The District of Muskoka is telling residents that recycling collection is continuing as normal and to continue sorting and setting them out as you normally do.
Waste Connections of Canada (WCC) published a letter to the District of Muskoka Thursday saying they are not able to meet the new requirements needed to fulfill the District’s recently issued request for proposal (RFP) for recycling processing and hauling contracted services. WCC’s Communications Manager Jacklyn Carrigan explained to the MyMuskokaNow.com newsroom that they use a duel-stream collection process that requires residents to sort their recycling. The District is moving to a single-stream system, which Carrigan says WCC isn’t able to meet.
The RFP process ends on Monday, March 29th, with a decision from the District’s Engineering and Public Works Committee expected on April 12th.
“The RFP was developed to prepare for province-wide blue box program changes anticipated for 2024,” officials with the District explain. “Evaluation of the proposals will not only focus on cost and efficiency, but also on achieving the best environmental outcomes and customer service for Muskoka.”
“While Waste Connections of Canada will proudly continue to provide the superior service expected by our customers for all commercial/industrial waste and recycling needs, as well as residential curbside waste collection for the District of Muskoka,” WCC officials went on to say in their letter. “We sincerely hope the new vendor you select for processing recyclables will meet your expectations and deliver the same dedicated service that our local staff have provided to you.”
Officials say that to ensure a “fair and transparent procurement process” no further comment will be given on the situation until a contract is awarded.