MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — A contract addendum with Republic Services to handle waste disposal responsibilities in the city is moving forward with few changes from the document that was renewed in 2020. The contract will last for five years and provide a base rate of $21.35 a month per residential customer. The contract adds to a four-month extension approved by council in October 2022.
“We feel that we have arrived at a negotiation, in terms of the next contract, to be able to provide really good, high-level services at a reasonable rate,” said Morgantown City Manager Kim Haws.
As part of the contract, Republic Services will provide each dwelling and municipal facility with two separate containers. The waste container will be able to handle approximately 96 gallons worth of waste, and one 35-gallon container will be designated for recycling. The containers will provide QR codes that will provide direct contact information. These containers will be provided free of charge by Republic Services.
“You can access things like your schedule and resources for recycling education,” said Republic Services Municipal Sales Manager Renee Shipley of the QR codes.”If you have a question or a concern, you can log it into this website, and we will receive that information,” she said.
Additionally, the QR codes will allow customers to report complaints or request additional services such as electronic pick-ups or an extra disposal bin. The provision was added to the contract in response to numerous concerns over trash pick-ups being late or not happening over the course contract.
“Normal recovery times—the goal is to continue that and possibly even improve it,” said Shipley about the benefits of the QR code bins. “As the carts allow us, as Kim said, to be more efficient, hopefully we can recover from missed pickups even faster,” she said.
Monthly recycling will also continue as part of the contract extension. Youth recycling programs will continue to be supported with the help of Republic Services, with interactive activities and information provided through their website.
“As far as things for kids, you can download resources; they can do different word searches and play games,” said Shipley. “Just fun things for kids to get them excited about recycling, so there’s going to be a lot of good resources,” she said.
Customer bills for waste disposal are included in water bills provided by the Morgantown Water and Sewerage Board.