Tucson settles barrel dispute - Municipal Recycling - Tucson, Arizona to purchase recycling containers from Toter Inc. and Rehrig Pacific Co - Brief Article

Recycling Today, Nov, 2002

The Tucson Recycles program has resumed after Mayor Bob Walkup and City Council took action to resolve legal issues that stalled the citywide expanded recycling initiative in July.

Walkup and City Council accepted a proposed settlement between Toter and Rehrig-Pacific, the two vendors vying to supply Tucson with blue recycling barrels. Barrel distribution has resumed as of October, with deployment expected to be complete in February 2003.

With the Tucson Recycles program, residents will switch from twice-weekly garbage service and bi-weekly recycling service to coordinated weekly garbage collection and recycling pickup. Each home will receive a 90- or 60-gallon blue barrel to hold an increased amount of recyclable materials. The program is expected to dramatically increase recycling in Tucson.

"The delay encountered in the procurement of the blue barrels is indicative of a very competitive industry whose various manufacturers often go to great lengths to secure a major contract," Eliseo Garza, Jr., director of the Solid Waste Management Department, says.

The action results in an agreement whereby Tucson will purchase containers from Toter and Rehrig-Pacific at the original bid prices. Under the settlement, Toter will deliver 105,000 containers with a dollar value of $3.9 million, and Rehrig-Pacific will deliver an additional 30,000 containers on top of the 37,700 it previously provided to the City, with a total dollar value of $2.5 million. No other financial consideration was necessary and the total purchase amount is within the adopted budget for the blue barrel program.