SWACO saves communities money

Buying in bulk saves money, even when it comes to trash, yard waste and recycling services. A second Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio (SWACO) sponsored consortium of 7 communities will bring saving amounting to more than $840,000 over 5 years for their residents of those 7 communities.

SWACO organized the communities of Whitehall, Groveport, Valleyview, Brice, Franklin Township, Clinton Township and Pleasant Township together and provided the legal advice for their bid package. Instead of bidding smaller numbers of residential customers for each city, village or township, the consortium bid package was able to deliver the winning bidder 13,620 households. Being able to commit a larger number of customers brought about increased services at a lower price for those in the consortium.

SWACO executive director Ron Mills sees the resulting prices as simple math. “When you can bring more customers to the table, companies are willing to sharpen their pencils on pricing. This was the case in the first consortium that SWACO organized as well. In this case, the bidding process resulted in large savings overall and the addition of first time services for many residents in the consortium.”

The winning bid of $13.52 per month represents a savings of $.49 to $6.18 (monthly) depending upon the community. (This figure does not include pending or future governmental fees). Under the contract, Local Waste Services will provide trash services, curbside recycling, yard waste collection and bulk pick-up to the residents of the seven member communities. (Some residents will pay an extra $.26 monthly if their community chooses to have Local Waste Services handle the billing process). In several cases, communities of the consortium are able to offer their residents curbside recycling, yard waste collection, and bulk pick-up for the first time.