Solid Waste leaders in various neighborhood meetings in June and postcards will be sent to solid waste customers with more information prior to July 1.
