TITLE
Recommendation to authorize City Manager, or designee, to execute a contract with Mattress Recycling Council to facilitate the collection of discarded mattresses and box springs in the City of Long Beach for recycling, for a period of two years with automatic renewals thereafter unless terminated by the parties, at no additional cost to the City. (Citywide)
DISCUSSION
City Council approval is requested to execute a contract with Mattress Recycling Council (MRC) for the collection of discarded mattresses and box springs.
In 2013, State law SB 254, the Used Mattress Recovery and Recycling Act, was passed. This statewide legislation directed the development of a recycling program for discarded mattresses. The law includes a provision requiring consumers to pay a fee when purchasing a mattress, and that mattress retailers must pick up a customer’s old mattress when delivering a new one. It also established the MRC, a non-profit organization that manages programs that improve proper mattress disposal and promote mattress recycling. In 2016, the MRC implemented a system for recycling mattresses using funds from SB 254 mattress purchase fees. This program is voluntary for municipalities.
Long Beach residents discard an estimated 24,000 mattresses and box springs annually. Nearly 30 percent of those are dumped illegally in alleys or other public right-of-ways. Unwanted mattresses and box springs pose challenges along every step of the waste stream, such as:
• Difficult for residents to load and transport for disposal or recycling via private vehicle;
• Unsightly when left out in a public right-of-way or dumped illegally;
• Harborages of pests when left outdoors;
• Tough to load into refuse vehicles, or must be picked up by flatbed truck;
• Problematic in landfills as they impede machinery and do not break down; and,
• Challenging for waste‐to‐energy facilities due to difficulty loading into intake chutes creating a potential for blockage.
The contract with MRC would facilitate the Public Works Refuse Division’s ability to collect mattresses for recycling. Currently, all mattresses collected are disposed in a landfill or at the City’s Southeast Resource Recovery Facility (SERRF).
The Refuse Division collects between 14,000 and 18,000 mattresses annually through the Special Collection Program, Illegally Dumped Item Removal Program, and Clean Team Program. Under the proposed contract, MRC would provide, at no cost, a container for storing discarded mattresses, transportation of mattresses to a contracted recycling facility, and recycling of all mattresses collected. Additionally, MRC would reimburse the City for staff time to handle the material. No new staff would need to be hired to support this program. The Refuse Division already collects mattresses and labor would be reallocated for mattress recycling.
This matter was reviewed by Deputy City Attorney Amy R. Webber October 24, 2017 and by Budget Analysis Officer Julissa Jose-Murray on October 25, 2017.
SUSTAINABILITY
Collecting mattresses for recycling would allow the City to divert up to an additional 800,000 pounds of material from the waste stream annually. This also supports the City’s long-term goal to reduce waste sent to landfills.
TIMING CONSIDERATIONS
City Council action is requested on November 14, 2017, to ensure the contract is in place expeditiously.
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no direct cost to participate in this program. The Mattress Recycling Council’s program provides compensation to participating agencies for the staff time accrued to facilitate the collection of discarded mattresses and box springs for recycling. Compensation is determined using a standard formula that accounts for labor rates, estimated annual mattress units collected, and operation of a forklift. Based on an estimated collection of 14,000 mattresses, and the fully-burdened rates of a Refuse Operator I and Refuse Operator II for Fiscal Year 18, it is estimated that the City would be compensated $36,360 for the first full year of program participation. Any revenue received under this program will be deposited in the Refuse and Recycling Fund (EF 330) in the Public Works Department (PW). Approval of this recommendation will provide continued support to our local economy.
SUGGESTED ACTION
Approve recommendation.
BODY
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Respectfully Submitted,
CRAIG A. BECK
DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS
APPROVED:
PATRICK H. WEST
CITY MANAGER