The County Council last week awarded the next round of contracts for trash collection in unincorporated areas of the county to Allied Waste Services and IESI.
Council members voted 5-2 on May 10 to approve orders awarding five-year trash collection contracts in eight trash districts.
Sixth District Council Chairman Steve Stenger, D-south county, and 7th District Councilman Greg Quinn, R-Ballwin, were opposed.
Allied and IESI were the apparent low bidders for the contracts, which take effect in October.
The two haulers, along with Veolia Environmental Services, were awarded the first trash-district contracts in 2008.
Veolia last October pulled its operations out of the St. Louis area.
The council earlier this year voted to extend the duration of the next round of contracts to five years from three years, a move that county officials and some council members contend has resulted in cheaper bids — which translates to unincorporated residents paying less for trash service over the next five years than they are now.
But Stenger, the only Democratic council member to vote against extending the contracts to five years, has said the lower prices are the result of opposition to the trash program from south county and “vigilance” from his office.
He reiterated that position in an interview shortly before last week’s council meeting.
“You don’t gain any efficiency or any economy of scale by having a contract move from three years to five years. I take issue with that …,” Stenger told the Call. “We could enjoy the same prices and have this come before us every three years rather than every five years.
“And I think that level of oversight is very important, especially where now you’re going to have something that’s very close to a monopoly. You’re going to have basically two haulers filling all the waste contracts in the county.”
Allied, which currently serves districts 3 through 7, was the apparent low bidder in districts 1, 3, 5, 6, 7 and 8. IESI was the apparent low bidder in districts 2 and 4. It currently serves 1, 2 and 8.
Allied, IESI and Waste Management submitted bids for all eight districts. Meridian Waste Services and Christian Environmental Services bid on districts 3, 4, 5, 6 and 8.
In the first trash district in north county, IESI now charges $13.14 a month for basic service. However, Allied submitted the apparent low bid of $10.10 a month for the first year of basic service, beginning in October, and $11.15 a month for the fifth year.
In the second district, also located in north county, IESI currently charges households $13.07 a month for basic service. It submitted the apparent low bid of $10.92 a month, beginning in October, and increasing to $12.05 a month by October 2015, the start of the fifth and final year of the agreement.
In the third trash district, which encompasses an area of north-central county, Allied now charges $12.31 a month for basic service. It submitted the apparent low bid of $9.35 a month for the first year, increasing to $10.32 a month for the fifth year.
In the fourth district, located generally in southwestern county along the Meramec River, Allied currently charges $13.25 a month for basic service. However, IESI submitted the apparent low bid of $10.71 a month, increasing to $11.81 a month by the fifth year.
Allied now charges $13.29 a month for basic service in the fifth trash district, located generally in Affton. It had the apparent low bid of $10.05 a month for the first year, increasing to $11.09 a month for the fifth year.
In the sixth district, located in Lemay, Allied currently charges $14.60 a month for basic service. It submitted the apparent low bid of $11.37 a month, increasing to $12.55 a month by the fifth year.
Households in the seventh trash district, which includes Concord and part of Oakville, now pay $13.28 a month for basic services under Allied. The hauler submitted the apparent low bid of $10.73 a month for the first year, increasing to $11.84 a month for the fifth year.
In the eighth district, located in Oakville, IESI currently charges $14.23 a month for basic service. However, Allied submitted the apparent low bid of $9.87 a month, increasing to $10.90 a month by the fifth year.
