Alissa Zhu

DZHU@NEWS-LEADER.COM

Should Springfield be divided into districts, each with their own trash routes and designated haulers? Should one trash hauler service the entire city?

Those options are ones City Council might be asked to consider as the city searches for a more efficient trash and recycling system.

Springfield's current system allows any homeowner to hire any trash service company. Robert Craggs, an environmental consultant with Burns & McDonnell, compared it to letting every family choose their own school buses.

School districts design bus routes based on efficiency, explained Craggs.

"You have one bus, generally, that goes down the street that picks up children and takes them to school. If everyone could choose their own bus to ride, and there were a number of buses going down the street ... You're going to have less efficient of a system, you're going to have more buses on the road, you're going to have more wear and tear and more concerns about safety."

Those are the same complaints the Springfield Neighborhood Advisory Council have been hearing from some community residents for years about garbage trucks.

The city of Springfield hired Kansas-City based Burns & McDonnell to look into the possibility of consolidating waste collection systems to address those problems and more.

Craggs updated council members on the study at a recent Tuesday lunch meeting and gave some teasers for what outcomes may be recommended, come January.

Craggs said the city could decide to keep the system similar to how it is now but revise the existing ordinance to add more consistency and details to the way trash haulers are regulated.

Other options, Craggs said, include creating trash hauling districts or choosing one company for the whole city.

One small trash hauler reacted to the last two possibilities with dismay.

"I'm hoping they leave the open market the way it is. If it isn't broke, don't fix it," said Nick Karmann, who owns the family-run Queen City Disposal.

Karmann said he has met with the consulting firm to talk about Springfield's system.

"I'm a little nervous, but I'm continuing business and I'm planning for the next five to 10 years," Karmann said.

Karmann said having consumers choose which trash service they use is no different than choosing grocery stores. He thinks dividing the city into districts would impact the business of all trash companies — and especially small ones like his.

He said if haulers have to enter into contracts with the city, they would have less say in how they set their prices.

"They want us to do more work for less money," Karmann said.

Karmann thinks having a consolidated waste management system would not solve neighbors' complaints of loud traffic and wear on city streets.

"There's a lot of factors," Karmann said. "Delivery trucks, school buses coming down streets — every piece of weight affects these roads."

Marsha Courtois is with Patriot Disposal, another small family-owned trash hauling company that has customers in Springfield.

Courtois said her company has not been contacted for the study.

Courtois said she's concerned because she thinks policy changes might favor larger haulers that have the most number of customers in Springfield.

"We pretty much want them to give us a fair shot," Courtois said.

The News-Leader attempted to reach several other businesses including Republic Services, Moore's Trash Service, WCA Waste Corporation and J&J Refuse Services. Requests for comment were not returned.

The study officially kicked off in September, and consultants are in the midst of interviewing trash haulers and gathering other information, Craggs said.

Trash collection in Springfield is currently an open-market system that includes a dozen or more private companies. The city does not provide trash collection services.

The city operates recycling centers, a landfill and collection centers for household hazardous waste and yard waste.

Trash haulers are required by city ordinance to offer curbside recycling, but it usually costs extra.

"The status quo is not that efficient," Craggs said. "Our goal is to move the city forward to find the right balance between efficiency and uniformity."

The consulting firm has done similar studies in communities across the country, including Minneapolis, Tulsa, Phoenix, Sioux Falls and St. Louis County.

There's much work to be done before the firm is ready to present its findings to council at the beginning of 2017, including a public outreach campaign.

Craggs said his firm will begin conducting random phone surveys of Springfield residents in November. He said the target pool will be 500 people.

There will be a meeting with the Neighborhood Advisory Council Nov. 9, Craggs said.

Craggs said his firm will present findings to council Jan. 24.

From there, council members can decide what, if any actions, they want to take.

Craggs recommended the council consider making a decision in February because an overhaul of the current trash and recycling system will take at least two years to implement.

That's due to a state statute that requires trash haulers to be notified of changes two years in advance, Craggs said.

According to city spokeswoman Cora Scott, the trash and recycling collection study cost $109,450.

Want to go?

The city of Springfield is hosting a public open house on trash and recycling services.

It will be held 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Nov. 10 at the Discovery Center, located at 438 E. St. Louis St.

Members of the public can ask questions about an ongoing study about the efficiency of the trash and recycling system. The city will gather input on the current services and what residents would like to see offered in the future.