December 13, 2022

RE:      NEW TRASH AND RECYCLING PROVIDER

 Dear Village Resident:

 On December 6^th, 2022 the Village of Quincy Council received bids for the upcoming refuse collector contract. We are happy to announce that the Village of Quincy will be transitioning from the current provider to Modern Waste Systems starting January 1, 2023. Initial residential rates will be $18.13, with an annual increase of 4% yearly for the 5-year contract. Billing for service will continue to be included in your monthly water/sewer utility bill.

 To help keep costs to residents down, there are a couple of changes to the services provided:

• First, there will no longer be curbside recycling, however there will be a Recycling Dumpster located at the Village Office (47 Cole Street), for residents to bring recyclables Monday through Thursday 7:30AM to 6PM.
• Secondly, there will no longer be weekly large item pickup. Modern Waste will provide to residents through the contract, a one annual cleanup day(day will be announced in the future).
  1. For residents that cannot wait till the annual cleanup day and cannot transport their large item, Modern will provide a curbside pickup for residents for a fee charged directly to the resident.

MODERN CONTAINER DELIVERY WILL BEGIN DECEMBER 23^rd AND 24^th!

For residents that have more than one trash cart – extra containers will be delivered by February

**IMPORTANT**

DO NOT USE MODERN CONTAINERS UNTIL AFTER JANUARY 1^ST

Republic Waste will finish their contract with the Village of Quincy on December 30^th, 2022.

• The last day for curbside recycling service will be December 19^th 
• The last day for trash service will be December 26^th
• The last day for bulk item pickup will be December 30^th

Regular service days for Modern Waste will be on TUESDAYS:

• The first service day will be delayed due to New Years and will be completed on Wednesday (January 4^th)

While we understand how passionate residents feel about recycling, we here at the Village also feel the same and would like to present some facts about the decision to transition from Republic Waste to Modern Waste.

Cost:

Residents are not losing recycling, the service is still provided to residents and paid for by the Village.  To have bi-weekly curbside recycling would have cost an additional $7 to residents. A cost that the Council felt would not be well received, especially for residents that do not want the service. Extra containers for Republic would have been $12 a cart (an increase from the current $8 a cart), while Modern Waste’s extra carts are at $10 a cart.

Contamination:

What most residents are unaware of with municipal curbside recycling is the high likelihood of contamination. For instance, if one resident throws a pizza box away in their cart, that cart is now contaminated. Having the community recycle location will help in aiding responsible recycling practices.

• Common contaminations that occur:
  1. Cleaning off food leftovers
  2. Small items – anything smaller than a post-it-note cannot be recycled
  3. Plastic tape needs to be removed
     • Including windows in envelopes / tape on boxes
  4. Putting recyclables in plastic bags – plastic bags are considered soft plastic and are not recyclable
  5. Plastic bottle caps / laundry soap lids are not recyclable

Carbon Footprint:

Another factor in deciding to go with a community recycling is to lessen the carbon footprint that these trucks put out. This also reduces the truck traffic on local streets.

Local Service:

With Modern Waste being a local company, there are local numbers for residents to call if there are any issues. Currently residents have to call the Village Office, and we have to contact Republic via email. Thus, cutting out the middle man and getting issues solved quickly

Large Item vs. Annual Bulk:

Choosing to go to an annual bulk pickup, helps reduce the constant blight around town. Although we try our best to inform residents that they cannot put items out until the day before, sometimes they choose to put those items out days in advance. Some residents put items out in hopes that it gets picked up and do not notify us of their item, which result in items sitting out. Republic also put a weight limit of 50 pounds on all large item pickups, and if there was an additional pickup at the same address the Village would be charged $35 for the item. Also, curbside bulk pickup is still available for residents, however there is a charge and Modern will bill the resident individually for the item. Annual bulk allows residents to get rid of all of their blight or unwanted items at once, instead of spanning several weeks at a time.

We know transitions can be frustrating and we ask for your patience during this time. If you have any questions, please call the Village Office at 517-639-9065.

Sincerely,

Brittany Butler, Village Manager