Public Comment: How Much Will Hauler Reform Cost? Town Should Issue RFP to Find Out.

The following public comment was submitted in writing to the Town Services and Outreach Committee for their meeting on June 27, 2024.

My name is Darcy DuMont. I live in District 3 and am commenting on behalf of Zero Waste Amherst.

Our message is simple. The next step for the hauler bylaw proposal is to issue a Request for Proposals (RFP) to local haulers. It is likely that the council will not act on the proposal without more cost information. The only way we will find out what the proposal would cost both residents and the town is by issuing an RFP. We know we have at least three interested haulers. 

An RFP can be issued without being binding on the town. Thus, the council does not have to adopt the proposal before issuing an RFP. We have gone around and around about this for a few years now. 

Assisting the council with this proposal has been a goal of the Town Manager for two years. The implementation of significant waste reduction and specifically of curbside compost pickup is a goal of the Climate Action and Resilience Plan. Many groups across the town are hoping for adoption of the proposal so that we can both reduce trash significantly and save residents money.

In addition, waste reduction is much more of a climate emissions reduction issue than previously thought, according to the New York Times. See article below this comment.

An RFP would not take that much work as it is highly related to our recent RFI. We can request costs for basic services and then separate costs for a menu of options. We have examples of towns that have done this. ZWA has provided the town with a sample RFP and will gladly provide more assistance. Once responses are received, we can mix and match to see how much it would cost to provide different alternative services.

ZWA suggests that TSO request the Town Manager issue an RFP for services that would implement the hauler bylaw proposal, with the intention of learning the costs involved in different alternatives. 

Zero Waste Amherst previously suggested moving the proposal to the Town Council with a positive recommendation. Regardless of whether you do that now or later, we need an RFP next.

Methane from Landfills Is a Big Driver of Climate Change Study Says (New York Times)

Darcy DuMont is a former town councilor and sponsor of the legislation creating the Amherst Energy and Climate Action Committee. She is a founding member of Zero Waste Amherst, Local Energy Advocates of Western MA, and the Amherst Climate Justice Alliance and a non-voting member of Valley Green Energy Working Group. She can be contacted at dumint140@gmail.com.