Nine bids were returned in the first round because of questions regarding the bid specifications.
By: Linda Seida
LAMBERTVILLE The city has begun a second bid process for solid waste removal and a proposed recycling program for plastics and cardboard because the first attempt to solicit bids from contractors had to be canceled.
Nine bids were returned in the first round, according to City Clerk Lori Buckelew. None were accepted during a City Council meeting April 16 because of contractors’ questions concerning the language of the bid specifications. Their questions were submitted "at the 10th hour," Ms. Buckelew said.
"We want to get it right," Mayor David Del Vecchio said.
The new bids must be returned to the City Clerk by May 8.
The bids are for trash pickup plus two options, a proposed single-stream recycling method and the current method, which is to co-mingle some items and bundle others.
The current method does not make provisions for the recycling of plastics and cardboard, which some residents have requested.
The city now co-mingles clear and colored glass bottles and aluminum and metal cans, according to Ms. Buckelew. Also, the city accepts bundled and tied newspapers, magazines and office papers.
An ad hoc committee charged with investigating plastics recycling has said it can be cost effective and feasible for the city to begin a new recycling program. The committee’s preliminary report, submitted in January, recommended a single-stream program where residents could toss all materials into one container instead of separating them.
A single-stream program would need new carts or bins on wheels plus covers to prevent the papers and plastics from blowing away. A specially outfitted truck also would be required for collections.
The truck is estimated to cost about $170,000, according to the preliminary report. The carts, at $50 each, would total $100,000.
The city could save about up to $30,000 annually by, among other things, reducing the amount of solid waste it sends to landfills. The reduction could amount to about 250 tons a year.
The city has been paying $68 per ton. The city also could earn about $20 a ton by selling the recycled plastics, according to the report.

