City of Grand Junction Solid Waste Department How do we make it all work $$$$

What are we about The City of Grand Junction Solid Waste Department provides automated refuse collection to all residential customers of less than eight units in the City of Grand Junction as of April 19, We also do residential collection for over 150 customers under the new administrative regulation that were annexed after the April 19th date. In addition we provide commercial refuse collection for those commercial customers requesting our service. In providing commercial service, we compete with the private sector (BFI, Waste Management, Monument Refuse, and Rocky Mt. refuse). Through a contract with CRI we provide residential curbside recycling for those customers wanting the service. The Solid Waste Department has nine Specialty Equipment Operators whose jobs include residential refuse collection, container delivery, commercial Dumpster service, and construction and special pick-ups. We service over 14,150 automated containers and 1,085 commercial dumpsters per week. We have one Lead Public Works Maintenance Worker who is the shop man doing repairs, deliveries, etc., one Supervisor, one Superintendent, and one half of an administrative assistant who is shared with the Water Department. The Solid Waste department is in charge of administrating a contract with CRI (Curbside Recycling Indefinitely) to provide curbside recycling to its residential customers if they so choose to have it. The City of Grand Junction Solid Waste Department is an enterprise fund with a minimum fund balance of 15 percent of annual operating expenses. Rates and rate changes are established by City Resolution. The fund's sole existence is to provide quality refuse collection to the citizens of the community at a fair price.

Regular Residential Services Regular Residential Services  Weekly refuse collection: The City of Grand Junction Solid Waste Department provides weekly automated refuse collection. We have 4 automated side load trucks and 1 rear load truck used for our weekly collection. Each side loader services about 700 containers per day and the rear load truck is used for special pickups and a commercial rear load route.  City provided trash container(s): For our residential customers we provide a choice of two different size containers, 64 and 96 gallons, or any combination. The customers choose the container(s) that best fits their need. The number of containers and sizes can be changed at anytime with no charge to the customer. All containers are wheeled for easy delivery too and from the curb. Containers have attached lids to help with spillage and animal problems. (All containers are property of the city.)

 Volume based rates: Rates are based on the volume of trash the container holds. A 64 gallon container costs the customer less money than a 96 gallon, and a 96 gallon is less than 2-64 gallon containers. The city feels this is the fairest way to charge customers for refuse collection. We have no senior discount.  Convenient monthly billing: Customers are billed monthly for the service provided the previous month. Trash service will be added to your current City bill (You will make one payment for all the service you receive from the City, those service may include Sewer, City Water, Trash, and Recycling).

Additional Services by Request  Curbside Recycling: The City of Grand Junction offers residential curbside recycling service. You will receive in-home instruction, containers, calendars, brochures, quarterly news letter, and regular monthly curbside service. Products that can be recycled are Aluminum, Cardboard, Glass, Plastic #1 #2, Newspaper, Steel cans, Magazines, and Office pak. The cost of the program is $1.75 per month and will be conveniently added to your City utility bill. To sign up or obtain more information call Curbside Recycling Indefinitely at ( ) or the City Solid Waste Department ( ).  Special bulk item pickup: The City of Grand Junction offers special pick up, and bulky item removal. There is a fee for this service, and it is based on the volume of material collected. Loose material must be contained and should not exceed fifty pounds in weight. Bricks, concrete, and steel cannot be collected as they are damaging to the collection vehicle. Limbs and brush must be cut no longer than four foot in length and tied in bundles no larger than eighteen inches. To obtain a special pickup, just call the Solid Waste Department ( ) and schedule it.

 Handicapped and elderly assistances: The Solid Waste Department provides a special service for those customers with physical disabilities. The equipment operators will pull the customer’s automated container out and service it each week. To be added to the list for assistance, call the Solid Waste Department ( )  Small construction and clean up projects: The Solid Waste Department also offers construction dumpsters for small building projects, and clean ups. We have 2 cubic yard containers available for these projects. The 2003 cost for construction tanks is $15.00 per cubic yard per service. You can keep this container for up to 30 days then a charge of $1.00 per day is added. For assistance on a construction dumpster, call the Solid Waste Department ( )

 Just moving into the City (Special pick up of moving boxes): The Solid Waste Department provides a special service for those customers just moving into our service area. When you get moved in and have all your moving boxes and packaging paper together call us and we will do a one time pickup for free. It’s just a small way of saying welcome to the City of Grand Junction Solid Waste services. For assistance call the Solid Waste Department ( )

Commercial Service  We try to assist and provide for all their reasonable needs. We do not charge for changing container size or customers’ requests for change in service, as we understand there needs change from time to time. It is our goal to make personal contact with all large commercial customers one time per year. We will provide one newsletter per year to all commercial customers. We try to take care of all our customers’ needs in a prompt and courteous manner. Also, we are using plastic lids instead of metal lids. These are much lighter and easier for our customers to use and reduce the chance of injury. Another important customer services we provide are locking lids. This is a great help to our customers who have a problem with other people filling their Dumpster. With the change to automated collection in 1996, the impact to our commercial can customers was significant. In the past, customers were charged a flat rate and could use from one to five 33-gallon containers. With the conversion to automation these customers were given the same choice as residential customers to choose the container that best fits their garbage needs; any combination of 64, 96, or 300-gallon containers. Commercial customers also benefited from the lower rates that the conversion to automation has on future rates.

2002-Recycling Program 2002 City of Grand Jct. Recycling Program Cost per customer (2234) per month Recycling program cost $ 201, $ - Total $ 201, $ 7.51 Revenue from $1.75 $ 42, Revenue from sale of product $ 63, Direct pays $ Credits $ (58.57) Avoid Cost $ 112, $97.65 per Ton Total $ 219, $ 8.19 Total Sources $ 219, Total Uses $ 201, Gain or Loss $ 18, $ 0.68

Budget  PERCENT OF TOTAL BUDGET   Personnel Costs  Landfill Costs  Equipment Costs  Interfund Chargers  Recycling Costs  Debt Payment  Other Expenses

  Personnel Expense 597,528600,307671,493667,415690,972707,658  General Operating 612,679660,507602,468574,553583,861599,096  Interfund Charges 668,750631,727648,464701,807715,698710,896  Debt Services 132,963152,940108,240102,96097,68092,400  Operating Capital 14,56417,89814,39030,27928,73255,076  TOTAL EXP. 2,026,4842,063,3792,045,055 2,077,0142,116,9432,165,126 BUDGET

2003 Automated container rates (1) 64 GALLON + RECYCLING9.82 (1) 96 GALLON + RECYCLING11.98 (2) 64 GALLON + RECYCLING14.15 (1) 64, (1) 96 GALLON + RECYCLING16.31 (2) 96 GALLON + RECYCLING18.47 (1) 64 GALLON8.07 (1) 96 GALLON10.23 (2) 64 GALLON12.40 (1) 64, (1) 96 GALLON14.56 (2) 96 GALLON16.72 (1) 300 GALLON29.70

Summary The customer is your economic success! They are the reason you exists.  You can do a lot of things for not much money, become innovative.  Don’t recreate the wheel.  Make the customer your top priority.  By letting the customer make their own choices, they will be much happier, and don’t mind paying for their choices.  Let the customer know you appreciate them.  Have your drivers create a relationship with their customers.

If you don’t take care of your customers, somebody else will. When we take care of our customers, we take care of ourselves Darren Starr City of Grand Junction