Authority extends recycling operations agreement; retrofit recovered more cardboard and cut operator fees

The Solid Waste Authority approved a three-year extension of the operations and maintenance agreement with Circular Services (formerly Sims Municipal Recycling), citing gains from a recent retrofit of the recovered materials processing facility.

Staff said a 2025 retrofit focused on residential and commercial fiber lines captured roughly 800 tons of cardboard per month that otherwise would have been processed as mixed paper. That change, staff said, yields roughly $350,000 in additional annual revenue and allows the Authority to reduce the operator's processing fee by about $72,000 per year under the proposed amendment.

Commissioners approved the amendment on a voice vote. During public comment, Drew Martin of the Sierra Club praised the increased cardboard recovery as both environmentally beneficial and cost-saving.

What happens next: Staff indicated the three-year extension is the maximum allowed under the contract and that the amendment will be finalized administratively. The board did not direct additional conditions at the time of the vote.