Peachtree City weighs single-hauler trash proposal after staff RFP presentation

Peachtree City staff presented a draft request for proposals that would select one exclusive contractor to provide residential solid-waste service to roughly 13,700 households, outline performance standards and offer three service levels ranging from basic trash and weekly recycling to full service that includes yard debris and bulk pickup.

The RFP requires high operational performance: route-completion rates near 97–99 percent, missed pickups corrected within one business day, GPS-equipped trucks, onboard cameras, and monthly reporting of route completion, missed pickups, customer complaints and recycling tonnages. Recycling collection would be weekly and included in the base rate; vendors must supply distinct recycling carts and separate collection vehicles to avoid commingling.

City procurement staff said six vendors responded: AmWaste, GFL, Ryland, Red Oak, Waste Pro and Republic. Technical evaluations ranked AmWaste, GFL and Republic at the top; cost carried a 30 percent weight in scoring and was revealed to evaluators only after technical scores were set. Staff presented sample pricing and said a full-service option from AmWaste would be lower than some incumbents in certain scenarios, but the presentation contained several numerical transcription errors that the city agreed to clarify in follow-up materials.

Residents at the meeting sharply questioned two linked features of the proposal: making a single hauler citywide and making service mandatory. James Clifton said a single-provider mandate would reduce competition and “treat citizens as subjects rather than free individuals.” Other residents warned that a mandatory citywide model could raise bills for some households and put local hauling companies and their workers at risk. Several speakers with large, rural-like lots said the RFP’s yard-debris proposals did not address how contractors would remove very large trunks or haul material from long shared driveways.

Council members and staff said those operational questions are resolvable and stressed that no decision would be made that night. Staff agreed to invite at least AmWaste to an August work session to present detailed operations and to supply clearer cost tables and answers on yard-debris handling, backdoor/ADA pickup, rate-escalation language and the effect on residents who currently lack a contracted hauler. The city manager also said staff would provide the survey methodology and corrected pricing figures for public review.

The council emphasized two themes for next steps: give residents clearer cost comparisons, and have the winning vendors demonstrate how they would serve Peachtree City’s unique cart-path and green-belt geography. The presentation and public comments will be followed by vendor briefings and additional public outreach before council considers any ordinance or contract action.