SUBJECT/RECOMMENDATION:
Title
Approve establishing a new Capital Improvement Project entitled Recycling Processing Center Expansion and Upgrade (CIP 315-96809) for $1,000,000, to be funded from unappropriated retained earnings of the Recycling Fund, for preliminary site work to include but not limited to geotechnical surveys, land surveys, preliminary design, and equipment needed for the new Recycling Processing facility. (consent)
Body
SUMMARY:
In October 2013, the City of Clearwater converted residential recycling collection from manual collection of 18 gallon bins to automated collection using 96 gallon carts. This change has allowed our residents to continue recycling everything they had always recycled while adding cardboard, glass, and cartons (gable top and aseptic containers) to the mix. The first twelve months of the expanded residential program (October 2013 through September 2014) has seen an average monthly collection increase from 160 tons/month to 440 tons/month.
This project will provide for the expansion of the recycling processing center and the addition of processing equipment. The expansion is necessary for the increased volumes of recyclables and the processing equipment necessary to separate the co-mingled materials for market, because separated materials bring a substantially higher market price than co-mingled materials.
After preliminary designs and surveys are completed, the department will present to Council a total cost for the project. The total cost of the project is expected to be in the range of $3 million to $4 million.
APPROPRIATION CODE AND AMOUNT:
0-426-00000-389902 Unappropriated Retained Earnings
USE OF RESERVE FUNDS:
N/A